AN: And the next chapter is up. Thanks to everyone reading this, I don't own Danganronpa, and please review.
The next day was spent in tense silence, most people going quietly about their business, the mistrust running high. The new motive had come so swiftly after the last murder had thrown everyone and it was showing. Monokuma had successfully driven a wedge between everyone present and it was showing. Beyond a tense conversation with Ferris and Atsuko at breakfast, John and Paris mostly spent the day wondering the school. John couldn't help but notice that people had begun to splinter the pairs. Jane and Billy were no longer moving in a pair, Barry and Perdita were never in the same room. Wilbur and Louise started out together but ended up separating during the day.
Alexander, Rowland, and Ferris had all converged, attempting to break down the encrypted files and decipher the parts of Adam's journal that were redacted. This left Atsuko joining John and Paris, while Chloe took to the habit of wondering alone.
This continued into the second day, except the level of anxiety had skyrocketed with the nearing deadline. John remembered Mary scratching at her hands all throughout breakfast, Rowland eventually restraining her before quietly leading her to the art room to vent her frustrations through art. Wilbur, darted into the cafeteria long enough to secure food before vanishing back down the hall to the dorms. Again, John paired up with Paris and Atsuko, Chloe joining them reluctantly as Ferris and Alexander vanished to attempt a break through. As Louise joined them, citing safety in numbers, with Barry drifting by and joining the group, Chloe suggested they might as well play a game in the gym.
Day 18, 1110 Hours, Gymnasium
"I-is d-dodgeball a-a," Paris swallowed before continuing, "good i-dea?"
"Why not?" Chloe said bouncing on her heels next to the trembling girl, "It's a good way to relive tension, plus it encourages teamwork."
"H-How?"
"Like this," Chloe said as she moved Paris in front of her to deflect an incoming ball.
"OW! T-that w-as-."
"Rude? No shit stutters."
"B-b-b-!"
"Look, just sit down if you can't say it properly."
Turning away from the survivalist in a huff Paris plopped herself on the benches next to Barry who had done nothing but stand still until someone hit him. Atsuko cheered on Louise and John who were still in, giving their team the advantage in numbers. But considering Chloe was much faster and stronger despite her size the advantage was null, because while Louise could dodge, she couldn't throw and John was alright but Chloe was better.
John was taken out after a ball caught him in the chest, knocking the wind out of him. As he sat down, Louise continued to pirouette around the gym as Chloe pelted the area around her with dodgeballs. The game ended when Louise caught a ball, much to everyone's surprise. Chloe shrugged and took a seat, along with the forensic expert.
"Hmm," Barry said with a thousand yard stare.
"What's on your mind Barty?" Chloe asked.
"Wondering what was on all your papers, that's all," the musician said, stare still in place, "what would all of you lot could get into."
Chloe let out a bark of laughter and said, "You'd be surprised, although it seems our good friend John," her voice became singsong at that point, "is such a goody two shoes that the bear has to resort to threatening his family to get him."
John gave the survivalist a flat look. Chloe snorted and rolled her eyes and leaned back onto the next row of benches. Louise shifted uncomfortable and Atsuko rubbed the back of her neck, while Paris scowled at Chloe. After a moment Barry stood up and stretched before saying, "Well I had fun, but I think I'll be moving on now." He left after standing still for a moment.
"You would think he was stoned," Louise said, twirling a bit of hair around one finger.
"His brain is probably fried," Chloe shrugged flipping her braid onto her shoulder so she could mess with it.
"M-must you s-s-speak so p-oorly of e-everyone?" Paris asked.
"What? I speak my mind, what's so wrong about that?"
"I-it's not n-nice."
"So?"
"People don't like it," Atsuko finally cut in, causing Chloe to roll her eyes, to which Atsuko muttered in Japanese.
"Oh, you speak Japanese, not surprising, but have you had a conversation with Ferris in Japanese?" Louise asked.
"No, he speaks Japanese?"
"Yes, he actually speaks several, a mix even," Louise said, sitting up straight and crossing her legs, "He works with the Ultimate Inventor every so often, the man is a genius but an unstable one at that, he speaks almost every language, even dead ones, and he tends to get so caught up in his own thoughts that he tends to forget what language he is speaking and switches at random, sometimes even speaking in multiple languages at once, switching between words."
