Seeing Rantaro sitting there amidst the clearing smoke and the scraps and shards of metallic rubble, Tsumugi couldn't help but stare as if she hadn't laid eyes on him in months.

His face was drooping, with slight bags having formed under his eyes from the lack of sleep. Which was understandable; the couch he was sitting on wasn't great for sleeping. Having been trapped there for a day, with no food or drink... Tsumugi's heart dropped at the realization. It must have been excruciating. Not that they had much of a choice, though.

The boy's hair was messy from not having showered, but it surprisingly looked better. Rantaro's hair was never neat in the first place...

And not to mention his eyes - tired and glazed, the boy was fighting to keep his eyelids open. But Tsumugi still saw the same enthralling emeralds that she did yesterday evening - soft and calm, yet determined. His classic smirk always lightened the mood, and contagiously caused Tsumugi to smile as well.

Despite that, she still was hesitant to fully decompress; things weren't going as planned. And although her grin wavered, her eyes had the same fire that Rantaro's did. Telling him that even if everything was falling apart, they would fix it.

Rantaro returned the expression, nodding lightly towards the girl, ensuring the others didn't pick up on his motion.

It'll be fine...

"Let's go in."

Keebo's monotone voice broke the silence, and snapped Tsumugi out of her trance. She turned towards the boy, and gave a quick nod, but it didn't seem like everyone else was on board.

Miu Iruma, one of the injured in the explosion, was lying on the ground, held up by the pile of books underneath her. She painstakingly raised a dirt-covered hand and grabbed the closest bookshelf, now empty as a result of the shockwave. In an attempt to lift herself up, she pushed against it, but she could only get to her knees before falling victim to another coughing fit. She threw a finger at Keebo with her free hand.

"Um, excuse me, fuckhead, does it look like we're in any condition to do that?"

Tsumugi looked around. Quite a few of them were hurt from the blast... especially Gonta... The only ones who seemed to be ok were herself, Keebo, Kaede, Himiko, Maki, Shuichi, and Kokichi.

Oh. And Kirumi, who promptly dusted herself off and addressed the crowd with an inviting hand.

"Miu is right. I will escort the others, as well as Gonta, to the kitchen to receive treatment and cook dinner for everyone."

She stepped up to the hulk, kneeling down and lifting his shoulder up. He promptly entered a coughing fit, but with Kirumi's help, Gonta was able to slowly rise to a sitting position.

"Gonta... is fine... Gonta... not need help..."

Korekiyo, who was taking his time to pick himself up, joined in, his voice slower and breathier than before.

"Cough- I believe we should all... listen to Kirumi and receive her treatment."

Kaede agreed, "Yeah, we have this under control. But Kirumi - do you need help? Can you really handle seven people by yourself?"

The girl nodded tacitly, "I am a maid. It is what I must do-"

"I'll help her!"

A small, girlish voice sounded from behind one of the bookcases. The voice of Himiko Yumeno. She turned towards Tenko, Angie, and the other victims.

"Seeing everyone like this... With my magic, I can definitely heal everyone!"

"I'll help as well. I'm not the 'Ultimate Child Caregiver' for nothing..."

Maki Harukawa joined in, her eyes flitting around the room as she leaned against the short bookcase. This prompted a response from Kaito, sporting a huge grin.

"Attagirl, Maki! I'm no child, but if you could help me up, that'd be fantastic!"

Maki sighed, but acquiesced to Kaito's request. He held out a hand, and she grabbed it, pulling so Kaito could rise from the ground. The boy was up in a matter of seconds, due to a strength that one would think was uncharacteristic of Maki. After Kaito patted her shoulders in thanks, she turned around to help the others, shaking her head and mumbling something under her breath.

"You are a child..."

"Ooh! Himiko, I need help too!"

Tenko waved her hands at the girl, and she walked over, performing a gesture similar to what Maki did. And one by one, the three girls got the rest of the students to their feet.

Tsumugi watched them with a genuine smile. Before this season, she'd only support teamwork since it amplified the despair the students would eventually receive. But seeing them, working together, and having a goal of her own that she was working towards... It almost made her want to tell them everything...

But she knew. She knew it wouldn't go well... She was the only thing stopping them from leaving... Especially with Keebo's sudden shift in personality...

