Chapter 19: Treachery
9:31 P.M Day Eight
Amusement Park District
Kurokuma's Flapjacks (Lobby)
Tomoko offered an exasperated sigh as she tapped her foot against the linoleum floor and bit one of her fingernails. "How in the world did this happen? Did the Mastermind silence him to stop us, or is there another explanation?" she asked, though it was clear she wasn't expecting an answer from anyone else in the lobby. She seemed wrapped in her own thoughts.
"...Haruto, perhaps you should take a breath?" Laris suggested, though a look of guilt shone on her face as she regarded the boy. She had been complicit in their deception and it clearly bothered her. "Lady Annabelle is a tough girl. She will be alright; this is just her way of distracting herself," she said quietly as she watched the child trudge back and forth across the small diner.
The Parental Figure shifted his gaze from Annabelle to Laris. He looked at the Knight with a special kind of anger: anger riddled with panic. "...Can you not see that she is traumatized?! She's trying her hardest to hide it from us, but I know that she is suffering!" His right hand couldn't stop combing through his hair. His breathing was more like hyperventilating.
Kaizoku, who stood beside Haruto, sighed. He reached over to place a hand on the other boy's shoulder, but pulled away when he felt him slightly jump at his touch, clearly on the verge of going into a panic. "Err- lad, please try to calm yourself. This is definitely bad, but we need to focus on what comes next. For now, that means figuring out what happened here, and taking care of the minnow, alright?"
Haruto's breathing slowed down a bit but, in its place, his eyes became teary. "Wh-Why did this happen? Laris, why did you allow this?"
"Haruto I-I..." the Knight trailed off as her gaze became fixated on the floor. "I believed that, between Chloe and I, no harm would come to her. This was supposed to be our way to end all of this madness. I never wanted anything like this to happen. I beg yours and everyone else's forgiveness."
"What are you apologizing for, fool?" Tomoko snapped irritably as her attention became drawn to the conversation. "My plan was a colossal failure, of that I'll be the first to admit. However, I won't apologize or ask forgiveness for trying to save your sorry asses."
"...You..." Haruto slowly turned to Tomoko. "Y-You… you… you, you, you, you, YOU!" His demeanor drastically changed, and then he gave the Shogi Player a massive smack to the face. "How. Dare. YOU! Let me tell you something, young lady! Th-That, right there, is the reason why so many of us voted for you in the last trial! You make it so painfully obvious that you only care about yourself! You can say that you wanted to save everyone - you can say that all you like, but you can't fool me! You're an inhuman monster… just like her..." He muttered that last part, with extra venom, under his breath.
"And you!" the Parental Figure shouted as he pointed at Laris. "I'm sorry, but I just don't understand. I thought a knight was supposed to stand in-between the enemy and the people they swore to protect! In. Between. What kind of knight stands to the side and lets a civilian, a child no less, get close to the enemy? I'm so… confused..." He then started crying heavily. "I'm sorry… I'm so, so sorry. I can't be here right now. I can't help anybody like this," he said before storming towards the exit.
For perhaps the first time in ages, Tomoko stood dumbfounded as she rubbed at her cheek while the door to the diner slammed shut. "...Hm, I might have deserved that," she admitted in a deadpan expression. "Still, none of this squabbling is important right now. Our ticket out of this hellhole has been skewered alive, and I damn well intend to find out why."
"I'm afraid you'll have to find that answer on your own. It seems I'm of no use to anyone either, I can't even protect a little girl. I don't know why I still carry this sword," Laris said in a sullen manner as emotion strained her voice. "I need some time to think… I'm sorry," she said before hurriedly making her way towards the exit without a second glance.
"Haruto! Laris! This is such a damn mess..." the Sailor muttered as he stared after the two. He took a step after them before a realization dawned on him. He turned his head towards the side. Annabelle was still milling around the area, doing her best to focus on the case. The boy gave one last look to the retreating forms of the others as he decided to make his way over to the young girl. He didn't even offer a glance at Tomoko as he walked past her.
