Danganronpa: Corrupted Hope (SYOC)

by SilverMark16

Sixteen people wake up and find themselves in a large, abandoned prison facility with no answers as to why they're there. Instead, they're forced to play a dangerous game of Life and Death. A game known only as a Killing Game, hosted by a sinister man calling himself White Collar and his pet snake, Monohebi.

16. The Solace of Hate and Envy (Part 6)

Chapter 2: The Solace of Hate and Envy (Daily Life #06)

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Warning: This fic contains intense violence, lots of cursing, character death, gore and blood, sexual innuendos (thanks Maggie), and possible spoilers for the Danganronpa series, most notably the first one. But hey, everyone lurking in this fandom has at least played the first Danganronpa so no need to worry much there!

With that said, please enjoy!

---

"To my humblest dearest Arthur Kingston," White Collar sat in his throne as he stared at the rich snowboarder, holding nothing but a glass of wine in his right hand. "The ice prince, born as a part of the wealthiest and most influential families in the world. You chose to escape a life that many would kill to have in order to achieve your greatest desire. But your greatest desire, once a dream, has become a nightmare that I have imprisoned you in. You had everything and yet for some odd reason, you rejected it all. You would've had everything you needed and yet… you chose to run. Why?"

White Collar paused for a moment to chuckle to himself.

"It was a question I couldn't grasp until I stumbled upon your greatest hatred," White Collar sinisterly mused. "Who do you hate most in this godforsaken world? The answer is simple: your father."

…

White Collar evaporated into static as Alexander Kingston paced back and forth in the extravagantly decorated room dubbed as the second living room of the large Kingston estate. With the amount of expensive golden antiquities that were neatly stacked upon counters and diamond-crested chandeliers that swung and remained attached to the ceiling, one would have to wonder if the Kingston estate was Buckingham Palace. Sitting on the side was Victoria Kingston and Louise who were looking equally worried as a lone detective sat on another sofa facing the two Kingston ladies.

Alexander's blonde hair shined throughout the video, even as he kept that cold expression he shared with his son's while stressfully pondering over the situation at hand. Victoria on the other hand, held Louise's hand, sharing their concern more for the father's wellbeing as the lone detective remained patient.

Just the sight of his own family made him sick. Arthur had every right to turn the video off, but his curiosity told him to keep watching. He wanted to know. He desperately wanted to know what his father thought of him now. What his mother had on her mind. What Louise was thinking now. Hopefully she bit her own tongue after the last thing she said to him…

"I can't understand it!" Alexander exclaimed. Oh, how Arthur didn't miss the sound of that voice! "That blasted kid! How could he just 'go missing' like that? It was your job to keep an eye on him and you're telling me you lost him? Lost the son and future heir of the entire Kingston Estate?! What kind of blasted third-rate private detective are you?!"

"Mr. Kingston, remain calm," the detective sighed. "I'm sure he'll turn up somewhere. He just lost me momentarily. He's bound to make a mistake and I'll be there to catch it."

"Fool!" Alexander snapped his fingers with a scowl. "You think the prodigal son of Alexander Kingston would ever make a mistake? He's meticulous. Cunning. Calculative. Just like a member of the Kingston family should be! I ordered you not to underestimate him and look at this now! There's been no signs or trace of him for three months!"

Three months? Has it been that long since he disappeared? Arthur raised an eyebrow at this piece of information before hearing Louise speak. Oh, how Arthur missed that voice, however.

"Father, please, give the detective some time," Louise sighed. "He's doing his best."

"Silence!" Alexander exclaimed. "You think the adopted daughter of a Kingston family has a right to speak to me like that? Sit down and be quiet! You are not to speak up at any point during this conversation."

"Alexander, please," now it was Victoria's turn to speak and given the expression on her face, she was definitely not very content with how he was acting at the moment. "You have no right to yell when you're clearly acting like a child about all this. Listen to Louise. She is right after all. You need to calm down."

Arthur narrowed his eyes. Even when he was gone, his family never changed. Louise and Victoria were always the ones trying to calm down his father whenever he got riled up over something. He supposed it was probably due to the power a Kingston lady ultimately had over the Kingston father. Typical of Alexander Kingston to think of old-world customs like this. Typical of the power share between his family.

Speaking of which, Alexander took a deep breath and shared a nod of confirmation to his wife and adopted daughter regarding his temperament. He had calmed down a little as he peeked back at the detective.

"Remind me again, when was the last time you saw him?" Alexander sighed.

"Japan," the detective answered. It looked as if the detective had more to say but the video quickly shifted back to that image of White Collar sitting on his throne, still wielding that glass of wine in his right hand, swirling it around to keep it fresh.

Arthur looked sullen. He caught on to the fact that there was more to this video. More footage that was so rudely interrupted by White Collar himself. This man did this on purpose. For the purpose of making him question what exactly that detective knew about him. Three months ago, he was in Japan. After that, blank.

Arthur winced as he clutched his head. His head started to hurt. He tried desperately to remember what had happened three months ago. But he couldn't. No matter how hard he tried, that throbbing pain in his head hammered away any future attempts to do so. Arthur gritted his teeth. Both in discomfort and in frustration as White Collar's voice reverberated back from the video.

"A father's greatest joy in life is their own seed," White Collar explained, clasping his hands together as his distorted British accent sounded through his mask. "Fathers do everything they can to protect them. After all, it's a father's duty to look out for the child no matter what rank they are. So it baffles me how a child can choose to escape a father who seemed to wish for nothing but his own son to come home. How a child can choose to run away from a family that seemed to love him so much. It's really quite baffling… isn't it, Arthur Kingston?"

Arthur clenched the eHandbook tightly. He gnashed against his teeth as he darkly thought the same few words over and over again.

He knew nothing.

He knew nothing.

He knows nothing of what his family is really like. He knows nothing of his past. He knows nothing of his story. How dare he judge his own actions as if it was a sin? He knows nothing of him. White Collar knew nothing about who Arthur Kingston was and what kind of family he was born into.

He knew nothing.

"...Arthur Kingston," White Collar leaned forward from his throne, his jagged eye glinting toward the screen. "Do you regret leaving them now? Do you regret the hate that you have for him? Do you regret the decisions you have made up to now? Because I can certainly assure you that your life will become much more discorded should you not reflect on the sins you have committed."

"Bastard," Arthur cursed under his breath.

"...Heed my words little Kingston," White Collar warned, raising his glass of wine up near the screen. "That is all."

Then without warning, White Collar shattered it in his hands, as if there was some sort of deep meaning to his action. Some sort of deep meaning for Arthur to understand. But all Arthur knew was that White Collar had some sort of connection to him. Something Arthur had long forgotten or just didn't understand. Something Arthur just couldn't put his finger on even though it was on the tip of his tongue.

"Goodbye," White Collar stated.

The video ended. And Arthur's headaches reappeared again, straining his mind as an image quickly flashed through his mind. A quick mental image that Arthur couldn't make out quite yet in its entirety, but he was certain of one important detail:

Someone was smiling at him.

---

(Cell Block B)

Barracuda was in no mood to go to the morning meeting today. Not after his encounter with Maggie that had happened yesterday. He still needed time to himself. And currently, the best way for him to take his mind off of everything was exercise. Heading into Cell Block B with the purest intention to head straight to his Ultimate Cell, Barracuda stopped when he saw someone he recognized all too quickly: The blonde hair. The sailor hat. That plush penguin.

"Ah, Yuumi!" Barracuda called out with grin, waving his hand over to the sailor. The sailor seemed to be heading into the Ultimate Equestrian, leading a horse back inside. Though, she didn't seem to hear him. She never faced him or anything. Instead, she just entered the Equestrian Cell with the horse in tow.

Barracuda blinked. She probably didn't hear him. Cell Block B's common area was large after all. Shaking his head with a small sigh, Barracuda chose to ignore what he saw and headed straight into his Ultimate Cell.

---

(Ultimate Personal Trainer's Cell)

"Humph!"

When Barracuda entered his Ultimate Cell, he was surprised to see someone he just didn't expect to see in the Ultimate Personal Trainer's Cell. There was Mayu, on the floor, sweating, putting back a dumbbell into the dumbbell rack as she blinked back toward Barracuda. As it turned out, the heiress had no doubt been exercising. A duffel bag was on the ground next to her as she looked surprised to see the large male enter. Actually, surprised might not be the best word as she suddenly stood up and hugged herself in a yell.

"A-Ahhh, i-it's not what it looks like!" Mayu exclaimed, mortified to have been caught in the act by Barracuda. It was his Cell after all so she really should've been more careful. "I- I wasn't exercising! S-So no protein shakes or anything like that! I like my body the way it is!... Except maybe not. If I'm exercising then that must mean I don't like my body the way it is… Huh. Man. This is so hard."

