"Hah! It's mine! The curry rice is mine!" Owari happily pumps her fist in the air. Gundam rolls his eyes as Sonia sighs in disappointment. The three stand in Jabberwock Park, the breeze whistling lightly in the air. Gundam feels something in the wind. Danger. But he supposes that's given, considering Monobear summoned them here.
"Aww shucks. I thought for sure that we were going to get the curry rice, Tanaka-san..." The princess frowns, scuffing the ground with her shoe.
"I do not think the bear is going to give her curry rice anyway. That is what I was attempting to tell you." Gundam glances at her, and Sonia looks at him with puppy dog eyes. The animal breeder finds himself staring into them. "...What?"
"If we will not get special curry rice, would you at least assist me in making some later?" Gundam wants to refuse, he really does, but the longer he stares at her looking at him like that, the harder it gets.
"Hng... Why do you not ask the chef? He could make you some, could he not?" Gundam glances away. Sonia sighs and grabs his bicep.
"Please?"
"...Fine." Gundam crosses his arms in exasperation as the princess cheers. Owari laughs.
"Hah! And here I thought you liked guys!" The animal breeder glares at her, but before Sonia can ask for clarification, another group of three enters the park.
"Noooooo! Ibuki's not the first! No curry rice for Ibuki!" Mioda skids to a stop, barreling into Owari. The gymnast grabs Mioda under the arms and lifts her up, smirking at her.
"That's right! I won the curry rice!" Owari laughs, making Mioda sigh in defeat.
"Ibuki-chan!" Koizumi slows down once she comes within a few feet of the four, panting. "Don't go so fast next time, please..." She takes a moment to catch her breath, then turns to Gundam and Sonia. "And you Tanaka! You shouldn't run so fast when you have girl with you, especially one in a dress like that! What if she fell and tore it or something?"
"Hey! Do not chastise me for that!" Gundam jabs a finger at her, feeling his eye twitch angrily.
"Hey now, let's not." Nidai gets between the two, chuckling lightly.
"Yes, let us focus on the curry rice that we will be making!" Sonia chimes in.
"Eh?" Koizumi peers around Nidai at Sonia, who Gundam realizes is still clutching his arm.
"Yes! Tanaka-san and I have set a plan to make some curry rice! It will be... um... amazing!" Sonia cheers. "And you're invited! You too, Nidai-san! And you two as well!" Sonia smiles at Owari and Mioda. The gymnast and light music club member glance at each other in confusion. Apparently they hadn't heard the four talking. The princess' excitement is furthered by the arrival of Hanamura and Togami. "Ah! Hanamura-san! It would please me greatly for you to come make curry rice with us tomorrow!"
"Of course, Sonia-san." Hanamura chuckles. "I know of something else that could please you greatly as well." He grins, which is promptly removed by Togami, the imposter smacking him in the back of the head. "Ow! I'm sorry!"
"Yeah. You are." He crosses his arms, glaring distastefully at the cook, who rubs the back of his head, a guilty look on his face. Saionji and Tsumiki arrive a moment later, the dancer jeering the nurse. Gundam can tell it's playful, for her at least, and that she probably doesn't mean it. It doesn't prevent the nurse from sobbing at it anyway.
"...But yeah, I could totally cut your hair for you! Sure, I'm not good with scissors, but I can't possibly make it any worse, can I?" The blonde giggles evilly, making Tsumiki sniff and wipe at her face.
"I-I-I guess not..." Saionji reaches up and lightheartedly tugs on a lock of purple hair. The nurse wails and swats lightly at Saionji's hand. Koizumi walks over and gently pries Tsumiki's hair from the dancer's iron grip. Another voice draws Gundam's attention from the debacle in front of him.
"Look, I'm not your damn friend. Get that through your thick skull."
"I understand how you feel, Kuzuryuu-kun, but please at least try to-"
"Shut up. I don't care." The gangster scoffs at Komaeda, hands in his pockets. The duo is the last to stroll into Jabberwock Park. Komaeda just sighs and walks over to Gundam.