The Shogi Player cast a glance in the pair's direction before she unceremoniously slumped into a nearby booth. "A monster, huh? Nothing I haven't heard before," she said under breath.
Annabelle was crouched as she peered around the side of the front counter. "No. There's no way they'd do something like that. We're dealing with someone really crafty, someone who kills and just walks out the front door," she said to no one in particular.
"How goes the search, lass? Find anything useful?" Kaizoku asked as he crouched down beside the girl, offering the girl a weary smile.
The Forensic Investigator suddenly bolted up and smacked her head on the counter. She winced before grabbing at her head. "Owwie! Unh. Sorry, Captain! I sort of tune stuff out when I'm in the zone, ya know? Besides, you all were being really noisy," she said as she forced a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. "Hah, I'm not having much luck. I guess even a super detective can't focus sometimes, ya know?" she suggested before offering a half-hearted laugh.
The Sailor gently rubbed at the top of the girl's head as he nodded. "It's alright, Anna. Why don't you take a break for a bit? I think we should have a talk, okay?" He offered the girl his hand and gestured towards a nearby booth.
"B-But I can't stop now, Captain!" Annabelle protested as a brief look of panic flashed in her eyes. "If I stop now, my mind will begin to wander, and I don't wanna think about all of that junk. This is so much different than how working with my mom was..."
"Kid, I want nothing more than for you to have never seen this, but the world is a cruel place." The Sailor lifted the girl up and sat her on the counter. He rested a hip against it as he stood next to her. "Even if I let you continue looking, are you going to just keep searching forever? I know it must be a terrifying thing to face, but you don't have to do it alone. It might seem best to block it out, but you can't let it eat away at you."
Annabelle's chin fell a bit. Her lower lip trembled ever so slightly as she spoke in a tiny voice. "Captain, can I tell you something? Something I haven't told anyone else?"
Kaizoku raised an eyebrow in surprise before composing himself. "Of course, Anna. I won't say anything you tell me to anyone else unless you want me to, alright?"
"Um, okay. It's just embarrassing and I don't wanna let anyone else down," the girl responded quietly. "You see, one of my mamas is a detective. I never knew my daddy, but he was an author, and I read everything he wrote. I always grew up with two mamas that encouraged and nurtured me. I wanted to be an ace detective, and my mama helped me all the time. I-I don't know if I would have ever been scouted if it weren't for my mother; the case I cracked wasn't even done on my own. That's why I always wanna prove myself, Captain - to prove that I deserve to be called an Ultimate, and not let anyone down. Even that crazy man who died..." she said, trailing off as tears filled her eyes.
"That's a big goal to have. I don't doubt for a second that you'll succeed. However, it's going to be a rough road, especially for your line of work. There's probably not much that's as extreme as what we've seen here." Kaizoku ran a hand through his hair as he looked over the Investigator. "I was about your age when I chose to follow in my dad's footsteps. He told me an old saying as his only warning. 'A smooth sea never made a skilled sailor.' I didn't get it at first, but it's clear as day now. The times when you grow and learn the most are when things get tough. The quiet times are something we should enjoy, but we can't be afraid once the storms start coming our way."
"So what you're saying is I'm never gonna be the best if I can't face this stuff head on, huh?" Annabelle asked as she peeked up at the Sailor. "Captain? You think if we ever get out of this mess you can teach me how to sail a boat? The great Sherlock Holmes learned a lotta different skills, so I gotta keep learning new stuff, right?" she questioned.
The Sailor grinned as he once again offer a hand in front of the girl. "Even if you're not completely ready now, I'd be proud to help you any way I can. It would be my pleasure, Anna."
This time, the smile that flitted to her face was genuine as she reached out and gingerly shook his hand. "'Kay, I'm holding you to that, Captain!"
9:40 P.M Day Eight
Amusement Park District
Kurokuma's Flapjacks (Kitchen)
Soo Yeong's brow furrowed ever so slightly. "It would appear that he's been dead for quite some time. If I had to make an educated guess, I would say it's been anywhere from twelve to fifteen hours. Rigor mortis is already quite well in effect. However, what I find the most interesting is that the skin around the wounds almost seems as if it's somehow healed over. You can see where flesh has grown over the blade. I have never seen such a thing in my life."
