AN: Investigation Part 2, lol. This update was real early, lol. I even told someone they should expect an update Thursday, but it's late Monday. Rule of thumb guys, with updates, I'm wildly inconsistent =3=
TheRoseShadow21: Thanks! Tried to return with a bang, lol.
FateOblivion: Well I can't say much but we're surely nearing our endgame. Thanks for the review, hope I'm here to stay this time :)
Soundtrack: Aria of the Soul
"…Keiko."
I looked in front of me – a dusty black figure stood at the end of a long table. She stood there, domineering over the silverware that was now placed on newly etched seats. Her hands were pressed onto the table, as she leaned in.
"Keiko, get up."
I looked dazed, and tilted my head. My head was pounding, and I couldn't recognize the voice of this woman who was calling out to me. How could I get up..? I'm...there's no way I could leave this place. I mean, who killed Mirai..? I need to find out… I can't leave.
"Keiko…I'm getting you out of here. You can leave, okay? Get up!"
Leave..?
"Keiko, what are you doing? We need to leave now."
…This voice, I know this voice. Nanako?
"Listen, Keiko," Nanako said. "We don't have much time. I can get you out right now – you can move now! You can get up from that seat and leave. This nightmare can be over if you just cooperate."
"B-but, Mirai," I stuttered. "I-I can't…I need to know..!"
"We can't let this happen again," Nanako said. "This is the last time. My boss told me not to pursue this, but this is the time! You need to get up from that seat! We need to get out of here!"
Nanako stared at me for a couple more seconds, then let out a deep sigh. She nervously twitched around to the door of the room, peering outside, looking for something. Her boss…does she mean the man that would usually accompany her? Cooperate..? How would I leaving this seat help her somehow?
"Nanako…what am I doing here?" I asked desperately. "I need to go back..! I need to go avenge Mirai!"
"Listen, Keiko, we don't have time. You have to get out of that seat!"
I violently shook my head. I was determined not to leave. Nanako ran over to me. For the first time, I could see her eyes. I couldn't make out any of her other facial features in much detail, but her eyes were wide. They were fearful – I could tell with how wide her eyes stretched out.
"Let's go! What are you doing?" she asked.
She began to shake me violently, but I couldn't even focus on that. What am I doing back here..? I need to get back into the dome and…
"Shit!" she said to herself.
She ran away back out the door, and she peered out of the room once more. She punched the wall, and ran back to me.
"I'll come back for you later," she started. "I can't get you out now, but you weren't going to leave anyways. Just…don't die, okay? Don't die in there again!"
…Again?
With no time to ask questions, Nanako snapped her fingers. In the last moments of darkness before a familiar sense of dread came over me, I could see her run out of the room, panicking. And just before I closed my eyes, another figure came in, and faced towards me.
Location: ? Time: ? | 12 DAYS LEFT
…Where am I?
I looked around me, dazed and confused. Noah, Unmei, and Shougo were sprawled around the floor near me.
Soundtrack: Despair Syndrome
"Ungh…what happened?" I asked myself.
I crawled over the stone floor and tried shaking Unmei awake.
"Hey…Hey, Unmei, wake up," I said weakly.
But she wouldn't wake.
I got up, and took a look around. It looks like…a prison cell. Could we be in the catacombs..? This is definitely something I've seen before…
I walked over to Noah, and tried shaking him awake.
"Noah…"
After a while, Noah groaned, getting up slowly. He rubbed his back in pain, and took a moment to look around once like I did.
"These are…the catacombs," he said. "We woke up in these prisons when the game started."
"Yeah…" I said. "I wonder how we got here."
"Monokuma must have knocked us all out somehow. After that, we got sent to these catacombs again, huh..?"
"I guess so. You think we should investigate this room?"
Noah nodded, and without a second thought, he walked towards the middle of the room where a paper bag lay. On the front, it was labelled as a "goodie bag."
"This is curious," Noah said, as he opened up the bag.
Rummaging through the bag, Noah eventually brought up a couple of peculiar items. He took out a modified Monokuma File, and handed it to me.