"Y-You were exercising?" Barracuda blinked before grinning. "Wow! I never thought to see the day where Mayu would be exercising! Hahaha!"

"W-What's that supposed to mean?!" Mayu pouted toward Barracuda. "I've been going here whenever you aren't here just so I can avoid whatever training program you have in store for me! I prefer to go at my own pace!"

"I respect that!" Barracuda exclaimed.

"See?!" Mayu continued to pout. "This is why I didn't want to tell you! You're just going to get me to do it really… you what now?"

Mayu looked at Barracuda in surprise. Did he really mean what he said? He respected her decision to go at her own pace? Suddenly Mayu felt really stupid for doubting the Ultimate Personal Trainer and his capabilities as being, y'know, a personal trainer.

"As I said, I respect it!" Barracuda grinned. "Truth be told, out of everyone here, I really thought you needed it the most! I mean, you got a really chubby body! Might as well lose a couple of pounds of that fat! Am I right? Hahaha!"

Barracuda was met with a ghastly glare from the heiress. She was definitely not happy with what the personal trainer had just said, and the latter definitely had no social awareness to realize just how bad it was for him to say something like that.

"I will take away all your life savings for myself, you peasant," Mayu darkly said to the personal fitness trainer.

"U-Ugh, y-your fighting spirit got really dark!" Barracuda exclaimed, looking at Mayu with a rather worried expression.

…

"So, what made you want to exercise in the first place?" Barracuda asked. "And why not get me to help? I'm good at helping people get into shape!"

Frankly, the larger male seemed to feel a little offended that his services weren't required but he was sure Mayu had her own reasons. Speaking of which, the heiress faced away from the trainer. She was still a little miffed over his previous comment. If she wanted to be petty, she'd probably not respond but she chose to do so anyway. Humor him a bit.

"As I said, I didn't tell you because I didn't want you to enact some kind of weird abusive workout session!" Mayu declared, pointing her finger toward the larger male. "That and I want to go at my own pace."

"Ah I see!" Barracuda grinned for a few minutes before looking surprised. "W-Wait! W-Weird abusive workout session? I'll have you know my workout sessions are neither weird nor abusive!"

"I know you types!" Mayu exclaimed. "Forcing us to do more push-ups than we can physically do! Hoh, how the thought makes me want to chomp down onto something angrily!"

Mayu began to growl. Or was that her stomach? Probably both!

"Y-You make it sound like I'm a military officer," Barracuda looked unusually disturbed. "I won't do that. Not as a personal trainer! Sure, it's my job to push people to their limits, but as an Ultimate Personal Trainer, it's also my duty to recognize where someone's limit might be! If I push you too far, what kind of personal trainer would I be?!"

Mayu stopped growling. Or was that her stomach again? Probably both! The heiress glanced at Barracuda with slight suspicion. Then after a moment, she sighed, sitting on the ground as she wiped the sweat from her head.

"Hmph, maybe, just maybe I might've judged you too harshly," Mayu folded her arms, frowning internally. "But I've been through enough to want to do things my way."

"Oh, really?" Barracuda blinked. "Like what?"

Mayu didn't say anything. She just looked away. Immediately, her mind wandered to what her video had shown. Her most hated person in her life. Now who would that be? Only she herself knew and that was information she wasn't to give up so easily. Instead, she just hugged herself.

"Ah, s-sorry I asked," Barracuda said, apologetically as he rubbed the back of his neck. That was a line he shouldn't have crossed.

Mayu could only sigh in response.

"Honestly, the exercising was never about trying to better my body," Mayu revealed. "I don't care how my body is! I like it the way it is! But I just… I just really want to be capable. Like Ina. Strong. Calm. Capable!"

"I see!" Barracuda understood where she was going with this. "That's why you train yourself! You want to be someone that people can rely on in the future! Someone that people can look up to as the Ultimate… Ultimate… W-What's your talent again?"

Barracuda couldn't help but sheepishly laugh at his forgetful mind. Then again, no one in this cast outright calls out what their Ultimate talent is all the time. Plus, he hardly spends time with Mayu at all, so how the hell was he supposed to remember such unimportant information?! The heiress gave the personal trainer a flat look.

"Ultimate Heiress," Mayu responded with a deadpan.

"R-Right!" Barracuda was losing her again. So much for trying to keep a conversation with one of the richest people in this facility. "Er, you want to be capable as the Ultimate Heiress!"

"...Yes, I do," Mayu sighed. Having a conversation with Barracuda was going exactly how she thought it would. The guy may be a nice guy, but he wasn't the brightest and thus not that good of a person to maintain a chat with. "If I want to take over Mashiro Co. someday, I have to be capable of handling the entire company. I have to be strong. I have to be independent. I can't depend on anyone! And I certainly can't be weak!"

"That's really admirable!" Barracuda grinned. "A good company always needs a strong leader!... But what makes you think you aren't one? I mean, you seem to be strong enough."

Mayu reverted back to that quiet stance she took when she didn't want to talk about her own reasoning. But at the same time, she really didn't want to keep the large male waiting with her delayed responses. With another relief of exasperation, the heiress looked at the large male.

"No, there's still more I have to do if I really want to be strong and accepted as an official Mashiro heir," Mayu pouted. Though, unlike that comedic cute pout she often gave, it was more of a disappointed one not everyone would often see from her.

"A-Accepted?" Barracuda blinked. "But aren't you already the heir?"

"Um, no," Mayu rolled her eyes. "It doesn't work like that with the Mashiro Co. dummy! There are other heirs. Other families under the Mashiro name! And the Mashiro Co. only chooses the worthiest of the Mashiro family's children! Being the Ultimate Heiress might put me at an advantage ahead of everyone else but I still have to prove my worth and capability as a leader in order to officially control the company! That's why I'm trying hard to prove how capable I can be!"

"I- I see," Barracuda rubbed his chin. "So, it's like a competition. And whoever wins, wins the company."

"Exactly!" Mayu nodded affirmatively. "And you bet I'm going to win!"

"So, you can get the company!" Barracuda grinned, trying to match the heiress's enthusiasm. Except, he failed and now Mayu was lost in her thoughts as she heard what the trainer said. Shaking her head, Mayu continued.

"No, it's not the company I'm really after," Mayu revealed with a thought. "It's nice to have that influence and money but I'm after something else."

"And what's that?" Barracuda asked with a widened grin. He was certainly intrigued by all the things he was learning about Mayu today.

Mayu didn't continue. It was yet another instance of something she just didn't want to reveal. At least, not now anyway. When Barracuda noticed her silence, he thought it best to continue the conversation another way. Yep! That's right! Talk about himself!

"Y-You know, your family sounds really big and yet you have all the money in the world to support everyone involved," Barracuda chuckled sheepishly. "I wish I had that kind of money haha!"

"When I inherit everything, I'm cutting everyone from the will," Mayu pointed out, suddenly.

"E-Eh?!" Barracuda exclaimed, shocked by that sudden news. "Th-That's cold-blooded! I mean. If that was my family, we would do everything we can in order to provide for each other! Why cut everyone off?"

"Eh, none of them deserve any assets from the Mashiro Co," Mayu shrugged before smiling at the thought of her becoming powerful enough to rule her own company. Powerful enough to cut off her competitors. "They're all rude and petty jerks who will grovel and beg like peasants to get what they want."

"Ah, peasants," Barracuda glanced away. Thinking about that word even more now, it was kind of hitting it home for someone like him. "But they're still your family. And being a part of a family is more important than any cent in the world! R-Right?"

"Not with my family," Mayu denied. "My family sucks! Honestly, I'm ready to cut off my daddy too once I inherit everything too!"

Barracuda couldn't grasp the content of what Mayu was saying. To basically abandon your own family and cut them off from their source of income was all sorts of shocking to the personal trainer. This was something he would never do if it were his family!

"I don't expect someone like you to understand," Mayu sighed. "I mean, you're probably someone living the middle-class life without any pressure or family drama to worry about."

Barracuda blinked. He looked down. She was wrong. He was far from middle-class. He does have the pressure. And his entire life was one big family drama. He shook his head, which the heiress noticed before he opened his mouth to correct her.

"No," Barracuda said before rubbing the back of his neck. "Er, actually yes. I don't understand. But only because I'm much lower than the middle-class. And my entire waking life is filled with pressure and family concerns. I… It's been three years since I last saw my family."

Mayu remained quiet as she glanced at him, somewhat intrigued at how tough his life was. Even as someone who lived in a more calmer low-class environment, he still had the same pressure she would be feeling in an intense upper-class environment. She perked her head, curiously.