"That's definitely strange... How the hell does that even work?" Lachlan questioned. "Goin' past that for now, we more or less have an end point for his time of death. Just have to figure out how long since he had been in here," he said as he walked off from the body to look around.
Chloe sighed as she also backed off a bit to give the Plastic Surgeon more room to work. "I had come here a little before dawn. I watched him for a bit. He was here, but he seemed to be laying low. Didn't seem like he planned to leave here anytime soon. After the sun rose, I made my way back to the hotel to begin preparing for the plan."
"Speakin' of your plan, mind summing it up to us? Seems a bit too convenient you were here at around the time of the killing. I doubt you would have killed him if you then lead Laris and Annabelle here, but I can't be too careful." Lachlan's eyes narrowed at bit as he looked towards the Femme Fatale.
The Plastic Surgeon offered a thoughtful expression. "You do seem to be the last person to see him alive. However, since no alerts have been raised, it would seem he doesn't count as a participant of this game. So I suppose your involvement in his death may or may not matter in the larger scheme of things, though I have to agree I'd also like to know what this supposed plan was meant to accomplish."
Chloe frowned as she rested her hip against the nearby counter and stared down at Nagito's rigid form. "It was Tomoko's idea and, while risky, seemed to be worth the trouble at the time. She had this notion that, if Nagito genuinely surprised the person in charge with his arrival, then it would mean he must have known of a way in and out of Kuma Kuma Land. I guess you could call this a sting operation that unfortunately went incredibly sideways."
Lachlan rubbed a hand against his chin as he looked back at the corpse as well. "Not a bad deduction, all things considered. If he actually snuck in under the nose of the mastermind, it would've been a damn useful catch. Lookin' at this mess, whoever did it wanted to make sure the bastard didn't survive. So outside of the mastermind getting their own hands dirty, we should consider if any others could be involved. Who all knew about the plan?"
"Not a lot of us, to be honest. Tomoko had the notion that the more people who knew, the greater chance this could go South. I think she was paranoid someone couldn't be trusted, or that the mastermind would get involved. I mean, I disabled the surveillance cameras in our rooms and I've been watching closely for other ones, but I'm only human. Supposing someone didn't catch onto our plan, it was just Laris, Annabelle, Tomoko, and of course myself," Chloe responded with a troubled expression.
Soo Yeong shook his head. "That doesn't serve to instill much confidence. This park is probably filled with hidden surveillance cameras. I don't think we should just rashly assume one of you is the culprit. Besides, I can't imagine what motive any of you would have for potentially ruining our best means of escaping prematurely."
"Ya don't suppose this is a matter of bad timing? Even if the ones behind all this hadn't caught wind of the plan, they'd still want to take out this guy if he wasn't supposed to be here." Lachlan pinched the bridge of his nose as he seemed to think on things. "This is just sending us in circles. Soo, you find anything else of note about the body?"
The Surgeon shook his head before standing up and taking his gloves off. "There's not much to discern, truthfully. The murder weapons are accounted for, the cause of death is loss of blood, the only things that are strange are this peculiar rapid tissue regeneration and the fact the victim's heart was seemingly stolen. I'm not sure if this was just some sort of macabre ritual, but I don't think it offers anymore insight at the moment."
The Femme Fatale straightened. "Then perhaps we should shelf this conversation for now. It's getting late, and from what I've been hearing in the other room, tensions seem a bit high. We can return to this matter in the morning, maybe after we've discussed what's happened with everyone else."
10:01 P.M Day Eight
Resort District
Courtyard (Fountain)
Haruto sat on the edge of the fountain by himself. No matter how many times he tried to calm himself, he just couldn't stop crying. Clutched in his hands was a device the size of an iPhone. It even looked like one, but it wasn't.
