Tsumugi never slept so soundly in her life.
The late-night workout with Kaito left her exhausted. Her abs were still sore from yesterday... They'd probably be like that for another couple hours...
But she definitely didn't regret it. Training gave her the confidence she needed to get out of her funk. Even if she could execute everything else perfectly... If she wasn't confident in herself - the others would find out the truth sooner or later. That much, Tsumugi knew.
Stretching her arms, she sat up in her bed. It had deep red sheets, as did her pillow. In fact, the entire theme of this room was red; the door, the chair, even the carpet were all emblazoned with the cherry color. Tsumugi had a dedicated designer to work on the styling for these rooms, and she thought they turned out pretty nicely. Even the male dorms looked good, despite their dull, grey theme. Naturally, they'd switch up the design for every Killing Game.
However, one thing did stay the same. The size of the room. The first two Killing Games didn't have large rooms at all, so Tsumugi decided she'd continue the tradition. Her room was just big enough to fit the necessary amenities, as judged by Team Danganronpa. That included a modest bathroom, a small closet filled with duplicates of the student's uniform, a single bed, a desk, and a lone couch seat directed towards a TV screen and a small dresser. Not to mention the large speaker set attached to the ceiling that Monokuma uses for the announcements...
Tsumugi actually liked the size of the room. It wasn't too large, or too small. At least, for one person. Her mind shifted to think of Rantaro, who was forced to remain in the Mastermind's Hideout until they found him... Hopefully her anime collection would keep him busy enough...
Her abs flared up in pain, instantly thrusting her back to reality. She'd have to watch her movements today, lest that happened again... But even so, it felt satisfying to work so hard... She should do this more often. Placing a hand on her lower back for support, she slowly stood up and waltzed over to her bathroom to get ready to greet another beautiful day.
At least, she hoped it would be. The others would probably be outside by now... They planned to meet at 8 am sharp to discuss searching for an entrance to the Mastermind's hideout. Instinctively, Tsumugi's eyes flitted towards the clock on her wall.
7:55 am
Her eyes widened; being as cooperative as possible was a necessity for this plan. She wouldn't want them suspecting her simply because she was late.. Hurriedly, she rushed to take a shower and get dressed.
Throwing on her clothes and quickly running a comb through her hair, she ran out the door just as the clock struck 8. The entry area was simple; eight dorms on the top floor, and eight dorms on the bottom. She decided to keep the grey color for this room as well. Thankfully, the exit was only a few steps away; planned so she could slip out and back in undetected, important for a Mastermind. Tsumugi's heels clicked on the metal flooring as she strode towards the door. Taking a deep breath, she stepped forward and exited the dormitory.
"Good morning, Tsumugi!"
Tsumugi practically jumped as a female voice greeted her, not even two steps outside the building. Turning in that direction, she saw a tannish girl with yellow-white hair. She sported a yellow coat, although she wasn't wearing anything underneath except a white bra and bikini. With a face that practically emanated cheerfulness, the girl's smile shone brightly, almost outdoing the dome's artificial sun.
Angie Yonaga, the Ultimate Painter. Tsumugi remembered working on her character... Someone so dedicated towards the god Atua that she neglected her own feelings and ambitions...
It was quite interesting to think of her original creations as real people. Seeing them, interacting with them, as if they were human beings and not just simply actors in Mastermind Tsumugi's Ultimate Despair-Inducing Play.
They may be fiction, but they're real people, too. Even in this world, where their purpose was to kill each other. Ever since Rantaro opened her eyes, Tsumugi has been seeing her classmates differently, in a way that she never did before. It was refreshing, she thought.
"Oh, good morning, Angie. Is everyone here yet?"
Angie looked away and struck a thinking pose, the end of her paintbrush against her chin as she scanned the area.
"Ohh, I dunno! From what it looks like, only Ryoma is missing. I sure hope he's not the Mastermind!"
Tsumugi chuckled nervously, "I'm sure he isn't. He probably just overslept..."
Although overbearing at times, Angie's overall intentions were never really bad. Unless, of course, she was asking for a blood donation to Atua...
Tsumugi decided to join the others before the girl did ask for such a donation, waving for her to follow. The faux sun outside was as bright as ever, contrasting against the painted blue sky. Yellow-green grass blades - the only thing natural about this environment - danced back and forth in the simulated breeze. As much as this all was a lie, Tsumugi couldn't help but find it appealing.
The students were arranged in a circle near the benches across the brick path, a few of them sitting down. They were apparently discussing something very intently. Intently enough to make Kokichi cry, which always caught Tsumugi off guard.