"My, that sounds…" Atsuko said.
"Fucking insane," Chloe offered.
Rolling her eyes, Louise waved off the bristling Paris before continuing, "Basically yes, he doesn't function very well on his own, he usually needs someone monitoring him, he tends to draw a death machine and a new and improved squirt gun on the same page and you can't have that lying around. Not only that, but Alexander was his handler at one point until he vanished. Ferris doesn't know what happened to him; neither does Alexander which is worrying."
"Wait," John said, sitting up from his slight slouch, "This guy just vanishes and two of the most intelligent people here don't know what happened to him?"
"Yes," Louise said, adjusting her lab coat, "It's unsettling to say the least."
There was a moment of silence before Chloe said, "Maybe he blew himself up."
"No, everything was intact and nothing was missing beyond him," Louise said, or at least that's what Ferris said."
Silence reigned throughout the gym as everyone slowly thought about what they had been discussing. The door opened and Ferris and Alexander entered the room, there shoes echoing in the quiet room.
"Whoa, somber mood much. Someone died?" Ferris said, to a few derisive snorts.
"We were discussing the case of the missing inventor," Louise said, uncrossing her legs and standing up, brushing herself off.
"That is classified," Alexander stated, bristling slightly and turning on the chemist, "Scientist Ferris, why did you divulge this information."
"Because its level of classification is irrelevant, and was when I told her," said Ferris, "My friend vanished and you told me to act like nothing happened, 'Soldier' Alexander."
Ferris turned on his heel and walked away, Atsuko standing up and moving after him. Alexander grimaced and made as if to follow them but instead stood still waiting a few seconds before moving to the door, Chloe following after. As they vanished Louise cleared her throat and left after muttering an apology.
John and Paris sat still, the silence at this point returning like an old friend with the amount of time it spent around this place. Finally they stood up and walked in silence towards the door. After they entered the halls Paris asked quietly, "No wonder they don't get along."
"I think there is even more, but, yeah, that definitely is part of it. Alexander follows orders, while Ferris questions any he receives. The minute something is classified Ferris wants to know what it is while Alexander is willing to defend it with his life."
Paris sniffed and nodded, as the silence once again closed the distance and joined them in walking down the hall. Walking into the central hall, they paused and walked up to the large grates that blocked off the other sections.
"Probably more information on the other side," John said philosophically.
"But to open it…" Paris said, trailing off, before motioning to the area to the East, John nodding and following, and making small talk to keep the silence at a respectful distance. Their talk was quit and subdued though, for the already hostile environment of the school had doubled with the new motive and the increased distrust between students. After failing to find anyone in the lab or the art room, the pair went into the weight room to find Perdita picking her way among the weights as Barry quietly worked out with a set of dumbbells, marking a rare occasion they were in the same room outside of the cafeteria.
Figuring he might as well see what they made of what was happening right now, John approached them and asked, "How are you two holding up?"
Barry gave a noncommittal shrug and a quiet "yeah" as an answer which John tool as fine. Perdita, on the other hand snorted and said, "As always none of your business. Why? Trying to see who is nervous to try and figure out who is going to try and murder someone to get out?"
John grimaced and Paris shifted uncomfortable, prompting the singer to sigh and say, "We've already had one murderer executed and you are still so sensitive, feh, I doubt that viewpoint will last.
John sensed Paris getting ready to make an attempt to get Perdita to take back her words, knowing that would not end well John beat her to it, "That kind of thinking is not helping."
"You, you mean. I find it stops me from developing connections like Jane did with Amelia. The daft girl is still crying over it."
Knowing that to continue talking to the singer would end badly; he quickly bid her goodbye and herded Paris out, giving Barry a quick goodbye as well.
"S-she, real-ly does her best t-to be unlikable," Paris said to John as they walked back towards the central hall.
"Her thinking isn't wrong, it's just not nice," John said, "I mean, I wouldn't like to think like that but she is right that making connections and friendships here is not the best idea because if they die or betray you, it could leave you distraught like Jane."
Paris was silent for a second before she said, "I'm bothered by the fact that no one is really mourning Adam."
