Before we start, I just want to notify everyone that the Act 2 Free Time poll is up on my profile page! Please vote for up to 4 characters you'd like to see in more detail, and I'll tally up the votes for the next couple of weeks and make poor Tsukushi spend time with them! Anyway, on with the...
Review replies!
The SENDER and the TRAVELER: Thanks for applauding me on my Kiyoshi portrayal! Although he's a huge jerk to everyone, he's actually been a blast to write!
Lloyd's fics: Thank you! RIP indeed, they'll both be sorely missed.
Katastic Writer: If everything goes according to my plan, then Act 2 is where the main story elements start picking up, so I'm looking forward to writing it and the rest of the story as well! I'm glad you liked the way the trial was set up, as well as the execution, and your reviews helped me since I wasn't too sure of how well I was handling them! Thank you!
Guest: Well, well, that's quite an achievement, huh? Thanks!
TheRoseShadow21: I'm really excited that you'll keep up with the story even after Asuyo's untimely death! Writing her was definitely interesting, and I still have a few points of her character I want to address before this story's over, so you might see her pop up in the future! Again, thank you so much for creating such an interesting character, and I'm sorry she had to be the first one to get the execution treatment (but hey, we've still got Yura back in the other story and she's not in any danger... yet). I'm trying to make Kiyoshi into an increasingly unlikable character, so you wanting to punch him means I'm doing my job right!
Crimson Spider Lily: You've got quite an interesting argument with regards to Yuzuru, and you seem to share Kiyoshi's opinion too (although you weren't nearly as blunt). As for Asuyo's monologue, I intended for it to be heavy, but you might be right. In the future, I'll try to have more reactions like you suggested! I'm glad the execution surprised you - shock value is also important in these kind of stories, huh? As for the resort dilemma... you'll find out shortly!
ACT 2: No Hope Allowed
CHAPTER 1: Change of Scenery
LATE NIGHT
Location: ?
We left the trial grounds through the same elevator we came down from, and we're now two people short of the initial sixteen. Asuyo Uemura... and Yuki Batora... they were both dead. That's the only thing I kept repeating to myself over and over during our slow, silent ascent to the surface. The darkness in the elevator consumed us whole, and the atmosphere was so tense it was almost palpable. I looked around to see everyone looking down, up or to the side, avoiding eye contact while their expressions were hollow and empty. I had no idea how to describe them even if I tried... and then, the door opened.
The blinding outdoor light I expected never came - only darkness. Was it... night time, already? That's impossible... how long were we down in that hellhole Monokuma called the trial grounds? "It's not like it matters anymore." I thought as I walked off the lift with slow plods, and made my way to the open gate in Central Anghern, hoping that - after all the hell we've been though - we still had the resort to lie down and sleep it off. Maybe this all is a dream, after all.
"No, this is reality." Riou spoke up from behind me and pat me on the shoulder as we walked together to the open wooden gate and trailed off through the corridor that showed itself in the giant circular wall. I wanted to feel the hope he had in his voice, but there was none. His tone was heavy and forced, and deeper than usual. "The naked truth..." he whispered to himself, almost as if he was trying to convince himself. He really did see someone die in front of him. This is true.
We walked off in silence, through the rest of the dark hallway lit only by the dim torches on the walls, and left out on something... unfamiliar.
Maybe it's just because of how dark it was, or maybe I really was traumatized enough to remember the entirety of Valley Views differently after what had happened... but something seemed confusing. The roads shifted, the building weren't the same and there was a significant boost in the number of trees, bushed and the like around us. It was almost like we weren't in Valley Views anymore. And that's when it hit me.
"The map did tell us." Shizuka broke the silence nonchalantly. "This must be a new sector of Anghern. That would explain why Monokuma said we were not going to the resort in the near future." he explained his theory, although he was only met by silence and a few aggressive side-eyes and scoffs.
Maruko mumbled something I couldn't quite understand, but I didn't give it much thought. I wasn't in the mood for translating her foreign words to begin with. "Where do we sleep, then...? Are we... supposed to, like... camp out or something?" Frances asked, and with good reason. We had to rest after what happened... even if I still found it weird that it didn't seem like we spent an entire day down at the trial - a few hours maybe, but not a day.
