Review replies time!
YAmomoto: Riou and science do have a bit of friction between them, huh? Indirectly I guess it came from his 'science', as it were. Thanks for reviewing!
The SENDER and the TRAVELER: Whose idea was to put all those hazardous materials in these guys' hands anyway? Monokuma sure knows how to incite murder, with making it so easy. Sakurako will probably have a rough few days before she can recompose herself into the calm, collected Information Broker we know her as, but let's give her time... seeing your girlfriend being electrocuted to death and not being able to help would probably force you to time out for quite a while. All questions about Shizuka being in a pod will be answered eventually, don't worry! As far as I can see, I'm not leaving any stone unturned. Thank you so much for reviewing!
Katastic Writer: Marine Views is off to quite the feels-y start, but I won't make it as harsh on the mood swings as the Verdant Views act! Someone like you would definitely be needed in a scenario like this one, so bless you for that. Amidst all the confusion, a big sister would come in real handy. As always, thanks for your review!
TheRoseShadow21: Shizuka being stuck in a pod sure raises a whole lot of questions, huh? A short-lived breather, to be sure, we can't have these guys getting too hopeful, can we? Thank you for your review!
Crimson Spider Lily: The plot thickens with chances for romance, drama and mystery... there's never a dull day in Anghern, is there? Shizuka's situation will be revealed over the coming updates, starting (spoiler alert!) this very chapter! As for the remaining 'subplots' as it were, you'll see eventually! Thanks a lot for your review, and I hope you like this chapter!
Pretty Palutena: I've enjoyed making them into one, but there's much more things to come from both of those - be it together or not. Stay tuned! Thanks for reviewing!
SongBirds-Lullaby: First of all, let me tell you I'm absolutely ecstatic about reading your review! Knowing you guys take the time to write such long comments about what I write really makes me feel warm inside, so thank you for consistently doing that over the course of the story up until now! As for actually replying to your review though, I'll have to agree with you on most of your points! Riou and Tsukushi really are a cute pairing (I'm making 'Rikushi' the canon name for those two, right now), and Eita and Yori have grown really close and I'm so glad they're hitting it off so well. Kikyo hasn't even been to the mall as far as we know, but believe me she'll get her own time in the sun fairly soon! I hope you enjoy the chapter, and again, thank you immensely for your review!
ACT 3: Holidays For The Hopeless
CHAPTER 2: Not-So-Warm Welcome
AFTERNOON
Location: Anghern Laboratories - Second Floor (Physics Lab)
"What the hell is Shizuka doing in there!?" Kikyo questioned herself out loud, stressfully pacing back and forth in front of the stairs that led to the upper floor. She had been restlessly parading exactly like she was at that moment, ever since we left the pod room. "And how do we get him out!?"
I sat on a stool next to a large metal desk with all manner of strange measuring tools with stereotypical scientific names messily written on a label on their glass substances. "Hell if I know..." I dismissed her pensively, thinking about a reason why Shizuka would be there.
"Namikaze, Hananari, what's the matter!?" Akahana's voice was clear even over the loud stomping of her feet as she sprinted up the stairs quickly, grabbing her knees and the sudden effort. "You mentioned something about Shizuka in your message, have you found him!?"
"Akahana!" Kikyo called and approached her in a panic. "Shizuka is stuck inside a weird pod upstairs in the biology floor! We can't figure out how to open it and... oh, we don't even know if he's alive! We need some help!"
Akahana bit her lip and ran back upstairs, leaving me in her dust as Kikyo followed suit. Just as I breathed in to start a full sprint up, new pairs of footsteps caught my attention.
"T-Tsukushi!" "Herr Hananari!" "Tsukushi, what's going on!?"
Yatarou, Chigusa and Maruko all started panicking in their own way, making it hard for me to discern what they were telling or asking me. "G-Guys, calm down!" I snapped, stomping my foot on the ground sternly. Startled, the trio quieted down and made way for me to explain what had happened. "Kikyo found Shizuka in a pod upstairs... everything indicated he's sleeping, but we're not sure yet. That's why we called everyone here."