"Do you know where they are?" Mayu asked.

"Of course, I do," Barracuda adamantly stated before looking down. "...In Russia. Back home."

"Russia," Mayu exclaimed. "Th-That's so far away… Unless we are in Russia then maybe not. Either case, how have you not seen them for three years? You talk so much about being with your family, but you haven't seen them for that long?"

Now it was Barracuda's turn to remain silent, at least for a little while before he responded to Mayu. He rubbed the back of his neck with a solemn sigh.

"I wanted to try to get money for my family," Barracuda said. "Pa lost his job, so they have no way of making money. I'm the one who has to do it for them. It's both me and Pa's responsibility to take care of the family. But… I was tasked to go out and find some way to make money. Took me three years to be away from them to try to provide. But that just means only Pa is left to take care of my little bros and Grandma."

"I see, so you left to try to make money," Mayu rubbed her chin. "Any success?"

"Not much!" Barracuda declared before looking down. "Turns out, being a personal trainer doesn't give you much. But I'm trying. Really, I am! And even worse, I'm stuck here too! So now my family's only source of money is locked away in a stupid death game!"

Barracuda grumbled. He immediately swung his arm toward the punching bag by the side of his Ultimate Cell. This took Mayu by surprise. It was totally out of left field, but it certainly helped Mayu understand just how difficult his situation was. For two people to be in an entirely opposite world of each other, they still had similarities.

Mayu couldn't grasp how that was possible, but she could only give the large male a smile.

"I guess we both have family drama then," Mayu smiled slightly. "Oh! When I inherit everything, I think after I cut my family off, I'll see if I can help your family! Would that be fine?"

"M-Mayu?" Barracuda blinked, surprised, his eyes tearing up slightly. "Y-You would do that. For me?"

"Pffft, I'm not heartless," Mayu folded her arms, looking slightly offended. "I'm just rich. And I come from very demanding people. It's fine! The Mashiro Co. should be built on the promise of helping others! And that will be my second act as the heir of my family company!"

"Ughhh, you're too kind!" Barracuda looked ecstatic to hear that Mayu would help provide for his family.

"As you know it," Mayu gave the personal trainer a curtsy.

Ultimately, all it came down to now was for them to survive and escape this damn Killing Game. But in the meantime, Mayu and Barracuda grew a little closer together. Which wasn't a bad thing at all!

---

(Cafeteria)

"...Ah, but I guess in a way, you already have been punished. I'm not a doctor but as far as I can tell, with a broken leg like that… I'm afraid your career as the Ultimate Basketball Player is forever over. I'm sorry, Mr. Walker. I truly am. I knew all too much how much the sport meant to you… But… You did place this upon yourself."

Haruto said nothing as he blankly stared at the bandages and work Monohebi had put into him last night to patch his broken leg up. He leaned against the crutch that Monohebi had provided him as he remained seated at one of the cafeteria tables. No matter how much pain he was in, nothing could beat the words that were repeating themselves inside his mind. It was always White Collar's voice telling him the same thing. The same damn thing he has become haunted by.

"Your career as the Ultimate Basketball Player is forever over."

Forever over.

Forever over.

Forever over.

Haruto's eyes started to tear up. This couldn't be happening to him. This had to be some sick dream. This had to be a nightmare. If his leg no longer worked then that meant he couldn't jump. He couldn't run. He couldn't do the one thing that made him… him. He couldn't play basketball anymore.

"F-Fuck," Haruto sniveled as he could do nothing but curse. His voice began to crack. "F-Fuck! F-FUCK!"

Haruto clenched his fist as he punched his broken leg. It was a heated action of passion. He clearly wasn't thinking straight cause the moment his fist made contact with his broken leg was the moment the fading pain started to reappear.

"A-AGH!" Haruto yelled. "F-FUCK!"

Haruto pounded his fist onto the cafeteria table, something he should've rationally done a while back. But again, Haruto was frustrated. Angry. All that was left in his mind was rage. A need to let it all out. Pummel the man behind the scenes. Beat White Collar senseless. It was all his fault this happened. It was all his fucking fault he couldn't do what he loved most anymore. Fuck! FUCK!

Haruto continued to pound his fist onto the cafeteria table repeatedly. As an act of aggression, it was also really loud. Loud enough to attract the people who had just begun arriving at the Cafeteria. The first of which was an extremely concerned Zuri who rushed to his side.

"H-Haruto!" Zuri exclaimed, noticing Haruto's patched up leg. It was now in a cast and bandages. But no matter the damage, a lot of it was permanent. And her compassion for others made her feel gut-wrenchingly awful that this had to happen to him of all people. "A-Are you okay? D-Did… W-What did that snake do to you? H-How do you feel?"

Are you okay?

What did that snake do to you?

How do you feel?

Shouldn't the answer be fucking obvious?

Haruto began to shake. His tears haven't yet escaped his eyes. He gritted his teeth. His mind was boiling with flames. And he himself was feeling the aftereffects of all of his grief. He hated this feeling. He hated being pestered with so many questions. The moment more people gathered— which pretty much just included Abigail, Carter, Jared, and Maggie —he realized he also hated being surrounded by so many people. So many people who were taking pity on him.

Be careful of that Walker boy.

He's trouble.

Look at what happened to his legs.

Poor guy can't play basketball anymore.

Haruto clenched his fist. He heard it all. He didn't need that shit from anyone, least of all these people. He didn't dare match his eyes with anyone. Zuri felt an intense aura emit from his body as she stepped back. There was a hint of worry in her mind. Was she… asking the right questions? Did she do something to upset him?

"Haruto?" Jared looked at the former basketball player. "Are you… okay?"

"Y-You're really worrying us," Carter stuttered.

"What the hell did I miss?" Abigail remarked as she eyed Haruto's injury.

Haruto mumbled something under his breath. This time, it was Maggie's turn to comment, though after everything that had happened yesterday, it seems she was a little emotionally unkempt. For starters, she looked as if she hadn't slept a wink last night.

"Haruto, you know you can talk to us… right?" Maggie slowly said to the former basketball player. "So please. Speak a little loud–"

"I said, fuck off," Haruto snapped.

"H-Haruto?" Maggie widened her eyes, recoiling in shock at the sudden aggression she received as a response.

"Fuck off!" Haruto pounded his fist onto the cafeteria table once more. "I said fuck off! All of you!"

"H-Haruto, calm down, we were just checking up on y-" Jared was similarly taken aback by how angry he was.

"Yeah, well I didn't ask for your fucking pity!" Haruto barked at the police officer. "'Look at Haruto now! All bark and no bite now that his fucking legs don't work anymore! Not a fucking Ultimate anymore!' That must be what you all are thinking, isn't it?!"

"Th-That's wrong Haruto, we nev–" Carter tried to say but instantly he shrunk back in fear as Haruto continued to yell at them.

"You wanna know how I'm doing?" Haruto turned to Carter, his hostility growing more and more apparent. "Let me tell you! I'm feeling like shit! I lost the one thing I cared about in my fucking life! And now I got people thinking they can get up into my shit now that I've become a fucking cripple! Fuck you all! And leave me the fuck alone!"

Haruto attempted to leave the cafeteria table but the moment he tried he instantly fell to the ground. In his anger, he was unable to control the crutches to move away from the group as quickly as possible. His leg stayed motionless on the ground as the former basketball player struggled to stand back up. Jared and Zuri instantly attempted to try to help him but instead, a violent outburst erupted from his lips.

"Don't fucking touch me!" Haruto roared. "I can do it myself! Fuck off!"

"H-Haruto, wh-why are you–" Zuri felt herself being a little overwhelmed by this side of that once prideful young man who was so ready to fight against White Collar. Now he was jaded. Angry. Broken.

"Shut the fuck up!" Haruto roared once again. "I don't need any more fucking questions from any of you!"

That was around the time Haruto finally got back up to his crutches and one stable leg. Then to the best of his ability, he stormed off whilst limping. Any more attempt to reach out to him and he just might start beating them with those crutches. Nevertheless, Haruto left the Cafeteria, leaving behind a group of very concerned individuals.

"Seriously, what the fuck did I miss?" Abigail commented, surprised to see this rageful side of the former basketball player.

...

"I see, so that's what happened to his leg," it didn't take long for Carter, Jared, Maggie, and Zuri to fill Abigail in about the events that had transpired since she had urged Yuumi to speak to Mimi. The Ultimate Equestrian couldn't help but feel a sense of understanding when it came to all that anger being released to all of them. She sighed. Haruto was wrong. They didn't feel pity. They felt sympathy. They weren't sorry his leg didn't work anymore. They understood. She understood. He lost something precious to him and now he was–

"...Is everything alright with Haruto?" came the voice of Ina, who had just walked past the heated young man. She hugged herself, reminding herself of the sight she had bore witness to. Perhaps there was some guilt in her mind regarding it as well. "I heard yelling and he seemed…"

Jared only shook his head as a response.