"The map says there is a motel... over that way." Eita looked at his own Electro-ID and pointed his index finger in the direction he thought was correct. "That should be where we'll be resting from now on."
"Does that mean... we can't go back to the resort?" Kikyo interjected, her arms crossed in front of her stomach, one finger trailing up and down her arm. "I didn't see other doors open in the plaza..."
"M-Me either..." Chigusa spoke up.
Blackjack sighed and crossed her arms, while Akahana rubbed her chin, deep in thought. "It'd seem that... we are unable to spend the night in the resort. We should rest in the local motel. I trust Monokuma has arranged everything for us."
With that, Akahana led the way for the rest of us, although I felt like most of us were only following her because we wanted to get away from each other in the end. And, since we would only be able to safely do it if we get to the motel, we walked on, and on and on. Until we reached the rundown huts the map signified as the motel. There was a main, bigger hut with an arch for a doorway that seemed to be a reception, and seven other smaller huts.
"One, two, three... seven?" Blackjack counted, reaching the final number considerably earlier than we'd expected. "Seven rooms for all of us?"
Frances and Yori looked at each other, and then at Yatarou, who stepped in the muddy terrain towards one of the hut's doors and put his hand on the knob. "Locked." he said with a sigh, before realizing something. He looked at us and cocked his head to the right, gesturing us to go into the bigger hut as he walked in first and turned to his left. As we all filed inside it, we saw him shuffling through the reception desk's drawers and found seven keys, labeled one through seven. "Any guess what these do?" he asked rethorically and guided us back over to a hut, with the number one emblazoned on the door in a golden plate.
The door slid open easily after being unlocked with its respective key, and some of us, me included peeked inside. There was a bunkbed on the right and a small kitchen to its left, with a door between the two, as well as a second door by the kitchen, which I could only assume went to a toilet. One small window stood on the side of the front door, letting the ones outside peek and see the air conditioning system on the ceiling. A few minutes later, we saw all seven huts were the same.
"Seven huts with two beds each... are we supposed to share rooms?" Yori suggested, but was quickly interrupted.
"Sharing a room with one of you guys!?" Kiyoshi shouted, almost insulted. "Fuck that noise, we just saw one of us get murdered! I'm not letting any of you into my room, that's for fucking sure. Get real." he scoffed, and turned around, walking away. "I'd rather camp out. See you losers tomorrow."
Any tries to stop Kiyoshi were not even verbalized. We were too mentally drain to break into an argument right now. "So... who's willing to share?" I ask.
"I would like to share a room with Kanzaki-san, if at all possible." Shizuka stated, with a stern look on his face that defied his cheerful self. "We both share the same visions regarding crime, so I would feel at ease sleeping with only her for the time being."
Yuzuru agreed with Shizuka and both of them went into room number four, the closest to them, leaving eleven people behind. "I'd like to stay with Frances if at all possible." Yori suggested. "She has been a huge help to me, regarding my disability. Would that be okay, Frances?"
Frances looked at Blackjack and bit her lip, almost as if she was trying to ask her something, but eventually conceded to Yori's suggestion and went into him to hut number five, looking back one final time as she helped the young Magician up the stair and into the room. "Good night everyone..."
After she shut the door and locked it, Blackjack let out a sigh. "Good night, huh? I can't be too hopeful that a 'good' night awaits us."
"Um... I... I want to be with Yatarou..." Chigusa rose her voice for the first time since we left the trial grounds and walked over to the Translator. "P-Please?"
"Sure, buddy" Yatarou gave the Gardener the warmest smile he could conjure and took her hand, as well as stuffed the number two key into her hand. "If you want to go in already, go ahead. I'll be right there." Chigusa simply nodded and went inside, to escape from the increasingly cold night.
A monotone voice we'd grown accostumed to hearing spoke up. "I want to share a room with Blackjack."
"Oh?" she responded. "That's quite an unexpected decision... but I have no objections. I accept." she added, with a confident nod as the both of them grabbed a random key and went into the second room from the right, hut number six, locking the door behind them.
Riou wrapped his arm around my shoulder and embraced my neck tightly. "I want to go with Tsukushi here. That okay with you all?" his suggestion was openly accepted by the remainder of the people, me included and we grabbed the key to room number one. "See you tomorrow everyone..."
