Heaven With You (Part 5)
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"...Huh?"
The putrid, unmistakable scent of blood filled the room, invading my poor nostrils and causing my stomach to turn.
Where the hell am I?
I had woken up, laying on the ground, feeling cold and weak. It was like all the energy had been sucked out of me. Talk about deja vu...
On top of that, I felt something strange on my ankle. It wasn't the usual ankle bracelet Monokuma forced us to wear; it was something heavier, with something on it that dug into my skin. I wouldn't be surprised if there was blood around it.
Unfortunately for me, I couldn't see anything. It was pitch black in whatever room I was in.
Seeing no other option, I attempted to stand up, but quickly stumbled and fell back down. I tried again, and was met with the same outcome.
Damn it...My body's way too weak right now.
Groaning, I took a deep breath and closed my eyes. I thought back to the moment that led me here…
One by one, I could feel myself losing sensation and control of my body...it was as if my soul was being ripped away, but I was still conscious enough to feel the pain…
The excruciating pain. I never knew the human body could hurt this much.
Thankfully, pretty soon after that, my vision started to fade more and more, and I became disoriented…
…
Was I dead?
I had no fucking clue…
I mean, I felt alive, but if I am, then why am in some light-less room with something heavy on my ankle?
Maybe this is Hell or something, because this sure as hell isn't Heaven.
Ugh, it's no use…
My vision started to fade, and I felt myself slipping away…
I tried my best to keep my eyes open, but to no avail. They slowly closed, and I was still once again.
Takahashi
"Akumu…" Satoko was longingly staring at the spot where the cryptid enthusiast, just a few minutes ago, was standing, alive and well and breathing amongst us all. It looked like she had run out of tears, and resorted to dry sobbing.
Evelyn had somewhat pulled herself together, but stood away from the rest of us, her eyes not daring to meet ours (my guess is that she's probably trying her best to remain strong). I would catch her glaring at Kuro every now and then, however, who looked not at all bothered that he had sentenced yet another person to death.
After Akumu and Fran were eliminated, Monokuma gave us his same old speech about how 'we shouldn't trust each other' and 'if we don't want the game to go on, we could always kill someone'.
I could see how the bear was right about some things, like how we shouldn't trust each other, but goddamn, he pisses me off! Laughing at us in our darkest moments, dismissing people's emotions when they feel like shit, and just putting us all through this in general.
I would've punched the shit out of Build-A-Bear by now if it weren't for that stupid rule…
After he cackled at us for eliminating two people, he took Akumu and Fran with him to who knows where, and left the remaining 15 of us to stand in the announcement room, none of us knowing what to do now.
"So, uh," I started to say, feeling a little unsettled. "...How are we all feeling?"
"How are we all feeling?" Norikazu repeated, rolling his eyes at me. "It's obvious none of us are feeling well. We've lost 5 people in a week, and there could very well be more losses to come."
"...The amount of people we are losing in such a short amount of time is devastating." Isami remarked, still maintaining her fairly monotone voice (which made her statement come off as lowkey sarcastic). "It would be surprising to find out that someone among us was completely unaffected by this."
"I thought that archaeologist girl was pretty ok." Mari shrugged. "She actually looked kind of familiar to me for some reason. And then of course, there's Seizo, who was one of the only tolerable people here."
"Ugh, what about Akumu? Y'know the guy, you kinda just killed." Takumi brought up, looking at Mari with a face of disappointment and disgust.
Mari huffed and looked away from Takumi. "He was...ok."
"None of the eliminated deserved what happened to them." Clara brought up, which surprised most of us. "They were all just trying to do the right thing."
"Hm?" Hiiro looked at Clara with a hint of surprise. "I never thought you would comment on other people doing the right thing." He admitted, a little harshly.
"Hiiro…!" Koko frowned, softly hitting his shoulder.
"No, he's right." Clara sighed. "I've already apologized to Takahashi, but all of you deserve a proper apology as well."
"I'm impressed," Leonia admitted. "I was expecting that you'd eventually apologize. I'm pleased that you're doing so now."
"Yeah," Clara said. "I know that it'll be hard for you to ever trust me, but I am willing to do whatever it takes to build back whatever trust I can salvage. And of course, I swear I'll never let my feelings or any of Monokuma's motives get the better of me ever again!" She declared, looking pretty confident and less outspoken than when I met her.