"He's… really torn up over what White Collar told him," Zuri said, solemnly. "Do you guys really think he might never…?"

Zuri trailed off. She knew it all too well that White Collar had a point. With the bone snapping and sticking out like that, there was no way Haruto could play without hurting himself in the future. At least, that was what she thought. She was no doctor but his leg. His poor leg…

"This sucks," Maggie remarked, hugging herself. She pursed her lips. "This really sucks. I mean, can we ever catch a break? First, the Minigame occurred to bring back old memories we didn't want to remember. Then Haruto's leg breaks. I'm just… tired of it all."

"Unfortunately, as long as we remain prisoners under White Collar's command, there is nothing much we can do to avoid all of this pain," Ina sighed. "And yesterday proved that White Collar was much more prepared than we had originally thought."

"H-Hey, aren't you the Ultimate R-Revolutionary?" it was Carter's turn to turn antsy. He couldn't take it anymore and he definitely let it show. "W-Why haven't you figured something out to help us escape? Y-You talk so much about wanting to o-overthrow governments b-but you can't even take down o-one guy and a snake?"

"Taking down one guy and a snake is much harder than it sounds," Ina coldly stated toward the opinion columnist. "Especially when we know little to nothing about who he is. Besides, why am I the one who is getting the heat here? We have a police officer here who promised that the police force would be looking for us. It has been eleven days and still nothing."

"H-Hey, it's not like the police force knows where we are!" Jared raised his hands up in defense. "I mean. They're still trying hard to locate us but it's going to take time for them to locate our exact coordinates!"

"Or perhaps it was a lie," Ina folded her arms, unimpressed. "An empty promise. Something police officers are all too familiar with giving out."

"Th-That was a little uncalled for," Jared frowned toward Ina. Suddenly she threw the heat toward him because the police force was still looking for him? What the fuck Ina?

"Is it not true?" Ina glowered toward the police officer. "Police officers always promise something and 75% of the time, they do not deliver."

"What about the other 25%?" Jared debated. "There are still good cops out there!"

"And how do we know your specific district is as good as you make them out to be?" Ina countered.

Jared didn't say anything regarding that. Truly, with this girl, there was animosity towards cops. In fact, a lot of the people here had some sort of animosity toward police officers in general. It's a surprise to how astonished he could still get to know this fact.

"Ugh, this is actually what I'm talking about!" Maggie groaned. "We are all so divided now! We're breaking out into more fights. We're all so stressed. Before, at least half of us come to these morning meetings. Nowadays, it's just…"

She gestured to the six of them who remained in the Cafeteria. Jared and Ina stopped pointing competitive glances toward each other as Carter recognized her point. He looked down, slightly ashamed that he had just called out Ina so suddenly. Abigail and Zuri on the other hand avoided looking at everyone. Deep down, everyone knew she had a point. Ever since Titus was murdered by Kane, nothing had been the same.

Nothing.

"...Guys, I just," Maggie could feel her voice break slightly. "I just can't do this anymore. Can we go for at least one day of no fighting? No drama. Just… just one day where we can relax."

Jared and Ina glance at each other once again. The two of them sighed. Maggie was right. Things have gotten heated. Intense. Carter stayed silent. Abigail and Zuri shared a glance before the former spoke up.

"Well, what were you thinking?" Abigail asked.

"Just a time to hangout and be ourselves," Maggie stated, plain and simply. "It doesn't even have to be a party. Just something we can do to get everything off of our chest for at least the rest of the day."

"...I did really enjoy that party Yuumi and Mimi threw that other day," Zuri reminisced. "It really was a good time for us to just take our mind off of everything."

"But where is this hangout going to take place?" Jared asked, raising an eyebrow. He tipped his hat down. "If I remember correctly, the Prison Lounge is still under repairs."

"I was thinking the Swimming Pool," Maggie gave a weak smile. Just a moment to take her mind off of everything. Haruto. The motive. …Barry… "Could be nice to see everyone in their respective swimsuits. I mean, what do you say about that?"

The five ignored that last comment and focused more on the Swimming Pool part. Truth be told, a dip in the cool water should be something relieving to feel. All of this hectic drama needed to be cleansed out of their minds. And what better way to cleanse than a nice dip at the pool. The six seemed to enjoy that idea and gave smiles toward each other.

"I do not think that will be a bad idea," Ina stated. "So, when shall we meet at the Swimming Pool?"

"I think two hours from now," Maggie checked the eHandbook and a clock for the time. "It's 10 in the morning so we meet right at noon?"

"Very well, we will reconvene then," Jared tipped his police hat with a smile. This could be what he needed. Just a time to spend time with the others. He glanced toward Maggie, who seemed to be very content with the sounds of everyone agreeing with one another.

"...Thank you guys," Maggie smiled appreciatively toward the peers. "Really. I think this is what we all need…"

The others gave nods of confirmation. This so-called hangout wouldn't be too big as only six people would be attending. But it was better than nothing. Better than having to deal with more emotional pain for another few days…

And so everyone agreed to meet at noon and split off to start preparing for this emotional retreat. For a moment where everyone can think of something other than the game they were in. A moment where they can be at… peace.

And yet, as they split off, two people stuck together as they made their way to the Auditorium…

---

(Auditorium)

"M-Maggie."

Maggie stopped and turned as soon as she entered the Auditorium. Of everyone who would follow her to the Auditorium, she never really expected to see a concerned looking Carter standing before her. Heck, she hadn't really expected anyone to follow her! Blinking her eyes, she tried to force a smile.

"Carter, how are you?" Maggie asked, politely. "Or actually, did you need anything?"

Carter didn't say anything for a moment. He just furrowed his brow and fixed his glasses. It seemed like he knew something was off. Something was wrong. Something Maggie didn't really want anyone knowing. Narrowing his eyes behind those lenses…

"A-Are you okay?" he asked.

"Huh?" Maggie tried to play off everything innocently. "What do you mean?"

"I… just thought that maybe there was s-something more going on," Carter said. "Y-You seemed out of it even before what happened to H-Haruto…"

So he noticed huh? Maggie pursed her lips. Truthfully, she knew little of Carter and rightfully, he knew little of her. But if there's anything she would know from someone like Carter, it's that people like him are very observant and very smart. Just like Harry… There was no point in lying to someone like him. No point? Or was it, she didn't want to lie to someone like Harry again?

"...Don't worry about me," Maggie merely said, hugging herself. "Something happened and I just… I'll get over it. So don't worry."

"D-Does it have anything to do with why Barracuda didn't show up yesterday?" Carter asked.

"H-How did–" Maggie widened her eyes in surprise.

"H-He didn't seem the type to just leave people hanging," Carter explained, brandishing his fountain pen in thought. "I just thought that maybe something h-happened with him. A-And seeing how sad you were yesterday m-made me think…"

Maggie didn't say anything. Carter really was smart. Nervous. Couldn't get the words he wanted to say out. But he was still smart and keen on observation. That and he was sorta cute. All characteristics that reminded her so much of…

"...Y-You don't have to give me details," Carter pointed out to Maggie. "I- I just wanted to know if my suspicions were c-correct or not."

What choice did Maggie have besides keeping her mouth shut? Thus, that was exactly what she did before she decided to nod toward the opinion columnist. A confirmation that he was right…

…

"I messed up," was the next thing Maggie said as the two sat on the Auditorium stage. She had long explained what had happened between her and Barracuda. Needless to say, Carter was surprised to hear what exactly she thought of Barracuda, who was supposed to be the closest person to her side from Mimi. Her voice sounded so somber yet accepting of the events that had occurred yesterday. "I let my own stupid lustful desires get the better of me and now…"

"B-But from what it sounds like, h-he still considers you a friend," Carter pointed out. "I-It's better than him just… o-outright leaving you. R-Right?"

"I guess," Maggie twiddled her fingers nervously. "But he's never going to look at me the same again. Not after I told him I only liked him as a fling. God. I'm so stupid. I should've kept that to myself."

"B-But if you did, th-things would've probably been much worse d-down the line," Carter countered. "Y-You could've held a s-secret for a long time and th-then the m-moment you reveal i-it, the c-consequences w-would've been so much worse."

…Which was what had happened with Harry Harbreak, after she kept her fling hidden from him for three whole years. Maggie had to admit that Carter had a good point. Thinking about him still hurt and now she was practically talking to an afterimage of him.

She chuckled softly.

