Heaven, With You (Part 1)
"Mr. Morine, I'd like you to meet Ms. Ritsu Kuroyama." ? smiled. "She is the very talented Ultimate Spy."
"Hey," I called. "Nice to meet you. Guess we're going to be seeing a lot of each other, huh?"
"It appears so." She agreed with a nod. "I hope we can both learn something from each other throughout our time here."
"Likewise." I smiled.
"I'm glad you two are getting along, already." ? admitted. "Mr. Jirou and Mr. Kuro have already started trouble with Ms. Kuroyama…"
"Typical Takahashi and Kuro," I sighed. "Sorry to hear they're giving you grief. Those two are definitely the worst ones out of the bunch."
Ritsu shook her head. "I don't mind. They keep things interesting around here."
I nodded. "Well, I'm glad you see it that way. Anyways, it's nice meeting you, Ritsu. I'll be seeing you around."
"Of course." Ritsu said, shaking my hand. "You'll definitely be seeing a lot of me…"
I slowly woke up. Surprisingly, not to the dreaded sound of the morning announcement…
Ugh, I think I overslept...
What a weird dream…
And yet, I couldn't help but feel like it was familiar.
I shrugged off my thoughts, and made my way over to the bathroom.
I looked like an absolute train wreck. Like, seriously, I looked like someone who was rushed into the ER after being hit by a train.
I groaned, taking off the clothes that I've been wearing since last night. Monokuma had ever so thoughtfully supplied us with "shower wipes", in place of taking an actual shower. I didn't really have the energy to drag myself all the way to the shower room, so I used them to get rid of the smell of alcohol that still lingered on my body.
Just a few hours ago, I was getting ready for Cotton's, or rather Takumi's, return party...I was so excited then.
But now, I just wanted to wipe away every trace of it, from the smell of alcohol, to the blood I accidentally got on myself when investigating Silver's corpse.
I sighed, dropping all of my used shower wipes into the waste bin, and headed back into my room for a change of clean clothes.
Once I finally was dressed and ready to go, I mustered up the courage to face my classmates, and left my room.
In the hallway, I ran into Mari...who looked a little different.
…
…
…
"Mari, what the hell are you wearing?" I frowned.
Mari smirked and shrugged. "What's wrong, Seizo, don't you like it? I asked Monokuma if he could lend me one of these. I did a little altering, and now it fits me like a glove!"
This girl is Mari Tamatsuki, whose codename was Royal. She's the Ultimate Runway Model, who's done nothing but cause trouble for all of us since day 1. The only thing she really has going for her is her looks...
Normally, I wouldn't care about the fashion choices that Mari made. But instead of the fur coat she usually wore, she was currently wearing Silver's suit jacket, cropped to fit her. My guess is that Monokuma gave her one of his spares.
"Why, Mari?" I sighed. "Is this some sick joke or something?"
"No!" Mari insisted with a frown. "I actually see it as honoring Silver! I'm wearing a piece of him, so we'll never forget him."
Yeah right…
I rolled my eyes and nodded. "OK, Mari, whatever you say…"
I was then forced to walk with her to the dining room.
"Holy shit." I muttered as soon as I walked in. "Everything is back to normal…"
All of the party decorations were gone, the table and chairs were put back to normal. There was also no traces of any food or drink, or any of the equipment Monokuma gave to Takahashi to play music.
"Monokuma left me a note this morning." Takahashi revealed, seeing my face full of shock as he sat at the head of the table.
The young man is Takahashi Jirou, whose codename was Sunrise. He's the Ultimate Pilot and leader of our group, elected by himself and Monokuma. He can be an asshole...most of the time, but he does a decent job every once in awhile at leading.
"He 'took the liberty' of cleaning up for us, as a courtesy, so we wouldn't have to…" He continued, with a snide tone.
"Tch, whatever…" I mumbled. He probably just wants us to focus more on killing each other than cleaning up after ourselves.
"I wonder if that also means…" Koko started, looking a little pale and disheveled. "That Silver's...body is gone, too."