Looking back, I treated the girl like shit. Killing me wouldn't have solved anything other than making her a murderer and me a victim, though. I'm glad her plan didn't work out (plus, no way I'm dying before I get the chance to let the entire world the name of the best fucking pilot to have ever lived).
I don't think Clara and I would ever become best friends or some shit like that, but I could see her as a valuable ally in the future, if we ever get any closer to finding a way out of this hell hole…
Everyone voiced their support or indifference towards Clara's promise. Most people were willing to at least give her a chance, while others were in total support of a Clara redemption arc.
"I'm glad to hear you're working to gain our trust." Koko beamed. "Ummm, does this mean you'll bake me a tray of cookies if I ask?"
"...It is a r-relief to hear that, Clara." Satoko remarked in between sobs. "I'm sure Seizo and Akumu would both be h-happy…" It was at the point where Jack had to let her lean on his shoulder; she was so distraught she couldn't even stand up on her own.
"I feel safer knowing you're not going to try and kill somebody again…" Nadia admitted with a blush. "Um, no offense!"
"None taken." Clara responded with an awkward chuckle. "Um, anyways, that's all I have to say for now…"
"Good," I sighed, finally getting the chance to speak again. "For all of you that are...feeling down. Uh, just know that...you can...talk to me...if you want." I muttered, hoping that no one would really take me up on my offer.
…
…
…
Thankfully for me, no one said a word. They all looked at me like I was an asshole or something.
Mari was the only one to speak after a while. "Well, if we're done with all of this; why don't you and I get something to eat, Taka?" She questioned with her signature smirk.
I sighed. "Yeah, sure. I guess I can eat…"
"Perfect!" She said. "Koko, whip something up for us, will you?"
"Uh, no?" Koko frowned. "I'm not really in the cooking mood, especially if it involves cooking for you of all people."
"Sassy Koko!" Takumi gasped, but then smiled. "I like it!"
Mari glared at the Food Critic. "Fine. Your food is lackluster anyway...I think I'll have one of those sandwiches Seizo made before he left."
She then sauntered out of the announcement room, disapproving and annoyed looks following after her.
I sighed. "If you guys don't need me, 'imma head out now."
"Wait." A soft voice called.
Satoko rubbed her eyes of her tears and cleared her throat. "I...I'm going to get them back!" She declared.
…
…
…
"What are you talking about, Satoko?" Jack questioned. "Get who back?"
"The others." Satoko answered. "Seizo, Fran, and Akumu!"
…
…
…
"Are you crazy or something?" I frowned. "Those three are long gone. As shitty as it is, that's the reality of the situation. I know you were close with them or whatever, but there's nothing you can do to get them back."
Satoko shook her head at me. "You're wrong. If you've been paying attention to Monokuma, he's never explicitly stated that they're dead, just that they're...eliminated. So, what reason do we have to believe they're truly deceased?"
"Uh, I dunno, maybe the fact that they're bodies writhed in agony before giving out on them in front of all of us?" Sonoda nervously chuckled.
"Or how we quite literally saw their dead bodies." Norikazu sighed.
"We just assumed they were dead." Satoko countered. "We never actually checked their pulses or anything like that! You can't deny there is a possibility they're still alive!"
"Well of course not," Leonia nodded. "There is most definitely a possibility that they are still alive...however, it is unfortunately not a likely one."
Satoko shook her head. "You guys are all wrong...I'll prove it!"
And with that, the prodigy stormed out, leaving several of us in shock.
"I...never would've guessed that she'd be the one to snap first…" Koko sadly frowned. "Poor Satoko…"
"She may be smart and intelligent, but she still possesses the brain of a child." Hiiro noted. "Perhaps she has never had to deal with death before and this is simply her way of trying to cope with so many losses in a short amount of time."
"I really hope she's right…" Nadia admitted. "It would make things a lot better for us, and we'd get to see Seizo, Akumu, and Fran again."
"It would…" Isami slowly nodded. "But like Norikazu and Leonia said, it's very unlikely...but, we all have to remember that she's not harming anyone by simply investigating. I suggest we leave her alone to do as she wishes…"
"As long as she doesn't investigate the school store, which is under the sole supervision of the HFH Enterprise official bank, I suppose I don't see a problem with it." Sonoda shrugged.
"Hopefully she'll come to reality sooner than later…" Clara sighed. "I wouldn't want her walking into the Traitor/Truce game tomorrow with a troubled mindset."