"Ah, Tanaka-kun. Where have you been all day?" The luckster cocks his head curiously.
"I have spent most of my time at the... laundromat. With the righteous one, the spirited one, and... the princess." Gundam motions to Koizumi, Nidai, and Sonia. Komaeda raises an eyebrow.
"Socializing, are we Tanaka-kun?" The white-haired boy grins. "That's great! We can't lose hope in each other, especially at times like this!"
"Please." Gundam rolls his eyes and chuckles. He and Komaeda share a laugh.
"Alright, alright, enough of this crap." Kuzuryuu taps a foot impatiently, glaring at everyone. "This is stupid. Monobear! Where are you, ya retard?!" The gangster cups his hands around his mouth, shouting angrily.
"Ooh, sorry, sorry!" The bear appears from behind the pedestal, waving his arms frantically. He takes a few steps then comically tumbles, rolling forward before coming to a rest in a sitting position. Most of the kids watch at him, unamused. "I'm sorry I took so long! I was rather busy."
"Yo, who cares?!" Owari cracks her knuckles, taking a step towards Monobear. "I was here first! I want that curry rice! It's mine!"
"Of course, of course!" Monobear chuckles. "Tomorrow, I'll treat you to my special 'Monocurry'! It's made with special ingredients like a mysterious meat and veggies that have started to lose their color! I totally know how to make a good curry!"
"Alright!" Owari cheers. A few of the other students look in disgust at the two.
"Akane-chan, I'm not sure... that Monobear's curry will be any good..." Koizumi says reluctantly, as though offending one of them would cause them to freak out.
"It's okay, Mahiru-chan! It's hard to make bad curry, ya'know!" Mioda chimes in, grabbing Koizumi's shoulders and shaking her.
"...While there is truth in her words, we've got more important things to worry about." Togami grunts, glancing around the park. He apparently finds what he's looking for, because he turns back to Monobear. Gundam can see him looking disgusted. "Why don't you tell them about your... motive."
"Ah! I see you've noticed, Togami-kun! How observant!" Monobear waggles his feet happily, placing his paws against his mouth. "Upupu! Maybe we should let the others find it for themselves, though?" Togami just sighs and glances away. Gundam takes the time that some of the others use to chat to find this 'motive' Togami talks about. He spots it within a second, and wonders how he missed it upon his arrival. A ginormous television screen, partially hidden in the trees of the park. A small podium sits near it, as well as something that looks like... an arcade machine? Gundam feels his stomach drop in disgust. He understands Togami's expression now. The teens fall silent one by one as they spot the machine sitting there. It hums quietly, screen flashing with some sort of game, Gundam assumes.
"...Is that..." Komaeda stares at the machine, trailing off.
"That's right!" Monobear jumps to his feet. "It's an arcade machine! Or arcade cabinet. Or just arcade game, if you bastards don't feel like being technical." The bear stalks over to the machine, thumping it lightly with one of his feet. Apparently it was on standby, because it lights up and trumpets a bit of music.
"You want us to play that." Saionji says bluntly, glaring at Monobear. It's more of a statement than a question.
"Obviously! I mean, I made it myself! It's a masterpiece, you know. It being the game that's on there, of course. Sure, it's the only game on there, but it's still a gem!" Monobear scurries over to the podium, pulling himself up onto it. "And it's not some lame indie game either. It's a spiritual sequel to a really famous game series! Let me just turn this on..." He fiddles with something they can't see and a moment later, the huge TV lights up, displaying a photo that sends a chill down Gundam's spine. It shows a picture of the front of Hope's Peak on a gloomy day, giant balls of gray clouding the sky. The words 'Twilight Syndrome Murder Mystery' are scrawled across the top in pixel writing and some words in English that Gundam thinks say 'Press Start Button' line the bottom. "Now, you bastards, let me introduce you to the one, the only, Twilight Syndrome Murder Mystery!" Monobear throws back his head and cackles. The students just stare at him silently. Monobear stops laughing, slowly glancing at each student individually.