This usually cheerful young girl is Koko Kagawa, whose codename was Cherry. She's the Ultimate Food Critic, and uses her skills to make us excellent food for breakfast and dinner. Koko recently lost one of her close friends here, Ritsu, so I don't think she's going to be herself for awhile…
"Don't worry, Koko." Hiiro reassured. "It is, I checked this morning."
This man is Hiiro Sayoama, whose codename was Frost. He's the Ultimate Barista who makes us coffee every morning. He has quite an obvious crush on Koko, and often makes a habit of comforting her whenever she's down.
"I wonder what he did to it…" Takumi frowned. "He deserves a proper funeral…"
This rather short young fellow is Takumi Kyoshi, whose codename was Cotton. He's the Ultimate Escapist, who spent the majority of our first week here in the infirmary, after impulsively almost revealing his name, which got him injected with Monokuma's homemade poison: despiscocide.
"It's awful to think about." Francesca sighed. "I can't imagine what Silver's family at home must be thinking. They probably think that their boy is coming home soon, but little do they know…" She trailed off, shaking her head.
This woman is Francesca Croft, whose codename was Emerald. She's officially the Ultimate Archaeologist, but she calls herself the Ultimate Treasure Hunter. She's been one of the nicer ones here, and someone I suspect will be a big sister figure to anyone who needs a shoulder to cry on.
"Hazayn jiddaan…" Evelyn sadly frowned. "I can't imagine what any of our family is going through...it's been a week and we still haven't been rescued."
This young lady is Evelyn Bryant, whose codename was Merigold. She's the Ultimate Translator. She's one of my favorite people here. Always positive, smiling, and just all around friendly, while also standing her ground against people like Mari and Takahashi.
"I'm sure they're looking for us." Leonia claimed. "20 teenagers suddenly disappearing can't have gone unnoticed."
This refined girl is Leonia Taylor, whose codename was Diamond. She's the Ultimate Photoshoot Choreographer, and arguably the richest one here out of all of us. Her family is apparently super rich, and she's engaged to one of the most successful male models in the world.
"They're looking in the wrong place," Jack sighed. "We're in space, after all."
This man is Jack Masaki, whose codename was Mauve. He's the Ultimate Card Dealer, and has a penchant for making deals. He's a good friend of mine, and was responsible for making the drinks during Takumi's party. He also has a little rivalry with Satoko for some reason.
"...I thought we decided that Monokuma might be lying." Isami commented. "There's not really a whole lot of proof to back up his claim, after all…"
This cute little girl is Isami Kanagi, whose codename was Lava. She's the Ultimate Tinkerer, who spends most of her time by herself. She's super smart, from what I've seen so far, but just isn't that social.
"We could break a window and see what happens?" Sonoda suggested, hopefully as a joke…
This black-haired boy is Sonoda Eisen, whose codename was Onyx. He's the Ultimate Salesman, who has a smooth way of talking, and is full of ideas, but can be a little on the dopey side sometimes.
"That'd just kill us if we really are in space…" Norikazu mumbled.
This man is Norikazu Kanno, whose codename was Sage. He's the Ultimate Illustrator, and is quite similar to Isami in terms of lack of social interest, but he's a little more on the bold side. He started an argument with Takahashi over a spilled peach bellini, which actually proved to be a pivotal event in proving Ritsu was the killer.
"We still don't have any answers as to why we're here, either." Satoko sighed. "Wherever here even is…"
This girl is Satoko Kiyomizu, whose codename was Rose. She's the Ultimate Prodigy and has done a lot to help us become used to being here, as one of the co-founders of the 'team building activities'.
"I w-wonder if we'll never find out…" Nadia said in a fearful tone.
This shy girl is Nadia Levitsky, whose codename was Indigo. Despite her shy demeanor, she's actually the talented Ultimate Daredevil, and is known for her death defying stunts. So far, she's had a little trouble dealing with everything due to her anxious nature, but she's gotten a lot better than how she was on day 1.