"Thats fuckin' annoying..." Kiyoshi groaned as he ascended the last few steps of the stairway. "More stairs then? Couldn't that dead asshole show up on the ground floor?"
"H-He's n-n-not d-dead!" Chigusa defended, scared of Kiyo's theory. It's too soon to add someone else into the body count... "H-H-He c-can't b-be..."
Kiyoshi simply sighed and threw us a dismissive wave before turning around and heading upstairs. "Who's missing?" Yatarou asked.
"Riou, Yori, Eita and Sakurako aren't here yet." I answer, but the mention of Sakurako's name threw a lid on the Tour Guide's mood once again, and he silently retreated upstairs. "What's with him today...?" I ask the two girls, curious whether or not they knew something of him.
The Translator scratched her head in thought but came up empty. "Pardon, pero I don't think I know of anything." she eventually concluded.
"M-Me neither..." Chigusa added. "B-But I am c-curious... m-maybe I-I'll, um, ask h-him later..."
I only agreed to her statement with a nod and made my way up the stairs along with the two girls, being met by all the remaining people right afterwards. Behind me, the Gardener and the Translator followed suit, not willing to wait for everyone else. The message had been explicit enough for everyone, or so Kikyo and I thought.
tsukushi and i found shizuka! meet us at the top of the lab asap!
Yeah. Pretty specific, I think.
AFTERNOON
Location: Anghern Laboratories - Third Floor (Biology Lab)
"Where is everyone else?" Kikyo vented stressfully. "Where's Riou?" she specified. "Tsukushi, where the hell is your little mancrush?"
"M-Mancrush?" I blush, stuttering a response. "I don't know, he left a while ago. Why do you need him anyway?"
Kikyo shook her head and pressed her nose against the freezing glass of the pod room's window. "Because he can break the pod and free Shizuka... then we can find out what happened to him!"
"A valid theory." Akahana asserted, being the one closest to the pod room's door. "I take it you've searched for some type of button before resorting to breaking the lab's equipment, however?"
The Hairstylist fell silent and looked up, deep in thought. "Hm. Good idea." she stated succintly, making us all groan as we all scattered throughout the vicinity in search of some kind of control panel. "S-Sorry!" she pleaded as she joined the search, being met with a myriad of 'It's okay's and synonymous expressions.
"Merde!" Maruko shouted in panic as a glass vial fell onto the ground, spilling a strong-smelling substance onto the ground. "G-Gomennasai!" she apologized for her sudden swearing and knelt down to pick up the pieces of glass and scoop up the powder onto her hands and into the trash, all the while noticing if there were any hidden switches at ankle-level. "No dice." she eventually quit and stood straight once again.
Chigusa paced around anxiously, eyes wide while she was looking for anything out of place or suspicious. "N-Nothing..."
"That doesn't make sense!" I vent, slapping the sides of my face before my hands crawled up onto my scalp, where I scratched my head, wracking it for alternatives. "There should be a switch somewhere... but where!?"
"A panicked mind won't lead us anywhere, Hananari, calm down." Akahana comforted, although judging by her tone, she was more concerned about hating me and making me look bad than about Shizuka's safety. "I take it no one has found anything?"
"Maybe it's inside there? With all the cold steam inside we can barely see a thing!" Yatarou suggested, and everyone ran up to the window of the pod room, fogged up by the interior steam, condensed onto the glass. "It's no use... I can't see anything!"
A malicious laugh interrupted by a sigh of mockery broke Yatarou's nerves and everyone turned around responding to the sound. "Good god, you bastards really don't know when to quit! Why not ask for Principal Monokuma's help when you need!? A good headmaster always tries to help his students in times of need!" he boasted.
"Don't take us for fools!" I snapped at him, stomping my foot forward with a glare. "You wouldn't help any of us..."
"And why not?" Monokuma asked, simply. It was almost like he knew what corner he was backing me into and sure enough, I couldn't find a way out of his question.
