So, next chapter finally up. Kinda short, but wanted to give an idea of what to expect next time I update.

"So…any idea where we are?"

"We're just underneath the settlement."

"Really? I thought we'd be a lot farther than that…"

Kujou sighed in response to Agustin's comment. Even if they were held as prisoners, it was important to try and keep them as close as possible while restraining their movements as well. If the old man was being kind, he would have been doing this out of courtesy. On the other hand, he might want Monokuma to take them out of the settlement's hands as soon as possible, so they might not be expected to stay long.

The warrior didn't have any idea about the old man's plans, which involved sending them to this prison, but usually these kinds of scenarios involve the bounty system, where villages that capture wanted figures will be rewarded. Maybe improved living conditions?

"Wait a minute," Agustin spoke, "how can you be sure that we're underneath the settlement?"

"Because I was watching and listening as they moved us."

"Watching and listening….you mean you knew this was going to happen?"

"…"

"What the hell man?! Why didn't you say something?!"

Kujou sighed a second time. It seems like this one is a bit slow.

"Earlier, we saw that boy drawing clean water from a different source, didn't we? If the old man was really trying to be kind to us, then he would've had some cleaner water prepared for guests like us…"

"But, couldn't that be because they had to be really cautious about how much clean water they could share?"

"He distinctly used the less clean water for a reason. To hide any taste or scent of any drugs or poisons that they would have added into the drink."

"Well that kinda makes sense, but still…"

Kujou turned his head. It didn't matter what the hunter was going to say next.

Yes, this kind of thought might be intended to be a less optimistic view. Yes, maybe he could be wrong. No, there was no guarantee that everything was intended to play out like he thought, but at this point, none of that mattered. The fact was that they were both in a jail cell, and they took Agustin's special tool while they thought the two of them were knocked out. Maybe hoping to use that power for themselves or for Monokuma. Whatever those things were made of, he knew that the old man was right when he said that it had dangerous potential.

It was a good thing that he wasn't waving his around so openly like Agustin had…

Taking his tool from the small Velcro belt on the inside of his cape, he gripped it tightly to create a katana that had a nice, sharp edge to it.

Luckily, there weren't any guards around to see him in action, and they didn't seem like they were well enough to have security cameras around.

Kujous began to focus his mind. Using his head, he began to imagine energy from his body, being redirected into his arms and hands, which would fuse with the weapon, making it an extension of his actual physical body. He imagined the inside of the iron bars in front of him, the amount of energy that the bar held, and compared it to the energy he had in his arms and blade. He then shifted his sight towards the top and the bottom of each bar to search for weak points, places where the "energy" was at its weakest, and therefore easiest to destroy. Focusing on his target, he sliced the bars, leaving a wide enough gap for the two of them to escape.

He could tell that Agustin was trying to say something, but they didn't have time to chat. The sooner they escaped, the better.

He ran out of the cell, checking to make sure the hunter was following him, then ran up the stairs leading to the exit. He peeked through a small opening in the door to check for anyone who might be watching out for them, then silently opened the way out.

Strangely enough, the entire area was completely deserted. He kept himself entirely aware of even the slightest disturbance, but there wasn't even a single sound that hinted that anyone was even watching them.

They went back to Bodwin's home to check to see if they could retrieve Agustin's tool, cautiously opening the door and peeking around while searching thoroughly for the needed object.

They eventually found it sitting on the shelf, with no signs of it being tampered with. Agustin took it back and checked to make sure that nothing seemed off, but Kujou took the opportunity to check the bedrooms for any supplies that they might be able to use on their trip.

He was halfway up the stairs when he smelled something bad. Something that made his stomach turn, yet…he had a good idea of what it was.

He lightly held his own tool and started sneaking around the halls in the second floor without making a sound. The source of the smell got stronger in one particular room, but something about it gave him the urge to turn away like nothing was wrong.