"I'm s-scared…" Shiro sniffed. "And I want to go h-home…"
This poor young man is Shiro, who also has an alternate personality known as Kuro. Their codenames were Cloud and Shadow. The two of them are the Ultimate Occultists. Poor Shiro has taken this the hardest out of all of us. He's cried more times than I can count, and has had to deal with Kuro's mischievous personality coming out of nowhere and putting him in uncomfortable situations, like being forced to watch Ritsu's execution…
"I'm here if you need anything, Shiro." Akumu smiled. "And that goes for everyone. If you start to feel a little down, please come see me and I'll do my best to cheer you up."
This amazing young man is Akumu Tsubasa, whose codename was Azure. He's the Ultimate Cryptid Enthusiast, and one of my best friends. He's the most positive person out of all of us, and encourages me to see things in a more positive light.
I glanced around at all of my classmates, watching as they conversed amongst themselves.
There was one person who kept their mouth shut throughout our entire conversation…
Clara Odette, whose codename was Scarlet. She is the Ultimate Modern Dancer, who is friendly yet feisty, especially when it comes to dealing with Takahashi. Speaking of her and Takahashi, Clara tried to kill him in order to escape the HFH Enterprise. She ultimately failed, and quickly realized the error of her ways, but I think deep down, she feels super guilty. And judging by how no one's really talking to her, I guess they are on the same page…
Our conversation was suddenly interrupted by the devil incarnate.
He appeared right in the middle of our table, with no shame apparent on his face whatsoever.
"Everyone seems so mopey!" He commented. "You guys are acting like someone died or something!"
…
…
…
"Oh wait, both Silver and Ritsu bit the dust last night!" He cackled.
"If you're just going to make us feel bad, you can leave." Evelyn glared, crossing her arms.
"Exactly." Francesca nodded, glaring at the animatronic bear.
"Your words wound me," Monokuma pouted. "I think I'll end it all right now and join Silver and Ritsu in the afterlife…"
"By all means, go ahead." Takahashi encouraged.
"You won't be missed." Mari sneered.
"Geez, you guys are awfully cold hearted!" Monokuma exclaimed. "Aren't you forgetting that it was ultimately Ritsu who decided to commit murder? It's not like I forced her to!"
"Yeah, but you encouraged her to." Takumi frowned. "By holding this killing game in the first place!"
"Killing game, schmilling game," Monokuma said dismissively. "Anyways, that's not what I'm here to talk to you kiddos about! I want to give you guys not one, but two special gifts!"
"Gifts?" Akumu repeated with a frown. "We don't want your gifts!"
"Are you sureeee?" Monokuma inquired, cocking his head to the side. "One of them is from your BFF, Silver!"
Everyone stopped talking.
"Do we still get a prize?" Noir asked Silver, looking up at him with pleading eyes.
Silver chuckled. "Yes, yes. of course. I just need to get it from the announcement room."
Holy shit. So Silver really did have a gift for us? And Monokuma was going to let us have it?
"Upupupu...I'm guessing that means you want to know what it is?" Monokuma giggled.
"Just give it to us already." I glared.
Monokuma relented and pulled out a box out of nowhere. "Voila!"
I took it from his paws and opened it up in front of everybody.
It was...a small trophy. The plaque on the bottom read: "Monopoly Winner". There was a note attached to it:
Congratulations to our winner!
I know this isn't much, but it was the best thing I could find. I actually found it in a Monopoly game, believe it or not!
I hope you like it.
Regards,
Silver
"We'll leave it here." Takahashi declared. "I'll bring a table over from the rec center and we'll display it."
Silver...gone way too soon.
In the end, he might have left us with more questions than answers, but deep down, I think he was a good guy. He deserved to have his memory honored.
"Don't get too excited, but I have another gift for you all!" Monokuma suddenly announced.
We all looked at him with quizzical expressions.
"That can't be good…" Nadia said nervously.
"Oh, don't worry, you guys are going to love it!" Monokuma laughed. "After all, it gives you even more things to do!"