She expected him to have rushed into the hideout, but for some reason, he waited. The robot was still standing in the same location, tapping his foot and staring intently at the others. He turned his head for a second, stretching his neck, and then focused back on Tsumugi, who was apparently staring as well.

Tsumugi swallowed and stepped away, creating a pathway for the injured students to leave the Library.

"That's everyone. Shall we head out?"

Kirumi addressed the room, waving her hand and leading the way towards the exit. Kaede nodded as a majority of the students followed.

"Good luck, everyone! We'll be back as soon as we can!"

The group marched off, led by Gonta. It almost seemed like they were being sent off to prison, especially with Ryoma in the pack, but Tsumugi knew it wasn't like that. Their spirits weren't hurt, only their bodies. A good night's rest was all they needed.

She turned back at the remaining group members - Kokichi, Keebo, Shuichi, Kaede, and herself.

Oh. And Rantaro. How could she forget about him...

"Are we ready yet?"

Keebo wasted no time prompting the others, and he was met with nods from everyone.

"Ok. Let's go."

Keebo walked back towards the door, and made his way into Tsumugi's hideout, the group a few feet behind.

The robot carefully stepped over a large piece of rubble, and around a few smaller pieces. He waved off the last remains of smoke that permeated the room. His feet gave off the sound of tempering steel, methodical chirps of metal on metal. The rest of the group followed, and they stared at what they saw with wide eyes.

The typical darkened metal was contrasted with a full red color scheme, hearts and white flowers scattered across the walls. On one side was a control panel, so full with buttons and displays that you couldn't fit another. Resting a foot away were the steel corpses of Monokuma and the Monokubs, strangely motionless. A tall, blue trash bin sat next to a pillar, it's sterile color standing out.

The room was separated by a rounded container, covered completely in a large maroon cloth. Next to it was a large rack, displaying various props. And then there was Rantaro, sitting on a plush red couch, positioned in front of a dull TV.

Tsumugi wanted nothing more than to run up to Rantaro and finally set him free, but Keebo's pensive expression caused her to remind the group of their decision.

"Remember, don't touch anything."

Everyone nodded in agreement and approached the couch where Rantaro was sitting. He motioned to get up, however, something prevented him from doing so. Handcuffs were attached to his wrist, linking him to the wooden arm of the couch. Tsumugi recognized them - they were the same handcuffs Rantaro found in the hideout earlier. He chained himself to the couch to make their story more believable...

Tsumugi controlled her elation as she took a step back, letting the others crowd around the couch. The boy spoke up, his smooth, calm voice reaching even Keebo.

"I see you guys are here to rescue me. Looks like I'm in your debt."

Kaede interjected, "Of course! You're our classmate and our friend just as much as anyone else is. But in order to free you, we'll need-"

"A key, you say?"

Kokichi's wide grin threatened to surpass his face as he reached into his pocket and revealed his skeleton key. Stepping towards Rantaro and kneeling down, Kokichi was able to unhandcuff him in one swift motion. He then stood back up, tossing his arms behind his head as if he was leaning against a wall.

"And you guys thought I was completely useless. Nee-hee-hee!"

Rantaro stood up as well, massaging his now unconstrained wrist. He responded casually, "Thanks, Kokichi. I definitely owe you one."

Keebo's unnatural voice shattered the mood.

"Speaking of debts... There's something you can help us with."

Everyone's eyes slowly shifted towards the robot as he walked up, face to face with Rantaro.

"The Mastermind... You must have seen them. They captured you... So who are they?"

A few seconds of silence ensued. It felt like the group was holding their breath, waiting for Rantaro's answer. The answer that they've been searching for their entire time here. Not to mention the answer that would set them free from this gruesome game.

It was the answer they couldn't learn.

Rantaro couldn't say it was her - he wouldn't, it was against their plan. They would surely kill her if they found out. But with everyone staring directly at Rantaro, Tsumugi didn't know what he was going to say. Giving an unsatisfactory answer would cause Keebo to question him further, making the robot suspect Rantaro of being an accomplice in all of this...

Tsumugi watched with wavering eyes as Rantaro responded.

"I'm sorry, but I don't have a clue."

Everyone collectively exhaled in a short burst, taken aback by Rantaro's statement. Shuichi continued the questioning.