"Turn it on," he said. "See who's it is."
I nodded, and pressed the power switch. After a while, the file made a loud buzzing noise, and a name came up.
"This is…yours, Noah," I said.
"I see," he responded. "Then this must be my prison cell."
"Why do you say that..?"
"We all woke up in prison cells that were designated to us. There were nameplates in front of the walls, just like the dormitories."
I nodded, and Noah turned again, facing the bag.
"There's a few weapons in here," he said as he was searching. "Here's a knife, and a small razor. There's also some duct tape."
"Why are they still in your room..?"
"I didn't take them with me when I left," he responded. "I presume everyone else was the same."
A few moments later, Noah put the bag down, and sighed, looking at me.
"Everyone got these goodie bags," he said. "I remember the weapons must have been assigned randomly, as I received the katana and Unmei received a dagger. I'm going to go check the other goodie bags – you stay here and look out for the others."
"I need to come to," I said. "I need…I need to know."
"I know how you're feeling," Noah said. "If you really want to, I could stay and you can go, but someone needs to watch over these guys. I mean first of all, Yoshinori is presumably still roaming around these halls."
"I know…" I said.
"…and if one of us were to run into her, well, I assume it'd be more of a tragedy if you were to be caught, Keiko."
I looked down on the floor and shuffled my feet. I didn't know how to respond – he was right, but I really didn't want to leave it to him. Not that he wasn't capable, but…these murder seemed so personal to me. Like I needed to know who did it myself.
"Alright," I said, finally giving in. "Just be sure…if you find anything, let me be the first person to know, okay?"
Noah nodded, and slowly walked out of the prison cell, leaving me, Unmei, and Shougo behind.
Location: Prison Cell Hallway | Time: ? | 12 DAYS LEFT
Music Halts
…Now that I'm out of there, I suppose I should look around this hallway and see if I can find some of the goodie bags. Maybe someone left them behind. Since the weapons were acquired randomly, Meowykins didn't want this to be a fair fight. Perhaps since I got the katana, and Mirai got the gun, he wanted the stronger ones to be able to wipe out the others quickly.
…Actually, I should be looking for which goodie bag had a gun. Mirai presumably died to three gunshots, so that means that whoever had a gun has to be at least somehow related, isn't that right?
Well then, let's get stared, Noah. Don't worry…no pressure. Just the mental stability of a friend, waiting in your cell for results when you get back.
INVESTIGATION CONTINUE!
Soundtrack: Ekoroshia
[…Let's see, it may be a good idea to check Mirai's cell first. Not that he would have killed himself or anything, as he received three gun wounds and none to the head, but there may be some clues as to where he went after he disappeared from the museum, or his walking patterns as we participated in this sick game. After that, I need to check each and every other cell of ours and make sure these goodie bags are safely in check.]
Location: Mirai's Cell | Time: ? | 12 DAYS LEFT
[…Huh?]
[Mirai's goodie bag isn't here. That means that he brought his supplies to defend himself? Or did someone take the goodie bag from his room? We weren't with him, so we have no way of knowing whether or not he intended to fight…]
== Mirai's Missing Bag has been added as ammunition. (12)
[…Let's see, is there anything else here of note..?]
…
…
[Oh, it's Mirai's Monokuma File on the bed over there. Let's take a look…]
NOAH: …Well, before that, I need to remember how Meowykins whole Battle Royale game worked.
[Let's see…the rules of this twisted game were as follows.]
Flashback!
Rules for Meowykins' Battle Royale!
To enjoy the battle royale that Meowykins has prepared for y'all today, it is imperative that you follow the rules that are listed below. If you do not, you will be immediately disqualified andpunished.The rules are:
You may wander anywhere in the battle arena
You may use any of the tools you find at your disposal. Use them at your own risk.
The winner of the battle royale will be allowed to leave the school, just like normal. The winner will be decided by a point system.
Points are decided on the following. If you are able to inflict an injury upon someone, you earn one point. If you are able to kill anyone, you earn five points. You may also force points in case of an emergency by harming yourself. If you cut yourself, you earn one point. If you remove a limb from yourself, you earn five points.