"What are you talking about?" Norikazu frowned.
"I'm talking about the fact that the second floor is now unlocked!" Monokuma revealed.
"...Unlocked?" I repeated. "Why?"
"Well, it would be boring if you all were confined to one floor, wouldn't it?" Monokuma questioned. "So, out of the kindness of my heart, I'm opening up the second floor for you all!"
"No thanks." Takumi glared. "I bet this is a trick."
Monokuma shook his head. "No, siree, I promise it's not! I'm just trying to do something nice for you guys…" Monokuma sniffed, bowing his head.
"I'll believe it when I see it." Takahashi said. "Now go away, we'll look around after breakfast if we want to."
Monokuma lifted his head back up and nodded. "Fine, fine, have it your way! Toodles, bastards, try not to get yourselves killed!"
And with that, he was gone.
"...So annoying." Isami commented.
"You've got that right," Francesca nodded with a sigh.
"Tell me, everyone." Mari said, smirking. "Surely at least one of you has now remembered me after getting some sleep, yes?"
…
…
…
Mari frowned. "How?! I am the Mari Tamatsuki! My face is on magazines all around the country, I've walked for the most well known fashion brands around the world!"
…
…
…
"Fine," Mari huffed. "Be that way!"
"Mari, it's not a personal attack on you that no one knows who you are," I sighed. "None of us recognize each other. But you don't see us complaining…"
"Yeah, well, I wouldn't expect anyone to remember some people here...someone like Clara, for example." Mari remarked with a sly smile. "After all, that dye job of hers probably turns any potential fans away!"
Clara bit her lip and glanced at the ground, but did not say a word.
"Enough, Mari." Takahashi sighed. "Is everyone ready to go explore the second floor?"
Seeing as how we were all finished with our breakfast, we unanimously decided that we were ready.
Everyone got up and left, but I held a certain someone behind…
"Clara," I called.
She turned towards me, looking rather anxious. "Y-yes, Seizo?"
"I know how you're feeling," I sadly frowned. "I can't imagine the guilt that you feel. But please, don't beat yourself up too much about what happened. You may have made a potentially fatal mistake, but ultimately, you recognized the errors of your ways; something Ritsu never did. You admitted to us all what you did instead of lying or beating around the bush, so that just goes to show that you're a good person. You're nowhere near perfect, but shit; none of us are."
Clara offered up a small smile. "Thank you, Seizo. I understand what you're saying, and I guess I shouldn't be too hard on myself, but I still can't forgive myself just yet…I think I need to punish myself for a little while longer, as a way to apologize to Takahashi…"
"...Have you tried actually apologizing to Takahashi? Like, maybe having a private conversation with him?" I suggested.
Clara's face turned red. "I-I'm not ready to talk to him...maybe later, but it's too soon, now…"
I nodded understandingly. "I get it. My suggestion is, just don't wait too long, ok? He deserves an apology sooner rather than later."
"Right," Clara nodded. "I will."
Clara and I made our way over to the announcement room.
"Everything really is gone…" Clara commented. Everything we had stored in the announcement room, along with Silver's body, had disappeared.
"It's kind of a relief, in a way." I commented. "I don't think any of us would've enjoyed having to clean up after what happened…"
I looked to my right, and sure enough, the stairway to the second floor was now unblocked.
It was pretty weird thinking about the fact that we now had an entire other floor to explore, but it was also kind of nice. I was getting a little stir crazy doing the same shit everyday, so hopefully this new floor will offer us a change of pace from our daily lives.
And maybe the fact that we now have more to do will encourage us to not kill…
"Let's go," I smiled. "I have a good feeling about this new floor."
Clara nodded. "Hopefully you're right."
We climbed the stairs and were greeted with a surprisingly pleasant sight.
Unlike the first floor's plain and modern appearance, the second floor had more of an urban vibe to it. The walls were brick, and had various posters of different movies, shows, and random pop stars (none of which displayed any of the 20 of us). The lighting throughout the floor was tinted purple.