MIDNIGHT
Location: Motel Room #1 (Tsukushi and Riou's Hut)
"Hey, dude, you there?" I hear through the other side of the wooden door of the bathroom, right after two hard knocks, and a slow, high-pitched creaking noise indicates me that it's being opened.
"Shower! Shower!" I scream, praying Riou would get the hint but soon enough I was butt naked in front of him, covering what little I could with my hands. "D-Dude, can you please give me a few? I'm showering..."
Riou looked away from me and set his sights on the first thing he could - the toilet. "Sorry!" he roared, biting his bottom lip in embarassment, marking what I think is the first time I've ever seen the Boxer's face redder than it is during his morning training. "I-If it makes it any better... I'm a boxer, so I've seen plenty of this in locker rooms and such. A-Anyways, sorry, I'll be back here!"
I uncover what I hid from Riou, letting the warm water untense my body. "God damn it, can't I have my peace and quiet when I shower?" I sigh in defeat, recalling Monokuma's untimely entrance during my first shower in the resort, and instantly flinching when seeing his face. Suddenly the tension in my muscles returned, fueled by whatever I felt for Monokuma - be it disgust, anger or pure hatred, I have no idea.
A few more minutes that I'd expected later, I dropped out the shower, put on the spare pair of shorts Riou lent me and one of my white undershirts and, with a sigh, left the bathroom.
"Another sigh?" Riou commented while laying on his back in the bottom bed of the bunk. "That's the eighteenth one ever since we got into the hut."
"You counted?" I raise an eyebrow and approach him, his eyes still fixed on the underside of the mattress above him.
"Got to keep my mind out of all the shit that's been happening for the past few hours." he sighed and stopped himself midway. "You're rubbing off on m-" he added while turning his head to face me, but quickly interrupted himself. "Hey, those are my shorts! Why're you wearing them?"
I tild my head to the right and raise a second eyebrow. "You lent me a pair when we went jogging... remember?"
"Yeah, yeah, I do, but why're you wearing them now?" he asked, sitting up and resting his bare back on the metal railings behind him.
"I've been sleeping in them for the past couple days... they're more comfortable than skinny jeans and a flannel, don't you think? Why?"
"Oh, nothing, nothing. Just didn't think you'd actually wear them, except maybe for a jog or something." he explained. "But I'm glad you liked them, I guess. The cupboard and the fridge are both pretty full too, there's a bunch of fruit and meat and other stuff... you hungry?"
I eyed the fridge and then grabbed my stomach. Although I hadn't had anything all day, I didn't feel hungry or anything until now. "Now that you mention it, yeah." I say as I open the fridge and take out an apple, biting it while I slammed the refrigerator door shut. "You want shomeshing?"
"Nah, I'm fine. Just gonna sleep now." he let himself slump down and laid back down with his head on the thin pillow below him. "If I can. Today was rough, and this bed isn't helping..." he sighed and smiled afterwards, shaking his head. Afterwards, he turned his back to me and laid on his side. "Night."
"Night."
MORNING
Location: Motel Entrance
"Seems like all of us are here now..." Akahana announced, forgetting Kiyoshi's absence completely - or, at the very least, ignoring it. "Let me just get the room assignments straight. Kiyoshi is camping out somewhere, and regarding the rooms, from one to seven, we have Tsukushi and Riou, Chigusa and Yatarou, Maruko and Kikyo, Shizuka and Yuzuru, Yori and Frances, Eita and Blackjack, and finally, me, alone on room number seven. Am I correct?"
"Yeah..." Yatarou confirmed. "I handed out the keys myself... but... has anyone heard from, um, Kiyo yet?"
Blackjack responded quickly. "We came here first thing in the morning, and Mister Ikeda hasn't messaged either of us, so I'm afraid not."
"As I suspected." Akahana shook her head and looked around. The atmosphere hadn't become any less thicker - in fact, it seemed to grow tenser and tenser by the minute, and the bonds of distrust between us all were becoming stronger and more evident. "I have a suggestion to make."
"Yes?" A few seconds of silence ensued, making Eita push Akahana to make said suggestion.