Kikyo was the one who threw him a rebuttal. "Because you're evil, that's why!" A lackluster argument, but a true one. "Why would you even want to help us take Shizuka out of a pod when you're the one who put him in there!?" she asked, anger presiding over logic.
"Oh?" the bear simply shook his head and proceeded to explaining. "But who said I was the one who put that asshole over in there? I'm also kiiiiind of a participant in this MKG, you know? I can't go around acessing places just because I own this place! I'm a fair bear, you see?" he didn't miss a beat as another chance to gloat presented itself, resulting in a general eye-roll from the group.
"No one could have done it but you, the mastermind!" Akahana accused, and Monokuma jumped in the air with glee.
"Noooow you're talking! I might not be able to access areas you aren't allowed into, buuuuut that doesn't mean the person controlling me is!"
Yatarou's head tilted. "Did you just become a sentient AI?" he asked, confused.
"I always have been a sentient AI, Mahiru wannabe!" he cackled and pointed his paw at Yatarou in a mockery gesture. "You didn't think I was a ghost possessing a cute teddy bear, right? I'm a robot! A mass-produced robot, and there's plenty more where I come from. But I don't think you wanna hear the details, do you?"
"Like hell we want to! Annoying ass bear, just open the fucking hatch and let that other bastard leave so I can go back to the movies and take a nap." Kiyoshi complained aggressively, taunting the plush to obey his request.
With a robotic sigh, Monokuma clapped twice and produced a red button from somewhere behind him, as we all stared in awe. "As much as I don't like your tone, janitor asshole, I'll comply. Say hi to the dude for me!" he pushed the switch and ran off down the stairs, disappearing without a trace while Kiyoshi fumed over the choice of the word 'janitor' during Monokuma's last words.
The door opened and from inside it, we heard the creaking of metal and examining the room behind the glass window, we saw the pods' metal cap being raised ever so slowly, revealing a little over a dozen empty pods... and on the only one that wasn't empty, was Shizuka.
"Shizuka!" Kikyo ran in, instantly noticing the drastic difference in temperature. "S-S-S-Someone help-p-p m-m-me o-out!" she ordered and a few people went in to bring the cold, seemingly lifeless body of Shizuka Matsuoka out of his frigid confines. As Maruko exited the room carrying the Street Magician's left leg, I closed the door using the switch beside it and immediately turned my attention to the unconscious boy on the floor.
Shizuka's skin was a pale mixture of white and blue, and it seemed like, even in his almost-dead state, his muscles were twitching as they adapted to the relative warmth of the outside of the pod room. His eyes were shut firmly, almost like he was in a peaceful slumber, and his lips slightly parted à la sleeping beauty. One look at him and one would presume he was just a regular teenager who slept out in a cold street - a really, really cold street.
Kikyo sniffed and drew her thumb across the bottom of her eye, smiling as she looked at Shizuka. "H-He's cold, but he's alive! Very much alive..."
"Finally some good news..." Yatarou vented, relieved. "B-But, we have to take care of him... maybe take him downstairs? It's warm outside!"
"I'm on it!" Riou roared as he jumped over the last few steps and picked the Street Magician's cold, limp body in his arms and carried him away back where he came from in a quick sprint.
Kikyo looked at me and rolled her eyes with a relieved smile before Akahana took initiative and ran after the Boxer, leading the entire group downstairs.
As we left the grand, futuristic building, Riou cradled Shizuka in his arms much like he did Sakurako before, and two new students joined our ranks. "We're sorry for our delay..." Yori spoke loudly as he tried to judge where everyone was in relation to him. "Is everything alright?"
"Y-Yori, Eita!" Chigusa called. "W-We found him... We f-found Shizuka ups-stairs!" she added.
Akahana was next to speak, and gave the Magician and the Estimator a quick explanation of the last few minutes. "I see." Eita concluded as he processed all the information. "What do you intend to do to Shizuka now?" he questioned monotonely and Akahana bit her lip, thinking. "No idea?"