The only thing I disliked about the second floor's layout was the flooring itself. It was pure concrete, and made the whole floor look like a dive bar.
But overall, it was a nice break from the futuristic design of the first floor.
"Let's split up." Clara suggested.
I nodded. "Sure."
And so, she entered the first room in the hallway, while I walked a little further to the second room.
I entered, and immediately observed my surroundings.
It seems this room was some sort of game room. There was a ping pong table, air hockey, and a pool table. In addition, there were two couches facing a table. There was also shelves filled with even more board games than the rec center! The most interesting thing in the room was an arcade machine, that was decorated with various arcade characters. My guess is that it's one of those machines that can play multiple games.
Takumi, Satoko, Jack, and Francesca were currently in the room, investigating.
"This room is so cool!" Takumi remarked with a bright smile. "Even better than the rec room, in my opinion."
"There does seem to be more things to do." Francesca nodded. "This arcade machine alone could keep someone busy for hours on end!"
"It's definitely a nice addition to the things we have available to us." Jack said.
"I'm sure we can have plenty of fun game nights, now, with the combination of games we have available from the rec room and this game room!" Satoko beamed.
"It is pretty cool," I nodded. "Though, I wonder what something like this is doing on a space ship."
"I think it's just for entertainment." Takumi suggested with a shrug. "Maybe if the astronauts got bored?"
"Astronauts?" Jack repeated. "What are you suggesting?"
"Well, there might be a possibility that this ship was built for us," Takumi started. "But what if it wasn't?"
"Are you saying that our kidnappers hijacked an already built spaceship, and then took us here to play the killing game?" Francesca asked.
Takumi nodded. "It's certainly possible, right? I mean, do you think our kidnappers really went all out on this place just to have us kill each other off?"
"There are certainly a lot of strange things in this place," Satoko nodded. "Like, why do we have a computer lab if the computers are locked? And how come there was that strange tablet?"
"Not to mention the fact none of our rooms have name plates," Francesca brought up. "We have these strange e-Handbooks and our own trial stands, but our rooms were simply designated to us via the design on the door and the key."
Ugh, there's so many mysteries about our captivity in this place! We keep getting more and more questions, without a single one of our previous questions getting answered!
I bid adieu to the four of them and moved onto the next room.
This room was...a pool?!
"How the hell…?" I muttered as soon as I entered. A pool in space?
The room was pretty big, with a decent sized pool in the middle. There were also bleachers, a lifeguard chair, and several weird machines, with "Anti-gravity" written on them.
Mari, Takahashi, Koko, Hiiro, Leonia, and Evelyn were investigating this room.
"It's certainly grand, that's for certain." Leonia commented. "A pool on a spaceship…"
"I'm betting Monokuma put these anti-gravity machines here to make sure everything is safe." Evelyn suggested. "After all, a large body of water in space doesn't sound like a good idea…"
"This is perfect! If only I could get my tan on…" Mari groaned.
"This could be dangerous, this pool is pretty damn deep." Takahashi noted, looking at the measurements around the pool.
"Hiiro, we should go swimming soon." Koko said with a smile. "Maybe it'll help take my mind off everything…"
"Of course," Hiiro nodded. "We can do anything you want."
The tranquil atmosphere in the room was ruined by the sudden appearance of Monokuma.
"Pools have always been the source of trouble for me!" Monokuma sighed. "My great aunt's boyfriend tried to drown me in one once!"
"And it didn't work?" Evelyn sadly frowned. "Pity."
"How cruel," Monokuma sniffed. "You guys make me want to drink a poisoned Long Island iced tea and never look back!"
"Monokuma, your jokes are unappreciated and unfunny." Leonia sighed.
"Upupu," Monokuma giggled. "I'm sure Kuro would appreciate my jokes if he were around!"
"Yeah, but he's not, so can you just go fuck yourself and rot in hell?" Takahashi said.
"Not quite yet," Monokuma shook his head. "I have some beary important things I need to let you know first!"
"Like what?" Hiiro questioned with a suspicious frown.