"I'm sure Satoko will be fine!" Takumi remarked. "She's a smart girl who'll come to her senses soon enough."
"Have you no faith?" Jack suddenly spoke up, glaring at us. "Satoko is the Ultimate Prodigy, and has studied for countless hours on various topics. Just because she's young, Hiiro, does not mean she doesn't know what she's doing. If she thinks there's even the slightest chance Seizo, Akumu, and Fran are still alive, I think we should believe her or at least support her."
"She may be smart and everything, but she's in over her head." I shrugged. "Fueling her delusions will do nothing but give her false hope."
"Or it could give her the strength she needs to find out whether her prediction is true or not." Jack argued.
I sighed. "Do whatever you want, Jack O'Lantern, just proceed with caution. Satoko is in a vulnerable state right now and you don't want to do or say something simply for the fact of pleasing her when it could backfire later on." I warned.
"I'm not a fool, Takahashi." Jack frowned.
With that one last probably not true comment, Jack walked out of the announcement room, following after Satoko.
I rolled my eyes. That guy's going to regret listening to the opinion of a sensitive teenage girl who just lost her closest friend.
We had pretty much wrapped up our discussion, so we all went our separate ways. I looked around, observing the faces of those most in pain over Akumu and Fran's deaths. It was pretty strange seeing Evelyn look so mopey and depressed, given how positive she usually is.
But it's not really all that surprising given how much time Fran and her spent together.
I sighed, trying to shake my thoughts out of my head.
When did I start caring about these people so much? Most of them are annoying and have deliberately pissed me off just because they think I'm a douchebag.
I glanced around the room one last time before heading into the dining room.
Not only was Mari waiting for me as promised, Nadia and a certain trio were also seated with her.
I raised a brow but approached them.
"What are you three doing here?" I asked.
"We're simply just eating breakfast with our friends." Sonoda answered with a sly smile.
"Yeah…" Takumi agreed in an unconvincing tone. "Our friends…" He added, glancing at Mari.
"Mari's been inviting me to eat with her pretty often lately." Clara answered with a shrug. "I'm not sure why, but as long as she doesn't act like a roach again, I don't see the problem."
"It is a little concerning, um, being seen with her when she did just e-eliminate Akumu…" Nadia admitted with a blush.
"Oh, don't be ridiculous, Nads!" Mari insisted. "Remember, all that Traitor/Truce game stuff has nothing to do with our daily lives here. We leave that drama in the announcement room!"
"And Clara, of course there's no problem!" Mari smirked. "I'm just trying to get to know all of you better, so we can be friends, like Sonoda said."
"Sure…" Clara slowly nodded, probably just trying to convince herself that Mari was claiming was true.
"Well…" I sighed. It was annoying having all these people around, but I could suck it up for a few minutes. Maybe I could gather some intel…
"Get to know each other better, huh?" I repeated, dragging a chair over from another table and setting it next to Mari. "Who's going first?"
"Going first?" Takumi questioned. "What do you mean?"
"I mean, who is going to share something about themselves first." I clarified, sitting down. "That's the only way we're going to get to know each other better."
"Well Clara, Takumi, and I have already done our fair share of sharing." Sonoda answered. "How about the one newest to the group?"
…
…
…
"M-me?!" Nadia blushed, nervously averting her eyes.
"Yeah, I barely know a thing about you." I realized. "Mari's already overloaded me with her rich and lavish backstory, so hearing yours will probably be a nice change of pace."
"Yes…" Nadia nodded. "My life is nowhere near as interesting or spectacular as Mari's…"
"I'm sure that's not true." Clara protested. "As the Ultimate Daredevil, you've probably definitely had a more interesting life than most."
"And unlike most of us, you're from a foreign country!" Takumi added. "I'm tired of hearing about Japan this, Japan that. Tell us about Russia!"
"Oh, um, well if you insist…" Nadia nervously laughed. "As you all most likely know already, I grew up in Russia. I've never lived anywhere else, so when I got the invitation for Hope's Peak, it was a little startling…"
"I can only imagine." Sonoda nodded. "All of us were already in Japan when we received our invites."
"Yes...but my parents and my sister were very supportive of me." Nadia added with a smile. "They have encouraged me throughout my life to pursue my dreams of being a famous daredevil."
"You see, my parents are defense contractors who sell and own various equipment, many of which can be used in my acts." Nadia started. "And then my big sister, Izabelle, is a pyrotechnician who helps me light my cannon and perform fire related stunts."