There will not be any medical aid for injuries unless found/bought.
You may use your points to buy information about your school life to prepare you for the outside world. However, be careful, as you want the most points to escape!
You may use your points to buy food and first aid. It will be delivered by Meowykins.
Use the modified Monokuma File distributed in the goodie bag to order information and supplies.
Everyone starts with five points! Yay!
== Battle Royale Rules have been added as ammunition. (13)
NOAH: In addition, with these modified Monokuma Files, after earning a certain amount of points by committing different heinous deeds, such as harming yourself or harming others. Doing a certain task would allow you to earn different amounts of points.
[Mirai's Monokuma File has 0 points left, however. Let's look at his transaction history…]
[…]
[Mirai bought…information?]
== Mirai's Transaction History has been added as ammunition. (14)
NOAH: He didn't buy food or water, or save up for a weapon? What could have compelled Mirai to buy information instead of save for survival tools..?
[This is odd. Now I'm curious as to what was inside Mirai's goodie bag.]
NOAH: …Alright, I suppose I should go check the other rooms now.
[…]
After checking all the other rooms, Noah walked back in front of Noah's cell.
[All of the rooms didn't have their goodie bags inside…That makes sense. I recall everyone walking around the catacombs with their weapons. However, Mirai was the only one with a pistol. Keiko had a shotgun but there's no way that the shotgun could have dispersed those three bullets that easily. I suppose the only logical order of events after mean that Mirai either had to have shot himself, or had to have been killed by someone who disarmed him.]
NOAH: …Actually…
[I took a deep breath in, and proceeded to yell with all my might.]
NOAH: Monokuma!
Soundtrack: Mr. Monokuma's Lesson
MONOKUMA: You rang, Mr. Policeman?
NOAH: …I just had a question.
MONOKUMA: Oh, inquisitive, are we? Does it behoove you, the policeman, to ask questions in such a simple crime as this?
NOAH: This case seems anything but simple.
MONOKUMA: Well, I suppose it doesn't to you guys, but it's far from complex in my eyes. But whatever, your low intelligence doesn't concern me. What's your question?
NOAH: If Mirai were to be shot and killed by Yoshinori, that would be a natural death, correct?
MONOKUMA: In what way?
NOAH: Say someone tripped off of a cliff and fell into a vat of acid and died. That wouldn't be a murder, so there would not be a trial. In fact, in accordance to your rules, you'd be obligated to save that student somehow.
MONOKUMA: I guess so.
NOAH: So say someone came across Yoshinori while she was in her death frenzy. Say Yoshinori used some of her guns, as she was a robot, and shot Mirai.
MONOKUMA: Well, she technically could still be considered a student at that point.
NOAH: You earlier said she might as well not be.
MONOKUMA: Upupu, I'm flexible though, you know? One second I could want pork for dinner, and the other second, I might want to go kill a horse.
NOAH: Well, can you give me a straight answer?
MONOKUMA: Well, if I were the one to sabotage with Yoshinori's settings, I suppose I would still consider her to be enrolled in this academy, but…
NOAH: But..?
MONOKUMA: But it's that dreadful, disgusting, damning, dickfaced whore named Meowykins that messed her up.
NOAH: So in that case…
MONOKUMA: So I guess she's not a student right now. She's more like a tool.
[…My apologies, Yoshinori. You're being called a tool by this stuffed bear.]
== Yoshinori's Status has been added as ammunition. (15)
Soundtrack: Ekoroshia
NOAH: …Hm, I might as well start mapping this floor out. The layout of the catacombs and the final dome seem to be very important.
[Let's see…here I am in the hallway of all our prison cells.]
imgur|com/FSgSOom (change the "|" into a ".")
NOAH: …I guess I'll go back and check on Keiko. Perhaps we can take a look at the rest of the catacombs together?
[I'm anxious about Yoshinori wandering around the school, but Monokuma certainly won't let her hurt us. It'd be against the rules. But then…where exactly is she?]
NOAH: Hmm…
[Yoshinori…are you alright?]