"Some rules to add to your e-Handbook!" Monokuma answered. "About the pool.
Rule number nine, there can never be just one person in the pool! A minimum of two organisms are allowed to swim!
And rule number ten, a lifeguard must be appointed by the leader, in order to ensure safe and proper usage of the pool!"
"A lifeguard, huh?" Takahashi repeated nonchalantly. "Hiiro, you're the perfect man for the job."
"H-huh?" Hiiro turned towards Takahashi with a red face. "Why me?"
Takahashi shrugged. "You're here, you look like you'd make a good lifeguard, so I choose you."
Hiiro frowned, but kept his mouth shut. Because of the leader rule, he couldn't oppose Takahashi…
"Hey, I thought only one rule could be added per week." I frowned.
"Onerule by a student suggestion." Monokuma clarified. "I'm well beyond the age of being a student! I'm 1,390,432,013,568,474,095,279,108,000 years old, after all!"
…
…
…
"Please leave." Leonia said.
Monokuma frowned. "Fine! If you guys don't want me, I'll find someone who will!"
He disappeared.
"Thank God…" I muttered. Everytime Monokuma opened his mouth, I became one year closer to my death.
"Interesting rules that he implemented." Leonia commented. "There can't be just one person in the pool?"
"It doesn't matter to me, I'll be swimming with Takahashi!" Mari smirked.
"Keep dreaming, princess." Takahashi frowned. "Pool water doesn't agree with my hair…"
"Oh, you are going swimming with me," Mari declared. "Whether you like it or not!"
The two then started to argue.
Evelyn sighed, turning to me. "I think being stuck in this place with those two is even worse than the fact that we haven't seen the Sun in over a week…"
I left the pool in an attempt to stop the headache I was getting from listening to Mari and Takahashi from forming anymore. I moved onto the next room on the floor.
"A gym?" I said.
A gym, indeed.
This room was probably the same size as the pool, maybe a little bigger. There were basketball hoops, bleachers, and a door leading somewhere.
Shiro, Norikazu, and Isami were currently investigating.
"The three musketeers!" I smiled as I walked up to them. "Find anything interesting?"
"N-not really," Shiro answered, shaking his head. "It looks like this room is just a regular gym."
"...Maybe not." Isami interjected.
She was standing at the top of the bleachers, looking at a clock.
"What's that?" I asked, joining her.
"...I don't know." She bluntly answered. "But it looks like a clock to me."
Well yeah, obviously…
Norikazu suddenly opened the door near the back of the gym, went inside for about a minute, and then came out with a tennis racket.
"That room is full of various fitness equipment." He revealed, half-heartedly swinging the tennis racket. "I'm sure the brutes in here will be pleased…"
Suddenly, as soon as he swung the tennis racket, the clock buzzed, and stopped ticking.
"Hm?" Isami turned towards the clock. "It stopped as soon as he swung it…"
"Weird." I commented. "...Norikazu, swing it again."
"Excuse me?" Norikazu frowned. "What makes you think I take orders from you?"
"Please, Norikazu." I sighed. "I want to test something."
Norikazu still didn't look too happy, but swung the tennis racket again.
The clock jumped forward to a minute from where it stopped, the exact moment Norikazu swung the tennis racket for the second time.
"...This clock records the time a piece of equipment is used." Isami realized. "My guess is to keep track of game times, scores, etcetera…"
"M-maybe we can play a game together, sometime?" Shiro suggested with a smile. "I think it'd be really f-fun…"
"Sure, sounds like a plan!" I nodded. "It'll be nice to get out some of our pent up energy with some exercise!"
"I for one will watch from the sidelines." Norikazu sneered. "I have no interest in participating in a game if it involves...certain people here."
I could only assume he was referring to Takahashi and Mari.
"Aw, c'mon," I frowned. "You don't have to be on the same team as them, y'know. Imagine the look on their faces if you beat them! It might finally put them in their place."
Norikazu thought for a moment. "...That would be quite satisfying...We'll see."
