AN: Finally, onto Chapter 4. Chapter 3 took forever, lol.
Also, more art! This time it's by Unify. The website is imgur so...yeah. Just put this as the extension: "/ADgMYy9 "
This chapter is short. I'll be honest, it's shorter than it should be, lol. Still, hope you like it. And please vote for Free-Times! I want to do more Free-Times actually since I didn't make as many as I'd like to. So...yeah.
Reven228 - Thanks! Glad you like it! I think by now 50% of the students has been cut, but it's not over yet..! Maybe.
King Okami - Thanks for the review! Characterization? Or snarky insult? We shall see...
MiserableFairy13 - Thanks for the review! Hopefully they can get the textbook soon, but obviously I can't say now :P
Celes Ludenberg - Thanks for the review! I love her art too, lol. We're getting closer and closer...his memories may be brought up soon :O (or not.)
Ode30 - Well the three of them are pretty important characters as of late, lol. Then again, they all are. I guess it boils down to personal taste. THanks for the review!
Kizi1999 - We'll see. Maybe it is, maybe it's not. Thanks for the review!
FateOblivion - Okay. Hopefully I didn't make spelling mistakes here, but typos happen and I'm too lazy to run a spellcheck, lol. Thanks for the review!
MizunashiFuyuko - A smut fanfiction. (heh heh.) Thanks for the review! We'll see what happened to Hikaru next chapter. Or the chapter after that. Or maybe never.
Unify - Yeah, tbh, I think I should have made him a bit more consistent in what he wanted, lol. Thanks for the review!
TheRoseShadow21 - Thanks for the review! Glad it's interesting, hope I don't disappoint in the end.
Gingericus19 - Thanks for the review! Tbh me saying the development was supposed to happen later was mostly to douse the flames of the whole Mary-Sue argument (but now that I think about it, it might have made it lighter.) But yeah the end of your review made me laugh. "It'll be magically delicious." XD. I love randomness :3
Soundtrack: Persona – Aria of the Soul
"Well...I didn't plan on seeing you this early, Keiko," said a familiar voice.
I stared up. The man was on the other side of the room like always. Death after death, it seems like he was forced to bring me over here.
"Nya..." the man said. "I heard what you did at the trial..."
…
"Oh, you're quite silent today," the man said. "Could it be that your hope of getting out of here is ever so dwindling?"
"What do you want?" I asked.
"As I said, I have to check up on you. It's my job. If I don't, you may become even more corrupt than that last time. You know, where you killed both of them?"
"...Okay."
"While I doubt this obedience is warranted...you seem to be back to normal."
"Can I ask you something?"
"I'd rather not listen."
What was his problem..?
"Well then, I'm asking it anyways. You don't have to answer."
"...Very well."
"Why are you doing this to me..?"
"You've asked that plenty of times before," the man said. "I don't feel the need to—"
"That's not what I mean," I interrupted. "I mean why do you keep bringing back to this reality from the other one?"
"You're speaking as if there are two realities," the man replied.
"Isn't there? I can't be underwater one second, and then wired into this machine the next. If it's not two different realities, then -"
"If I tell you now, something bad may happen," the man sighed. "While I'm not keen on it, it's my job to keep you...relatively safe."
"I'm asking what the point of it is."
"The point of it? No, no, that doesn't matter right now. What matters is, you must reach some sort of conclusion by the end of this."
"A conclusion..?"
"If you are unable to make the right decision in the end, it will eventually be the end for all of us. Keep that in mind."
"I can't keep things in my mind that I won't end up remembering."
"True."
For a second, there was a melancholy silence in the air. I could swear that I sensed some sort of emotion leaking out of the man.
"I shouldn't keep you here much longer," the man sighed. "If I do...well, that doesn't matter."
"So you're going to blind me with white light again and send me back underwater?"
"If that's what you experience then I suppose so."
"...Fine."
The man waved goodbye in the darkness, and I was once again swamped with a bright light that seemed much warmer than before. Strange...usually I felt like this transportation was something cold and unforgiving, but now...it feels warmer.
Music Halts
Location: Keiko's Room | Time: 7:00 AM | Chapter Four | 21 DAYS LEFT
*Ding, dong! Ding, dong!*
"Attention, you bastards! It's now morning! Rise and shine! Let's make today the best it can be!"
Soundtrack: Re Despair Syndrome OST 2-26
…
I remembered the end of the last trial so clearly. The moment where I sent both Furo and Kirei to their deaths without any remorse. What came over me..? Why did I even feel like voting..? I thought I was with the others, feeling like I shouldn't vote, so...why did I choose for both of them to be executed?
If it wasn't for me...would there have been one less death to deal with?