She crossed her arms in front of her chest and then rubbed her chin with her thumb, a habit I've noticed her do multiple times now. "We are, at the moment, locked inside a new sector of Anghern, correct? I believe it would be wise of us to have a look at the new structures we have access to."
The Prosecuting Attorney's suggestion was eventually taken by most of us prisoners, except one. "Nakajima-san, I apologize but I'll have to pass. After all the events that transpired yesterday, I feel like I should exercise extreme caution around others, and would therefore prefer being alone." Shizuka was much more serious than he usually was, and part of me had a distinct feeling that this side of the Street Magician, was one we'd see for a long time.
"I expected as much, coming from you." Akahana acknowledged his decision and dismissed him. "You are free to roam as you please, but I must ask you to not interfere with our investigation if possible."
"As I said, I will spend time by myself, in my room. I'll be going now, have a nice day." he smiled and turned around, walking towards his motel room and locking himself inside. The resulting silence was broken by the girl that was looking more and more like a leader to us all - Akahana.
"So, does anyone else object to our investigation?" More silence ensued. "No? Then move out. We shall meet here at noon to report our findings, alright?" Again, she was only met by silence, but stayed relatively unfazed by the lack of enthusiasm. It was only natural we weren't particularly excited about anything after...
that.
MORNING
Location: Anghern Park
A few minutes later and we were all divided into little groups of varying number. Me and Eita started looking around together and eventually stopped near a metallic fence with stone pillars marking the corners. Inside the fence was a vast meadow of green, with trees dotted around it and a fountain in the middle. Cutting through the fresh lawn were cement walkways that were lined with green metal benches and a few street lamps, all of which were symetrically distributed along the area.
Eita and I approached the entrance to the park - a tall stone arch with a metallic plate embedded onto its right column. "Anghern Park" Eita read with the usual lack of interest in his voice, as an irritated groan drove our attention to one of the benches. "Did you hear that?" he asked me.
"Yeah... came from behind that bench over there..." I said as I slowly approached the metal seat and the groans of pain behind it. "Is anyone there?"
"Fuck off!" the familiar voice complained with a sleepy moan. "You little shitheads can't leave me alone, can you? Goddamnit, I'm trying to get a little shut eye!" the regular use of curse words, tired voice and mention of sleeping made it easy for me and Eita to realize who we were dealing with.
I peek over the bench's backrest and am met by exactly who I thought'd be there. "Kiyoshi, what are you doing here?"
"Shit, you fuckers are here too!? Ugh, camping out sucks." the Custodian groaned and shook his head. "Look, I didn't get enough sleep after all the shit that Monokuma made us do for that fucktard Asuyo yesterday, all because of all the goddamn bugs in this place! Are we in the jungle sector of this goddamn city!?" When her name was mentioned, my heart skipped a beat and memories of yesterday flooded me for only an instant.
Eita joined in, coming at a much slower pace than myself. "In fact, I do believe this is Verdant Views. The map in your handbook could tell you that much." he explained, ignoring the illhearted comments regarding yesterday's traumatizing events.
"Oh great, you're here?" Kiyo groaned. "You two, outta here. I'm tryna sleep." he ranted and walked away to a farther bench, stopping his his tracks when Eita called for his name. "The fuck do you want now!?"
"I have a quick question." he, once again, ignored Kiyoshi's aggressive behavior and simply spoke. "You were here tonight, correct? Is there anything we should know about the park?"
"Fuck if I know. As far as I saw, just a bunch of trees and grass. Anything else?" he asked sarcastically, not even waiting for an answer before turning around and laying down on top of a bench farther away.
Eita looked at his surroundings, carefully examining the trees around him and the fountain in the middle. "That's not a good place to lie down. In about two minutes, Kiyoshi will be swarmed by bugs. I don't think he'd be open to listen to my suggestion, though. Shall we go?" he looked at me without any expression and we left the park together.
Hang out with Eita?
[Yeah, sure] [Oh, heeeeeell no]
Eita: Tsukushi, may I ask you something?
Tsukushi: Y-Yeah... what's the matter?
Eita: How are you after yesterday? I am having a hard time reading everyone's emotions after what happened.
Tsukushi: O-Oh... well... I'm still down. I bet everyone else is too... we're all trying to push past it.
Tsukushi: It was a... a traumatic experience, to say the least.