I turned to Isami. "What about you, Isami? Want to get your sport on?"
Isami immediately shook her head. "Not really. I'd rather sleep…"
I left the trio in the gym to move on to the next room. It was probably the smallest room on this floor, and was filled with strange things.
There was a counter with a cash register, but no one in front of it. There were shelves full of trinkets, like stuffed animals, bubbles, sheets, candy, and even some electronics, like cameras and MP3 players, like the one Ritsu used for the party.
Sonoda was the only one investigating this room.
"I'm a sucker for strange things like this." Sonoda admitted. "I wonder if we can just take them and leave?"
Immediately after Sonoda asked his question, Monokuma appeared in front of him.
"Nope! Wrong! Incorrect!" Monokuma answered. "You must pay for everything with Monocoins!"
"Monocoins?" I repeated. "What the fuck is that?"
"Monocoins are the currency on this ship!" Monokuma continued. "They're scattered all over! You can use the Monocoins you find to buy things in here, the Monostore!"
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…
…
"There's a type of currency on this ship?!" Sonoda asked with a sparkle in his eyes.
"Yup, yup!" Monokuma nodded. "I just finished scattering them. There's about..1,000,000 in total, all around the ship!"
Sonoda looked like he was going to have a heart attack from excitement. "A MILLION MONOCOINS?! DO YOU UNDERSTAND WHAT THIS MEANS?! I'M ME AGAIN!" He exclaimed with a cackle. He sounded like an anime villain.
"Geez, Sonoda, you sound like you won the lottery or something." I remarked with a nervous laugh.
"I might as well have!" Sonoda smirked. "Once I find the most Monocoins, I'll be the RICHEST one out of all of us, and Takahashi and Mari will be forced to bow down to me!"
"That's certainly an admirable goal!" Monokuma nodded. "Anyways, I have to continue torturing some puppies I found. Toodles!"
And he was gone.
"Seizo, you're about to start seeing some changes around here!" Sonoda claimed, confidently crossing his arms. "The Ultimate Salesman is back in business!"
"What are you talking about?" I questioned. "Are you going to run the store or something?"
"No!" Sonoda shook his head. "I'm going to utilize the Monocoins for my own personal benefit! If I find them all, people will beg me for them, and they'll do anything for me to get them!"
I looked around the shop. There wasn't really anything worth begging for.
"Sure, Sonoda…" I nervously laughed. "Good luck."
I left Sonoda in the store so he could investigate every nook and cranny, searching for Monocoins.
There were three more rooms in the hallway.
I opened the first one I came across and wasn't surprised.
Cotton nodded. "Yeah, I definitely don't want to wind up back in the infirmary again. Monokuma did nothing but talk nonsense and yell at me..."
"The infirmary?" I repeated. "So if we get injured we can get taken care of there?"
"Yeah." Cotton said. "My memory of being brought up there is a little hazy, but I'm pretty sure we only had to go up one flight of stairs, which means it's on the second floor."
I knew that one of the last three rooms must be the infirmary!
It was a medium sized room, with four hospital beds. There was a shelf full of medicine and first aid supplies, as well as a file cabinet.
There wasn't anyone investigating in here.
One of the beds was not like the other. The sheets looked freshed, and it was perfectly made. My guess is that this is where Takumi slept.
I wandered over to the medicine cabinet.
There was all sorts of medicine, from ibuprofen to Pepto Bismol. There was even a jar of maggots for sucking out poison. It's good to know that if we ever get sick, we'll be taken care of.
The last thing of interest for me was the file cabinet.
I opened all of the drawers, but alas; there was only one folder in the top most drawer.
I opened it, of course.
Patient Information
Name: Takumi Kyoshi, Cotton
DOB: December 31st, 20XX
MyNumber: 678137499280
Diagnosis: Poisoning via Despisocideiumes
Treatment Plan: Drain poison from bloodstream, allow stomach lining to heal, insert IV for fluids.
It felt kind of wrong to read Takumi's file, so I put it back into the file cabinet and left the room.
