5th Arc: Journey without Feeling or Fulfillment
Daily life
…
…
…What? What is this?
Rin stared at the multiple screens in front of him with a crude mixture of confusion, loathing, and terror on his face. His eyes had shrunk to be as small as they could get as they shook and darted about within his head, not being able to focus on any one thing in front of him.
He wanted to throw up. He just might if he didn't tear his eyes from the screens, but he couldn't. He couldn't stop staring at it.
What he was seeing was making him physically sick. He couldn't stop shaking, no matter how hard he tried. He couldn't move, or even speak. He was completely frozen in his tracks by what he had found. The flickering light of the room swayed as it seemed to spin around the now dizzy Rin.
"This…can't be real. This can't…be the truth…" Rin sputtered as he held a hand to his mouth. "Damn it… Damn it…!"
"DAMN IT!"
The morning after Maki was declared the blackened, everyone gathered in the dining hall, as always.
…As always? Was that was this was?
No, that wasn't possible. Not with what happened the day before. Kaito's death from an illness he kept hidden. Gonta being killed by Maki out of anger. Maki's execution. Kokichi's descent into madness and cruelty. Rin's fury and hatred now being aimed at everyone. Nothing could ever make things like they were a few days ago.
There was no cheer in the air either. Just a heavy sense of tension was in the air as everyone ate quietly.
It did not help that two people were abstaining from the group breakfast. Kokichi wasn't there, which was honestly a relief for everyone. However, Rin was also not there, which only served to worry people more.
Shuichi had no idea what to do. He could only sit there beside Kaede and Rantaro as he ate his own meal, albeit at a snail's pace. He was just as affected by yesterday's events, after all.
Kaito…Maki…
"So…what are we going to do now?" Tenko asked, finally starting up a conversation in a nervous voice.
"That…is the question now, I suppose." Kirumi let out a small sigh as she put her cup down.
"I suppose our first concern is obvious," Rantaro said with narrowed eyes. "Kokichi and Rin."
"Ah…!"
Shuichi couldn't help but gasp when Rantaro said those names. Nervous energy shot through him, sending chills down his spine as he remember the faces those names belonged to. The twisted smile of malice, and the cold, crimson eyes like a predator.
"That's right. Both of them were acting completely different at the end of the trial yesterday." Kaede muttered as she held her arm. "I'm worried about Rin. He was so angry with us."
"He even tried to kill Kokichi in front of us. His mental state concerns me. The stress might have become too much for him what with everything that has happened now." Keebo noted with a frown.
"Where even are Rin and that degenerate anyway? I haven't seen either at all." Tenko grumbled, her voice tense and angry whenever she spoke the names of the absent people.
"I haven't seen them either. Even if I did, I'm not sure I would know what to say to one or the other. I might have just run away." Kaede admitted sheepishly.
"I haven't seen them either. It's like they both just vanished into thin air." Rantaro noted.
"I remember Kokichi said he was good at hide and seek. He's probably just hiding somewhere." Keebo said.
"That makes the most sense. Perhaps he is wary of us after how he acted yesterday, or perhaps he is more concerned with Rin making another attempt on his life." Kirumi visibly grimaced when the words left her mouth. "As loath as I am to admit this, I believe that is a very real concern for all of us."
"Yeah. Just remembering Rin's face back then sends chills down my spine. He…really was unhinged at the time. I'm really hoping that a good night's rest was enough to cool him off, but even then I'm not sure if that will just fix the problem. This might be something that has been building up in Rin since the start of the killing game." Rantaro frowned deeply.
"Kokichi is too dangerous to be left to his own devices, and Rin's too unpredictable and irrational at the moment. Who knows what either of them will do when they're unsupervised like this." Tenko growled.
"It's not just a little danger, either." Kaede nodded slightly. "Kokichi… He enjoys watching us suffer. His face just screams that he's having fun whenever he sees us suffer. He's not normal. There's obviously something wrong with him. And Rin…He scared me after the trial. I've never seen him act like that before, but he was so cold and angry. I'm not sure what he might do when he's like that."
"Rin has done questionable actions during this killing game all in the name of protecting us, even if his plans or actions were risky to himself or us. The Insect Meet and Greet, trying to force our actions during with the Student Council for better or worse, even using the Necronomicon. No offense, Kirumi, but without knowing what would have happened, it was incredibly risky to use it like the Monokids wanted." Shuichi said.
"No, I agree. Rin himself mentioned that there were many risks surrounding that motive, even if they managed to actually revive me. And his plan to mitigate risks at the cost of his own life was incredibly reckless." Kirumi said as she clenched her fists.