"Oh come on. Why are you bastards so quiet? I swear it's good." The bear rubs the back of his head chuckling nervously. "Ah, you're just worried because it's your motive? Alright, I'll sweeten the deal a bit. The very first winner gets a special prize! How's about that?" Monobear's malicious grin seems to widen slightly as he waits for a response. Nothing but the sound of the waves and the gentle whistling of the wind speak back. "Hey! Don't ignore your headmaster!"
"We're not ignoring you." Togami scoffs in revulsion. "We, or at the very least I, am surprised at not only your audacity, but also that you assumed this motive would work."
"...Eh?" The bear tilts his head in confusion. "What?"
"You treat this as some kind of joke, monochrome one." Gundam shifts into a somewhat more aggressive stance, fists clenched and knees bent slightly. "You give us this game as some sadistic mockery of the thoughtful one. Your derogatory actions disgust us. Let me make this clear." The animal breeder jabs his finger in Monobear's direction. "You believe you are above the 'law' in this enigmatic land, but you too are simply a pawn for the higher up's actions. Your works are an exercise in futility if you truly believe we will simply follow along with your so-called 'motives'." He crosses his arms and scoffs. "I will spit on your grave and sully it with my urine."
"I... you... what?" Monobear leans back, bewildered and freaked out.
"What Tanaka-kun is trying to say is that we're not taking your motive." Komaeda nods at the animal breeder. "You're insulting us by giving us a video game to play and expecting us to just do it."
"Exactly." Togami nods.
"Eesh, he coulda just said it." Monobear sighs and jumps down from the podium. "Look, I'm not forcing you bastards to play the thing for goodness sake." The bear places his hands on his mouth and chuckles evilly. "That doesn't mean you're not going to play it though."
"Wh-what's that supposed to mean?" Tsumiki clutches at her apron fearfully.
"I mean that I doubt that you bastards are going to find a reason not to play it." Monobear's red eye glints intimidating. "To ignore the motive, you've got to have some strong resolve, right? Well while most of you may have benefited from that... atrocious speech that Sonia-san gave, I'm sure somebody took a more uh... negative approach to it." Monobear leans back happily, malice still laced into his voice. "Not that I would know who that is. Or if it even happened."
"...My speech was atrocious? And here I thought I had all of the public speaking guidelines down..." Sonia sighs.
"Oy, don't listen to him." Togami pats Sonia on the shoulder and turns to Monobear. "Nobody wants to play your game. Nobody's going to play your game. Is that clear?" He turns to stare at the other kids, conviction in his voice so strong Gundam isn't sure anybody would, or could, disobey him. The group nods at him. "Good. I think we're done here."
"If you say so. Upupu..." Monobear snickers, seemingly not worried in the slightest that they're objecting to playing his game. "But let me just remind you something. You bastards are your own worst enemy. I think Togami-kun himself said this, did he not? But I'm not talking about the 'true evil' inside you or whatever. Your so-called 'friends' could be plotting your murder right now. Just a bit of food for thought, huh?" Monobear waves cheerily at the group, waltzing off behind the pedestal and disappearing.
"I..." Hanamura wrings his hands before grabbing onto Togami's arm and wailing. The imposter desperately tries to shake the cook off. "I'm scared!"
"Ibuki's scared too! Hold her, Byakuya-chan!" Mioda grabs onto Togami's other arm and the two cling to him. Togami tilts his head back and groans angrily.
"Would you two let go?"
"So, Togami-kun..." Komaeda gently grasps his chin, thinking. "What do you think we should about this 'motive'?"
"I'm not sure at the moment." The imposter manages to free himself from the two clingy teens, shooting them a disapproving glare. "I believe the best course of action would be for me to watch over it for the time being."