"You said she was like Mari, right?" I asked. "So she's a bitch?"
"Hey!" Mari glared, hitting my shoulder.
Nadia blushed. "I-I wouldn't say she is super mean or cruel, she just has a habit of teasing me sometimes. But, despite that, she's still my big sister and I care a lot for her. Like I said before, without her and my families support, there's no way I would be at the place in life that I am today."
"A daredevil." Mari surmised. "...I still find that totally wild. I mean, you're so shy and everything. Wouldn't someone like you do better as, like, a librarian or something?"
Nadia shook her head and her facial expression turned serious. "No way! I may be shy and outspoken, and get really scared sometimes, but I live for the thrill that being a daredevil gives me! The feeling I get when I'm soaring through the air, the cheers of the audience...it's something I wouldn't change for the world."
"I get that." Clara nodded. "No matter who you become or what happens in life, there's always that one thing that you'll love no matter what."
"Exactly." Nadia smiled. "Even if I may have scars and burns all over my body, and have been in a coma a few times, I'll always pursue my dreams."
"A coma?!" Takumi repeated. "A few times?"
Nadia blushed again. "U-um, yes, you have to keep in mind that a lot of the stunts I do are pretty dangerous...for example, a lot of circuses use fake cannons; they just have springs inside that propel you upwards. But in my acts, I use 100% real and authentic cannons, the same ones you'd find on a pirate ship! Because they use real fire and propel me a few miles into the air! I never know where I'm going to land so sometimes I end up fine and just land on some trees or bushes, but then other times I happen to land onto rocks or a mountain...which hurts quite a bit."
…
…
…
"You are definitely committed to your craft." Sondoa noted with a stunned expression.
"Geez, and I thought exploring abandoned buildings was cool…" Takumi deadpanned.
"I-It's not that big of a deal!" Nadia claimed. "I have yet to be in a coma for longer than two months."
"Still, a two month long coma is longer than most people have been in a coma…" Clara noted.
"I guess so…" Nadia nodded. "But, um, anyways, I think that's everything there is to know about myself...I'm sorry if it wasn't as interesting as you'd hoped!"
"Nah, it was pretty cool." I said. "Maybe you can jump out of my planes sometime."
Nadia smiled. "Y-Yes, that'd be fun!"
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"Hey!"
…
…
…
"Wake up!"
…
…
…
"What's wrong with him?"
"I dunno, it looks like he's tied to something…"
"Why? Because he was the first one?"
"Not sure, but this is terrible...please, wake up!"
Takahashi
After a surprisingly decent breakfast with the people who I unfortunately have to call my friends, I decided to read a couple chapters of Vintage Aeroplanes, and then headed towards the dining room for a late lunch.
On my way, I took notice of a confrontation between an unlikely trio.
"You guys have to come tomorrow!" Takumi pleaded, looking at Norikazu and Kuro with his creepy ass puppy dog eyes.
"Have to?" Norikazu repeated. "Unfortunately, Takumi, I don't have to come to anything for you. I am a free man capable of making my own decisions, and I have better things to do."
"The asshole's right." Kuro nodded, earning him a glare from Norikazu. "No way am I going to a lame ass brunch for some 5'5" leprechaun."
"Ok, now you're just being mean." Takumi frowned. "I'm trying to do something nice for everyone and you guys don't have the decency to come?"
"You seem to forget that Kuro nor I had anything to do with the set up for your party." Norikazu sighed. "As such, anything you do for us is unnecessary and unneeded."
"Fine…" Takumi sighed, shaking his head. "I can't force you guys to come if you don't want to…"
"The hell you can't." Kuro smirked.
Takumi rolled his eyes and brushed past me to get to his bedroom, with Norikazu separating from Kuro a few seconds after.
Wonder what that's about…
Kuro was still in the hallway, so I decided to ask.
"Hey," I called. "The hell's wrong with Takumi?"
"Tch, why don't you ask him?" Kuro coldly responded, not even bothering to look me in the eyes.
I balled up my fist. "I asked you. So answer or I'll punch you in the fucking face."
Kuro rolled his eyes. "Your threats don't scare me...but whatever. If you're really that interested, the little guy's throwing some sort of brunch tomorrow as a thanks for his party of something."
Tch, this guy's unbearably annoying, the only way to get through to him is by giving him a taste of his own medicine. He might not care about threats like being punched in the face, but he definitely cares about being injected with depiscocide if he doesn't listen to me.