"How? Didn't they kidnap you?"

"Their face was hidden the entire time. They used that cloak over there."

Rantaro threw a finger towards the prop wall, pointing at the dark cloak that Tsumugi used as a faux cape just last night. To think their anime date last night would help them like this...

Nice save

Tsumugi nodded as Keebo marched on over to inspect the cloak. After analyzing it for a few seconds, he shook his head silently and began searching the rest of the hideout. Rantaro watched him, distraught by his forwardness.

Kaede picked up on this, waving her hand, "Don't mind him, he's a bit... offset. I'll keep an eye on him."

The girl jogged over to Keebo and gave him a warm smile. The robot looked over his shoulder and chuckled nervously, but continued his search.

After a few seconds, Kokichi began wandering around as well, and it seemed the group was dissolving. Tsumugi's eyes flitted towards the boy, always cautious of his mischief. She didn't know what he'd possibly do in her hideout... He was someone who needed to be controlled. And she didn't want to do it.

Rantaro locked eyes with her for a second, fully picking up on her insecurity. He gave her a quick nod and proceeded to follow Kokichi. Tsumugi nodded back, thankful that he was willing to help. Honestly, she'd be nowhere without him...

The only one left in the group was Shuichi, who Tsumugi knew wouldn't break any rules. He took off in a direction separate from Kokichi and Keebo, and Tsumugi was right behind him. She glanced around the room as the boy investigated.

"Ooh! So many buttons!"

Kokichi's eyes sparkled almost as much as the control panel's LEDs did, his eyes flitting from one lit button to the next. On the wall were many computer displays, each showcasing a different room in the building. The boy pointed his index fingers towards a few of them. Knowing full well that this could get out of hand, Rantaro stepped in.

"Kokichi, remember."

"Don't touch anything. Fine, fine..."

The boy huffed as he took a few steps back, leaning down to examine Monokuma and his children. Kokichi examined them with a curious look.

"Are they really turned off?"

He balled his hand into a fist and knocked twice on Monokuma. The metal sound rang through the hideout, and Rantaro had to interject.

"What did I just say?"

"But they're turned off! We can do whatever we want with them!"

"They can turn on any minute now. We better be careful."

Kokichi nodded again, dejected. He slumped over to the wall, each step worsening his posture.

A well of confidence surged in Tsumugi. With Rantaro guarding the buttons, and not much else in the hideout, they should be out of here in no time... She turned her attention elsewhere.

Keebo and Kaede were examining the large vessel in the center of the room, trying to anticipate what was inside, as it was covered by a large, red cloth. Keebo stepped closer, grabbed the bottom with two fingers, and slowly lifted it up, peering underneath. It was dark, so the robot's eyes lit up, illuminating the cloth a bright yellow. After getting a glimpse of what was there, he yanked the cloth away swiftly, revealing a disabled Monokuma head - the Motherkuma.

Kaede questioned, "What is this thing..."

Keebo nodded as if he understood, "Probably some kind of core Monokuma... I'm not sure what it was used for, but I do know one thing. That it is disabled, just like the rest of them."

Shuichi happened to be looking in the same direction as Tsumugi (probably because Kaede spoke up), and continued Keebo's thought.

"Did they just... give up?"

Keebo countered, "But if they did... Then why are we still here?"

Silence ensued as they all pondered the robot's question. Tsumugi brought a hand to her chin, faking a thinking pose.

"Maybe they just, didn't have time to release everyone?"

Only one more day... As long as these mysteries remain unsolved for the rest of tonight... Then I can use the Blackout Light on them... We just have to put false thoughts in their minds until then...

"OW! My fooooot!"

A metallic crash sounded, and everyone's faces jolted towards Kokichi, who was hopping on one foot and grasping the other one. Judging from his location, the boy must've tried to punt Monokuma as if he was a football. He definitely got what he deserved...

Kokichi approached Rantaro again, crying as if he was a child. It was clear to the group that it was fake. Rantaro could only chuckle, however his stomach grumbled before he could get a thought out. He smiled as he waved.

"Sorry, everyone. I haven't eaten since yesterday. Can we take a trip to the dining hall with the others? They'll need all the help they can get, especially because of the explosion. As well as our most recent injury..."