The faint sniffs and the occasional rustling had caused the boy to finally be discovered. A soft voice tinged with concern filled the courtyard. "Haruto?" Tiana called out as her shoes clacked against the stonework. When she saw the boy sitting next to the fountain, it was clear by his body language that he was distraught. The Dominatrix paused just a body length away as she extended a hand. "...Haruto, I heard what happened... or at least a little bit. If you don't want to talk, I understand, but I'm here if you need me," she offered in a lilting tone before taking a seat next to him.
"...I didn't mean to be so harsh on Laris," he said between sobs, "but when Tomoko spoke, I lost it. I've let Annabelle down, too. I promised myself I would be a father figure for kids who don't have one. I should be in that diner with her, helping her, but I can't do that because I'm too unstable. I failed again, Tiana. I failed."
Tiana pushed down the anxiety in her stomach as she reached out and gingerly traced her nails along the boy's back in a soothing manner. "Haru, you're far too hard on yourself. Being the Ultimate Parental Figure doesn't make you the Ultimate Infallible Person. Children, or anyone in general, are supposed to learn from mistakes, right? You're not always going to get it right. What makes you the Ultimate Parental Figure is that you do your best and pass on those lessons, right?"
"I know, but being traumatized isn't just a mistake. Trauma can damage someone permanently. I don't want to see it happen to Annabelle, or any more children. I might not be able to fix them if that were to happen, and then they'll be in pain for the rest of their lives."
"You can't put all of that on your shoulders though. I want to protect Annabelle just as much as you do, but we can't shield her from everything. This is a cruel game, and Annabelle is going to be forced to see things a child should never have to see. Instead of being so concerned with what you can't do, let's focus on what we can do. Let's be there for her and try to help without smothering her. You just can't let this break you. If you want to be a role model, you have to pick yourself up and smile even if it hurts inside," Tiana said in a quiet voice.
"Thank you… Tiana," he said in an equally quiet voice, "but I've been doing just that for years now. I've been broken for a long while. You know I have PTSD. Every day is a fight against my own anxiety. It rarely gets this bad, and when it does, I take a special medication… but that bear didn't give me any of it. He refused to give it to me."
The blonde bit the inside of her cheek a moment, and then she shyly rested said cheek against his shoulder as she continued to gently scratch his back. "Believe me, I know a thing or two about feeling like something is out of place. Almost everyone has been enjoying themselves all evening, where I just found myself sulking. That's the problem with depression, PTSD, or anything like it. Sometimes it hits for no discernible reason. Churi was tenacious enough to drag me out of my slump this evening, but sometimes it's hard to even get up in the mornings. I could barely afford it, but I used to take meds myself after I nearly took my own life. Sometimes the next best thing is having someone who's too stubborn to let you sulk. Sometimes you just need someone who will listen to you, even if their words can't change things, just knowing you're not alone can make all the difference."
"...You're right… that's why I'm glad you're here," he said with a small smile on his teary-eyed face. He then leaned on the Dominatrix's shoulder.
"Maybe it's not a matter of being broken, Haru, but a matter of finding a new way of functioning," Tiana said thoughtfully before gently nuzzling against the boy. "I'm glad to be here, too. You know, despite how horrible this place is, it feels like you could reach out and touch the heavens." She marveled at the stars as her fingers lightly tousled the heart shaped locket around her neck. "If you ever need to talk about anything, I'll be here for you. I promise."
"That means a lot to me. I'm not sure if I'm ready to share my experiences yet but, once I am, I swear that I'll tell them to you. I just hope you'll be ready to hear it when that time comes, because it's not pretty."
A tiny smile pulled at the girl's lips. "There're plenty of things in life that are ugly, but I'm willing to be there for it, Haru," she said as her hand tentatively stroked his back. "Come on, I think tomorrow is going to be a long day. We should probably get some rest."
"Yeah… we should. Thank you again, Tiana." The Parental Figure finally stood up, and then he let out a few light chuckles. "I thought 'Haru' was normally a girl's name."
A tinge of pink dusted the girl's face as she stood up alongside him. "W-Well I… it just came to me, alright? Besides, I'm not as familiar with Japanese names," she admitted sheepishly.
"That's fair," he said with a warmer smile. "I wonder if I should start using nicknames. I've heard that people use it when they feel close with each other, but it's honestly a new concept to me."