"B-but Togami-san... I've noticed th-the bags under your eyes... a-and you seem really fatigued..." Tsumiki timidly taps him on the shoulder. "H-have you been getting enough sleep?"
"...Yes." Togami looks at her strangely. "I've just... taken to waking up early."
"E-every day?" The nurse begins fussing over Togami. "No no no you can't be getting up so early all the time when you're not getting enough sleep!" Togami seems surprised, apparently that someone is fussing over him. "You have to be getting enough sleep so that you can be healthy and have enough energy to do things like... like lead us!" Tsumiki pats his face in various places, stunning the imposter. Gundam chuckles.
"Perhaps we should just leave the game alone. I, for one, have no desire to play this amalgamation of horror that Monobear has provided to us." The animal breeder crosses his arms with a sigh.
"Yeah." Komaeda nods in agreement. "I don't think we need to watch over the game too much. I mean, it's not like... uh... anyone wants to play it. Right?" The luckster glances around at the others. Most of the students chime in their agreement. Togami stares impassively at the arcade machine before some sort of realization hits him.
"I have a better idea." The imposter shrugs Tsumiki off of him, straightening his back. "I've changed my mind. We're going to play the game. Right now." The group turns to him in disbelief.
"But you're the one who said we shouldn't play it, Mr. Porkfeet!" Saionji cocks her head and purses her lips. "Make up your mind already."
"I have. We're playing it." Togami crosses his arms, finalizing his orders. Some of them try to protest anyway.
"But you said we shouldn't!" Hanamura says, fearfully glancing at the arcade machine.
"You're just going to give into Monobear's motive?! Why?" Koizumi puts her hands on her hips.
"Are you serious, grandiose one? What is the point?" Gundam feels his lips pull up into a sneer.
"Look." Togami holds up a hand, shutting them all up. "If we all play this now, together, then we run less of a risk of having someone run off in the night, play the game, and have a motive that nobody else knows about. That type of thing causes murders, people." Togami pounds a fist into his palm. "In addition, Monobear also promised a 'special prize' to the first winner. If we're all here, that just eliminates the chance of someone having this 'prize' secretly. For all we know, this special prize is a gun or something. So we're playing the game. That's an order." The imposter marches over to the arcade cabinet, the others reluctantly trailing after him. Togami stands off to the side, so that he can peer over the edge at the screen, and waits.
"Um... Togami-kun? I thought you were going to play the game." Komaeda says, reluctantly approaching both the boy and the machine.
"No, I wasn't. But thank you for volunteering." Togami motions toward the controls and Komaeda, ever the pushover, approaches them after a moment. Gundam comes up to his side, Saionji opposite of him, and the rest of them crowd around the machine, trying to get a good look at the game as it gets played. Komaeda sighs, grabbing the joystick with one hand and pressing start with the other.
The group packs tighter around the machine as it lets out a bit of music to show the game has begun...
Day Two begins by throwing them straight into the game. They take control of a girl standing by what appears to be the front door of a school. She moves down the hall when directed, up a set of stairs, and into a nearby classroom. Four other girls stand there most of them welcoming the player character into their conversation. One of them jeers the player character, but stops. Eventually. The conversation is about an article in the newspaper. A pervert broke into the school and killed someone. Someone that they had seen themselves with their own eyes. But was it really some pervert that broke in? One of the girls acts strangely defensive when another mentions that she took pictures of the crime scene. Said girl tears up the photos and yells at the others. The screen fades to black, ending Day Two.
Day Four is next, for some reason, and the angry girl walks through the halls of the same school. She's not angry anymore. More like... scared? She mutters something to herself about taking too long to change and that the situation was similar to the one two days ago. Just as she reassures herself, however, another text box pops up on the screen.