Kaede agreed, "That sounds good! We've had enough excitement for one day, don't you think?"

Her words were met with nods from the group. She began to leave the room with Rantaro, who was nursing a hobbling Kokichi.

"Are you three coming with us?"

Shuichi, Tsumugi, and Keebo looked at each other awkwardly, each of them not wanting to be the first to respond. Yet, Shuichi reluctantly spoke up.

"I'll catch up with you guys later. I'm not done investigating this place yet..."

Keebo gave two short nods, "The same goes for me."

"I'll... I'll just keep these two company..."

"Ok. Hurry back quickly!"

With a smile that beamed confidence, Kaede waved at the three of them and exited the hideout. Tsumugi watched them as they made their way through the library, Rantaro stepping farther and farther away. Her eyes lingered on him a bit too long.

"What's this..."

Tsumugi jolted around to find Shuichi next to the trash bin, holding two objects. The two objects that she tossed in there after she "kidnapped" Rantaro.

A completely clean shotput ball, and the Survivor Monopad.

A slight panic overtook Tsumugi. Shuichi wasn't supposed to find those...

She looked over his shoulder, feigning curiosity. It wasn't great, but as long as she stopped those gears in his mind, she would be fine.

"This shotput ball looks identical to the one that was laying on the floor of the library... What could it mean..."

Tsumugi waved it off the best she could, "It's probably not much..."

Shuichi then turned his attention to the monopad, "And this monopad looks like ours as well..."

The device activated at his touch. Displayed on the front were two words:

Survivor Perk

Rantaro got a special monopad from sacrificing himself in the fifty-second killing game. It allowed him to see the entire school, as well as send a message to himself before his mind was wiped... Even though it wasn't...

Rantaro remembered everything. And all he needed to find the location of Tsumugi's hideout was this monopad.

"Survivor Perk?" Shuichi questioned, "Survivor of what..."

Shuichi scrolled down, and the full map of the academy was revealed, including the Mastermind's hideout.

"The layout of the entire school is here... Even this very room..."

Keebo looked on from a distance, but didn't approach. He stood near the prop wall, examining as many trinkets as he could.

Tsumugi bit her lip as the boy continued to scroll down. These secrets could very well unravel the entire mystery...

The next screen that appeared was one that displayed "Clue to end the killing game". Shuichi and Tsumugi gave each other a look of anticipation as Shuichi scrolled again.

The words that dotted the page were bright pink, wavering as if they were alive. Shuichi read the words out loud as calmly as he could.

The mastermind who is behind the killing game is hiding somewhere within the academy. Your best chance of exposing them is when Monokuma needs a spare. At that time, the mastermind will go to the library's hidden room.

To prove this hint is accurate, I will predict something. The first thing you will remember is the Ultimate Hunt.

Only share this information with people who you know you can trust. How you determine that will mean your life or your death.

Rantaro Amami

Tsumugi spoke up first, after Shuichi was finished reading. Hopefully this wouldn't be enough...

She put a finger to her chin and looked upwards, simulating thinking, "So Rantaro left a message to someone... through this monopad?"

Shuichi nodded and continued her thought, "The question is, who..."

"Well, we can rule out the Mastermind, whoever they are, because they wouldn't need this information, right?"

"Yeah... Wait..."

Shuichi squinted his eyes at the device, "There's something strange about the message..."

Tsumugi feigned curiosity, "What is it?"

"You see, whoever owned this monopad would have to have known about the hidden doorway. Excluding the Mastermind, that narrows down the possibilities from 16 to 3. Kaede, Rantaro, and myself. Everyone else couldn't have known because if they did, they would've done something about it because of the time limit."

Tsumugi knew where Shuichi was going with this. She didn't like it, but there was nothing she could do to stop it... The boy was definitely turning into a capable detective... Tsumugi didn't know whether to feel proud or scared...

He continued, "I found the secret passage from investigating, and the only one I told about it was Kaede. It's true that either one of us could've owned the monopad, but then there's a glaring contradiction..."

Tsumugi slowly answered, "How did Rantaro know about the hidden door?"

"Exactly. He must have known about the secret passage from seeing the full school map here, but that begs a different question - Why would Rantaro leave a message to himself?"