Eita: Is that so? That is quite interesting...
Eita: Why is everyone so quiet and showing such lack of interest in the situation then?
Tsukushi: Talking about myself... it's just that I can't bring myself to speak sometimes. It's a senstive subject.
Eita: So you are not talking about something because it is sensitive? Don't you want to talk about it?
Tsukushi: N-Not really... it's something I think we should all leave behind. For our sakes.
Eita: And simply forget our friend Asuyo existed? That seems cold, don't you agree?
Tsukushi: He's got a point... but we're still in trouble. Mourning Asuyo will only slow us down... right?
Tsukushi: You're right... forgetting Asuyo is unforgivable. Whatever her outcome was, we've been through a lot during the past few days.
Tsukushi: So we can't forget her. But we should just...
Eita: Just?
Tsukushi: Shizuka told me this a couple days ago... he said we should adapt to our situation. I'm starting to see his point.
Tsukushi: We should accept that Asuyo and Yuki... are-... they're... well, they're not with us anymore.
Eita: That's easier said than done, however.
Tsukushi: Uh-huh... got to agree with you on that one.
Eita: As an Estimator, I believe it's my job to analyze all I can and foresee any outcomes using my abilities.
Eita: However, I am now understanding that human emotions are far too complex to analyze mathematically.
Eita: Hence why I'm a bit... frustrated. This is the first time I've had problems with my estimations.
Tsukushi: You never had to deal with human emotion before...?
Eita: I was never the most sociable of children.
Eita: My mathematical approach to situations wasn't my classmates' cup of tea, so yes, I rarely experienced emotion.
Eita: This, in turn, made it hard for me to express emotion in my speaking, resulting in the monotone voice you hear today.
Tsukushi: That's kind of sad, in a way. I'm sorry.
Tsukushi: Being thrown into this situation must be especially weird for you... you're being forced to be around very emotive people, for the most part.
Eita: This is a new opportunity for me to develop. Although the circumstances aren't ideal, I'll cope.
Tsukushi: Can... Can I ask you something?
Eita: Yes, I do also feel sadness over Yuki and Asuyo's fates.
Tsukushi: H-How...?
Eita: The logical progression of a conversation is nothing like human emotion, Tsukushi.
Eita: It's mere child's play to me. And before you ask, although I cannot express emotion, I am definitely a human being with feelings of my own. I do feel sadness.
Eita: However, I am quite interested in researching these feelings and emotions. Thank you for this chat.
Eita: If the average distance between important landmarks is the same as the Valley Views sector, and judging by our current speed, we should be arriving in a new location in forty three seconds. Would you like to speed up a bit?
Tsukushi: Sure, I guess... and you're welcome.
Tsukushi: This dude's got some crazy estimation skills... That SHSL Estimator title fits him to a T...
Eita Kurogane
Despair Shard Obtained!
Eita seems to struggle when it comes to estimating people's actions when human emotions play a big role, since they can't be explained or studied mathematically, which happens to be how he estimates all other things - using the grids he spoke to me about last time. He also wasn't the most popular kid growing up, and the lack of social interaction made it hard for him to express emotion in his voice. That being said, although he can't express himself too well, he does feel like any other human being, and he feels sadness over all the stuff that happened yesterday.
MORNING
Location: Eternity Sanctuary
A few seconds later, right as Eita had estimated, we were at another important looking building - this time it was a sort of traditional japanese temple, with its walls coated in bright white paint, tainted by the dark wooden circular windows, and atop the small structure was a pagoda-style red roof, with bells on the corners that faced the street. There were about eleven feet of artistically crafted stone pavement leading up to its wooden doors, and on both sides of it stood a beautiful garden filled with flowers and small bushes.
"For a deserted city, the park and this little garden seem to be pretty well-kept." I comment, as I notice someone peeking from the inside of the building through one of its windows. "Who's there?"
The doors opened suddenly, revealing a familiar black-haired, red-eyed male, and two girls behind him. "Herr Hananari, Herr Kurogane, bienvenues." the Translator forced a smile on her face and gestured us to approach her and come inside. "This is Eien no Seiiki, a.k.a. Eternity Sanctuary."