"You remind me of him," Maggie mused, genuinely. No teasing. No lustful thoughts. No hidden desires. This was something she genuinely meant as she examined Carter closely.

"E-Eh?" Carter blinked. "W-Who? B-Barracuda?"

Carter didn't know who she was talking about. But Barracuda made the most sense to him. After all, while they didn't have the same physique, if Carter did have the same physique as Barracuda, he'd probably look like that personal fitness trainer too!... Maybe… Barracuda was definitely not the person she was referring to.

"My ex," Maggie answered Carter. During her recounting of her experience with her confession to Barracuda, she hadn't yet mentioned her own thoughts regarding how much the experience reminded her of her falling out with Harry Harbreak. How could she? Carter knew nothing about the guy until she brought it up just now.

"I- r-remind you of your ex?" Carter widened his eyes. Was he much more attractive than he had thought? No! That can't be! He was always called–

"He was a nerd, just like you," Maggie smiled to herself.

"Ah, th-that makes sense," Carter looked slightly disappointed. Then immediately his eyes widened back up again. "W-Wait! Y-You dated a n-nerd? W-Wait! I'm a nerd?"

"Well, you and my ex had a similar look," Maggie shrugged. "Glasses. A little thin. Looks way out of my League. I guess I call them nerds through association. But yes, my ex was a quote-on-quote 'nerd'."

Maggie smiled innocently before frowning slightly.

"We had a good run for three years before I… messed up," Maggie looked away.

"W-What exactly did you do?" Carter asked, curiously.

"Cheated on him with a bunch of other people and hid that fact until our third year," Maggie answered almost too quickly.

"Y-You what?!" Carter looked shocked. "H-How– H-He was your boyfriend wasn't he? H-How could think about ch-cheating on him like that?!"

Maggie didn't say anything. She crossed her arms, looking away guiltily. Although she was quick to say it, it certainly didn't stop the guilt from gnawing on her pounding heart. It wasn't something she really wanted to talk about. Instead, with regret in her voice, she made a response.

"Because I'm me," Maggie said, staring off towards the distance, right toward the vault that blocked them from entering the cells everyone had first woken up in. "Someone who's always horny as fuck."

Maggie crossed her legs; a sure sign that this was something she didn't want to be but also couldn't control.

"I… I d-don't believe that as an answer," Carter sternfully stated. It was an expression not that expected from the nervous and mousey Carter. "W-Why did you cheat on him?"

Maggie uncrossed her legs this time. She clutched onto the stage that she was sitting on.

"Because I was lonely," Maggie explained, shivering slightly. "So so lonely."

So that was the answer. Maggie cheated on her boyfriend because she was lonely. But what did that mean exactly? He wanted to pry more into this.

"When you're a supermodel like me, you're always expected to travel around the world for different modeling agencies in different countries," Maggie explained. "Which meant I was away from home most of the time. Away from… him. And I tried to be strong for us. I really did. But unlike him, I wasn't strong enough. I wasn't strong enough to stop myself from…"

Maggie shook. She pursed her lips as she trailed off. She really didn't want to continue.

"Being away from him made me feel lonely," Maggie reiterated. "That's why I cheated…"

Carter examined Maggie's sorrowful glance closely. He never expected Maggie to be someone who experienced such feelings. And he never expected those feelings to be the catalyst to the terrible thing she did to her boyfriend at the time. He listened to the supermodel, patiently.

"Naturally, when I told him, he ended our relationship," Maggie frowned bitterly. "And for the rest of the school year, he and his friends kept his distance from me. Almost like he was punishing me for what I did to him."

"P-Punishing you?" Carter blinked. "I– I've never been in a relationship b-before but if I was him, I'd do the s-same. T-Too many bad memories y-you know?"

"I do," Maggie nodded. "But at the time, that's all I could think he was doing. He left me all alone. He ignored me to make sure I would stay alone. I… I always thought he was punishing me and made sure that for the rest of my life, I would always be lonely."

Maggie clenched her left hand.

"For that, I hated him," Maggie bitterly stated. "I hated him for leaving me…"

In Carter's perspective, it was obvious that Maggie never once thought about this situation through her ex's perspective. Because he knew all too well that what Maggie did was wrong. And she knew it herself too. Yet, she was still insistent that things would still work out after what she had done. That was the thing holding her back…

"D-Do you still hate him?" Carter asked.

Maggie blinked. She leaned back against nothing, kicking her legs back and forth as she thought about the answer to Carter's question.

"I… I don't know anymore," she said. "The feeling was very heated back then. But now, it's faded. It was really only brought back because of that video I got."

"Th-Then, do you understand now why your ex left you like that?" Carter asked, with a neutral expression that would make Holland jealous. "D-Do you understand how serious of a mistake you made for him to be right in leaving and ignoring you like that?"

Maggie went quiet for a minute.

"Now I do," Maggie somberly nodded.

"Y-You're lucky Barracuda is nice because as far as I know it, anyone else here would've probably steered clear of you too," Carter pointed out.

Maggie thought about just how much a teddy bear Barracuda was. She couldn't help but smile softly over the guy she had lustful feelings for. Carter was right. Barracuda was nice. Nice enough to emphasize that they could still be friends.

She was lucky to have met someone like him.

"Thank you, Carter," Maggie smiled toward Carter. "I think this info dump of myself was something I really needed."

"Y-Yeah, of course," Carter looked away, pushing his glasses closer to his eyes.

The two remained silent for a moment before Maggie spoke up to break the silence between them. Maggie had dumped some of her thoughts about her most hated person, but she was curious to know more about Carter. Compared to everyone else, he was the one she knew about the least.

"Hey Carter, do you have anyone you hate?" Maggie asked.

"M-My sister," Carter bluntly said.

"Wow, that was a little blunt, even for someone like you," Maggie looked at Carter, both out of concern and in slight amusement.

"It's the truth," Carter shrugged, seriously. It was especially serious since he didn't even stumble on his words once as he recounted his tale. "My sister has done nothing but ruin my life for 19 years."

"E-Er, how old are you?" Maggie blinked.

"...19," Carter answered.

"W-Wow, that long?" Maggie looked at Carter, sympathetically. "What exactly has she done that makes you say that?"

Carter's serious expression shifted to a softer look as his glasses slowly began to drop off his face. He pushed his glasses back up to fix its position on his face. That was when his ears started to fail. The sound of Maggie's voice slowly began to muffle as he could hear nothing but the sound of his own heartbeats and his older sister's voice.

"Nobody likes you!"

"Stupid!"

"Nobody cares what you have to say!"

"You stupid piece of shit!"

The reverberated echoes of a slap snapped him back to reality as he heard Maggie's motherly voice reach out to him in worry.

"C-Carter?" Maggie looked at him worriedly. "A-Are you okay? W-What did your sister do to–"

"T-Too many things to say," Carter shuddered as he felt his own arm shaking. He tried to calm himself with a few breaths, but it was getting difficult to breathe. The anxiety in his mind was starting to take over. "Sh-She… She wasn't the best sister. I owe my c-current self to everything she did to me…"

Carter had been avoiding the exact details. That was when Maggie decided to back off from asking him again. It was clear that whatever relationship there was between him and his sister, it was not good. Unhealthy. He'll tell her when he's ready.

"I don't know why but, ever s-since I was b-born…" Carter began. "M-My sister m-made it her l-life's goal to make my life h-hell. So, f-for 19 years I've been living in a h-hole, constantly abused by my own s-sister."

"Abused?" Maggie slightly widened her eyes. That bad?

"I-It started off with verbal attacks… b-but as we grew up together, so did her abuse," Carter said, blank-faced toward the floor. "Th-They became more violent. Emotionally aggressive."

Carter couldn't help but chuckle slightly at his past.

"B-But funny thing was, th-that was normal life for me," Carter chuckled sheepishly. "A-Abuse was all I knew from her."

"And what about your parents?" Maggie asked in almost a slightly demanding tone. "Did they seriously not do anything about this?"

"H-How could they?" Carter shrugged with a small sigh. "M-My sister had them wrapped around her f-finger. Anything she d-did would be b-blamed on me."

Carter let out another chuckle.

"I h-hate her," Carter shook his head. "S-So much. I-If I'm being h-honest, I th-think that maybe the reason I'm here is b-because of her too. B-But even after all that, sh-she's still my sister. I h-have to love her somehow."

"Um, no offense, but how can you love someone who's done nothing but abuse you for your entire life?" Maggie raised an eyebrow.