"If it were up to me, I'd toss both Rin and Kokichi around a few times until they came to their senses! A few Neo Aikido sessions against me would be a fine punishment for how awful the two of them acted last night!" Tenko exclaimed as she punched the air a few times to emphasize her point.
"Tenko, you can't just throw people you're angry at," Keebo told her.
"I know that! But doesn't anything that happened make you angry? Kokichi acted horrible to us, tricking Gonta and letting him, Kaito, and Maki die for his sick enjoyment! And Rin! I can't believe he had the gall to get angry with us! He acts as if he knows better than anyone else, but he's made just as many mistakes as us!"
"But…doesn't he sort of have a point? Sometimes we don't listen to him when we should." Kaede mumbled quietly.
"That may be, but that doesn't mean he's always right! We shouldn't have to listen to him just because he thinks he's smarter than us in everything! He's just acting all high and mighty, looking down at us like we're idiots and can't do anything ourselves." Tenko shouted as she crossed her arms. "What right does he have to say that to us? We're not perfect. We make tons of mistakes. I understand that. Himiko is proof of my mistakes. But still, he doesn't have the right to act like he's infallible after defending Maki like many of us. He was just as fooled, or perhaps didn't want to believe the truth either."
"We can talk about whether Rin is right or wrong some other time," Rantaro said. "I believe the bigger threat is still Kokichi."
"That's true. If we don't do something, one of us might be killed by Kokichi next." Keebo frowned as he placed a hand on his chin. "Perhaps that's why he's hiding now. Perhaps he's plotting against us somewhere."
"No, actually…I think we're safe right now." Shuichi pointed out. "Kokichi told us that his objective was to win the killing game. He wouldn't risk a murder that would so obviously implicate him."
"But he might be planning to make us suffer some other way. Like how he used Gonta." Tenko snarled.
"That's not the only thing we should be concerning ourselves with. We still need to find a way out of this school as well." Kirumi stated.
"We need to do it fast, too. With both Kokichi and Rin having snapped, it feels like our time is running out." Shuichi added.
"But we haven't found a single clue as to how to escape this place. And…do we even want to escape at this point?" Kaede asked with worried eyes. "I mean, Rin, Kokichi, Gonta, and Kaito saw it. That 'Secret of the Outside World', and they all seemed to believe that it was something horrible."
"Meanwhile, the rest of us are still in the dark in regards to what the outside world looks like since neither Rin nor Kokichi would tell us anything about it." Rantaro added. "Rin said something about how it was the worst thing imaginable."
"If that's the case, then what in the world happened outside this academy?" Tenko questioned with a bit of terror on her face.
"I don't think there's any point in worrying about what might be waiting for us outside. We won't be able to figure it out just by thinking about it." Shuichi sighed. "I have few theories, but there just aren't enough clues to determine something concrete."
"But we can't simply not think about it," Keebo argued.
"No, Shuichi is correct." Kirumi said. "There is a chance something has happened to the outside world due to something Monokuma has done or fabricated, but perhaps that is exactly what Monokuma wants us to think."
"Yeah, that's a good point. Monokuma's always trying to trick us with lies and twisted words. He's probably just trying to put more pressure on us since we've gotten so far. Rin and Kokichi might have just snapped under all of that pressure then." Rantaro guessed as he pondered Kirumi's words.
"Then the outside world is actually fine, and what made Rin and Kokichi freak out is just a trick by Monokuma?" Tenko asked.
"That sounds too optimistic considering everything that's happened. Remember the last Flashback Light we found?" Keebo said.
"Oh right… The meteors." Kaede muttered.
"And the Gopher Project. We still do not know the exact details regarding either of them." Kirumi said.
"Hmm…" Shuichi hummed before shaking his head. "Regardless, we should–"
"Here I am!" Monokuma suddenly interrupted as he popped up out of nowhere.
"Aaaaaah! Monokuma!?" Tenko screamed as the bear suddenly landed in front of her, causing her to jump back out of her chair, nearly falling over as she did.
"What are you doing here?" Shuichi questioned the bear with a hardened look.
"Puhuhu. I've got business with you guys of course." Monokuma giggled.
"It's our 'prize', right?" Rantaro asked. "You gonna give us more tools to open up new areas?"
"Yep! Hope you're excited!" Monokuma cheered happily.
"...You're being awfully compliant." Keebo pointed out worriedly.
"Of course. I can't refuse you all, not when I'm all alone and outnumbered." Monokuma replied.
"Outnumbered?" Kirumi tilted her head in confusion.