"Ok…" I nodded. "That's all I wanted to know."
"Good, now can you leav-" Before Kuro could finish his sentence, he suddenly cursed and grabbed his head, presumably in pain.
"What's wrong with you?" I questioned with a raised brow.
"N-None of your business…" He sneered, starting to walk away from me. "Just leave me a-alone…"
He walked through the door leading to the dining room, muttering something to himself.
I frowned.
Weirdo…
?
…
…
…
Who's...there?
"He's awake!" A feminine voice cheered. "Phew, you scared us half to death, y'know!"
"Aw, don't be so hard on him." A masculine voice said. "He's been through a lot...for some reason."
It was still pretty dark so I couldn't see, but my eyes had adjusted slightly. I could make out two figures, sitting in front of me.
I felt even weaker than when I first woke up. The hell's wrong with me?!
My body was tingling with pain, and for some reason my hand was wet.
"Wha...what's wrong with me?" I asked, my voice hoarse and dry.
"We don't know…" The feminine voice sighed. "Sorry…"
"You've been here for more than a day, so maybe something happened to you then…" The masculine voice surmised. "But unfortunately it's so dark in here we can't figure out what it even was."
"Now that you're awake, we're going to try and do some looking around." The feminine voice revealed. "Hopefully we can find a way out of here."
Yes…
A way out…
Of…
Takahashi
After dinner, and the Night Time announcement, I sat in the dining room, reading the last few chapters of Vintage Aeroplanes.
I was alone, but I didn't care. Some time away from all of the overdramatic, annoying, whiny, and overbearing assholes here was fine with me.
Unfortunately for me, just as I was starting the next chapter in the book, about the B-2 Spirit Stealth Bomber, the door from the announcement room creaked open, with her standing in the door way.
Her eyes widened upon seeing me. "Oh! I, um, didn't know anyone else was still awake…"
"Where have you been, Satoko?" I asked. "Find out if the others are alive yet?"
She narrowed her eyes and shook her head. "No...But, I'm not giving up just because you guys don't believe me."
I shrugged. "Suit yourself, I guess. Just don't be disappointed if your investigation turns out to be a complete waste of time."
Satoko glared at me. "It's not going to be." She then walked over to the plate I had in front of me, and picked it up.
"The hell are you doing?" I frowned. "The kitchen isn't open, y'know, so you can't put it to wash."
"I wasn't going to wash it…" She sighed. "I need it."
"...Fine." I said. "Do whatever you want with it."
She raised a brow. "You're not going to ask me what I need it for?"
"Nope." I answered. "I don't really care, do what you want with it."
"Ok…" She slowly nodded. "Well, good night."
Much to my surprise, instead of going through the door leading to our bedrooms, she went back to the door leading to the announcement room.
"What are you doing?" I spoke up. "You're not seriously thinking of investigating again, are you? It's 11 PM already."
She turned back towards me. "Yes, I am. No one ever accomplished anything but sitting around doing nothing."
I looked at her with a questionable expression, but once again shrugged. "If you really want to, then fine. Just…be careful."
She said nothing, but smiled and left.
That chick...she's either really determined to prove that she's right, or she's completely off her rocker. For her sake, I hope she finds something…
?
"No dice…" The masculine voice sighed. "I don't feel anything but walls."
"I think I felt an air vent or something, but we don't have anything to unscrew it with." The feminine voice said.
"Or any light to see where the screws even are." The masculine voice added. "No worries though! I'm sure we'll find a way out soon…"
I kept quiet, staring off into space. Not only was I still in pain, but I was unbearably hungry and thirsty, like I had been left on a deserted island for a week.
If I'm not already dead...I wonder if I'll die here.
Day 14 aboard the HFH Enterprise…
Takahashi
It's been about a week since the party…
Where Silver was killed by Ritsu.
And it's been about two days since Monokuma gave us his ultimatum...
Win the Traitor/Truce game or kill someone within the next week, or something happens to our loved ones.
It was all fucked up to say the least.
I wanted to punch the shit out of the stuffed dictator for making me feel like this, but I had to hold myself back, otherwise I'd get myself killed.
So far, people have been playing the Traitor/Truce game ruthlessly. Three people are already out.
As shitty of me as it might be to say, I'm hoping that people will continue to be eliminated. It was definitely better than the alternative of someone getting murdered.