"I won't let you... get away with it... Never..." The girl panics, running into a nearby room and disappearing from the screen. The text box remains, sending out the message of 'NeverNeverNever' for a minute before the screen goes black. Red words splatter themselves onto the screen, suddenly and roughly. 'NEVERFORGIVE'. When the next scene comes up, three of the other girls stand in the hall, when the picture girl runs up to them in a panic. The four run down the hall, approaching the door that the last girl entered earlier. The game displays a loading screen, and when it goes away, the players are confronted by a picture of a girl, slumped against a wall, blood splattered everywhere, including the bat that lays discarded on the floor. An angry noise resounds through the game as the screen fades to black one final time. A gray haze grows on the screen, and English words rise to the top of it, pressing against the screen. 'Game Over... DULL START...'
"..." Gundam could hear a pin drop. That... was unexpected. How it figured in as a motive was beyond even his omnipotent gaze, but it was still jarring enough for him to find it hard to care about that at the moment. He can vaguely remember the event happening. Not the specifics shown in the game, but the fact that someone's sister died is a memory he holds. It was so many years ago, he has trouble recalling who. The haze on the screen floats around, flowing like fog. The words stand out among the gray fog, glaring at them.
"...That's it?" Togami sounds disbelieving, lightly gripping the edge of machine. A quiet chatter rises up as the students being talking about what the heck they just saw.
"Wh-what kind of game was that?" Koizumi seems unsettled, anxiously glancing around at the others.
"That... didn't make any sense!" Nidai takes a step back, shouting. Komaeda hits the start button, bringing the screen back to the start screen. The image of Hope's Peak stares back at them.
"...Monobear!" Togami peers over the heads of the other students, glancing behind the machine and around the pedestal, calling out again. "Monobear!"
"Yes, Togami-kun?" The bear stands with his back straight, grinning cheekily at the group. The talks fades away when their 'headmaster' approaches. "Oh, I see you decided to play my game after all! I'm touched."
"Shut up. Where's our prize?" Togami clenches a fist, which draws a guffaw from the bear.
"Prize? Why would I give you a prize? You're not done!"
"What do you mean, not done?!" Before he gets and answer, the bear disappears. The group flies into a frenzy, their voices ranging from outraged to upset. Komaeda hesitantly shushes them.
"Guys. Guys!" Everyone stops talking, and Gundam notices him taking a hold of the controls again. "I have an idea."
"Do you?" Togami snorts and stares at him. "Well go ahead. Nobody's stopping you."
"Alright. Sorry." Komaeda's hands go back to the controls. He retracts them a moment later, wiping his palms on his jeans. Grabbing the joystick again, Komaeda pulls it 'down', then pushes it up, then moves it to the left twice. He then shakily hits start. Nothing happens for a moment, then the screen goes dark and comes back up again. It shows Hope's Peak, but the sky is now blood-red as opposed to gray. The title now reads: 'Twilight Syndrome Murder Mystery: Truth'. A few kids gasp in surprise, but Togami shushes them. Taking a moment and a breath to steady himself, Komaeda reaches forward and hits the start button again.
Instead of throwing the players right into the game, like with Day Two, Day One begins with a screen of scrolling text. It outlines what happened in Days Two and Four, then asks them if they think playing Days One and Three will really help them. 'It should.', the game says, 'All of the missing pieces are hidden here in Truth Mode. One can only believe you'll be able to find them.'
The scene changes with a strange flash. One of the girls runs up to three of the others. She apologizes for being late, and another chastises her for it. The photographer girl snaps a picture, prompting a complaint from one of the girls. Their conversation shifts into a more heavyhearted one, that of the recent reports of a 'neighborhood pervert' spying on the kids in the area. The girls react with a start at the sound of shattering glass that might as well have been right behind the players. They run down the hall and up a flight of stairs to find the fifth member of the group standing outside of a room.