"But I'm used to being alone. Back in the day, I was alone from the start to finish." Monokuma continued as if he hadn't heard the maid. "Well…there were a few times when they set up someone new to cover for me. But no crow, penguin, or whatever different animal could ever become as iconic as me! Anyway, here's your prize this time!"
With that, Monokuma pulled out two keys, one that looked high-tech and one that was rusty and old.
"You get two keys! This one is the last real key, and this one is the real last key!" Monkuma told them.
"W-Wait, what's the difference?!" Kaede exclaimed though the bear ignored her as he set the keys down on the table.
"Now then, go find the areas that these keys will unlock. See ya later! Bye-onara!"
"Hey! That's Angie's line! You don't get to use it like it's yours!" Tenko shouted as the bear disappeared.
"So what should we do about these new areas?" Kirumi asked the group.
"I think we should prioritize searching for these new areas over searching for Kokichi and Rin." Keebo began. "These areas likely contain a new Flashback Light, and we may discover some new facts. Kokichi being with us would only cause problems, and I'm not sure Rin would want to be near any of us if he is still angry. Besides, the Flashback Lights make Rin sick, so it might be best to find the device and use it and then tell him about what we find out later."
"Wow, Keebo. I didn't know humans were such a low priority for you." Rantaro chuckled.
"Hey! That's robophopic! That's not what I meant at all!"
"I know I know. I was just messing with you."
"Man, it's almost like things are back to normal again," Kaede noted quietly before turning to Shuichi. "What do you think, Shuichi?"
"I am worried about Kokichi and Rin, but Keebo is right. We should worry about what's in front of us first. We can't keep worrying about either of them all the time. I'm sure they can take care of themselves and won't do anything too reckless at the moment. So we should focus our energy on solving the mystery of this academy first."
"Right!" Kaede nodded, a smile finally gracing her face when she heard Shuichi's confidence. "Then let's get to investigating!"
"Yeah." Shuichi nodded as he grabbed the keys and pocketed them. "I'll hold onto these."
"That's probably for the best." Rantaro nodded.
"We're counting on you, Shuichi!" Tenko flashed him a smile.
And so, the group split up to investigate the new areas of the academy. Since the number of people had dropped dramatically, Shuichi found himself all alone as he made his way up to the 5th floor of the academy. He remembered there was a large door with a keyhole in it on that floor, around the same area where his lab was. That would be where he looked first.
Once he got there, he found Kaede, Tenko, and Rantaro waiting nearby the extravagant door.
"Ah! Shuichi! This door is super suspicious, right?" Tenko said as she gestured to the door. "One of those keys is sure to open it up, right?"
"Someone's excited." Rantaro chuckled as he rubbed a hand through his lime-colored hair.
"It's probably that old-looking key that's supposed to be used on this door." Kaede hummed as she placed a finger on her chin before smiling at Shuichi. "Come on, Shuichi. Let's hurry up and see what's behind this door. It's probably something really cool, right?"
"R-Right," Shuichi said as he moved over to the door and stuck the rusty-looking key inside the keyhole.
Click…click…
"Huh? The key works…but it won't turn." Shuichi frowned.
"It won't turn?" Kaede questioned. "Maybe you aren't turning it hard enough. Let me try."
Shuichi moved out of the way as Kaede grabbed the key and turned with all of her might, but even with that, it wouldn't budge.
"Wow, it really won't move." Kaede frowned before she noticed something. "Hang on. The key's stuck now!"
"What? But it fits so perfectly." Shuichi said.
"Hang on a second. Do you guys hear that?" Rantaro asked, motioning for everyone to stay quiet as they listened closely.
Tick, tick, tick, tick!
"...Ticking?" Shuichi questioned as Tenko's eyes went wide.
"A bomb!?" She screamed.
"What?!" Kaede shouted.
"Everyone! Get back!" Rantaro yelled as everyone ran off to a safe distance away from the door. And not a moment after everyone had gotten away from the door–
BOOM!
The entire door exploded in a grand fashion.
"Aaaaaaah!" Tenko shouted as parts of the door fell a few feet away from her.
"A trap?! Why would Monokuma set up the door to explode like that?!" Kaede screamed angrily.
"Seriously, that was dangerous. Someone could have gotten really hurt." Rantaro let out a sigh of relief.
"Hey…look at what was behind that door," Shuichi said as he pointed at what had caught his eye. "It looks like a door to an Ultimate Research Lab."
"Yeah. You're right." Kaede nodded before frowning. "But…it looks really…"
"Bloody." Tenko finished for her. "It totally looks like a door for a murder."
"Yeah. There's blood and weapons drawn onto the door." Shuichi noted as he place a hand on his chin. "But…who's lab does that make this, then? Maki already had her lab opened a while ago."