"Well, I think nicknames should come naturally, even if they sound silly. I think it's the sweetest way of showing someone you care," Tiana admitted as she shared a reassuring smile with the boy next to her.
"Showing that I care," he said to himself. "Well, in that case… I hope you have a good night… Tia." He glanced at his iPhone-looking device, which had been in his hand the entire time, then he put it in his pocket and made his way to the hotel.
The Ultimate Dominatrix watched the boy strode in front of her, a blush again staining her face as she again played with her locket. Another smile spread across her face. She wouldn't ever say it out loud, but she hoped it wouldn't be the last time she heard that nickname. She fought the butterflies in her stomach as she carefully minded her ankle and followed after him.
10:32 P.M Day Eight
Resort District
Hotel
Fifth Floor (Room 505)
Laris sat with a sullen expression in the middle of her bed, her sheathed sword in front of her. She had her knees pulled against her chest as a look of anguish filled her soft blue eyes.
She had considered trying to sleep, but Haruto's words and her own guilt continued to eat away at her conscience.
When had she forsaken her honor? What kind of Knight agreed to such things? She felt a lump in her throat as her eyes had become glassy. She cursed her own weakness and she angrily wiped her eyes with the back of her hand.
A soft rumbling came as the balcony door slid closed. "Mon cheri, please don't cry anymore," Chloe mused quietly as she made her way to Laris' side. She took a seat next to the Knight.
The Ultimate Knight nearly let out an uncharacteristically shrill scream, but it died in her throat. Laris lifted her chin to see Chloe moving towards her before taking a seat on the bed next to her. "M'lady, you know my door works perfectly well, don't you?" she asked with a pained chuckle before forcing a tired smile. "Really, I'm alright. Nothing sleep can't alleviate."
"Well it's not as fun, and something tells me that you most likely wouldn't have answered me or gotten any sleep," Chloe answered with a half-hearted smile. The Femme Fatale reached into her bag and handed the other girl a few tissues. Her expression became more serious as she slowly placed an arm around the Knight's shoulders.
The forced smile faded from the Knight's lips as she begrudgingly accepted the tissues. "You know me too well, Chloe. I'm not sure if you could hear all of it, but things didn't go too well while you and the boys were in the kitchen. Haruto lost his temper, and I can't truly blame him. What the hell were we thinking? What if something worse had happened? How could we put a child in harm's way? She may be alright physically, but who knows how mentally scarring that must have been for her? I'm supposed to protect civilians from things like that, not force them headlong into it..."
The Femme Fatale gently placed her hand against the side of Laris' face and turned the girl to face her. Chloe's face was still somber, but she had a soft look in her eyes. "It wasn't your fault, Laris. I chose to follow Tomoko's plan, and I chose to get the two of you involved. You tried to talk me out of it, but I didn't listen," she said with a sigh. Chloe seemed pensive for a moment before continuing on. "I only thought about getting the job done, just like how my mother trained me to be. It makes me feel disgusting, but you need to stop placing all of this blame on yourself, understood?"
"I… I've always been that way. After having to kill to survive the Tragedy, I question everything I do anymore. Sometimes it's hard to know when I'm making the right or wrong decision. I gave my word to look after Kana, and look how well that panned out. I just need something I can be sure of. A knight without a lord or country is nothing," she responded quietly as her eyes met Chloe's violet gaze. "Does any of that make any sense?"
"Of course it does. We all want to be able to control our lives, and having that power taken away from you can be devastating. There will always be things out of your control," the raven-haired girl answered quietly. "However, you don't need to be so hard on yourself. You are far too amazing for those thoughts. You may have doubts in yourself, but I know you'll just come out of this stronger." Chloe seemed to think for a moment before she carefully brought her lips together against Laris'.
The Knight tensed for a moment, as if second-guessing herself, however she slowly began to twine her arms around Chloe's waist as her mouth began to move feverishly and experimentally in response to the Femme Fatale. She could feel the blood gushing through her ears as she savored the intoxicating taste of the other girl's lips. Her breathing hitched as she squeezed the girl in her arms tightly, as if she feared Chloe might suddenly disappear.