"I heard the sound of shattering glass" She says. The five head into the room, a music room, to find a horrifying sight. A girl slumped up against the wall near a broken window and a broken fish tank. Her blood coats the floor. The five talk nervously, afraid of the body laying on the floor. They look around the room, for what reason the players cannot fathom. Video game logic perhaps.
"I don't want to do this anymore!" One girl says. "Let's just leave!"
"B-but shouldn't we report this?" Another asks. The player character.
"Let's just get out of here! We'll be suspicious if we report it." This seems to convince the others. The girls walk off screen, leaving the camera focused on the body. The screen slowly fades to black, Day One ending, leaving the image of a body laying silently in a music room among blood and glass burned into the minds of the players.
Day Three shows one of the girls, the photographer, standing alone in a field behind the school. Another girl comes up. The one that was outside of the room on Day One. They chat lightly for about half a second before the photographer pulls out the stinger. A picture of a broken flower vase. The other girl flies into a rage, asking her where this came from. The photographer timidly reveals her information. It was in the room next to the music room. "The breaking glass wasn't the window was it?" The photographer asks. And the other girl spills her guts. She did it. It was her. The girl is dead because of her. It wasn't selfish though. She did it for the photographer. She goes into a rant on her motives, the photographer listening fearfully. Then she snatches the picture from the photographer's hands.
"It's not your fault!" She screams. "And it's not mine! It's her's! It was always her fault!" The girl runs away, the photographer calling out to her. Too late. The screen transitions to a view of a dumpster. The girl crumples up the picture and tosses it in the dumpster, then runs away. A boy, the first boy of the game, comes up to the dumpster, grabbing the picture. He looks at it, then clenches it in his fist.
"It was her, wasn't it?" He says. "There's no other reason she would throw... this away." He angrily tears the picture in half. "What did he do to my sister?... I'll get her to talk. And if what I'm thinking is true... I'll..." The screen fades to black. The text box stays, scrolling down. The words are no longer white, but red. A vicious, ugly red. "I'll never forgive her!"
The screen lights up with an image of Monobear on a happy, lime green background. 'Game Cleared!' is written along the top of the screen. The screen winks off with a static sound. Nobody moves. They just stand, stunned, staring at the blank screen. Then it lights back up, and the words 'Credits' in white text appears in the middle of the screen. The text slowly starts crawling up. It lists a variety of designing and marketing positions, all with Monobear's name after it. The cast is what surprises them the most. A list of very familiar names and one strange one. Tsumiki, Saionji, Mioda, Koizumi, Satou, Kuzuryuu, Kuzuryuu. Gundam is floored. So it's true. This actually did happen. He shoots a glance at Saionji, seeing her eyes glazed over. The dancer emptily stares at the arcade machine, gripping her kimono tightly. One final line comes up on the screen after the credits. A simple line of white words. 'May be based on a true story'.
"Ahahaha! I told you it was a great game!" Monobear cackles from behind the group. A few of the students shake themselves from the shock of the game. Togami, Nidai, Owari and Gundam separate themselves from the group to deal with the bear. He continues to laugh sadistically. Gundam catches sight of the manila folder clasped under his arm. "I can see how much you bastards enjoyed it!"
"Just shut up and give me that." Togami holds his hands out expectantly. The other three cross their arms intimidatingly, glaring at Monobear.
"Alright, alright. Hold yer horses. Jeez." Monobear waltzes up, holding out the folder to Togami. The imposter snatches it from him with a snort.
"Now get out of here." The four glare at Monobear until he wordlessly sighs and walks away. Gundam, Nidai, and Owari edge closer to Togami as he opens the folder and pulls out... four Polaroid pictures. The first one displays Tsumiki, Saionji, and Mioda standing in Hope's Peak entry foyer in school uniforms. Gundam's throat tightens up. If he was unsure before, there's no doubt now. He vaguely remembers something like that of the game's events happening, but can't remember the details. The following picture is one of a shattered flower vase. Next is the most jarring. A picture of a blond girl, slumped against a wall in what can only be a music room, judging by the piano in the background. Owari gasps and Nidai grunts angrily. Togami turns the folder upside down and one final photo falls out. Gundam catches it, pulling it back to look at it. His breath catches in his throat. It features a black-haired girl, slumped against a wall. A baseball bat lays next to her, and blood is splattered around the scene. "So its true..." Togami grunts. "It really happened. But who is this... second Kuzuryuu? And who is Satou?"