"There are only a few of us left that don't have labs yet," Rantaro stated. "Kokichi, Rin, and me. It must belong to one of us."
"Do you think it's Kokichi's lab, then? It's really evil looking like him." Tenko grimaced.
"We'll find out once we go inside," Kaede said as she grabbed the door handle, took a shaky breath, and then opened the door.
What they saw behind the door was even more disturbing than they could have possibly imagined.
"What…in the world is this?" Shuichi asked with wide eyes as he surveyed the room.
"It…looks like the trial grounds." Kaede pointed out.
It was true. In the middle of the red-colored room on an elevated platform were sixteen seats set up around a circular table so that all the seats were pointed at each other. The room was filled with roses and thorns and scattered playing cards, and multiple blades and swords were stuck in the ground, handles pointed upward. There was even a bloody mannequin head with a bullet hole in it, as well as two severed mannequin arms, one of which held a revolver.
Multiple sheets of paper were hung up on strings from the ceiling, each one detailing things Shuichi couldn't quite grasp, but it made him think of someone's notes or pieces of evidence. There were two giant picture frames hung up by strings too, and littering the walls were pictures of people Shuichi had never seen before, each of their faces and eyes scribbled out with red paint.
But strangest of all was the giant vault at the back of the room, locked by two giant dials labeled 'A' and 'B'.
"What a horrible atmosphere." Tenko grimaced as she looked around the room. "This could only be that degenerate's lab, right? There's no way this lab belongs to Rin or Rantaro."
"Actually…I think it might be mine." Rantaro admitted as he looked around the lab with wide eyes.
"Yours?" Shuichi asked in a surprised tone.
"That can't be right. You said you were the Ultimate Adventurer, right? Shouldn't your lab look more suited for an explorer or something? But this room is a mess. I can't tell what it's supposed to be about." Kaede questioned. "This is more like a puzzle room based on the Class Trials."
"That's true. A puzzle room based on the Class Trials. That really is an accurate description." Rantaro let out an empty chuckle.
"...Rantaro. Is there any reason you think this is your lab?" Shuichi asked.
Remained quiet for a bit before letting out another sigh.
"Yeah, there is, but I can't tell you at the moment. But I'll tell you soon. I trust you all, but I think I should save what I have to say for later. We should focus on finding that Flashback Light first."
"Okay. I'll hold you to that." Shuichi told the mysterious adventurer.
"Hey! Guys! I found a laptop!" Tenko called out.
"A laptop?" Shuichi asked as he and the others gathered around where Tenko was.
"Well isn't that strange? All this time and we haven't found anything like a laptop in this entire academy." Rantaro noted.
"Yeah. The closest to this was the virtual world machine. I thought it was because Monokuma was trying to keep us disconnected from the outside world. That's why all our phones and personal devices were taken away when we first got here, wasn't it?" Kaede asked.
"That's what I thought, too," Shuichi muttered. "Tenko, may I check out the laptop? There might be clues on it."
"Of course! That's why I told you guys. It's embarrassing to admit, but I'm not very tech-savvy myself. I prefer punching and throwing things, not typing. You're probably better suited for looking for clues here." Tenko admitted as she pushed the laptop over to Shuichi.
"Hmm… Looks like it still works, though it doesn't have a connection to the internet, obviously." Shuichi muttered as he got to work. "Hm?"
"Something wrong, Shuichi?" Kaede asked.
"It's…empty."
"Empty?"
"There's no data in it at all."
"What?! Why put a laptop in here at all if there's nothing on it?!" Tenko shouted.
"That definitely is strange." Rantaro hummed. "There's gotta be a reason why this was put here. Maybe we have to find a USB or something."
"That's certainly a possibility." Shuichi nodded. "And the only place I can think of where there might be something like that is in that vault."
"Yeah. That vault definitely screams 'suspicious', doesn't it?" Kaede weakly chuckled as they all turned to the weird vault.
"I see. So it's a puzzle we have to solve." Tenko said as a smile began to form on her face. "With all of us working together, I'm sure we can–"
"No can do!" Monokuma burst into the room while wearing a police outfit and blaring a loud siren. "Working together on this puzzle is a strict violation of the rules!"
"Aah! Where did you come from, and why are you here again!?" Tenko shouted angrily.
"Violation of the rules?" Shuichi asked. "What do you mean by that? I thought the rule said that we were free to explore the academy at our own discretion."
"Yes, that's true, but I'm not talking about the school rules!" Monokuma yelled. "This is a rule that applies to Mister Amami!"