...Well, in any case, I should head to the cafeteria. It doesn't look like Monokuma stopped the timer this time, so...if I want to ever get out, I should try and forget this and just work on getting out. Right?
But...how can I forget something like this..?
Soundtrack: Beautiful Dead
Location: Cafeteria | Time: 7:18 AM | Chapter Four | 21 DAYS LEFT
"Oh, Keiko," Yoshinori welcomed as I entered the cafeteria. "The others are...sorta late today."
"H-hi," I said. It was sort of weird talking to her, considering she was a robot. Not only that, but it was weird to talk to anyone after keeping a secret as big as I did.
"Are you okay..?" she asked. "Oh, I get it. It's cause I'm a robot, huh?"
"N-no, that's not it..."
"Well, lemme tell ya! I may be an android but I still have feelings like you! I cry when a dog dies! I laugh at cat videos!"
"I said that's not it..."
"...Fine, if you say so...A-anyways, what happened with you last night?"
"Last night..?"
"I remember you ran out of the trial room in a big ass hurry. Somethin' happening to you or..."
"N-no, I'm fine," I assured. "It's just that I felt a little weak after watching the execution."
"Well, it's a new record. Ya didn't faint this time, so that's good I suppose."
...She had no idea what I had done, did she?
...Geez, Keiko. You'll never get over it if you keep beating yourself up and getting nervous like this.
"Anyways, now that I remember I'm a robot, I'm probably gonna be more useful, yeah?" she asked.
"More useful..? How..?"
"Just think!" she announced proudly. "When you want a soda or snack, but it's too high up in the cabinet, I'll be ready with my rocket feet to pick it up for you! It'll be a cinch!"
"...Well, if that ever comes up, I'll call you."
"You'd damn better! Can't let me talent go to waste!"
She...hasn't changed at all since remembering who she was, has she?
Sitting with a talkative Yoshinori, a few minutes passed by, and the others slowly trickled in. First off was Unmei and Kaito.
"Morning," Unmei sighed. "Man, I'm all depressed from last night..."
"We just have to stay positive," Kaito said. "There's no point in worrying ourselves over it that much..."
"Well we gotta worry about something!"
Then...
"Good morning," Noah said, his voice more stoic than usual.
"I-is everyone feeling okay?" Shougo asked.
Later...
"...Nya...I overslept," Mirai yawned.
"Oh, Mirai," I said. "Are you okay?"
"Okay..?" Mirai asked. "What about..?"
"...Well, never mind. If you don't know then I won't bring it up."
"Okay."
It's best not to get him to remember it. Even in that pile of mystery items, he still doesn't know anything about himself.
After a slow and quiet breakfast, we all stood up from our seats. Our numbers have dwindled again...reaching a record low of seven. I can't believe was lost five people last chapter...
"...Well, last time we survived a class trial, a new dome was opened up," Yoshinori pointed out. "You think anything else could have been opened up?"
"I highly doubt it," Noah sighed. "We didn't get an extra dome in the second class trial, did we?"
"We'll have to just ask Monokuma about that later then."
We nodded in agreement, and stayed standing for a little while. To be honest, I think we all didn't know what to do exactly.
"So, anyways, Monokuma said he'd give us the password, right?" Unmei asked.
That's right...the password for the blocked website. We didn't get the textbook back, but he said that he'd give us access to that site. I wonder what information waits there..?
"That's true," Noah said. "Should we call for him..?"
"Oh, no need," Yoshinori replied. "He gave me the password this morning, so we can just walk to the computer. Frankly, that's probably a good thing."
"Alright, so...should we head out now..?" I asked.
"Yeah, okay," Mirai responded. "Let's go then."
With that, Mirai began walking out.
"We should follow..." Shougo said, and he left quickly as well. Following that, Unmei, Kaito, and Yoshinori followed in pursuit.
I nodded to myself. I should probably head out with them.
And as I walked towards the exit...I felt a warm hand place on my shoulder.
Music Halts
"Keiko. I'd like to have a word with you, if I may."
"H-huh..?"
"During the last class trial, you were exhibiting some strange behavior. I do not believe that was due to any illness, however."
Huh? Why was he...
"Why bring that up now, all of a sudden..?"
"Oh, it just seemed...forced."
"...S-so, what are you saying..?"
"I'm saying, there must be a reason for you to have acted in such a way..? Care to emphasize..?"
Did he know..? Not like I'll respond, but...
"Are you mute..? Perhaps you'd like me to answer for you..?"
"What..?!"
Soundtrack: Re New World Order
"I would like to know why you voted for both of them to be executed."
"H-huh?!"
"I don't particularly care for anyone showing criminal behavior. You fall under that definition quite well, don't you think..?"