NOAH: …Well, despite everything, now is not the time for me to dwell on that. I should be getting back to the others.
[…]
Location: Noah's Cell | Time: ? | 12 DAYS LEFT
Music Halts
[…I wonder of Noah is okay. If Yoshinori really is wandering around the catacombs, then there's no way Noah can even defend himself. Maybe I should have gone with him…]
*Clink!*
[Huh..? Oh, the door…]
NOAH: Keiko, I've returned.
UNMEI: Oh, it's Noah.
SHOUGO: Find anything?
KEIKO: Hey Noah. The two woke up while you were gone.
NOAH: …
KEIKO: Something wrong?
NOAH: …I'm concerned about Yoshinori.
KEIKO: Oh…yeah.
SHOUGO: I hope she's alright. Haven't seen her in a while.
UNMEI: That's because she's on death metal, dude.
KEIKO: Well, anyways, I'm sure we'll find her during the rest of our investigation.
NOAH: …That's right. We'll find out something, at least.
[…Sounds ominous.]
NOAH: Well, no matter. Let's get back to work.
KEIKO: Right…
[…Is Yoshinori okay? Something tells me Noah thinks otherwise…]
Soundtrack: Ekoroshia
KEIKO: So… what should we search next?
NOAH: Well…first of all, we've only looked at the surrounding aspects of this case.
SHOUGO: You mean, we haven't looked at how Mirai actually died?
UNMEI: But he was shot three times, wasn't he?
NOAH: I mean, how was he shot? Where did the culprit even get a gun?
UNMEI: Oh, so you mean, we have to look more in depth to how he actually died.
NOAH: Correct. Also, where was the crime scene..?
KEIKO: Well, these catacombs are pretty big. There's lots of places where Mirai could have died.
SHOUGO: Also, wasn't Monokuma fixing this place? What if he tampered with the evidence?
UNMEI: W-wait a minute! He can't do that!
Soundtrack: Mr. Monokuma's Lesson
MONOKUMA: Yeah! What the hell? Do you not trust your headmaster or something?
SHOUGO: No one trusts you!
NOAH: …Shougo brings up a good point though, Monokuma. What were you doing while we weren't in the catacombs?
MONOKUMA: I was…uh, fixing this place.
NOAH: Fixing it how?
MONOKUMA: Er, you don't really wanna know. I mean, c'mon, Noah! You have more important matters! Mirai died, y'know.
NOAH: Monokuma…don't test my patience.
MONOKUMA: Uguu… Noah is threatening me… What am I gonna do?
MONOKUMA: Well, I've had it up to here! I'm not getting pushed around anymore! Lovable creatures have feelings too!
NOAH: I doubt that…
MONOKUMA: Yeah, well, take it or leave it. I was fixing this place, you got it?
KEIKO: But how..? What exactly needed fixing?
MONOKUMA: …
UNMEI: Did something happen to the catacombs..?
MONOKUMA: …
SHOUGO: Are you going to answer any of our questions?
MONOKUMA: …Well, I can answer one.
NOAH: That is..?
MONOKUMA: I swear, on my prestige as a headmaster, the evidence was left in the proper condition as Mirai was killed.
NOAH: …I see.
KEIKO: Wait a minute, that's…that's still fishy.
MONOKUMA: Well, I'm not going to answer anything else, so you can ask all the questions you want. This bear is going through hibernation.
KEIKO: But…wait.
MONOKUMA: …
NOAH: Keiko, I would ask these questions later during the trial.
KEIKO: It's bugging you too though, right Noah?
NOAH: Indeed. That statement was vague. I wonder if there's something else behind all of that…
== Monokuma's Testimony has been added as ammunition. (16)
Soundtrack: Ekoroshia
[After a while, Monokuma disappeared in thin air and left us to our investigation…]
KEIKO: …Well, I guess we should head out then.
Location: Prison Cell Hallway | Time: ? | 12 DAYS LEFT
KEIKO: …So, where do we even start? I don't even know where everything is.