…
Ichirou…
I wonder what you'd do if you were in this situation. Tch, you definitely could've been, if…
I shook my head. It's too early in the morning for this shit..
"I am simply taking advantage of the prize I rightfully won, what is wrong with that?"
I exited my room to find Leonia holding a laundry basket while having a discussion with an annoyed Hiiro.
"I've been given duty after duty by some of the others here, and now you want me to do your laundry?" Hiiro frowned. "Why don't you ask Kuro?"
"I would rather not deal with him." Leonia answered. "I figured you'd respect the fact that you lost and we won and would do my laundry with no problems, but…" She turned to me.
"Takahashi! Perhaps you would be willing to follow through with the prize you suggested." Leonia questioned, in a bit of a haughty tone.
She gestured towards her laundry basket. "The girls and I gathered some of the laundry that needs to be washed and are looking for a boy who would like to volunteer to do it."
I let out an annoyed sigh. "And Hiiro's too busy to do it?" I asked, glaring at the barista who did nothing but ignore me.
Leonia frowned. "Apparently so. So, would you please?" She held the laundry basket up to me.
Damn it...as much as it sucked to take orders from a photoshoot director or whatever the hell, I was the one to suggest the laundry prize in the first place.
I slowly took the laundry basket and nodded. "Sure, whatever. Just don't get annoyed if it takes awhile, a load this size will take some time."
Leonia nodded. "Thank you. And not a problem, we're in no hurry."
She shook her head at Hiiro and walked off.
Hiiro frowned. "I would've said yes to washing her clothes, but I have a number of people who've requested that I watch them while they swim. Apparently Mari booked you to go swimming with her around 2."
"No she didn't…" I protested. "I mean, she didn't tell me anything about it."
Hiiro shrugged. "If you two don't show up, then I'm not waiting for you. Be there early."
He followed Leonia to the dining room.
Tch, what's his problem with me? I mean, sure, he makes coffee for all of us, I made him the lifeguard, and I made him carry the infirmary key, but damn, he needs to lighten up.
I glanced down at the laundry basket. The girls had only given me their shirts and bottoms to wash.
"Damn it!"
?
"How long has it been now?" Masculine voice said, the energy gone from his voice.
"I dunno…" Feminine voice answered a few seconds later. "...It feels like forever though…"
At this point my mouth felt like sandpaper, and it hurt to talk. I could do nothing but stare into the dark.
It was so quiet, like all the sound in the world was gone forever.
Until…
Takahashi
Doing laundry actually wasn't as bad as I thought it'd be. I was left alone by myself, and got the chance to continue reading Vintage Aeroplanes.
Every so often I'd go into the kitchen to grab a snack, but would always return to the laundry room to be in peaceful solidarity.
The rumble of the dryer was also a pretty nice background noise, it reminded me of the sound of a plan-
It stopped.
"Shit…" I groaned. There goes my excuse for staying in here by myself…
I sighed, taking the clothes out of the dryer.
Everything was nice and clean…
Except for one pair of swim suit bottoms.
"What the hell…" I muttered. I had noticed them before because they were tangled in with a shirt, but now I could see there were small stains of something dotted across them. It looked bright orange.
I don't have a sister or anything, but I'm smart enough to know this isn't blood. The weird thing was, none of the other clothes were stained, just the swim suit bottoms.
I shrugged. Not my problem; I know for a fact that I did my laundry exactly how I was supposed to.
I wasted more time by folding everything and separating it based on who it belonged to, and left the basket on top of the dryer as per Leonia's request.
That went better than I thought.
Still...I wonder how much time has passed...
"I would've said yes to washing her clothes, but I have a number of people who've requested that I watch them while they swim. Apparently Mari booked you to go swimming with her around 2."
Oops…
?
…
…
…
The silence was suddenly interrupted by a voice. It sounded faraway, and I wasn't sure if I was imagining it or not.
"Guys! Can you hear me? I know you're in there! Don't worry, I'm going to get help!"
"...Huh?" The masculine voice said. "Who's there?"
"Is somebody there?!" The feminine voice frantically asked. "Please, help us!"
"...I can't understand you!" The mysterious voice said. "But don't worry, I'm going to get help, just wa-"
The voice stopped, and I heard some sort of loud BANG noise, followed by a yell.
…
…
…
I wonder what happened…
Unfortunately, I didn't really have the energy to care...