John looked at her in surprise before thinking about what she had said. She was right, everyone had mostly passed over the thespian especially with the motive coming out, no one really seemed too bothered by the fact he was dead, more so with the way he died.
"You're thinking of him, just as much as Amelia, right?"
She nodded.
John thought for a moment before saying, "I guess, we all mostly saw him as an annoyance, so none of us really tried to connect with him, which made his death have less of an impact. He probably is glad that you're keeping him in mind though, I know I would hate to be forgotten if I died."
The rest of the day passed uneventfully, for the most part, with little thing of note happening until the next day, sometime during breakfast.
Day 19, 0855 Hours, Cafeteria
John looked up as Wilbur looked into the cafeteria quickly, he moved in as if he was going to enter but he spotted John and Paris eating breakfast with Louise poking her food around her plate. He vanished from the doorway as the others looked up in time for Billy to walk in stretching.
"He you see what was up with Wilbur?" John asked the behavioral analyst as he passed the table, to which Billy just shrugged.
"He darted away so quickly, and I just need some coffee man, too little sleep."
John nodded, turning back to the other two, Louise having given up on eating and was now just looking at the everyman along with Paris.
"Want to go check on him, he seemed frantic," John asked them.
Paris nodded while Louise said, "The deadline is fast approaching, although it does seem that no one is rising to the bait."
They all stood up and moved down into the hall and moved towards the entrance hall. They passed the branch and continued towards the library area. Pausing a moment to check the Nurse's Office, John found Rowland rustling through the cabinets.
"What are you doing?" John asked as the brainiac worked.
"Inventory," was the response.
Acknowledging the direct to the point answer John nodded before asking, "Have you seen Wilbur, he looked distressed."
Rowland paused in his task and said, "I haven't heard anyone come through this way since I've been here."
John nodded and rejoined the other two, motioning for them to head the other way.
"So, h-, HOW have you been doing?" Paris asked Louise.
"Oh," the shorter girl gave a short laugh, "Alright I suppose. I'm not dead, that's what's important at the end of the day after all, that I'm still breathing."
Paris waited a moment while Louise walked in silence before saying, "That's good I suppose. Do you know why Wilbur is so antsy?"
"That's easy, he's afraid, right? Aren't we all?" Louise responded in a tired voice.
Paris nodded and the walk continued in silence as they passed the gym, not finding anyone. After a short conversation with the Shi-ru in the store, they continued to the central hall where they found Atsuko and Ferris, the latter who was trying to fit between the bars in the grate that was sealing off the next area.
Louise gave a short laugh and went to chemist while Atsuko walked up to the other two.
"She doesn't look well," the lucky student said under her breath.
John nodded, already having noticed the bags developing under the forensics expert's eyes when she first showed up to breakfast, and as far as he could figure she was eating less as well.
"Have you seen Wilbur pass through?" John asked the student in a louder voice.
"Think so, quite a few people have come through, Alexander, Chloe, Perdita, Barry, and Wilbur is one of them, we've been here although I went and grabbed a drink a little bit ago. Oh, and Jane and Mary passed through earlier."
Nodding John, turned and noticed that Paris had joined Louise and Ferris in their conversation, shrugging he said, "I'll go see if I can't find him then."
Waving Atsuko turned back to the others as John moved into the East Wing. Figuring to check the far rooms first John went towards the Art Room. Looking at the clock John paused. They had been looking for the pilot for about twenty minutes, probably from all the pausing to check all the rooms they had come across. Turning to the door again John looked down as he grabbed the handle and froze.
A small pool of red was spreading out from under the door.
Proceeding with caution, John opened the door slowly, to find a rapidly spreading pool of blood. It continued to spread out from where Wilbur was lying on his back, something under him making him lay funny. The pilot's face was looking towards a canvas, a bloody 'M' traced on his forehead, his arm slack next to it on the ground. John could see the glassy look in Wilbur's eyes and the amount of blood everywhere to know the pilot was past saving. Stepping outside of the room, John sat down and waited beside the door, keeping an eye on the blood as it continued to crawl slowly across the floor.
The announcement didn't play until Atsuko and Louise were close enough to see the blood.
"Bing, Bing, Bing, Bong! A body has been found! The investigation will begin and a trial will follow shortly."