"W-Well, she's my sister," Carter answered thoughtfully. "Sh-She's still family. Th-That and I also… s-sympathize with her, I guess. Even now after all this time I still feel like I owe her s-something…"

"Th-That's–" Maggie was close to saying that what Carter was feeling was absolute 'bullshit'. But she had to consider it from his angle. Carter had been abused throughout all his life to completely understand it as being completely normal to be abused so often. It was clear he did hate her for what she did, but he was also right. She was family. He couldn't throw her away like that so easily. She dropped her sentence and gave Carter a small sigh. "You're a courageous person Carter. To still think like that about someone like your sister…"

"C-Courageous?" Carter blinked before frowning deeply. "O-Or stupid?"

Carter looked down. He really was stupid for still accepting his sister as someone who deserved to be owed something. And so both Maggie and Carter sat silently in the Auditorium for a while, enjoying the silence as they both took in what the two had just talked about with each other.

I suppose you can say that Maggie and Carter grew closer together and learned a little something about their own situations…

---

(Zuri's Room)

One of the biggest questions that could be asked was where would the prisoners bother getting swimwear if they were locked in this facility? Luckily, for them and specifically Zuri, she found some swimwear suited for her in her Confinement Room and has taken the time to dress accordingly for the occasion they had planned together. The only regret Zuri had at the moment was being unable to bring Holland along. She had yet to get any greenlight in releasing him. Poor guy probably felt really dirty after being locked in that crummy Cell for so long.

Zuri sighed to herself as she thought about how Holland might have been doing back in Cell #66. Perhaps she should consider paying him a visit before she heads off toward the Swimming Pool. She would also need to prepare him a snack for lunch as well. Poor guy must be starving as well.

Now dressed in a short-sleeved mesh-high swimsuit, she prepared to exit her room. The top piece of her swimwear had transparent black sleeves as well as a solid black chest area and a green line outlining the whole thing. The bottom piece was also black, with the outlining being green and the sides being transparent. Over at the top of the swimsuit she wore was a transparent beach coat that was done completely in black. And finally, she had on a large beach hat, again done in black with a green line. A little for a swim but it was the fashion she liked most.

---

(Prison Confinements)

As soon as Zuri stepped out of her room, a surprising voice forced her to suddenly halt.

"Going for a swim?" the voice belonging to none other than Arthur, asked with a raised brow. "That is quite an attire."

Zuri eyed the snowboarder warily. The most suspicious person of their group was talking to her of all people? Zuri knew little of why she should be careful around the affluent young man. But it was like instinct. An instinct telling her to be careful when responding. There was just something off about him. If it wasn't for the fact that Jared, the police officer, didn't trust him, it would also be because of the Minigame beforehand, in which Arthur had betrayed Yuumi so cruelly.

"Can you believe we have swimsuits in our own rooms?" Zuri carefully started the conversation with the snowboarder. "I mean, White Collar really prepared everything for us."

"Yes, he most certainly did," Arthur hummed as he examined her closely. It sure made Zuri feel uncomfortable. A little violated even. She covered the bare parts of her skin out of that same instinct. The snowboarder noticed the action and broke into an amused chuckle. "Please. I'm not that kind of person. I have more tact than the plebeians in my home country. You can relax."

For some reason, Zuri's tense body softened slightly. Perhaps her instinct was telling her to trust what Arthur was saying.

"W-What do you want from me?" Zuri asked, her breath hitching slightly. She didn't know why her body felt so conflicted around this man. He seemed dangerous. But at the same time, he seemed like someone who one could trust. A stone in the middle of a scale that couldn't be swayed either way.

"I don't really want anything," Arthur merely said. "I was just here for some fresh air. That was all. Being cooped up in your own room is unhealthy, you know."

"W-Why not Haruto's Cell?" Zuri suggested.

"I'd rather not remember the gruesome sight of that guy's leg bone sticking out of his body like a tree branch," Arthur muttered as he closed his eyes.

Zuri cringed. He had a point. That was a sight that she herself wasn't able to handle. Speaking of sight, Zuri noticed that Arthur had also been rubbing his forehead in circles, as if he were thinking about something intensely.

"Er, Arthur, are you…" Zuri trailed off.

Arthur opened his eyes to see what the bassist was referring to. Noticing her gaze to his unconscious hand touching his head, he understood almost instantly.

"Ah, yes, I'm fine," Arthur sighed. "I just woke up with a headache is all."

"I see," Zuri pursed her lips gently. "Well, I hope they get better. Um. I gotta go."

"You are not in a hurry," Arthur deduced. "You're just feeling uncomfortable being alone in my presence. Am I wrong?"

Zuri had no time to move away from Arthur. In fact, any attempt she was going to make from here on out was just going to get him to reel her back in until he was satisfied. Was there any way to escape from this conversation?

"I– I mean…" Zuri stammered. What should she say? If she said a wrong thing, who knows what Arthur may do to her?!

Arthur seemed to notice the anxiety and fear slowly rise through her shaky eyes. Letting out an exhalation of breath, Arthur pointed a neutral gaze toward the bassist.

"There is no need to be afraid of me," Arthur said. He had to wonder how exactly this all started but really, it shouldn't be that hard to figure out. Arthur had always been one shifty son of a bitch. And what he did in the first Minigame wasn't doing him any favors. "I admit, I may not be an entirely good person, but I only do what is required to be done for my own benefit. Isn't that why you chose to decline to go to Hope's Peak Academy?"

Zuri froze. How did he–?

"It's obvious from how much you tend to spend time with that attempted murderer," Arthur pointed out. "He was your first friend here. Someone you could trust. That was someone you didn't ever want to lose. So even now, after what he did, it's still hard to even try to let him go."

Zuri didn't say anything. Arthur knew he was right. He knew he hit everything right on the mark.

"I know what kind of person you are, Zuri," Arthur explained. "You chose to decline the offer to go to Hope's Peak Academy because you couldn't leave your friends. Just like how you couldn't leave Holland. That leads me to one conclusion. You are someone who needs to rely on others in order to survive. Someone who wishes to establish relationships for their own benefits."

"Why are you telling me this?" Zuri looked rather irritated at being called out like this. This was the last thing she needed on her mind right now!

"...Truthfully Zuri," Arthur pointed a look toward her. "I wish to offer myself up as someone you can rely on."

"Y-You what?" Zuri's irritated look shifted to a look of surprise. "W-What for?!"

Arthur couldn't help but smile smugly to himself. Whether or not she accepted it, he didn't mind the answer. What he did mind was his role in this Killing Game. And so far, it seemed as if there were a handful of people who seemed to have it out for him specifically.

"Well, that really doesn't matter," Arthur said. "Perhaps the reason is because I need someone who I can rely on as well."

"And you think that person is me?" Zuri frowned toward the rich snowboarder. "I'm sorry. But even I know manipulation when I hear it. I'm not gullible, you know."

"And I'm not as bad as you may think," Arthur added. He paused. He was no longer smiling as his mind had to trace back to that video he watched. To his memories of the scorn of his life… He sighed, "A boy who was born with everything does not necessarily have everything."

Zuri blinked. Where was he going with this?

"Zuri, what do you love the most in your life?" Arthur asked. Zuri felt the genuinity behind that question and thus responded without much debate.

"Well, my friends, as you already knew," Zuri mumbled that last part.

"I never had those growing up," Arthur stated. "I just had a father who pushed everything he had onto his own son. A mother who cared only for the power she married into. And an adopted sister who arrived innocent but later became just as greedy as the rest of the Kingston family."

"I– Why are you telling me this Arthur?" Zuri looked at him, worriedly. "I mean. Are you really so desperate as to try to get me to rely on you that you'll just tell me your life's story?"

"Not at all," Arthur shook his head. "A Kingston can never beg for something like a peasant would. I just want you to understand that I am not as bad as everyone will make me out to be."

"Okay, then why go to me about this?!" Zuri was a little annoyed at how vague the snowboarder was being. Arthur merely shrugged.

"Because out of everyone here, as someone who was willing to give an attempted murderer a second chance, I thought you would give someone like me a chance as well," Arthur admitted.

Zuri didn't argue back this time. Instead, her mind became confused. Riddled with conflicting thoughts. Holland was different. Was once her friend and after giving him that second chance, they were still friends. Arthur on the other hand… was Arthur. But at the same time, she had given little thought to how Arthur might have been feeling throughout everything. Given little thought to who Arthur was and how… lonely he must've been.

Zuri looked down before clenching her fists tightly. She wasn't annoyed this time. She was determined.

"Then… Tell me more about your family," she stated.

...

"My family is a topic I never really wanted to talk about to anyone," Arthur began as both he and Zuri sat next to one another, back against the walls of the Prison Confinement area. "It wasn't until today that I watched my video that I realized perhaps I needed someone to confide with about everything."

"You… hate your family?" Zuri slowly asked. She remembered that the Minigame's motive was built around everyone's most hated person in their life. A simple deduction told her that if Arthur's video showed his family, that obviously meant what she had just said.