"Unfortunately, no. We mean to warm him up, do you have any idea how?" The Prosecutorial Attorney spoke clearly and confessed her lack of ideas regarding the subject, to which the Magician almost instantly proposed a solution.
"I don't know if you noticed..." Yori began. "But, in comparison to Valley Views or Verdant Views, this area is distinctly warmer and more tropical, especially near the lake. If you would be so kind as to bring Shizuka there, I am sure he will recover."
We all exchanged curious glances as it had hit us. Indeed, this new sector was considerably warmer than the more natural and breezy Verdant Views and the quaint Valley Views, and the area around the lake house showed that difference clearly.
"What are we waiting for, then? To the lake!" I hurried the group along as we speedily walked away to the lake house, Yori and Eita trailing us over Yori's unfamiliarity with the sector.
AFTERNOON
Location: Anghern Lake
Shizuka's body was laid out on the wooden planks of the lake house's porch, facing the lake with the outdoor shower and the door inside right behind him. Between him and the sun-heated wood floor was a towel we brought in from a kitchen cabinet. A semi-circle formed around him, every one of us except for him was sheltered from the sun as we stared at him, hoping for a movement.
"Is... Is this gonna take long?" Kiyoshi asked impatiently, tapping his foot on the ground with his arms crossed. "If so, I'll go nap for a while before we throw this bastard a party for waking up."
The Custodian was largely met by silence, but a certain emotional Hairstylist shooed him off. "Yeah, that's a good idea. We'll come call you when he comes to." she not-so-discreetly sent him away into the house as he muttered complaints.
"Whenever I wake up after a long nap, no one cares, but this asshole does it and he deserves a fucking prayer circle? You've gotta be shitting me." he mumbled before shutting the door inside and lazily going upstairs.
A general sigh took over us as we silently waited for Shizuka to budge. "How do we tolerate him on a daily basis?" Yatarou asked himself.
"Beats me." Seemed to be a unanimous response, but only I made sure to made it hear. "Even so, we've got to keep it up... we should trust one another so nothing else happens, okay?" The conversation took a turn for the depressing as I let my insecurity that another killing would eventually happen get the better of me. "So much for being an eternal optimist and the one to keep everyone's hope alive..." I add mentally and sigh at my inner monologue.
"That's a given!" Riou comforted, messing with my hair playfully to lighten the mood. "We're going to leave this place for good. Doesn't everyone agree?"
The events of last night were still to fresh for anyone to say it with conviction, but a reluctant round of agreements, smiles and nods ran around the group, who was still surrounding the unconscious Street Magician.
"I... I'm no d-doctor but I, um, think... Shizuka will t-take q-quite a wh-while before he, um,... wakes u-up..." Chigusa pointed out, with a good enough basis.
"I was just thinking the same thing." Akahana revealed, striking a pensive pose.
Eita interrupted the short silence. "Maybe we should disperse and continue investigating." he suggested. "One of us should stay behind and keep watch, of course. Any volunteers?"
"Oh, we can do it, can we not, Eita?" The Magician proposed but his suggestion was ultimately denied by the Estimator.
"I think it would be better for us two to travel around this sector a but further, Yori. That way you can accustom yourself to your surroundings quicker." he explained, and Yori approved of his logic. "Akahana, would you mind staying behind?"
The Prosecutorial Attorney nodded sternly and took a step forward. "Not at all, I'll welcome the rest. I shall notify you of his awakening as soon as possible. Please be sure to keep an eye on your handbooks, if at all possible."
"So..." Riou intervened. "We're free to go?"
"Yes. Investigate to your heart's content." Akahana nodded and dismissed everyone away.
LATE AFTERNOON
Location: Movie Theater
Good time as any to investigate the last noteworthy building on this sector... the cinema.
The outside of the building was similar to any other big cinema complex you could imagine - a towering white building with a gigantic electronic building that scrolled through a few titles that would supposedly be on display.
Crimes, Sins and Confessions - Room #1
Tragedy - Room #2
The Hidden Tragedy of Hope's Peak - Room #3
The Wizard of Monomi - Room #4
Can't say I know any of the movies here.