Chloe savored the embrace for a few more moments before she pulled away. She couldn't help but smirk at the girl as she licked her lips slowly. "Well, I wasn't expecting you to be so eager. Not that I'm disappointed, but that does make it a bit harder to tease you."
A luminescent blush stained the Knight's normally composed features. "I've never had a girlfriend, nor have I done anything of this nature. Couplings like this weren't particularly smiled upon in Novoselic. I-I even had a childhood friend who left partially in wanderlust, but also because he was so tired of being stifled by the outdated traditions," she said as she shyly chewed on her bottom lip. "Chloe? Is this thing between us just hormones? Or do you genuinely feel something, too?" she asked hesitantly as her blue eyes lowered, seemingly fearing the answer she might receive.
"Girlfriend, huh? Well, mon cheri, I may enjoy flirting, but I don't go waltzing into just anyone's room. I wouldn't dare dream of leading you on, Laris," Chloe mused as she ran her hand through the Knight's hair. "It sounds to me like your friend had the right idea. Why not chase after what you're feeling? Surely, you'll feel better following what your own heart tells you, oui?"
"But what if you felt like you had a commitment, a heavy burden that constantly weighed on you? Something you couldn't walk away from?" Laris asked, her voice barely above a whisper as the other girl gently tousled her hair. "So many people are relying on me, even if I don't know how to be what they need." She shivered slightly as tears pooled in her eyes once more. "Chloe, will you hold me tonight? Please? I just don't want to be alone," she said in a pleading tone as she closed the distance between the two of them and laid her head against the other girl's chest.
Chloe's arms wasted no time winding around the Knight. She planted a kiss on the top of her head and moved to ease the two of them to lay down on the bed. "I wouldn't dare leave you, especially as you are now."
Laris stifled a sniff as she shut her eyes and enjoyed the warmth shared between the two of them."I'm sorry for being such a mess. You really do have the patience of a saint," she mused as she tightly squeezed the buxom girl curled against her.
"Laris, you deserve nothing less. It's been a turbulent day. Let's get some rest for now, oui?" the Femme Fatale whispered.
"Oui," the Knight responded as she pressed her cheek against the other girl's chest. "Thank you for breaking into my room," she whispered a tiny smile favored her lips.
7:12 A.M Day Nine
Resort District
Dining Room
The uncomfortable silence across the table was broken by Sigmund, who cleared his throat. "Alright, I think we're quite tired of this silence. Let's just address the elephant in the room. Clearly, there was something going on last night that was kept from a majority of us, and then, of course, the one who attacked Annabelle was found dead. Could someone elaborate more on what exactly was going on last night?"
Lachlan groaned as he shook his head. "To start, Tomoko gathered us all at the pool so we wouldn't get in the way of her plan with Chloe, Laris, and the kid."
"Hah, we should have known that Miss Ice Queen would have never fucking invited us for shit like that!" Becky cackled as her glassy eyes shifted between Tomoko and the rest of the group.
Naruhiko stifled an exaggerated yawn. "Look, I don't really care what the reason was. I still had a blast last night, and the creep who tried to kill our pint-sized wonder is pushing up daisies now. So what's the big fucking deal?"
Tomoko scowled as she rubbed the sleep out of her tired eyes. "The big deal is the fact that Nagito likely knew how to escape this damn park. With him gone, we've lost any credible lead we may have had."
"And why did you keep it from all of us? Not to mention, why put Anna in that kind of situation?" Tiana was acting calm, but her voice was slowly gaining an edge.
Soo Yeong rubbed at his chin. "If I were to hazard a guess, it was due to both a lack of trust and the thought that Nagito would be prone to come after Annabelle. The logic may be sound, but the action itself is unforgivable."
The Sailor rubbed the back of his neck as he looked down at the young girl. "Aye, that makes sense, I suppose. Though it seems like someone had other ideas for the bastard..."
"N-No kidding. I guess someone got to him before he could get to us. Someone must have had a real axe to grind," Utano said in a timid manner.