"Of course I do," Arthur said. "I may have ties to royalty and the Kingston Family may be one of the most influential families in all of the United Kingdom, but the truth is, a lavish life with the Kingstons is not something anyone should dream about."

"How so?" Zuri curiously asked.

"My father is a fool, my mother is ignorant, and my adopted sister is greedy," Arthur bluntly stated. "They act like they are the Kings and Queens of the world when really they are like any other person in this godforsaken world. Imperfect. Selfish. Corrupt."

"Well, you don't think that about everyone, do you?" Zuri blinked. After all, she was the person he was trusting to dump all this on.

"Of course I do," Arthur merely stated. "No matter the person, deep down, they are all selfish. That is what my father taught me as he roamed around the world to prey on his own desires. That is what my mother taught me as she relished in her wealthy environment. That is what my adopted sister taught me when she accepted the ways of the Kingston family even though she herself knew it was morally wrong."

Arthur clenched his fist. His normally cold gaze became icier. Icy enough to freeze the pavement they were in.

"I hate them," Arthur gritted his teeth. "I hate them all."

"So, that's why you never really bothered making friends with anyone here," Zuri noted in realization. "That's why you're always so… lonely. I'm sorry that you had to be a part of that lifestyle Arthur…"

Arthur didn't say anything. He didn't even acknowledge the comfort that Zuri was attempting to supply him.

"But then again, you're trusting this information with me of all people," Zuri pointed out. "Doesn't that mean that you don't really believe that of all people in general?"

Arthur took Zuri's words into consideration. Then after that careful thought, he shook his head as he gave an icy look toward the bassist.

"No, I'm sure I believe that of everyone here," Arthur answered. "Even you. Though, I suppose I can tolerate you more than the rest."

"I– Thanks?" Zuri didn't know how to take that. Arthur seriously trusted her more than everyone else? Or no. She supposed the correct way to see this is as Arthur distrusting her less.

"The point is… I'm not a bad person nor am I good," Arthur merely stated. "I just have trouble believing others are good at heart."

Zuri glanced at Arthur as he continued to keep his expression as cold as possible. To think she would find herself sitting and talking with Arthur Kingston of all people. Not only that, but also learn about who Arthur was and what made him tick. She had to admit. The Kingston family as a royal family were sounding less like a fairytale dream to a common nightmare inhabiting every abusive household.

"Well, if it makes you feel any better, I don't exactly have a good relationship with my parents either," Zuri stifled a chuckle as she looked away from the snowboarder. She could feel his gaze fall on her shoulder as she continued. "Don't get me wrong, I still like my parents but it's just hard… y'know?"

Arthur raised an eyebrow. This sounded too familiar to him.

"I was always the outcast back in school," Zuri explained. "Picked up for always being alone. Not having friends. Isolated. But at the same time, it was kind of my fault. I mean, I was never the easiest person to talk to but still…"

Zuri didn't seem too happy reliving in that part of her past. But slowly that somber look on her face slowly changed into a happier tone, complete with a small smile to boot.

"So imagine how happy I was when I ended up forming a band with one of my closest friends, Hana," Zuri smiled. "For the first time in my life, I felt like I could actually be a part of something greater than being that one character in the background hardly anyone cared about."

"Then let me guess," Arthur examined the bassist closely. "Your parents didn't approve of your decision to be a part of the band. Let alone being a bassist in the first place."

"Y-Yeah, how did you know?" Zuri blinked toward the snowboarder in surprise.

"I suppose we're more alike than we think," was all Arthur said regarding that aspect. Zuri was able to infer what Arthur possibly meant from that before continuing along with Arthur's correct assumption.

"It was the first time I realized just how toxic my parents were in trying to push me to do stuff I didn't want to do," Zuri revealed. "Push me away from who they thought were bad influences. Trying to teach me the right way to behave. They never liked my friends or our decision to be part of a band. No matter how much I tried to prove that I belonged in a band with them."

Arthur continued to watch Zuri closely as she finished recounting her past involving her parents. Immediately, the snowboarder recognized plenty of parallels between his and her family life. At the moment however, he didn't feel like revealing that aspect of his life just yet. Besides, the only difference between those parallels he noticed…

"Hmph, at least you still have some form of love for your family," Arthur noted. "I do not. But it was certainly fascinating to hear what you had to go through. Fascinating to hear that I was not alone when it came to being pressured into doing things we didn't want to do by our own parents."

"Did they not like the idea of you snowboarding?" Zuri asked, curiously.

"Oh, now that's a story for another time," Arthur smugly smiled to himself. "Besides, I believe you had somewhere to be?"

Arthur eyed the swimwear she had still been wearing as they had their chat together. For a moment however, Zuri had completely forgotten that she had been in her swimwear and covered her bare skin out of instinct once again. Arthur shook his head at that sudden reaction.

"A-Ah the pool hangout!" Zuri exclaimed. "I– totally forgot! I have to go. But it was…"

Zuri trailed off before she let out a small smile toward Arthur.

"...Really nice to talk to you personally, Arthur," Zuri smiled. "I hope we can do it again sometime."

Giving him one last smile, Zuri rushed off to the Swimming Pool. It was time for the event after all! And once Zuri had left the scene, Arthur rubbed his chin in thought as his mind saved the image of her smile into his mind. Then almost immediately, that dreaded headache returned with a similar image.

That image of someone smiling down on him. Additionally, the new change to that image was a voice that flew through his mind like a cold wind trying to force his spine into a shiver.

"...Thank you Arthur…"

Arthur clutched his head as he gritted his teeth. Zuri and Arthur had grown closer together… but in doing so, the Ice Prince got a returning headache that he wished would just go away…

---

(Swimming Pool)

When it was time to gather at the Swimming Pool, everyone except for Zuri had arrived right on time. The pool covering was currently closed, covering the water with a metal plate. As of now, the five in the room were gathered near the fishing boat connected to the locked Ultimate Cell that obviously belonged to the Ultimate Sailor.

Maggie, who had been down in the dumps, seemed to be much more uplifted now. Perhaps it was the fact that they were all going to get that relaxation period they deserved or perhaps it was the talk with Carter that helped her. She didn't know which but whatever it was, it made her feel much more keen to her older persona.

For starters, as soon as she saw Jared in his simple light blue swim trunks, she could do nothing but whistle, eyeing his delicious body (and kneecaps). Even Abigail seemed a little taken aback by Jared's surprisingly lean and muscular complexion. Granted it was nowhere as bulky as Barracuda but it was still very impressive.

"Wow, what a hunk," Maggie smacked her lips together. She herself was wearing a white bikini, making sure to show off as much skin as she was allowed to. "Jared. I didn't realize you were hiding an entire package underneath that uniform of yours."

"Yeah, that's a lot of muscle for someone I thought looked a little bit too lean for a police officer," Abigail pointed out. Abigail on the other hand wore a purple off-shoulder two-piece bikini. Though she tried her best to try to not make too much of a big deal out of her body being shown like this. Who was she trying to impress anyway?

"G-Guys, I'm the Ultimate Police Officer for a reason," Jared blushed, burying his face into his police hat. God, he was completely embarrassed. "I went through police training almost my entire life. Of course I would sport a six-pack."

"It is a most impressive sight to see however," Ina nodded. She herself sported a turquoise vertical white-stripped two piece swimsuit.

"G-Guys, please, it's just the result of police training," Jared was absolutely embarrassed that this was happening. He should've expected something like this would happen when it was Maggie who planned an event like this. In fact, this had to be her plan from the very beginning!

Truthfully though, it wasn't. But the swimsuits were just an added touch.

"I-Is no one going to talk about how Ina looks like a swimsuit model with her attire on?" Carter asked. Unlike the others, he sported simple dark blue swim trunks but kept a dark gray sweatshirt to cover up his body.

"What I am wearing does not matter," Ina looked away, though it was clear she was feeling flustered over being stared at. "Nor do I fit the role of swimsuit model. I believe that is Maggie's territory."

"Cut yourself a little slack girl!" Maggie played with her hair with a cocky grin. "You look absolutely gorgeous. Almost as good as me."

"I-I… I-I think you're showing a little too much skin," Carter covered his eyes as soon as he turned to Maggie.

"Is that so?" Maggie touched her bottom lip with a smile before turning to Jared. "What do you think, Jared?"

"W-Why are you asking me?!" Jared's face flushed further as he continued to bury his face into his police hat.

"Kidding, kidding," Maggie laughed. All this teasing was certainly bringing her mood back into the right place. It's something she loved to do. It was fun. And not only that, but everyone seemed to be enjoying the event in their own way.