"This pungent smell…it can't be…"

He could guess what it was, and although he knew that this would explain everything, somewhere deep down, he had a small bit of hope that he was wrong.

He slowly peeked into the room where the smell was coming from, and widened his eyes as he saw the inside.

The room was dark and mostly dusty, with only a single window with the curtains opened to let light in. There were dolls sitting around the room, and a single small mirror sitting on top of a small desk with leftover make-up bits that seemed to have been obtained from garbage piles. And on the bed, covered in a polka-dotted blanket, was the girl that Bodwin mentioned earlier, Jem.

…or, he should say, what was left of Jem.

The one named Jem was a rotted corpse. Maggots and gnats were inhabiting spaces in the corpse's open mouth, eye sockets, and places where the flesh had been removed from the skeleton. Speaking of the flesh, he could only see the head and shoulder areas, but most of the flesh had disappeared, leaving only bones to show that a body even existed. Part of her eyes and her face were still visible, but paired with the part that was only bone, it looked like a haunted doll like in those horror movies. In fact, it was so disturbing that he wouldn't have been surprised if it really came to life and started craving human flesh and organs. But of course, that would never happen for real.

Agustin came by to check things out, but he was obviously just as stunned at the sight, though not as much as the warrior expected. Maybe it's because he's seen many animal corpses before? Agustin got closer to check the body while keeping a fair distance from the rotten corpse. No telling what kind of things they could catch from it.

"She's been dead for quite a while…" the hunter announced.

"Really?"

"I've seen this kind of stuff with several animals before. The process varied since there were moments were flesh was eaten, but in this case, it looks like it's been at least a week since she died. Meaning she was dead long before we all woke up…"

He shook his head. "It's just sad the way these corpses end up. I expected something like this to appear at some point, but still…" He covered his mouth. "It's just the worst…"

Kujou stared at the scene for a few more minutes.

It's most likely that this was part of, if not the only, reason that they were captured. Most families would be willing to do almost anything to save their loved ones, if they truly cared enough, and this was no exception.

Biting his lip, he left the room and started leaning against the wall. Agustin came by to talk.

"Hey, if you don't mind…I…."

Kujoiu held his hand up. There wasn't anything more he needed to say.

"I saw some matches in the cupboards earlier. Use those and a rag tied to a stick…"

After the burning funeral, the two of them left with a deep feeling of sadness in their hearts.

Jem's body was burned in order to give her some freedom. Neither of them was really religious, but it was the respectful thing to do, regardless.

They walked further inside the settlement, checking around for any spare supplies that they could take with them on their journey, when they eventually came across someone lying on the ground.

At first, they were cautious and held their tools tightly, waiting for some kind of sign of an ambush, but they were eventually satisfied with the idea that a surprise wasn't waiting for them. Agustin ran up to the man and held him up just enough to see his face. The man was pale, and his chest looked like something dug itself inside, leaving a small hole in his chest, just enough to keep him alive, but not enough to keep him from feeling agonizing pain.

"Hey, you ok?"

The man turned with painful look on his face.

"R…Ru…nn…."

Moments after hearing these words, Kujou felt a trace of heat suddenly wash over him. He froze momentarily as he realized…

"Agustin! Throw him away! Now!"

"Huh?"

No sooner than Agustin hesitantly followed, that the body suddenly began to glow then caught fire. The two of them were surprised and stood with a look of horror on their face.

The body had spontaneously combusted, leaving a charring, screaming, corpse in its wake.

"Hmph, looks like this was a worthless piece of junk…"

The two of them turned around to find a familiar-looking person gazing at them from a distance.

Twin-tails long enough to reach her waist, a heavy duty belt worn with explosives all lined up for quick use, that dark look that seemed to say "I don't give a crap about you or people who seem to be like you".

Miko Kotowari. The SHSL Demolitionist and one of the "Denizens of Despair".

And now I shall disappear into the world of studies, video games, and other fanfics But don't worry, I'll try to update this sometime within the next couple of months...-ish...