"BUT I WANNA GO WITH MOOOOOM!"
Shuichi responded awkwardly, looking away from the boy.
"B-but Kokichi, Kirumi already has Korekiyo as a partner. We already agreed to search the school in pairs of two, so we don't leave anyone unattended..."
Joining in, Korekiyo presented his argument as well.
"Yes. Kirumi and I will have a nice conversation about the current state of worldly affairs such as politics and business. Topics someone such as yourself could not provide valuable input on."
A switch seemed to have been flipped in the boy's brain. Kokichi instantly stopped crying, as he walked towards Shuichi with a playful look.
"Then why don't I go with Shuichi? We can use those cameras to take more selfies!"
Shuichi hid himself in his hat, his cheeks reddening.
"B-But I'm-"
Thankfully, Kaede bailed him out, asserting herself to Kokichi.
"Shuichi is going with me, we already decided this. Kokichi, why don't you pick someone who doesn't have a partner?"
Throwing his hands behind his head and looking around, Kokichi estimated how much more mayhem he could cause. His eyes fell onto Himiko for a few seconds, but the girl was quickly snatched up by Tenko, a scowl appearing on her face.
Not wasting a second, Kokichi's eyes darted towards Keebo, his face not even turning to look at the boy.
"Hey, do robots have-"
Miu Iruma interrupted him this time, stepping towards the robot and grabbing his hand.
"Hell no! I'm going with Keebo, and that's final. I'm the only one who gets to mess with the robot!"
Albeit with a reddening face, Keebo couldn't help but agree with her.
"Honestly... I would much rather go with you than with Kokichi, anyways..."
Miu smirked, and she started stroking Keebo's arm slowly.
"Yeah, that's right... I'll make sure to give you some upgrades later, ok?"
"U-upgrades?"
Keebo was startled, but Tsumugi didn't focus on the robot. Instead, her eyes rested on Kokichi, who was standing in the center of the circle now.
Nervousness overtook her. She absolutely, positively did not want to pair up with Kokichi. If there was anyone who would cause her to slip up, it would be him. It was best to stay away for the time being... But who would be her partner...
Tsumugi looked around and hurriedly tried to pick who would be the best partner, out of the people remaining... Kaito? They did train together last night... Or maybe Gonta?.. How about-
As she was searching, Kokichi made eye contact with her. A grin appeared on his smug, little face as if he was the devil incarnate.
Oh no. Tsumugi froze, the gears in her head slowing to a halt as well. The sinking feeling in her stomach would've amounted to much more if she had this encounter yesterday...
Suddenly, Tsumugi felt a hand wrap around her left arm. That hand swiftly raised it up high, volunteering her for something. Looking in that direction, she saw it was the hand of Angie Yonaga.
"I would like to be Tsumugi's partner!"
Tsumugi was definitely shocked, not to mention a bit uncomfortable; A reddish blush appeared on her face. But she was appreciative of the girl's forwardness. Angie was probably one of the better ones to pair up with, to be honest...
"Yeah, that's fine with me... So that leaves Kokichi, Kaito, Gonta, and Maki..."
As Kokichi debated between the last three, Gonta couldn't help but speak up.
"Um, Gonta does not have partner yet..."
Kokichi eyed the man and gave him a sly smile.
"Oh, you're right, Gonta! In that case, I'll pick... Maki!"
"No."
The girl instantly responded with a single word, as if driving a dagger into the boy's heart.
"I'd rather kill him than be anywhere near that idiot."
As if waiting for Maki, Kaito decided to speak up. He gave the girl a friendly look as he waved at her. Come to think of it, he did want to train with her yesterday...
"Hey, Maki, you'll pair up with me, right?"
She sighed and looked away from him.
"I was thinking of searching alone... But if I'm required to be with someone, then you'll do."
"Good choice! It'll be fun searching together!"
Kaito's grin lit up his face as he patted Maki on the back. Giving a slight pout, she responding quickly.
"Whatever..."
"So that means Gonta's partner is Kokichi? Gonta is fine with that."
Kokichi walked over to the towering man. He grinned widely.
"Well, the joke's on you guys, because Gonta's the one I wanted to pair up with anyways. When the Mastermind comes to kill you guys, don't come crying to me that you didn't have someone big and strong to protect you! Neeheehee!"
Kaede rolled her eyes at the boy. Nevertheless, she walked towards him, as she began giving every group a card.
"I separated the school into sections listed on these cards so we don't search the same areas. And remember, everyone, we're meeting back in the Library at 5pm tonight."
A slight fear gripped Tsumugi as she heard this. She needed to search upstairs in order to create the flashback light. But with Kaede's strategy, the chance of them searching there was low. Why did Kaede have to be so damn organized...