"I-I didn't -"
"Don't try and weasel out of this, Keiko. I observed your behavior throughout the class trial...I noticed how you went completely, or at least relatively, calm during the announcement of the double vote. And then soon, you went to freaking out. And then even later, you went back to your room in a hurry."
"W-wha-"
"It's nothing I'm holding personal against you. Frankly, by your erratic behavior, I'm sure there had to be... a semi reasonable explanation for all of this?"
"N-no, wait a minute -"
"Why don't you and I chat about this now..? Wouldn't it be a shame if the others found out..? If Mirai found out..?"
"...Fine. What do you want?"
"As I said. Just a reason for your betrayal."
"..."
I took in a deep breath, and stared Noah right in the eyes. There was no point in trying to convince him I didn't mean it, unless I did my best to explain the truth to him.
"I honestly don't know why. A feeling came over me, and...I guess my fingers slipped or something. Either way, it's not like I don't regret my decision. I mean, I really regret my decision. Okay?"
"Should I really just believe that?"
"Well you don't have to. And I'm not really asking you..."
Noah stared back, his gaze intense and intimidating. Was I able to convince him..?
Soundtrack: Beautiful Dead
"Alright."
Huh..? Alright..?
Well, that was easy...I guess.
"I believe you. I don't believe such a boring person like you could ever do something like that anyways."
"Excuse me..?"
"Don't take that as an insult. I've seen criminals. You aren't one of them."
"Well, thanks, I guess..."
"Though I still have my doubts about some things, I'm sure the truth will expose it self sooner or later."
"...Yeah. I'm confused too."
"I find the whole, 'I was compelled to do so by a mysterious force,' a bit lame, but I suppose your secret is safe with me for now. It won't do any good to reveal it to the others. It'll just bring more malicious thoughts."
"Thanks. I appreciate it."
"Don't worry about it. For now."
For now...those words were a bit intimidating. Though now that I think about it, I think Noah is able to keep a secret.
And I think talking about it helped me feel a little better too.
==NOAH'S REPORT CARD HAS BEEN UPDATED==
ID: Noah Sloan / Super Highschool Level Police Officer
|||Noah ensured Keiko that he would keep her secret.|||
Closeness Level: 2 == Level Up! == 3
...Huh. So we're alone now, aren't we..?
Now that I think about it...there's something I want to ask Noah too. It was a while back, so I don't know if he remembers anything about it, but... it wouldn't hurt to ask.
To be honest though, I'm a bit surprised I remembered it myself.
"Hey, Noah, do you mind if I ask you something..?"
"What is it..?" he asked.
"Well, this is way back when, but back at...um, Hideki's murder..."
"Hideki..?"
"You said you were walking alone at night. I dunno, that just sounded a bit ominous, so I was wondering if something was up with you that night too."
"..."
"I mean obviously you wouldn't remember it. But I like keeping secrets, so since you know mine, maybe we could trade!"
"...That won't be possible."
Huh? ...That won't be possible..? It's one thing to say he wouldn't want to, but...impossible?
"Why..?" I asked.
"We should head to the others back at the computer room," Noah said, changing the subject rather skillfully. "I'd hate to make the others wait for us."
"S-sure..." I said.
Noah..? Do you remember what I'm talking about..?
And if you do, why are you being so defensive about it..?
...Well, I'm probably being a hypocrite. I'll just leave him to his secrets.
With that, I left the cafeteria with Noah to head for the others. It was time to crack the code of whatever was in that website.
Location: The AV Room | Time: 7:42 AM | Chapter Four | 21 DAYS LEFT
"Oh, Master!" Mirai called out, as Noah and I entered the room. "We were waiting for you. What kept you two..?"
I felt bad about keeping the secret from Mirai...but Noah was right. We probably shouldn't expose my secret. It's not that I don't want the others to know...I just don't want to cause any chaos.
"W-we were just talking," I explained. "Nothing interesting."
Mirai didn't even hesitate to believe me...
"That's good, I guess," Mirai said. "Anyways, we're about to bust through this computer website. Yoshinori already has the webpage loaded!"
"So, what's the password?" I asked to Yoshinori.
"Well, Monokuma told me the password was '11037.' Sort of simple for a password if you ask me. And a strange number combination too."
11037..? That is strange.
"Anyways, I got through the web filtering, so we can finally look to see what Monokuma was hiding from us. Right?"
"Right," Kaito said, his tone enthusiastic. "Let's go and-"
Soundtrack: Monokuma Sensei's Lesson
"Kuma!" screamed Monokuma as he appeared in front of the computer screen.
"What the hell?!" Yoshinori squealed in surprise. "You nearly gave me a heart attack!"
"You don't have a heart sweetie, you're made of metal. Anyways, I can't have you looking at the website yet!"
"What..?! Why not?!" Shougo yelled.