"Apparently, it's a shrine the locals use for religious celebrations. There's a bunch of statues and cool paintings inside." Yatarou added as we stepped forward and went inside the small shrine.
The inside was small and cramped, and boasted scrolls with various writings pinned onto the walls, tattered by age. The wooden floorboards were old and creaky, the paint on the walls was chipping off bit by bit, and the plants withered and died. Right in front of the entrance, opposite the door was a red and golden rug with a small altar with two golden statues of a man and a woman on each side, and a framed picture of some important deity in the middle. Hung on the wall above the altar was a ceremonial spear with an inscription on it - although unreadable due to old age.
"This is a nice place." Eita commented as he observed the walls of the run down building. "Very interesting."
"Tell me about it..." Yatarou swooned over the room as he snapped a few more shots of the altar and surrounding area. "Brings me back to when I traveled around Japan a few years back! Our country really is a beautiful place, you have no idea."
Chigusa twiddled her fingers as she looked at the oil painting drawn onto a scroll on the wall to the right. She seemed somehow smaller than before, like she was slumped and shrunk down immensely. "Chigusa, are you okay?"
The Gardener instinctively turned around and nodded weakly before turning back around and biting the skin around the nail of her thumb. "She's been like this all morning, Herr Hananari, pay it no mind." Maruko whispered in my ear for Chigusa not to hear her, although I'm fairly certain she was in enough of a daze to completely ignore her regardless.
"Oh got you..." I say lowly and turn around. "Is there anything worthwhile around here, Yatarou?"
"Define 'worthwhile' and I might be able to help. There's some pretty interesting items and trinkets around here... but nothing that'll help us escape. No rope, no drill, no keys, no underground walkway maps." he ranted with a disappointed expression. "It really is a shame, isn't that right? Although I wasn't hopeful to begin with... you should go on and search somewhere else. Some place this small doesn't even need five people."
I give Eita a look and nod. "Does anyone wanna come with? Yatarou?"
The International Tour Guide looked around and then realized something and picked up the camera he's got hanging from his neck. "Oh, I've got plenty of photos to remember this place... I can go!"
"A trio of testosterone. A testostrione!" Maruko forcefully joked to ease the atmosphere but, ended up making it a bit awkward. "Um, I'll... I'll stay back here and keep an eye on Herr Takagawa. She isn't too well." the Translator forced another smile and dismissed herself to go tend to her friend and roommate, Chigusa.
As I left the area, that's when I came to a sudden, although not particularly important, realization. "Maruko is really taking this to heart..." Yatarou announces right as we went out of Maruko's earshot. "She didn't say a single foreign word since we left the motel. For that girl, that's unheard of..."
"I don't blame her." I sigh in response, slipping my hands inside my pockets. "We saw... all that... happening yesterday. It was only yesterday... we can't expect to let this go that easily... it'll take a good few days before we can go back to normal." I pause, but then add something else. "And even then... I think I'm scarred for life. We actually saw... lives end in front of us and, ugh." the memories rose up to the surface again and I could feel bile in my throat. "Ugh, forget it. I don't want to talk about this for too long... I think I'm gonna be sick."
"S-Sorry for forcing the subject." Yatarou apologized and put his wrist to my forehead. "Yeah, you're getting a little warm. Are you sure you're okay to be investigating? Maybe you should go back to the motel. Eita and I can take care of this."
I shake my head dismissively and look Yatarou in the eyes. "I'm not going to be a victim of the circumstances. I'll push through, don't worry about me... but thanks. Now, where to next?"
Yatarou threw a sympathetic smile and nodded firmly before checking the map in his handbook. Eita beat him to the punch, though. "If we keep going this way and go around the perimeter of Verdant Views, we'll see the shooting range, the library, the gallery and then we're back to the motel."
"Let's go then!"
A/N: And so the second act is here! Act 2, in case you haven't guessed, is set exclusively on Verdant Views, which would mean the first sector of Anghern is now closed off and can't be accessed (or can it?)! Sorry for the long wait for both this story and the 72nd Class, and I hope you do enjoy what I prepared for you!
QOTC: How would you react to Yuki and Asuyo's deaths? How would you go about living after seeing them die like they did?
Don't forget to leave a review telling me what you liked and didn't like about the chapter! Until next time, Yamazaki... out!