Tsumugi nodded in understanding, "That's a good question..."

"There's still no indication of why it was called a Survivor Perk, either."

This was enough for now... Tsumugi wanted to quell those gears in his head before it was too late.

"Do you think the others would know? Why don't we go eat dinner with everyone else?"

Shuichi gave her a nervous chuckle, "Yeah, that's a good idea..."

He gave the shotput ball another look, and tossed it back into the trash bin with a thud. Pocketing the monopad, the detective turned back towards Tsumugi.

"I feel like I'm so close... The fact that Rantaro sent a message to himself about the Killing Game... Along with what Monokuma told us earlier - that we all volunteered to be in this Killing Game... By the way, do you remember volunteering?"

Tsumugi was caught off guard by the boy's question, so she took a second to process it. She shook her head quickly, hoping that would be the end of it.

"Yeah, me neither... I guess that's a good question to ask the others, too..."

Tsumugi released the breath she was instinctively holding, "Yup... Ready to go?"

Shuichi nodded, "Mhm... Keebo, are you coming?"

The two of them turned towards the prop wall, where Keebo was standing. However, the position he was in was not the same as earlier... Tsumugi's eyes widened. She was so engulfed in her conversation with Shuichi that she didn't notice...

This was bad... Very, very, bad... Her face turned as pale as a ghost, and she tried vainly to think rationally about her options.

What could I do... Is there anything I can do?

Keebo was silently charging up his engine, in a ready stance as if the robot was going to blast off. There wouldn't be much power behind it, judging by the quiet hum of his rockets.

But that was all he needed.

As much as she was a stronger, more confident Tsumugi than before, there was nothing she could do to overpower a robot. There was nothing any human could do.

Oh no...

Shuichi addressed the robot, wide-eyed as well.

"Keebo?"

Keebo quickly shot a glance towards the two of them, and before they could respond, he activated his rockets, thrusting his body across the room in the direction he was facing.

Towards the control panel.

He skidded to a stop in front of the center panel, sparks flying from his feet and the sound of nails on a chalkboard peppered Tsumugi's skin with goosebumps. And the robot turned towards the one knob that Tsumugi desperately wanted him not to find - the Audience Participation Meter.

Tsumugi was so startled that she remained frozen, unable to speak. She eyed Shuichi as the boy spoke up for the both of them.

"Uh, Keebo? It's best not to touch anything... Since we don't know what any of the buttons do... We agreed on this, remember?"

Keebo ignored the detective's testimony, and began muttering to himself.

"I was right... This is it... The voice in my head... The voice that's always right..."

Shuichi started walking towards him, confused, "The voice in your-"

Suddenly, Keebo took the knob and jammed it all the way up. His body convulsed as shock waves jolted throughout his circuits. The antenna on top of his head wiggled uncontrollably, glowing with a light that made the entire room white. Tsumugi and Shuichi shielded their eyes and watched Keebo's eyes transform from a dull yellow to a staticy deep grey.

Within a few seconds, it was over. The robot breathed heavily after having underwent his transformation, and had to hold onto the control panel to prevent himself from falling over. Tsumugi debated running up to Keebo and holding him down, but eventually he'd get his strength back and toss her to the side as if she was a plastic bag.

Keebo stood up soon after, and his arm reached out and clutched the Audience Participation Meter. With an increasing force, he pressed down on the knob, and with a swift rip, he yanked the knob off the control panel.

Tsumugi gulped. There was no going back...

She knew she couldn't just give up, she knew that there would be a way... But she couldn't help feeling as if they'd already lost...

It'll take a miracle to overcome this...

The robot turned around, dropping the detached knob to the floor with a clang. He stood taller than ever before. A menacing smirk was plastered onto his face, and his eyes now glowed a bright blue. In those eyes was an expression that Tsumugi hadn't seen since the fifty-second installment of Danganronpa.

Despair.

Author's Note: I am so sorry for the wait, everyone! I know it's been a while since I last posted, but as I've said before and will say again now - I will finish this fanfiction! I'm estimating three chapters to go, and it's just getting to the good part, right?

I appreciate you taking the time to read my work! It means a lot to me that I can entertain you guys. I hope you'll tune in for the next few chapters, and you can find out what happens to Rantaro and Tsumugi's future.