As I entered the building, the heavy scent of buttered popcorn and soda filled my nostrils and my eyes feasted on a clean, bright red carpet and white walls randomly littered with movie posters, tabloid cut-outs and real-life actors and actresses's photographs. Hanging from the ceiling of the cubic room was a ornate glass chandelier that acted as the midpoint between the two corridors that stretched right and left (presumably leading to the various screen rooms) and between the entrance and the ticket booth on the far wall.
Bright red leather padded sofas lined the rim of the room, and a frail little girl sat on one of them, by herself, tapping away at her Electro-ID.
"Hey, Chigusa!" I greeted, startling the Gardener. "O-Oh, sorry if I scared you. What are you doing here all alone?"
"Hello..." she said back and hugged me softly before sitting back down alongside me. "Maruko is w-watching a movie... so I'm waiting f-for her."
"Oh..." I mouthed and nodded affirmatively. "Which one, do you know?"
Chigusa looked at the movie list presented above the ticket booth and pointed at it. "It's the f-first one. Her f-favourite actor s-stars in the, um, movie, apparently... so sh-she was p-pretty exc-cited to s-see it." she explained as I gave the billboard another look.
"Crimes, Sins and Confessions... starring who, exactly?" I ask, curious.
"Aaron something... he s-studied at H-Hope's P-Peak from what M-Maruko t-told me." she tried to remember the actor's name but fell short and shrugged it off. "Sorry"
I smiled warmly and patted her knee. "Nah, it's okay, I was just curious... but the movie just started." I noticed, confirming the time on my Electro-ID with the time the movie was supposed to start, according to the screen above the booth. "Won't it take a little long?"
"Y-Yes... it's a t-two hour m-movie, wh-why?"
"Oh nothing... it's just, you're all by yourself here... don't you want to see the movie too?" I ask, tilting my head.
Chigusa blushed visibly and hid her hands, still clutching her handbook, between her thighs. "W-Well... t-truth be t-told I... I, um, c-can't handle h-horror m-movies too well... s-so I s-stayed behind."
"Do you want to hang out for a while?" I invited her and she nodded affirmatively, although a bit surprised at my sudden request. "Then let's take a walk around and just chill, what do you say?"
"S-Sure!" she asserted once again and stood up next to me, heading for the exit.
Hang out with Chigusa?
[Yeah, sure] [Oh, heeeeeell no]
Chigusa: Ahhh... this f-fresh air is r-really s-something, huh, T-Tsukushi?
Chigusa: The b-breeze, the g-great outdoors... it reminds m-me of, um, home.
Tsukushi: You used to live somewhere cold?
Chigusa: M-My grandfather lived in the countryside, so we were used to the, um, wind and stuff...
Tsukushi: Yeah... if I remember, Chigusa's parents are really big business people so she spent lots of time with her grandpa...
Chigusa: It's... it's kinda weird though. W-We're inside a g-giant walled city so, um, there sh-shouldn't be t-too much wind.
Tsukushi: Now that you mention it, yeah... it's really strange that there's wind around.
Tsukushi: Maybe there's some kind of wind tunnel effect at play here...
Tsukushi: Still, the fact you'd notice something so small like that surprised me the most, Chigusa!
Tsukushi: Even in these circumstances, you have an eye for details, don't you?
Chigusa: Th-Thank you! Heehee, I th-think it's c-come with the t-territory though.
Chigusa: Being a g-gardener, I n-need to have v-very good eyesight... t-trimming hedges is n-no mean feat.
Chigusa: O-Oh, b-but I don't m-mean to, um, brag, or anything...
Tsukushi: No, no! Go on.
Tsukushi: I didn't know you trimmed hedges. Do you make those cool bush sculptures?
Chigusa: Hahaha, bush sculptures... I think you m-mean topiary!
Tsukushi: Y-Yeah, that, haha. Sorry for not knowing the technical term.
Chigusa: D-Don't feel bad...! I-I'm sorry... but y-yes, I c-can do topiary just f-fine.