Yet, Tsumugi swallowed her fear and regained the confidence she had yesterday. Nothing could stop her. Nothing was going to stop her. If she didn't get the right card, she'd just have to find another way.
"Any questions?"
Kokichi raised his hand and jumped about like an eager little schoolboy, but Gonta knew his question wouldn't be a good one. Slowly reaching out, he pushed Kokichi's hand down.
"Ok, let's head out-"
"Sorry I'm late..."
Ryoma Hoshi appeared from the dormitories, holding his hat and walking towards the group. Keebo gave him a smile as he approached.
"Oh, Ryoma! My apologies, we seem to have forgotten about you? This does mess up our numbers, but surely we can have a group of three."
The first to speak up was Kirumi, holding a warm hand towards the boy.
"Ryoma can join our group. I'm sure Korekiyo wouldn't mind."
He responded swiftly, throwing up a finger.
"You are quite correct, my lady. If you're ready, Ryoma, we can head out now."
The boy gave a nonchalant shrug as he joined the two of them.
"That's fine with me..."
As the first group left, some of the others did as well. Angie began walking, and she waved on Tsumugi.
"Come now, Tsumugi, Atua does not like dilly-dalliers."
Tsumugi nodded and followed her. The girl was practically skipping on her way to the school, the card she held sitting in her coat pocket.
"Angie... Which area are we responsible for?"
"Oh. The gardens! The outdoor area behind the school, and everything around it!"
So they didn't have the area she wanted... Tsumugi took a deep breath and looked around.
Alright... Now which team was searching upstairs... And would they be willing to trade...
Kaede and Shuichi would be willing to trade cards, right?
She watched the two of them, listening in on their conversation.
"Shuichi, did anything happen last night?"
"Uh, no... Kirumi, Gonta, and I slept in shifts, so no one could've used that door..."
"That's good. I'm sure you're tired, though..."
"I'll be fine... And besides, it gave me some time to think... About this game..."
"About this game?"
"Yeah... I'm starting to piece together what's happening here... Kaede, you noticed that the morning announcement didn't play, right?"
"Yeah, that is weird..."
"I've got a theory... But I can't confirm it yet. I need more evidence."
"Well, let's look for more evidence! We're searching the Casino and the Love Hotel!"
"The Casino and the... Love Hotel?"
"Yep! Let's go!"
Kaede grabbed Shuichi and together they made their way to the concrete walls that housed the two buildings. Their friendship was like a ray of sunlight, and Tsumugi revelled in the fact that her characters were growing closer together... But she shouldn't be wasting time. The girl shook her head and brought herself back to reality.
Tsumugi was a bit worried about Shuichi, but she dismissed it. Shuichi needed more evidence, and he wouldn't find any more evidence. Anyways, it seemed that these two didn't have the card Tsumugi was looking for... She needed to ask someone else...
Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted Miu and Keebo, who were standing still. They seemed to be discussing something before their investigation. Tsumugi approached them, but motioned to Angie not to interrupt.
When she got closer, she saw that Keebo was indeed holding the index card that said "Upstairs". She'd have to get them to trade... But simply asking them out of the blue wasn't the right strategy... Tsumugi decided to wait her turn again.
"Miu, this is something I probably should've told the entire group... But do you remember what I was talking about last night?"
Miu scowled and looked away, a strand of hair falling in front of her face. She blew upwards to throw it in another direction.
"You mean how there's some voice inside your head telling you things?"
The robot seemed embarrassed at this, but continued speaking.
"Um, yes... But-"
Miu gave the boy a slight smirk, her face getting red as well, her voice shifting to a much softer tone.
"That's normal when in the presence of a beauty like me. Whatever that voice in your head is telling you to do, just do it. I... I won't stop you..."
Keebo held out a hand to the girl, letting out an exasperated gasp.
"Miu, w-wait! That's not it!"
"Huh? It's not?"
Tsumugi was honestly entertained by Miu. She'd never written a character this expressively lewd. She wondered how the fans would receive her, and she did debate changing her character, but she decided that too much fanservice wasn't really a bad thing. Besides, the more time people spent paying attention to Miu, the less time she would be in the spotlight. And for the Mastermind, that was a good thing.
"No! Do you remember how I said the voice told me something about the Mastermind?"
"You're sayin', you know who the Mastermind is? Bullshit!"
"Well, what I do know is that Rantaro isn't the Mastermind. It's just a feeling I got last night... But this morning, I haven't heard from that voice at all... It was always there, in the background... Yet I can't even sense it today..."