"A rule that applies to Rantaro?" Kaede asked as she turned to the boy in question. "What is he talking about?"
"...I see. So that's how it is." Rantaro muttered with a frown. "So I have to do this myself?"
"That's right! It wouldn't be fair if you could work together with the others. This is a challenge only you can partake in. That's why I put it in your lab!" Monokuma exclaimed.
"So this is Rantaro's lab," Shuichi said. "But what do you mean by that? Why wouldn't it be fair if we helped him."
"Well, I can't go too into detail about it. That would be spoiling the secret after all." Monokuma smirked at the detective before turning back to Rantaro. "Look, the prize you get for solving this puzzle is for the eyes of Rantaro Amami, and that's it! No one else! He can share whatever he knows or learns with anyone he wants, sure, but this is only for Rantaro's eyes only! That's just how it is, okay!"
"Really now? But didn't I already–?"
"I've already explained it! This is only for the eyes of the owner of you-know-what , and that means you! I won't say anything more than that! You can share whatever it is with whoever you want, but it wouldn't be special if they could see it right from the source, now would it? Now, get out everyone! Let's leave Mister Amami here to solve the mystery of his lab. None of you are allowed in until I say so!"
"You can't just kick us out like this!" Tenko shouted.
"It's fine guys. Do as he says." Rantaro told them.
"Uh?"
"Are you sure Rantaro?" Shuichi asked.
"Yeah, I'm sure. If Monokuma is gonna rag on this, then we might as well listen to speed things along. I already have an idea as to how to figure this out." Rantaro told them. "As to what I find…I'm not sure what's waiting for me, but if I can, I'll tell you guys about it later when we meet up to use the Flashback Light."
"...Alright. We'll leave then. I'll be sure to ask you about what you find and what Monokuma means when he said 'you-know-what' when we meet up then."
"Sure. As I said, I trust you guys. We've made this far together, so it's only right that I share now." Rantaro smirked. "I'll get to work on this now. I'll see you guys later."
"Yeah. See ya." Shuichi told the adventure as he left with Kaede and Tenko, all of them being pushed out by Monokuma.
"Okay! Now that Rantaro's all alone, I'll be keeping guard of his lab's entrance until he's finished, so go explore somewhere else until he's done! There's no point in lingering around here, right? You still got another key to use." Monokuma told them as he stood right in front of Rantaro's door, blocking the way from entry.
"I guess there's nothing we can do now," Kaede said with a frown.
"Grrrr! How frustrating! I wish we could do something!" Tenko exclaimed.
"Well, I'm going to go see where I can use this last key. What are you two going to go do?" Shuichi asked.
"I'm not sure. I kinda wanted to explore Rantaro's lab more, but with Monokuma blocking the way until Rantaro's done with that puzzle, that doesn't seem possible." Kaede said before she thought for a bit. "I guess I should go search for Kokichi or Rin."
"That's a good idea. No doubt that degenerate Kokichi is scheming something right now. And I need to throw Rin around as payback for what he said yesterday!" Tenko proclaimed as she seemed to imagine tossing Rin around like a ragdoll again, getting nervous laughter from Kaede and Shuichi.
"Don't…go too far if you do find Rin. That might just make him angrier." Shuichi told the Aikido Master.
"Don't worry. I'll make sure she doesn't do anything drastic." Kaede said. "You just go off and open up that last area."
"Right. I'll see you later."
After saying goodbyes, Shuichi headed down to the ground floor of the academy and left the building, where he noticed just how clean the academy had gotten.
"The greenery is completely gone. This place really feels more mechanical now." Shuichi noted as he walked down the beaten path. "It looks like construction is almost done, but what happens then?" Shuichi couldn't help but turn back to look at the school building with a suspicious glance. "An Ultimate Academy, the likes of which we've never seen before… Will we ever find out what that means?"
With that question now lingering in his head, Shuichi kept walking until he stumbled upon Kirumi, who was staring at the Shrine of Judgement with a deep frown.
"Kirumi? What're you doing here?"
"Just thinking," Kirumi replied without taking her eyes off the shrine. "Shuichi…Is this really how it has been for you all this entire time?"
"What do you mean?"
"The class trial ends, then Monokuma hands out our 'prizes', and then we search the new areas that have been opened up," Kirumi explained. "To me, it feels too repetitive. And the fact that all the murders keep happening in the newly discovered areas just makes me more worried. Maybe Rin was right. Perhaps we really are playing the game exactly like Monokuma wants. If so, wouldn't it be better to not use those 'prizes' at all?"
"But…to solve the mystery of this academy, we're going to have to use the Flashback Lights, to remember the truth."