UNMEI: These catacombs are like a maze…I wouldn't be surprised if there were like, hidden rooms everywhere.
NOAH: Well, that's not exactly a stretch. Remember all the rooms up on the surface..?
SHOUGO: You're talking about the supply closet and the underwater base?
NOAH: Well, yes, but not just that. There should be more than just that. There has to be a hidden sector somewhere – and that means in these catacombs is a way back up to the surface.
KEIKO: What do you mean..?
NOAH: Consider back to the time Meowykins first sent us down here. Before that, Mirai had disappeared.
KEIKO: You mean, you think he found a hidden room somewhere and got here first?
NOAH: It's not unlikely.
[…So, what if Mirai didn't find that hidden passage? Maybe he'd still be alive…]
NOAH: Aside from that, I've already started to sketch out a map of the catacombs.
KEIKO: Awesome, how far did you get?
NOAH: Well, I only got this hallway so far. But I'm willing to map out the rest of the floor while you guys look for more evidence.
UNMEI: Shouldn't we go together though..? Yoshinori and all?
NOAH: However, Yoshinori cannot kill us. Monokuma would see to it that even if we're shot or anything, we can proceed with the trial. He said Yoshinori was hardly one of his students anymore.
KEIKO: What..? But that's not right! She's still one of us!
SHOUGO: Yoshinori might be a machine, but –
NOAH: You guys are kind, and of course correct, but you shouldn't be encouraging Monokuma. In the event that…something bad happens.
[…I guess Noah's right. We shouldn't aggravate this topic like that.]
NOAH: In any case, we should split up. We'll cover more ground that way.
SHOUGO: Well, in that case, I'll go with you. Still doesn't feel right if you go alone.
UNMEI: Then, I'll tag along with Keiko.
[Our two teams nodded to each other, and we each went the opposite direction…]
Location: ? | Time: ? | 12 DAYS LEFT
[…Being with Noah is…kind of awkward. He doesn't talk much. Though I guess we shouldn't exactly be talking during all of this.]
NOAH: …
SHOUGO: So…Noah. You find anything out?
NOAH: Not particularly.
SHOUGO: Cool, cool. You…doing okay with the map?
NOAH: I believe so.
SHOUGO: Nice, nice…
[…Maybe I should have gone with Keiko.]
[…Actually, there is something I should consult Noah about.]
SHOUGO: Hey, Noah, I got something to tell you.
NOAH: What? You're not going to confess, are you?
SHOUGO: N-no. I just remembered something about this case that I thought was important…
NOAH: Go on…
SHOUGO: Well…during the Battle Royale, on my way of meeting you guys, I saw Mirai.
Soundtrack: Weekly Despair Magazine
NOAH: You… did?
SHOUGO: Yeah.
NOAH: Well, I do recall seeing you around Mirai…
Flashback!
"W-where's Mirai?" Keiko asked.
"He's here," Noah confirmed. "I saw him talking to Shougo."
NOAH: You should have reminded us earlier..! We could have talked about that as a group.
SHOUGO: I'm sorry…I just forgot to mention it. And hey, you forgot too! You could have mentioned it just as well!
NOAH: Alright, alright. We're both terrible enforcers of law. Now…you need to tell me exactly what you two were talking about.
SHOUGO: What we were talking about..? Well, it wasn't long. Mirai seemed to be in a rush for something.
NOAH: What was he in a rush about?
SHOUGO: I don't know! I'm trying to remember. He was just really on edge. He…he…
[What was Mirai all upset about anyways..? Think Shougo, think. This could help decide the case…]
NOAH: …Well? Shougo?
[…I got it! I remember!]
SHOUGO: He was… he was trying to find Keiko!
NOAH: Keiko..? Why could he not just find one of us and join us?
SHOUGO: Well, it wasn't like he was finding her for safety or anything. I remember saying he needed to talk to Keiko about something.
NOAH: He needed to talk to her?
SHOUGO: Yeah. I think that's what he said.
NOAH: …This is troubling…
SHOUGO: What? Why? The two are close. They always talk to each other.
NOAH: No, that's not it. There's… something.