"I dunno, maybe it was just a short circuit or somethin'. I'll need to look at your insides to get a better feel for the situation..."
Miu reached for the robot with greedy hands, but Keebo grabbed her wrists and pushed them down.
"Miu... Not right now... This is important... I have a feeling that the Mastermind turned off that voice... Whatever it is..."
"Huh?..."
"I'm saying that the Mastermind went into their hideout last night and flipped some switch to disable the voice because they thought it was too dangerous. This also pairs well with the fact that the Monokuma morning announcement did not play this morning..."
Miu folded her arms underneath her breasts, and she tapped her left foot. She shook her head at the boy, a scowl reappearing on her face.
"I dunno, you're actin' prettttty suspicious to me..."
"Miu, trust me on this... That voice is on our side, I promise..."
Tsumugi silently acknowledged Keebo's theory. The robot was right, after all; he'd be a much more formidable enemy than she thought...
But it wasn't time to act afraid. She needed to switch investigation assignments as if her life depended on it, and now was as good a time as any to ask.
"Um, Keebo, sorry to interrupt... But I have a question, if you don't mind..."
The two of them turned towards Tsumugi. Next to her, Angie eagerly swayed from side to side. Miu kept that scowl on her face, since two women were interfering with her time with Keebo.
"What do you want, tits-for-brains?"
Tsumugi gasped at the apparent insult, but Angie took it in a different light.
"Oh! What a wonderful compliment, Tsumugi! She's saying your brain is very large! Larger than yours, Miu."
Now it was Miu's turn to gasp. Tsumugi didn't know how to respond, but thankfully she didn't have to. Keebo naturally continued their conversation, as if nothing ever happened.
"Anyways, Tsumugi, what did you want?"
Ok... Tsumugi shook off the girls' comments and focused herself. Just ask him to trade... And give him that reason... Act natural, and everything will be fine...
"Keebo, I noticed your team was assigned to search upstairs... I was wondering if you'd trade with plain ol' me... Last night, I spent some time training with Kaito, and I'm still sore. My assignment is the gardens, which covers a lot of ground. I'd prefer to walk as little as possible. I apologize to make such a request..."
As expected, Keebo took her request seriously, taking some time to think, while Miu's mind wandered elsewhere. She began shivering and she looked away.
"T-training, you say? You and Kaito? Oh, tell me all about it. I'd love to make it a threesome next time..."
Tsumugi's face turned bright red, and she almost regretted giving Miu her character. Her viewers would probably be snickering at her right now...
That was another issue entirely. Her viewers. These people are dedicated Danganronpa fans, dedicated enough to sacrifice themselves in order to physically play in these Killing Games.
Would they simply accept Tsumugi's retirement? Would they accept the premature ending of this Killing Game? What would the backlash be for Team Danganronpa?
Well, that was something that didn't affect her current situation. She could handle that later. She needed to actually succeed first...
"Keebo, will you do it? You and Miu have a lot more stamina than someone like me..."
"It is a quite peculiar request... But I'll accept. It doesn't matter where we search, as long as we do it in groups."
Tsumugi gave the robot a genuine smile. Her expressions did seem a bit different now, compared to earlier...
"Thank you, Keebo."
Tsumugi held out her card, which she procured from Angie, and exchanged it with Keebo's. The robot gave her a grin as their eyes met for a second - which was promptly interrupted by Miu. The girl threw a finger at Tsumugi.
"Hey! First Kaito, and now Keebo? You... You're a-"
Suddenly, Angie weaved her head between the two girls, a devious yet cheerful expression appearing on her face. She looked at Miu, her head tilted sideways.
"Now now, Miu, no need to say it! Atua thinks jealousy is no reason for name calling."
Miu was again at a loss for words at Angie's comeback. She simply scowled and strutted off, yanking Keebo by the arm. Tsumugi was very thankful for being partnered up with someone like Angie... Someone who was more assertive than herself...
"Tsumugi, let us go. The faster we finish searching, the more time we can spend praying to Atua!"
The girl clasped her hands together and beamed, her expression warm and inviting.
"Yes, let's go."
The two of them started walking to the school building, the smile never leaving Angie's face. Yet, Tsumugi knew what she was like underneath that... She was the only one who did... The only one who could help her...
Tsumugi made eye contact with the girl for a second. Angie seemed startled for a second, but then widened her smile to cover it up.
Angie Yonaga was a fictional character, yes. But what she was feeling was real. Forcing someone, anyone, to go through that was torture. Tsumugi knew this firsthand...
Hm... She did have some time to spend with Angie today...
Maybe reality could change fiction, too...