"There's only one way to figure out one of those dilemmas." Gundan grimaces and gestures towards the stunned gangster, who is still busy staring at the blank screen like something is going to happen with it. Gundam and Togami share a glance, as do Nidai and Owari.
"You two," Togami points at Nidai and Owari. "break this group up. Get Sonia, Hanamura, and Komaeda back to their cabins. Me and Tanaka will deal with... the others." The imposter waits for the pair to nod before approaching the group. Nidai grabs Hanamura and Sonia, hefting them onto his shoulders. This seems to shake them out of their trance. Owari pries Komaeda from the controls and fireman lifts him onto her shoulders. The five head out of the park, leaving Gundam and Togami with Kuzuryuu, Koizumi, Mioda, Tsumiki, and Saionji. Togami crosses his arms. "Alright you lot. Talk."
"..." Nobody says anything. Togami's eye twitches angrily. Gundam snorts.
"You're not doing it right, grandiose one. They are afraid, fearful, and you are pushing them into a corner. You must coax it out of them, gently, carefully. Watch me, admire my skill, and act similarly." The animal breeder lets his instincts take over for a moment. They are just like scared animals. He will handle this. Carefully. He does not want to scare them. "Here... Come here..." He starts with Saionji. Gundam sets his posture languidly, showing no hostility, and lowers his voice. He slowly extends his arms, and gently pulls her close. Gundam lightly runs his hands through her hair. He feels the dancer loosen out, slumping in his arms. "Yes... There we go... Shh... Shh..." Just like a scared animal. The animal breeder sits her on the ground and removes San-D. He places the hamster onto Saionji's shoulder, letting the god do her immaculate calming ritual. With a nod, Gundam moves to Mioda, the next closest. This is somewhat more difficult. To help calm down something scared, it helps to know it, what it likes, what makes it comfortable. An idea hits him. Gundam gingerly pushes the girl down onto her knees, going down on his a moment later. Facing her, the animal breeder begins to tap out a beat on his thighs. He smiles as the light music club member begins to do the same. "Good... good..." Their tempo gets more advanced, until finally the musician smiles back at him. Gundam motions toward Togami, and Mioda grins wider, getting up and skipping over to the imposter. He wasn't paying attention until the last second, Mioda practically jumping into his arms.
"Hn! Mioda!" Togami turns and glares at Gundam. "Tanaka!"
"Quiet. I am working." Gundam moves to Tsumiki next. He just wraps the girl in a hug and she breaks out of her daze, crying into his shoulder. Gundam quietly shushes her until the sobs turn into sniffles. With a nod, Gundam moves to his final target. He slowly shrugs off his jacket and drapes it over Koizumi's shoulders. He stands behind her, hands gently rubbing her shoulders, as his whispers to her. "Are you alright?..."
"Don't... touch me..." Koizumi whispers back to him, making no effort to remove his hands. Gundam sighs. She's a smart girl. She's probably already figured it out, even without the pictures. "You... That game..."
"I know." Gundam separates himself from her, backing up to stand by Togami. He notices that the imposter has his hand on Kuzuryuu's shoulder, preventing him from getting away. Mioda clings to his neck, hanging onto his back like a baby koala. The musician nuzzles Togami's face happily.
"Alright. Now that you've calmed down a bit, how about we talk the game?" Togami stares down the others, glancing over at Mioda every once in a while. "Well?"
"...What do want us to say?" Koizumi clenches her fists. "That we know what's going on? Because we don't. I don't know anything about it!" The photographer raises her voice, rage evident in her eyes. "You think that I know what's going on?!"