Chigusa: I-I wanted to c-cut a few b-branches off the b-bushes in Verd-dant Views, but...
Chigusa: I was s-so s-scared and a-always h-hanging with M-Maruko...
Chigusa: I... o-oh, f-forget it...
Tsukushi: No, no, it's fine... do you wanna vent about something, Chigusa?
Tsukushi: Come on, tell me, is something the matter?
Chigusa: W-Well... truth be t-told, I think I'm too c-clingy... especially w-with Maruko...
Chigusa: Sh-She p-probably thinks I-I'm a n-nuisance... s-so... I w-want to b-become stronger.
Tsukushi: What do you mean?
Chigusa: I'm not sure m-myself... b-but I know wh-what I want... and I d-don't w-want to b-be weak.
Chigusa: M-Maruko d-doesn't need to w-worry about me!
Tsukushi: She doesn't seem too sure of what she's saying herself...
Tsukushi: But I can understand Chigusa's resolve to become stronger and independent.
Chigusa: If I m-may be honest... I've been v-very relying on p-people... my wh-whole life.
Chigusa: B-But this g-game is putting things into p-perspective for m-me...
Chigusa: My f-friends c-could die anyt-time so...
Chigusa: So... I'm g-gonna b-be strong! I-I'll be strong and not rely on M-Maruko...
Chigusa: I-I'll protect myself o-on my own... I c-can do it, r-right...?
Tsukushi: Of course you can! Just don't be so grim... The killings won't happen anymore.
Tsukushi: That being said... I'll help you in any way I can.
Tsukushi: The fact you're trying to become a stronger woman is commendable.
Chigusa: Y-You really think s-so? Th-Thanks! I... I'll start r-right away!
Chigusa: Thanks for the k-kind words, T-Tsukushi! You're c-cool...
Chigusa Takagawa
Despair Shard obtained!
Chigusa confided in me that she was sick of being the same frail, dependant little girl she seems to be and saw herself as an unnecessary weight on Maruko's shoulders, since she was the one who had to help her around for the entirety of our time in Verdant Views. That being said, she's keen on the idea of changing herself to be strong enough to live on her own, without needing anyone else's support, and seems set on doing just that. Another little tidbit of information about her: she has an eye for small details and likes being outdoors.
"Th-Thanks for hanging out with me, Tsukushi, but I'm h-hyped to be stronger!" Chigusa cheered and hugged me tightly before grinning at me, pumped as I'd never seen her. "S-So I'm going to take a w-walk and t-toughen up! I-I'll be a ch-changed girl when you s-see me n-next time... j-just you wait!" she clenched her fists and extended a pinky finger to me, with I looked at with glee.
"Promise?" I mimic her gesture and cross pinkies with her, both of us smiling at each other.
"Promise!" she announced, tightening her grip around my finger with her frail, smaller one before running off excitedly.
That was... unexpected to say the least. To think Chigusa, the small, fragile little bean I had met back at the ranch would grow to be like this had me confused at to what could happen. The results will speak for themselves, sure, but just to hear the Gardener spout out her promise with such confidence... it really is touching.
My lips turned into a quick, discreet smile as I saw her sprint off, even though her small, weak stature was still very much present. My hopeful, happy thoughts were quickly cut off by a loud buzzing in my pocket, which I identified to be the notification the group had been waiting for.
Akahana Nakajima: "He's come to. Meet us at the open bedroom in the lake house at once."
Sure enough, I was right.
EVENING
Location: Lake House
"Shizuka!" I call as I sprint up the stairs and go into the only open door the top floor hallway presented, the sixth room from the stairs, on the right. When I quickly made my way to the door itself, I was met by a few people already. Yori, Eita, Akahana, Sakurako and Maruko were already there, surrounding the shivering Street Magician as he lay on a bed, still paler than his usual color. "I-Is everything okay?"
Shizuka simply threw me a cold, yet remarkably sarcastic glance and sighed. "What do you think, Hananari-san?"