"Don't get all twisty with me!" Monokuma yelled back. "It's not that I don't want you to see the contents of that website. I just thought that something else was more important to you bastards! Maybe you'd like to see that instead?"
More important..?
"Are you talking about the textbook..?" Unmei asked.
"Bzzt. Incorrect."
"...Well, I can't really imagine anything other than the textbook," Unmei said. "Did you bake us a cake..?"
"Oh, I love cake," Mirai said. "I haven't had it in a while though...or do I like cake? Maybe pie..."
"Okay, well, it's not any desert foods," Monokuma said. "Man, you guys sure are a big ol' pile of dumbass. What I'm talking about of course..."
Soundtrack: Monokuma Sensei's Extracurricular Lesson
"Is Hikaru! Whoopie! He's back in action!"
W-what?! Hikaru..?
"Hikaru..?" Kaito stammered. "Did I hear that right..?"
"H-he's back? You fixed him?!" Unmei yelped. "Where is he? Let us see!"
"Oh, he's that prisoner, isn't he?" Mirai asked. "Hmm...maybe he has cake."
Noah wore a blank face throughout all of this, and he simply walked out of the room, beckoning for us to follow him.
"Come on," he said, with a bored expression. "We should go. He's probably in the infirmary."
"You mean where Master almost died?" Mirai asked.
Yes, thank you for that reminder, Mirai.
"Anyways, let's go," I said. "If he's really back..."
"...Wait a minute," Shougo said, stopping us in our tracks. "Are we mentally prepared..?"
"Mentally prepared? For what?" Unmei asked. "We've always wanted to -"
"We never know what Monokuma did to Hikaru..!" Shougo exclaimed. "For all we know...he could have turned him into a robot! Who...squirts soda out of his eyes, or something! I mean he freaking died! How else would he come back to life?"
"I take offense to that!" Monokuma yelled. "I use high quality carbonated drinks! Not plain old sodas!"
"But, is he really back with us?" Unmei asked. "I...I mean, I killed him..!"
"Yeah, well, he's back from the dead, so be grateful that I didn't decide to hang up and fertilize his dead body on a meat hook."
Hikaru..? He was "alive?" But without a doubt, he was dead when we saw him get burned alive, so...how could he be alive? That doesn't seem possible to me.
"Upupupu, c'mon..." Monokuma snickered. "You should follow Noah! Do you wanna see your wife beater or not?"
"It's not like we don't want to..." I muttered.
"Then get your asses rolling before I decide to crisp him again."
Music Halts
After his last snarky comment, he didn't leave us much time for a breather. Hikaru...he's really back alive? Is it really Hikaru..?
Soundtrack: Beautiful Morning
"C'mon, Master," Mirai said. "Let's go see Hikaru..."
"I'm sure he'll be happy to see us," Yoshinori pointed out. "We just have to go to the infirmary, right? That's what Noah said."
"T-then I'm heading off!" Unmei cried. She sped off in a blur, leaving the rest of us behind.
"H-hold on..!" Kaito scrambled, follows after her. "If you run like that..!"
"I'll go ahead too," Yoshinori said. "You guys following?"
"I'm right behind you," Shougo said.
Of course we were...how could we not?
Is this what's really happening though? How could Hikaru be alive..? He was most definitely burnt to a crisp back then. I couldn't reverse the image of Hikaru being killed. It was burnt into my mind...so how could it be possible for him to be alive of all things? How does that make any sense..?
"Master, you look troubled...what are you feeling right now..?" Mirai asked. "Are you hungry..? Sometimes when I'm hungry, I eat a snack..."
"N-no," I sighed. "I'm just reluctant on what Monokuma said. I doubt the fact that he left Hikaru just as he was alive."
"Do you think he did something to him..?"
"I hope not...but I can't shake this bad feeling."
"...Well then, we should follow them, right..?"
"Probably."
"...Okay then." Mirai nodded in approval and disappeared into the hallway. I walked close behind him, but I still had a mental shield on. I was prepared for the worst, because if anything...I expected it.
Music Halts
Location: Infirmary | Time: 8:19 AM | Chapter Four | 21 DAYS LEFT
…
…
"W-what the..?!" Shougo stammered. "Why..."
"What happened..?" Unmei gasped. "How is this..!"
"...This is not normal," Noah grunted. "Tell me Hikaru. What did Monokuma do to you..? Or...no, why didn't he..?"
I stared at Hikaru. He stood there in front of us, his figure and appearance imposing as usual. It wasn't anything I was expecting, and I guess it was a good thing, but he stood there. Tall and buff as usual. He wore the same clothes and had the same appearance.
Completely normal.
Unchanged.
Did...Monokuma really do nothing..?
AN: Hmm, so Hikaru is just as he was before...but he's back. So clap your hands for that.