"Yes. I do. Because I'm assuming you took these pictures." Togami holds out the manila folder.
"Pictures?" Koizumi's voice goes small and quiet. Afraid. She grabs it and opens the folder, Tsumiki and Saionji moving close to her to check them out as well. There's a collective gasp as they look over the pictures one by one. "No... No way..."
"Th-th-they were real? The g-g-game events were real?" Tsumiki begins to blubber again, scrubbing at her face with her bandaged arm. "S-so those girls a-actually d-d-died?"
"Apparently." Togami sighs. "None of you know anything? At all?"
"No sir, Byakuya-chan. Ibuki knows nothing." Mioda sighs into his ear, making the imposter grunt angrily.
"What about you? Togami stares down at Saionji, the girl still brokenly gazing at the pictures.
"No... I don't know anything..." The dancer hugs herself. Togami glares at her accusingly, then sighs.
"Well then what about you?" The imposter turns to the gangster trapped in his iron grip.
"Fuck you. What makes you think I'd know anything 'bout it?" Kuzuryuu hocks a wad of snot onto Togami's shoe. "I don't even know who that girl who died is."
"Does this picture change your mind?" Togami snatches the picture of the dead blonde girl out of Koizumi's hands and holds it out so the gangster can see it. The instant Kuzuryuu's eyes land on the picture, Gundam can see a change in his demeanor. He no longer looks stunned or confused. Just... normal. Uncomfortably normal.
"Eh? No. Why, should it?" Kuzuryuu yanks himself out of Togami's grip, rubbing his shoulder. "I'm tired of this interrogation. If you need something actually useful out of me, then tough luck dick head, because I'm done with you." With that, the gangster stomps off, leaving an uncomfortable silence to settle down onto those still in the park.
"...I believe we are finished jumping through hoops with you, grandiose one." Gundam stoops down, scooping up Saionji. The dancer wraps her arms around his neck. Gundam catches a glimpse of San-D emerging from Saionji's kimono, scampering off into his scarf. "I am leaving."
"Now hold on Tanaka." Togami grunts at him, but Gundam just scoffs. "We're not done here."
"We are." The animal breeder motions with his head and begins walking away. Tsumiki trots after him and, after a moment, Koizumi follows as well. They walk back to the hotel in silence. Gundam drops Tsumiki and Koizumi off at their cottages, then heads back towards his own with Saionji still in his arms. He finds Komaeda leaning against the wall of his cottage, staring up at the stars. Gundam must have missed the nighttime announcement.
"Tanaka-kun." "Komaeda." They address each other with a nod. Gundam places the dancer into Komaeda's arms, and opens his door. They head into the house and Gundam shuts and locks the door. The two boys sit on the bed, and Komaeda hands the girl back to Gundam. He wraps Saionji in a gentle hug and slowly rocks her.
"Saionji. Tell me about it. The event with the dead girls." They sit in silence, waiting for her to respond. Gundam lays his chin on her head, whispering quietly to her. He gently runs his fingers through her twin tails. "Please."
"It... was Kuzuryuu's sister." Saionji says quietly. "The first one."
"Kuzuryuu-kun has... er, had a sister?" Komaeda asks, kicking off his shoes. Gundam feels a ruffling against his neck and Komaeda suddenly notices the four hamsters on his lap, picking them up and coddling them.
"Yeah. I didn't... Satou. I didn't think she would..." Saionji sighs tiredly.
"Shh... Your task is finished... Thank you." Gundam, somewhat hesitantly, lays a gentle kiss against the top of Saionji's head. The dancer, despite herself, giggles. The trio lay on the bed and within minutes, the other two are asleep. Gundam finds himself admiring the ceiling. His thoughts drift to Kuzuryuu and his reaction to the picture. The animal breeder's mind slowly fades into unconsciousness as his thoughts begin to wander.