"Stupid question." I confessed, slumping, and the recently woken boy nodded slightly, lacking the strength to do anything more controlled. "What happened to you?"
"If I may." Akahana interrupted the Street Magician's try as he unsteadily sat up, and he slid back down onto the sheets. "Matsuoka isn't in a state to speak. I will explain everything he has told me up until now, although it is rather confusing and inconclusive."
"...Inconclusive." I deflated, losing a bit of the hope that, however small the chance of it being, Shizuka would remember everything that happened during his disappearance. "Huh." I sighed, audibly strained.
The Street Magician apologized hollowly. "I'm sorry for not recalling everything that happened for the past two days after being asleep for most of it, Hananari-san."
I flinched at his sassy remark and nodded courteously, not wanting to get into any avoidable drama so soon after he woke up from whatever had happened. "So... where is everyone? It has been quite a while" Yori cut in, alerting me to the other people in the room which I swiftly proceeded to greeting properly.
"On their way here, I'd imagine." Eita stated, providing a logical assumption. My eyes turned to Sakurako who sat down on a vacant chair a little farther away from the Street Magician than the remaining people around him. She looked at him with pity and worry in her eyes, but was otherwise expressionless, void of any emotion - and no one dared to try and change that.
As few minutes passed, Chigusa, Kiyoshi, Kikyo, Yatarou and Riou trickled into the room, the last two boys entering the bedroom in an unexpected pair. "What were you two doing together?" Kiyoshi interrogated the two boys curiously.
"Not the time!" Kikyo sassed grumpily and turned back to the defenseless Street Magician. "Are you fee-"
"No, Namikaze-san, I am not. I was kidnapped and drugged, thrown into a sleeping pod, and the only person here I was able to call a friend is now dead at the hands of Baishou-san. I am not feeling well at all, if I may be completely honest." his voice and movements were strained, almost as if he was being restricted by something internally - which I'd probably blame on being sore after so many hours of cold and stillness.
"I... I see." the Hairstylist deflated, but whispered a sigh of relief. "At least you're alive..."
"You said you didn't remember anything?" Riou asked. "How's that? You were gone for a day."
Somehow, it hit me that Shizuka had really only been missing for a day... the search for him, finding Yuzuru, the class trial and Frances's execution... everything happened over the course of a day. It seemed like weeks ever since we'd found Yuzuru back at the shooting range, but the image in my head was too clear for it to have been that long... agh, I shouldn't think about it much.
We have more pressing matters to attend to, anyway...
"Well, for the entirety of said day, I remember very little." the conversation resumed from where it had left off, almost as if time had stopped during my inner monologue and started when I was ready for it to do so.
Akahana cleared her throat before initiating her brief retelling of what Shizuka had probably confided in her beforehand. "Shizuka here remembers breaking out of the motel room to meet Monokuma, although he doesn't remember the reason."
"How fuckin' convenient." Kiyoshi sighed and rolled his eyes, crossing his arms in front of him. "What proof do you have he ain't lyin, dipshit? It's not like a class trial here, we don't drop dead if we lie to each other."
Maruko pensively scratched the side of her head and looked down. "As much as I hate agreeing with him... Herr Ikeda has a point. Are tu sure?"
"Not at all. But I don't think Shizuka could find a proper lie in the timespan I provided for him to recover his senses."
"He had a good few hours to think beforehand!" Kiyoshi rebutted aggressively.
"Oh?" Akahana interjected, squinting her eyes in the Custodian's direction. "You mean to say he thought of a mastermind scheme to lie his way out of this while unconscious inside a cold sleep pod in the laboratories' biology sector?" she asked nonchalantly, shutting the Custodian up with a groan, before resuming her explanation. "As I was saying, Shizuka doesn't remember why he was to meet Monokuma, but so it happened. He broke out of the room because Yuzuru held their keys and he didn't want to alarm her to the meeting."
Riou scratched his chin in thought. "Sounds tight enough. What else?"
The Prosecutorial Attorney traded glances with Shizuka and continued. "Matsuoka met with Monokuma and the latter tried to knock the former out with some kind of sleeping agent."