"Of course. I know we need to do that in order to find out more about our situation, but I cannot help but think it all seems suspicious after experiencing this pattern over and over. It makes me recall Rin's feelings about the Flashback Lights he told me about before. What even are those devices, and how do they work? I cannot help but feel worried that we have been subjecting ourselves to such suspicious objects, though I acknowledge we do not have much of a choice in the matter."
"That's true. We all were suspicious about the Flashback Lights when Monokuma first showed it off, but I guess we've gotten used to such strange things within this academy." Shuichi said. "But even with how strange it all is, we need to keep at it. In order to keep living everyone who's died and to escape this place."
"True enough," Kirumi said with a small smile. "I suppose I was just thinking about everything that has happened ever since I was…revived. My, even saying it now is disconcerting."
"Kirumi…" Shuichi began, but he trailed off, unsure of what to say.
"Do not worry, Shuichi. I am fine. I cannot change what has happened. I am just glad I am here again after what happened with Tsumugi and me." Kirumi said. "I believe I should get back to my own investigation now."
"Oh? What are you doing?"
"I was investigating older areas in case Monokuma added something that wasn't there before."
"That does sound like something Monokuma would do." Shuichi sighed.
"Well then, I will be off. Good luck with your search, Shuichi. I will let you know if I find anything." Kirumi told him as she began to walk off. "Oh. I believe Keebo found where to use one of the keys. At the large facility near his and Miu's lab."
"Is that so? I'll go check it out." Shuichi said. "Thank you Kirumi."
"Do not mention it. I am just doing my duty in helping you all. I am still a maid, after all." Kirumi smiled. "Do be sure to remember that and call for me if you need my assistance."
"Right. Will do." Shuichi nodded as he walked off to where Keebo was. "Wonder what this key is going to open up for us."
Shuichi was clearly not prepared for what was waiting for him.
He met up with Keebo, who showed him the keyhole where the last key worked, and it unlocked the gates to the Cyber Courtyard. While Shuichi couldn't help but see the irony in Keebo's words, he couldn't help but agree. This place was drastically different in tone and appearance. It really did feel like some mecha might jump out at them.
The place was huge too, but there was hardly anything in the place. It was just a huge maze-like hallway and open spaces. That is until they reached the end of the path.
There was a huge shutter gate waiting for them, and it was completely fortified with an electric barrier that prevented them from raising the shutter. To make matters worse, there was an alarm that went off the moment they got close. Monokuma had to come by and turn it off because it was so annoying. Apparently, Rantaro was done doing whatever he had to do, letting Monokuma come and explain the shutter and alarm to Shuichi and Keebo.
The alarm was tied to some motion sensor that was set off whenever anyone got close. It needed a remote to turn it off, but only Monokuma had that. And to turn off the electric barrier, they needed to enter a 59-digit code into the control panel next to the shutter. Monokuma then proceeded to list off all the numbers for the code but did it at a rapid-fire pace that prevented them from properly hearing it all, and Monokuma refused to repeat it.
It was a very tight security system, and Monokuma seemed proud of it until he realized that the entire place was pointless now and handed the alarm remote to Shuichi. Monokuma then turned off the electric barrier for them to investigate at least once. After turning the barrier off, he told them that they could turn the alarm system and barrier back on using the console outside the room or the one inside, or they could just leave the security system off. And with that, Monokuma left them.
Now curious and suspicious about what this place was, Shuichi and Keebo opened up the shutter and went inside. What they saw surprised them.
"An Exisal?!" Shuichi shouted when he saw the mechs over on the side of the room.
"All five of them are here! It's too dangerous! Let's run!" Keebo shouted as he staggered backward.
"...Wait a second. They aren't moving." Shuichi realized after staring at the mechs for a moment longer. "They're not reacting to us and the lights are off."
"Oh, now that you mention it…you're right. I wonder what's going on."
"Ah-hahahaha! Surprised? This is actually the Exisal hangar!" Monokuma burst into their conversation once again while laughing like a maniac. "Yep, this is where the Exisals are stored. This is where I was guarding the precious Exisals so no one would mess with them…but… sigh …it's pointless now."
"Is it because the Monokubs are gone? No one can control the Exisals anymore." Shuichi deduced.
"What?! No one can control them anymore!?" Monokuma said as his fluffy body shook with fear and sweat began pouring out by the bucket.
"Am I wrong?"
"Oh, don't worry about my reaction just now," Monokuma replied, now calm and collected. "I thought a somewhat over-the-top reaction would put you guys on the defensive."
"What does that mean!?" Keebo shouted.