SHOUGO: What? What are you talking about?
NOAH: Keiko…I believe I know what Mirai wanted to talk to her about, but…
SHOUGO: Noah? Do you know something..?
NOAH: …
[What's Noah talking about..? Is… Keiko holding secrets from us?]
NOAH: I'm sorry…I would not feel right revealing this to you.
SHOUGO: What are you talking about? What's going on with Keiko?
NOAH: It's nothing. It's not even related to this case, alright?
SHOUGO: Noah, if you know something, you have to tell us!
NOAH: I-I can't!
SHOUGO: Why not?! You might be saving our lives here, you know!
NOAH: …It's…It's just…
SHOUGO: Noah, you need to tell me! Hell, when we reconvene with Unmei, you need to tell her too!
NOAH: …I'll tell you when we get back together as a group. But right now, I need to think about this.
SHOUGO: Noah? What could you possibly be holding your tongue for?
NOAH: Forgive me. It's riding my conscience.
SHOUGO: …Well, you'd better tell us later, before the trial. If not, I'll think something is up.
NOAH: …
[What's Noah talking about..? Does he know something about Keiko?]
== Encounter with Mirai has been added as ammunition. (17)
Music Halts
Location: ? | Time: ? | 12 DAYS LEFT
Soundtrack: Ekoroshia
[…Don't worry, Mirai. We'll find out who killed you. Not just for our lives, but for your sake! And Keiko's sake too! After all, she was the one closest to you!]
KEIKO: …What are you thinking about, Unmei?
UNMEI: H-huh? Oh, nothing.
KEIKO: Hmm, okay.
[…If only Mirai were still alive.]
KEIKO: …Hey, it's a door.
[Keiko's pointing to…a figure in the distance. Oh, it is a door!]
UNMEI: You wanna check out what's inside?
KEIKO: Yeah. I think…there might be something important.
UNMEI: Wait, before that…I don't know. I'm feeling uneasy.
KEIKO: Uneasy about what?
UNMEI: It's just that…well, this is all just so confusing!
KEIKO: Every murder was confusing so far.
UNMEI: That's not what I mean! I mean…there are connections between both cases that are really bothering me.
KEIKO: Like?
UNMEI: Think about it! Each time we came down to the catacombs, we fainted and woke up in a jail cell!
KEIKO: Well, the second time, Monokuma wouldn't even let us in. And the first time, Meowykins forced us into the jail cells, you know?
UNMEI: I know! I just think…well, maybe we should find the entrance to the catacombs instead of looking for hidden passages and everything.
KEIKO: But the hidden passages could be important. Maybe even the route of the killer.
UNMEI: I just think something is off. About everything. This case just doesn't make sense. I would know – it's in my talent!
KEIKO: …Well, I believe your hunch. But just keep it in the back of your mind.
UNMEI: I know.
[We're getting closer to that room in the distance…]
UNMEI: I think something is going on. Something bigger than what we're facing.
KEIKO: Unmei, we're underwater, and our memories have been wiped clean. What else could possibly be happening to us?
UNMEI: I think in our situation, things can easily get worse, you know?
KEIKO: Oh, I doubt that.
UNMEI: I just think something really bad is going to happen. Not necessarily just with this case.
KEIKO: …Well, just don't hold out for anything.
UNMEI: I know. I just…I don't want to be surprised when a curveball is just thrown our way. I hate feeling that way.
KEIKO: Jeez, I know what you mean…
[…Okay, so we made it to the door. Oh, there's a sign. "Testing Facility," huh? That sounds like a terrible place…]
UNMEI: Well, let's go in, I guess.
Music Halts
Location: Testing Facility | Time: ? | 12 DAYS LEFT
Soundtrack: Hope's Breaking Noise
"N-no," I stammered. "I-it can't be..!"
"What's…what's going on?" Keiko said.
In the center of the room lay a completely disfigured, robot body. Her arms, legs, head, chest, all separated, with a gatling gun laying at the side of the room.
There was no mistaking it. These all belonged to Yoshinori. She's been…she's been killed..!