"S-Sleeping agent!? Like drugs!?" was only one of the many reactions I heard, coming from the Tour Guide beside me.
"Yes." Akahana redundantly pointed out. "After a first attempt, Shizuka was able to fight back and run inside the shooting range in a rush, which is when he witnessed Yuzuru's body. This marks the end of his memories, however."
Shizuka sat up forcefully and looked around, eyeing each of us. "I believe that Monokuma put me to sleep as I was there, which is why my memories cut off right there. I might have wondered about for quite a while longer however... I cannot be sure." his uncharacteristic frailty made me shift uncomfortably.
"Next thing he knew, he woke up in the porch downstairs and I carried him up along with Eita." Akahana finished her explanation. "He's already aware of what happened during the past 48 hours, including how we found him in the pods in the biology lab. That concludes my report."
A short round of silence took over the room and everyone looked up, down and everywhere apart from each other in an attempt to avoid awkward eye contact.
Suddenly, erratic breathing and a low stutter broke through the silence. "M-Maruko...?" Kikyo trailed off as she looked away at a stumbling Translator. Her eyes were shot open unnaturally and she twitched slightly every second or so. "Is... Is everything alright?"
"I... I..." she was unable to form a sentence. Her voice was hollow and lifeless... she wasn't like this just now... "I c-can't... be... be here anymore..."
Huh?
Yatarou approached her slowly. "What do you mean...?" he asked, his tone instantly grim as he raised a hand to her forehead. "Y-Yikes!" he flinched at Maruko's sudden movements. She zipped along the room with quick steps, muttering something.
"DON'T TOUCH ME!" she eventually yelled, her twitches becoming more evident and violent.
"M-Maruko...?" Chigusa approached her friend slowly but was thrown to the ground with unmatched strength. "M-Maruko!" the Gardener yelped.
She breathed hard and erratically as she pinned her biggest friend to the floor, straddling her with ease. "I... I have to... I don't want to... Life... end..."
"H-Huh?"
"I... I want to... I want to die!" Maruko screamed in a high-pitched voice before yelling at the top of her lungs. "KILL ME! I'LL KILL MYSELF IF YOU DON'T!" she shouted at the flailing Gardener, throwing spittle at her as she ferally screamed.
"Holy shit, get a fucking grip!" Kiyoshi stumbled backwards, his back against the room wall. "Someone restrain the bitch before she snaps!" he ordered, and Riou went of his own volition, probably not even noticing the Custodian's request.
He trapped the Translator's arms behind her as she yelled nonsense after nonsense, flailing away from the Boxer's grip but to no avail. "KILL ME! KILL MEEEEEEEE!" she kept screaming before the sound of a bump rang in my ears, and Maruko defenselessly crumpled to the floor, next to a shivering, scared Chigusa.
"Wh-Wh-Wh-What h-h-h-happ-pp-ppenned...!?" she stuttered in a crazed panic, crawling away from the limp body of the Translator with exasperated breaths and tears in her eyes.
"R-Riou... y-you didn't..." Kikyo asked, tense and startled from the sudden adrenaline spike.
The Boxer panted heavily and shook his head. "The pipsqueak's unconscious. Don't worry." he let out short sentences of comfort in between even shorter breaths.
"What happened just now...?" I ask the group, but everyone responded with dead silence. They were just as clueless as I was.
A/N: Hoooooo-wee, that was a doozy of a way to end a chapter. What the hell happened to Maruko!? Shizuka just came back and another person has gone off the deep end! Translator panic aside, your favourite Street Magician is back in action, by the way, in all of his sassy, suspicious glory! Is he here to stay for long? You'll see.
QOTC: Now that you've seen every noteworthy area of Marine Views (the lake/lake house, the mall, the music venue, the laboratories and the cinema) which one do you think you'd like the most in terms of spending time there? And where do you think the next murder will take place?
I hope you enjoyed the chapter, don't forget to leave a review telling me what you thought, as always! I'll see you next update, but until then... Yamazaki out!