I felt drained...and totally hopeless. And so damn thirsty…
Takahashi
I entered the dining room on my way to the pool. Inside, I was greeted with an unexpected crowd.
"Hey, Takahashi!" Takumi grinned, running over to me. "Glad you could make it!"
Oh shit, that's right. His 'thank you brunch' thing is today.
I looked around to see who was in attendance. It looked like half of everyone was there, with Kuro, Norikazu, Isami, Koko, Hiiro, Jack, Satoko and Mari missing.
"You didn't have to do this, y'know." I told Takumi. "You got injected with poison, we just planned a party."
Takumi shook his head. "Still, you guys went out of your way. Even you forgot how much of an asshole you are and did something nice!"
"You little shit…" I frowned, my face turning red. But I took a deep breath and relaxed. I shook my head. "You're the worst."
"You know you love me." Takumi smirked.
I rolled my eyes and brushed past him. Everyone looked like they were having a pretty good time, but I couldn't stay and chat, I'm pretty sure I was already late to my pool appointment with Mari (even though I still have no idea why she booked it without telling me).
I made my way into the announcement room.
To my surprise, Mari was standing by one of the Traitor/Truce voting booths, wearing her revealing bikini, and with her hair strangely wet.
"What're you doing?" I asked, walking up to her.
She jumped and turned around, her face frowning upon seeing me. "There you are! I've been waiting here for almost an hour for you!"
"Why?" I questioned. "You could've just swam without me."
"No I couldn't have." Mari sighed, rolling her eyes. "Two organisms have to be in the pool at all times, remember?"
"But your hair's already wet." I frowned. "Doesn't that mean you already went swimming?"
"Yeah, at like 1:00." She replied. "I invited that Clara girl to go swimming with me for half an hour."
"But why though?" I questioned. "I thought you hated her for trying to kill me. Why are you all of a sudden inviting her everywhere?"
Mari smirked. "You know the saying, don't you? Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer. It's not like I was alone with her or anything, Hiiro was there the entire time."
I sighed. "Ok, whatever…Let's go to this 'pool appointment' you never told me about and that we're already late for."
"I thought it would be a nice surprise for you!" Mari glared. "And it is so not my fault that we're late." She added, sauntering towards the stairs.
I followed, annoyed by her attitude but satisfied with the view as the two of us walked up the stairs.
"I'm literally so nice to you, and you're a dick to me." Mari complained as she continued her trek towards the pool.
"Oh, please," I frowned. "You're a bitch to everyone, including me. You just pick and choose what personality you want to be for the day."
Mari gasped. "So not true, and so rude!"
She grabbed the handle of the pool room and stopped, turning towards me. "Y'know, I prepared such a nice surprise for you, but now I don't know if you even deserve it."
"Fine then, I guess I'll leave." I shrugged.
"Fine." Mari glared. "Go."
I was about to do just that, until I remembered…
Tch...being a 'better person' sucks.
"Just open the door already." I sighed. "...And thank you for taking the time to surprise me…" I added in a hushed tone.
Mari smirked. "My pleasure."
She slowly opened the door and the two of us stepped inside.
…
…
…
What…
No way…
This isn't…
This can't be real.
Mari has a surprise for me…
But it's not this…
Right?
I'm just imagining this!
I'm…
I'm imagining Satoko floating…
Floating at the top of the pool…
Her clothes still on.
And…
And her expression blank.
…
Because…
Because Satoko Kiyomizu…
The Ultimate Prodigy…
Is dead.
"AHHHHHH!"
?
"A body has been discovered! Please gather in the pool room ASAP!"
…
…
…
The lights switched on.
In front of me, Akumu and Fran were sitting, against a wall, their faces pale and bags under their eyes.
The room we were in was a medium size, with two doors, and an air vent, nothing else. It looked strange, the floor and the walls were both made of wood, and looked nothing like the rest of the ship.
I myself was seated against a wall opposite from one of the doors, a chain wrapped around my leg, tied to a stake in the ground next to me.
My hand was bloody, with a single cut on it…
I was hungry and thirsty, and felt like a train wreck, but none of that mattered right now.
Somebody was murdered, and I'm getting out of here to find out who did it, no matter what.
A/N: Thank you guys for reading! I just want to say thank you so much to NSPunny for creating and submitting Satoko Kiyomizu. She is a character I loved to write and I'm definitely sad to see her go so soon :(
Who do you guys think did it? Any theories? Anyone is a suspect, so theorize away!
See you guys in the next one!