"Now, now! Don't get so worked up! You may be a machine, but you're not a demon model!" Monokuma shot back before he left. He really just comes and goes whenever he wants now, doesn't he?
But Monokuma brought up an interesting point. Now that the Exisals were deactivated, the students no longer had anything threatening them. Nothing could enforce the rules for Monokuma now. What did that mean for them, though?
Well, Shuichi figured since he was here, he might as well investigate the inside of the hanger.
There were a lot of things to be expected in the hangar, like a washing machine for the Exisals and a tool to add paint to them. There was even a bathroom, though Shuichi didn't know why the hanger needed once if it was for the Monokub's Exisals. But the most notable thing was the huge powerful machine in the middle of the room. The hydraulic press.
Keebo suggested that it was used to scrape decommissioned Exisals since nothing could withstand being crushed by a huge metal slab. There was also a control panel with up and down buttons, as well as an emergency stop button. However, when Shuichi noticed the safety notice written for the hydraulic press, Keebo had an idea to test the safety function with himself.
Shuichi thought it was a horrible idea, but Keebo was quite insistent. With not much of a choice in the face of Keebo's determination, Shuichi finally agreed. Keebo got under the press, and then Shuichi pressed the button to start it up.
The press made itself down…and didn't stop. Keebo had to roll out of there before the press crushed him.
Needless to say, things got heated after that.
"Th-That was a close one!"
"Y-Yes, it was! Why did you do that?!"
"Why didn't you press the 'force stop' button, Shuichi?!"
"It's not my fault!"
"Well…as least we know now. It seems I'm only perceived as a machine, not a human. Well, to this hydraulic press, that is…"
"Ah…yeah…"
With that debacle now done, Shuichi didn't have anything else left to investigate in the Exisal Hanger. He was about to leave, but that's when someone he wasn't expecting to see walked in.
"...Oh?"
"Ah! Rin."
Shuichi was quite shocked when he saw Rin. For a moment, he looked like he did before the incident yesterday. He didn't look angry at all, and it almost seemed like he just going about his day, business as usual. That was until he caught sight of Shuichi and Keebo. Suddenly, his calm expression morphed into one of annoyance and dread. He looked disgusted just by being in the same room as them. Anger radiated off him in waves as his warm eyes became the cold, snake-like ones Shuichi saw after the trial.
Shuichi could tell in an instant that things had gotten much worse than before. Something had happened that made Rin even more agitated at them, but Shuichi couldn't figure out what it could be.
"Hey…Rin–"
"Don't talk to me, freak. Just stay the hell away from me." Rin spat out like poison in his mouth before stomping off in a hurry, not even bothering to look around the hanger while Shuichi and Keebo were around.
The two of them just stayed like that for a while in shock before Keebo finally said something.
"I guess…Rin really doesn't want anything to do with us anymore." Keebo frowned. "I cannot help but feel hurt by that. I had thought we were friends. Can such friendship be so easily thrown away? If so, is it supposed to hurt like this?"
"I'm not sure if this is exactly like that. This feels…different somehow." Shuichi said as he began to think deeply on the matter.
Just what in the world caused Rin to so drastically change? Was it them, or something else? Shuichi could understand him being angry after everything they all had been through, especially yesterday. Rin must have felt so betrayed by Maki's actions. Still, what Shuichi was seeing was different than how he acted at the end of the trial. Back then, Rin had snapped and let out all of his anger on them, whether it was justified or not. But here, there was less anger and more disgust. Like the very act of seeing them made him ill.
There was one last thing that showed some kind of drastic change in Rin. Since the first trial, Rin had been wearing Kirumi's gloves as a memento. Even after she was brought back, he still kept wearing those gloves. But now…they were gone.
What could have done that?
"Shuichi?"
Shuichi was snapped out of his thoughts when Kirumi suddenly entered the hangar.
"Kirumi? What's the matter?"
"I came here to tell you two to come back to the dining hall. I found something I believe everyone should hear. Kaede, Tenko, and Rantaro are already there." She explained.
"What about Kokichi and Rin?" Shuichi asked.
"No one has seen Kokichi yet. As for Rin…" Kirumi could help but bite her lower lip at that. "He…refused to meet up with everyone. Quite clearly at that."
That made Shuichi flinch a bit in pain. Kirumi must have been given the same treatment from Rin when she saw him.
"Is that so? That's too bad. Still, we should hurry and meet back up with those at the dining hall." Keebo said.
"Yes. We're done here anyway. Let's go." Shuichi nodded as the three of the walked back to the dining room.
Once they got there, Kaede immediately turned to Kirumi with a smile, but Shuichi couldn't help but think it was a bit forced.