"Dear child, surely you're not that naïve!" Seikatsu exclaimed in a dramatic way as she fanned herself. "Is it not readily obvious? As Lady Tomoko said, without Nagito, our means of escaping this wretched realm have been quashed."
"Perhaps that was why they went so over board with killing him, no?" Chloe remarks as she crossed her arms.
Laris offered a solemn nod in response. "It would certainly seem so. We should have been honest with you all to begin with. I beg your forgiveness, I have acted in a way that is deplorable for a knight, and endangered Lady Annabelle in return."
Haruto took a steadying breath. "Mistakes were made, of that there can be no doubt. I regret how I handled the situation as well, but now isn't the time to point fingers. We have to figure out who killed him and for what reason."
Shiho ticked her head to the side. "M'kay, I guess to start off with, were there any clues around the crime scene?"
Annabelle adopted a thoughtful pose. "Whelp, I didn't really feel up for staying in the kitchen long last night. I could tell he'd been dead a long time, but the customer part of the diner was really clean. I didn't see any blood or anything. I don't see our culprit being dumb enough to walk out the front entrance."
"Hey guys, I just had a crazy thought. If this was someone who wanted to stop Nagito from telling us anything, maybe it wasn't any of us? Maybe Kurokuma or whoever is behind this killed him! I mean, that makes a lot of sense, right? They didn't want him to ruin everything, so they had to take him out," Churi suggested before a snort filled the Dining Room.
"Shit, that's the best you nitwits can come up with? No wonder you all nearly died in the last trial. We're certainly not dealing with the cream of the crop here." Kurokuma chuckled as he waddled into sight.
Tiana's eyes narrowed as she turned to face the bear. "As if we didn't have enough of a headache to deal with. Come to give us more grief, I suppose?"
"Tch, no doubt about it. This fucker is worse than any critic I've ever had," Naruhiko groused as he folded his arms.
Kurokuma snorted. "Now is that anyway to thank me for being honest? I thought you'd all be pleased to know that I had nothing to do with Nagito's pile of meat laying in the kitchen. Turns out one of you is playing for my team!"
"I don't want to trust the scallywag, but I also doubt he'd lie about his involvement. But why admit to havin' a traitor? Wouldn't you want to keep that a secret?" Kaizoku questioned as leaned forward in his seat.
"M-Maybe he's just messing with us!" Utano stammered. "You know, to make us doubt one another."
"Bahaha! 'Fraid not, bucko! This is the real deal, but you are right about one thing. All of this trust and good will is nauseating, so I'm going to give my partner a little motivation: If I don't get a corpse within three days, I'll be revealing your identity!" Kurokuma announced. "Consider this your next motive. I'd watch your back if I were you; you never know who might be in my pocket."
16 Survivors Remain
*AN* I wanna thank my betas as always and of course Petty for her awesome help. Hope you enjoyed the chapter!
Review Section:
Blazerxz
Lol it would be gold if the Hagakure robot was the one behind it. Shit I wish I had done that now :P
NSPunny
Hah Nagito is unfortunately just treated as fodder in the eyes of management!
Raz The Giant
Phew, I'm gonna have to be more careful with what I say around you. You're very sharp my friend.
The Celestial Sky Dragon
As you well know, subversion is half the game ;)
ThePLOThand
Nah Nagito is trash to Kurokuma bahaha.
pokemansuperallstar
Instead it's going to remain a question for a while. Something for everyone to mull over.
The Kobold Necromancer
Cannibal Nagito is a horrifying thought. Sheeesh. Why didn't I do it? AHHHH!
JCW18
Well there's only one way to find out. Just keep reading =)
doomqwer
Haha always expect the unexpected lol
bellatrixshine
Not to try and show favoritism, but Tiana is one of my favorite characters in the cast. I do enjoy characters that are far different than what you'd imagine from a first glance.
Fee5H
Well Master Theorist, let's see if you can puzzle this one out. Mwhehehe
SootyThunder
Nope he's not part of the game, it's just a footnote as the game goes forward.
MudkipOfDespair
Speechless huh? I love those reactions pupupu