I went to the room at the end of the hallway, turning the knob.
Unfortunately for me, it was locked.
"Fuck me…" I mumbled.
This was just like the locked room down on the first floor! What is it with Monokuma and locked rooms at the end of hallways?! I hope this doesn't become a trend…
I made my way back to the first room, the one Clara went into, and entered.
This was the strangest room out of all the ones I've seen, including the ones back on the first floor.
There were 20 headsets, each connected to a computer in the center.
Akumu, Clara, and Nadia were investigating this room.
"What is this place?" I questioned.
"Monokuma came by earlier," Akumu started. "Apparently, it's some sort of 'Virtual Reality' room. The computer in the center has a variety of games to play. You just load it up, put a headset on, grab a controller, and play."
"There's even a racing game," Nadia smiled. "I-I'm excited for that one...Monokuma says you can drive through hoops of fire!"
"Sounds like fun," I chuckled. "We'll all have to play a game together sometime. After all, there's 18 of us and 20 headsets."
"I wonder if that was done on purpose," Clara thought aloud. "Specifically made for the 20 of us, I mean."
I shrugged. "It's definitely a possibility. 20 seems to be the magic number around here." 20 of us, 20 chairs in the dining room, 20 bedrooms…
"Let's not worry about that." Akumu suggested. "We have all these new rooms to keep us entertained, let's try and relax for awhile."
I nodded. "You're right, Az. I've done too much thinking these past few days, all I want to do now is clear my mind and go for a swim in the pool or play a game with everyone."
"Your wish is my command, Seizo." Akumu smiled. "I'll plan something for tomorrow."
Suddenly, an unexpected announcement played…
"Ahem, this is a HFH Enterprise official announcement! It is now 10 PM. As such, it is officially nighttime. Certain locations will now be locked for the remainder of the night. Sweet dreams my passengers, let the sparkle of the stars and the roar of the spaceships's engine lull you into a deeeepppp sleep. Gooood niighhttt!"
"H-huh?" Nadia asked in shock. "That's i-impossible, we just woke up not too long ago…"
"There's no way it's 10 PM already…" Clara frowned. "We've done quite a bit of investigating of the second floor, but not enough to have wasted that much time…"
Akumu sighed. "My guess is that we slept for more than we thought. I'm sure we were all tired from the party, the investigating, and the trial, so maybe that's why."
"Hm, maybe…" I whispered under my breath. I had a bad feeling all of a sudden.
Did we really sleep for that long? I mean, I didn't hear the morning announcement, but still, I thought I had only overslept for an hour or two.
I was actually starting to feel tired again, though, so I bid farewell to Nadia, Akumu, and Clara.
"Home at last…" I mumbled, jumping into my bed.
It felt good to be alone.
I felt kind of weird around everyone today…
It was clear that two of us were missing, and yet we carried on with our conversations like nothing ever happened.
Silver…
Ritsu…
Wherever you guys ended up, I hope you're together, watching and looking over us…
Can you help us get out of here?
I know it's a long shot, but hey, I believe in ghosts!
I sadly smiled. Silver and Ritsu can't help us now...We have to figure this out ourselves.
We have three options:
Stay here for the rest of our lives.
Figure out the truth of why we're here, and somehow escape.
Or, kill each other until someone gets away with it. That person gets to leave while the rest of us are killed…
I pulled my blanket over me and closed my eyes.
"Please let me dream of home tonight…"
A/N: Yes, this is the first part of chapter 2, Heaven With You!
Any thoughts on the title's meaning? The Fool and Her Groom referred to Scarlet and Sunrise, if you didn't catch that.
You could also say that it applied to Noir and Silver!
Anyways, as always, please let me know your thoughts. I've actually already planned out this chapters murder (something I didn't do for chapter 1), and now all I have to do is write. This chapter might be a little bit shorter than Chapter 1, simply because of plot purposes, but I promise our victim and killer will still get as much development as Silver and Noir!
Looking forward to seeing you guys in the next one :)