"Oh, Kirumi. So everyone is here now?"
"You found the Flashback Light, right Kirumi? Let's hurry up and use it then!" Tenko shouted eagerly.
"No, I am afraid I did not locate the Flashback Light." Kirumi corrected.
"You didn't? I honestly thought that's what all this was about." Keebo said.
"Then why did you call us here? Did you find something else important?" Kaede questioned.
"Indeed. What I found is quite serious." Kirumi nodded.
"And what exactly did you find?" Shuichi asked.
"Do you recall those letters Gonta found in the courtyard? I happened to stumble across them as I was looking around, and I saw that more had been added to them once again." Kirumi said.
"Letters in the courtyard?" Shuichi repeated. "There's more there now?"
"Yes. In fact, the message seems to be completed."
"Well, what does it say?" Tenko asked.
"... 'This world is mine. Kokichi Oma.' That's what's written there now." Kirumi told them with a concerned look on her face.
"This world is mine?" Kaede repeated with wide eyes.
"Wh-What's going on? Why is Kokichi's name there?!" Tenko shouted. "Don't tell me that message was just another one of Kokichi's tricks?!"
"You've got to be kidding me! He would seriously do that?!" Kaede yelled, her eyes now full of anger.
"That…certainly seems like something Kokichi would do." Shuichi sighed as he shook his head.
But even with that, was that all there was to the message? Shuichi felt there must be something else to it.
"What about the Flashback Light? Has anyone found it yet?" Keebo asked.
"It does not seem like it." Kirumi sighed.
"I bet that's Kokichi's fault! He probably found it first or hid it away from us to mess with us!" Tenko shouted.
"Or maybe…Rin found it, and he's hiding it himself?" Kaede took a swing at it.
"But why would Rin do that? I thought the Flashback Lights had no effect on him." Kirumi said.
"That may be, but he has had his suspicions about the Flashback Lights before. Perhaps that's why." Shuichi said. "But…that doesn't seem like something he would do, is it?"
"Who knows? With how he's acting, I don't think we can say anything about how he acts." Tenko scoffed.
"Oh? Did you happen to run into Rin as well, Tenko?" Keebo asked.
"Yes! Urgh! He was just awful! He took one look at us and acted like we were the ugliest thing he had ever seen! He's acting even more high and mighty now than before!" Tenko growled loudly as her hands shook with fury. "And that's not even mentioning what he called Kaede. I can't believe he's sunk down to Kokichi's level of degeneracy! I thought he was better than that!"
"What? What did he say to Kaede?" Shuichi asked.
Kaede just hunched inward a bit as her frown deepened.
"I…don't really want to talk about it," Kaede said.
Shuichi just frowned at that. He wanted to help, but he didn't know what to say. Rin and Kaede were close, so he didn't know what to say when Rin was acting so coldly and cruelly to them. He could only imagine what Rin said to hurt Kaede so much.
So instead, Shuichi turned over to Rantaro, who had remained silent this entire time.
"Rantaro, what about you? What did you find in your lab?" Shuichi asked.
Rantaro seemed to flinch when he was called out. It was only then Shuichi noticed how pale Rantaro was. He was sweating a lot but also seemed really tense and on edge for some reason.
"S-Sorry. I was paying attention. I was just…thinking about something else, too." Rantaro explained as he ran a hand down his face.
"Are you alright?" Kirumi asked him.
"Y-Yeah. I'm fine. Just… What I found was a bit…much for me to handle. I'm still kinda coming to grasp with it." Rantaro said as he took a deep breath. "Sorry, but I'm not sure I want to share what I found just yet. I want to think a bit more about it before I say anything."
"Is it really that bad?" Kaede asked.
"Yes. At least to me." Rantaro said without hesitation. He then got up and shook his head. "For now, all we can do is wait a bit longer. I don't think we should bother with Kokichi since that might only incite more trouble. And while I haven't seen Rin yet, I'm guessing we should give him more space. We'll deal with both of them another time."
"Then what should we do? We can't just wait, can we?" Tenko asked.
"No, but don't worry. Once I get my head on straight, I'll think of something. I'll be sure to figure something out." Rantaro told us with a serious expression. "I have to now."
Rantaro didn't explain those last few words before he left. With no Flashback Light to use, everyone else soon went their separate ways, too. Shuichi couldn't help but feel restless the entire time as he tried to find something to busy himself with.
Just what were they supposed to do? How could they end the killing game? Was it even possible?
It didn't take long for him to leave his room to try to distract himself from those thoughts. That was all he could do for now. He could only hope things would get better from here on out.