"C-Can we just get into the water?" Jared mumbled. "I can't help but feel that you girls will end up checking me out the longer we stay out here."

"Well, wasn't Zuri supposed to come?" Abigail yawned slightly. "I wonder what's taking her so long."

"Maybe she's fashionably late," Maggie winked. "I wonder what exactly she looks like in her swimwear."

"That was unintentionally creepy," Ina remarked.

"M-Maybe we should just get inside the water first," Carter suggested.

"Oh?" Maggie raised an eyebrow at the sweatshirt he was wearing. "Certainly you're not thinking about bringing that in the pool are you? Or are you also hiding some amazing six-pack like Jerry over there?"

"It's Jared and I'm not a clown," Jared mumbled to himself. His face was still riddled in a faint blush, but this time it was the other way around for him. He'd spent too long burying his face in his hat to notice what everyone else looked like in their swimwear.

"A-Ah, I'm wearing this because I'm not hiding a… s-six-pack," Carter hugged himself nervously. "B-But yeah. I'll take it off when I jump into the pool."

"Okay, good, because that material is so not waterproof," Maggie pointed out toward the opinion columnist. Though, Carter had to wonder if she really meant that or if she was just covering for her near obvious desire to see what he looked like without a shirt.

"H-Hey guys, sorry I'm late!" came the voice of the person who was fashionably late due to hanging out with Arthur beforehand. Zuri rushed in wearing the more impressive swimsuit design compared to everyone else, especially Maggie and she was a supermodel for God's sake.

"Oooh, Zuri, that's a saucy outfit!" Maggie gleefully exclaimed.

"Ah, Zuri, be careful!" Jared exclaimed, seeing how fast she was trying to catch up to the group. "Don't run near the edge of the pool!"

Too late.

"AH!" Zuri let out a small yelp as she slipped and fell onto the metal covering of the pool with a metallic thud. "Oof… We… really need a wet floor sign somewhere."

"'No running near the pool' should be common knowledge," Abigail flatly stated.

"S-Sorry," Zuri slowly got back up thanks to Jared's help. She rubbed her arms, embarrassed that such a scene had just happened to her. "Th-Thanks Jared. I was just in a rush because I realized I was late."

"No doubt trying to win the swimsuit modeling contest," Maggie remarked. "Because that swimsuit is fire girl!"

"Ah!" Carter blinked, glancing at the metal covering in surprise. "Ah m-man! Z-Zuri! You b-bled! Are you alright?"

"Huh?" Zuri blinked, slightly confused. "Am I? I guess that fall was harder than I thought it would be."

Carter and Zuri's eyes were directed toward a small pile of blood on the edge of the metal covering where Zuri had fallen. Though, something was off about a pile of blood that supposedly belonged to Zuri and Abigail was the first to point it out.

"You don't seem to be bleeding anywhere," Abigail noted. "And a fall doesn't accumulate blood like this."

"Whoa, were you just checking her out?" Maggie gave a sly look toward the equestrian. The equestrian's went pink.

"Kindly shut up please," Abigail said, flustered over the fact that she did in fact check Zuri out for a completely different reason.

"Abigail is right however," Ina narrowed her eyes at the small puddle of blood on the metal covering. "There is something… amiss here."

That was when Maggie's coy and teasing side shifted to a small look of disappointment. The suspicion. The fear. The paranoia. It was all coming back and invading what was supposed to be a time of relaxation. A retreat from the stress of the Killing Game. Shaking her head at Ina and Abigail, Maggie walked over to the machine sitting at the opposite end of the spot of blood.

"Guys, come on, I thought we agreed on something here," Maggie frowned. "This was supposed to be a time where we can hang out without drama or any worries whatsoever. That blood could be anything. Maybe someone cut their hand cutting an apple here or something."

"W-Who would bring an apple here of all places?" Carter asked.

"The pool would make a really good place to bob apples I suppose," Ina retorted thoughtfully.

"Exactly," Maggie gave Ina a small smile. "So, guys. Let's just relax and swim. Whack each other with pool noodles. Or even skinny dip! It's really up to you guys what you want to do! As long as we all have fun and that relaxation we deserve!"

After Maggie finished her speech, she pressed the 'On' button on the machine.

...

But as soon as Maggie opened the metal covering over the swimming pool, everything went from concerning to absolutely wrong in a span of five minutes. What was supposed to be a day of relaxation turned out to be a nightmare that was all too familiar. A nightmare that smelled of fresh blood mixed together with the salty chlorine of pool water. The machine that retracted the metallic covering continued to produce its ominous noise as the prisoners could feel nothing but dread chill through their swimwear and bare skin. The utter look of shock on their faces told all.

Maggie stepped back, covering her mouth as her mind quickly asked herself what went wrong. Why did this happen again? Yes. That same question was looming in everyone's minds at the moment. Zuri collapsed back down on to the ground, this time on her knees, eyes filling with tears. Abigail was deathly silent as her mind could not grasp the image that was displayed in front of her. Carter hugged himself in pure terror. Ina could only stare, her eyes trying hard to squeeze shut, but failing to do so only because her eyes wouldn't dare turn to anything else. Jared gritted his teeth, being the only person brave enough to step forward to take a closer look at the grotesque sight.

The first thing the police officer dared to look at was an intricate wooden plank floating peacefully amidst the cloudy red water. But as his eyes slowly trailed toward what was alongside that wooden plank, he saw what made everyone fall silent. Fall into a daze as their minds tried to grasp at the hideous image. Because floating calmly face-first in the water was undoubtedly a body bleeding in more ways than one. Blood seeped out of their head. Their right hand had been cleanly cut off. Together, the blood from both injuries mixed itself with the chlorinated pool water to create a ghastly stain of red in the otherwise blue water.

Yes.

This was what they saw. This was what had become of the body in the pool. The body of Yuumi Kizuchi, the Ultimate Sailor.

Unmoving.

Bleeding.

...

Dead.

---

DANGANRONPA: CORRUPTED HOPE

---

Happy Valentines Day's you guys!

Finally! The official end of Chapter 2's Daily Life and the start of Chapter 2's Deadly Life ;D It has been a long journey but ultimately, I'm so glad I managed to reach this point of the story!

First thing to say is that Trial Parts 1 and 2 have been finished but are still currently being edited so it might delay the Investigation chapter's release! Just a heads up with that but I think I can verily say that this entire Chapter will be completed by the end of February or the start of March! That's my rough estimate :D

Now onto more serious things here: Yuumi. Yes, she is the second victim and the third person to go in this sick Killing Game D: Thank you to Shamelles4110 for supplying me with her. She was really fun to write and funny enough though, she was the first ever character I had a certain placement for in terms of my kill order. The first addition to my kill order that I ever made. As soon as I received her character, I knew for a fact the best place to kill her off was Chapter 2 as the victim.

In terms of Yuumi's death, I wanted her to have a death that would make people think, 'What?! But she still had so much interaction potential left!'. She did! She still had some unresolved beef with Mimi. But this was a Killing Game, and in the grand scheme of things, Yuumi was never going to survive this experience D: It was a way to say that anyone can leave at any point no matter how developed or how undeveloped their character is. Nevertheless, a handful of y'all saw her death coming anyway so kudos to those who called it hahaha XD

Now about Yuumi's storyline, it was always planned out to have Yuumi have her trust destroyed and having her have a tough time trust others after the aftermath of the first Chapter. It would be the catalyst to the strained relationship between her and her bestie, Yuumi, and lead way to the 'surprise' death I wanted out of her. An Aoi Asahina that remained in her Chapter 4 serious counterpart until her bitter end DX

But with that said, I hope you all enjoyed the Daily Life of Chapter 2! Keep giving me some opinions on what I could've done better and look forward to the Deadly Life of Chapter 2! Who do you think killed Yuumi? ;D Chapter 2 Deadly Life has officially begun!

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Prisoners Remaining: 13

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Abigail Ellsworth - The Ultimate Equestrian (oddlyillregular)

Arthur Kingston - The Ultimate Snowboarder (SinWriter7)

Barracuda - The Ultimate Personal Trainer (Weekaro)

Carter Franklin - The Ultimate Opinion Columnist (armadas)

Cassandra Mura - The Ultimate ? (ExtraMeme)

Haruto Walker - The Ultimate Former Basketball Player (theotakureader101)

Holland Delaney - The Ultimate Game Designer (Sempi)

Ina Hamamura - The Ultimate Revolutionary (VividIsSleeping)

Jared Ceartas - The Ultimate Police Officer (Otterplay)

Maggie LaDroubi - The Ultimate Supermodel (Project Drama)

Mayu Mashiro - The Ultimate Heiress (zetsunaflame)

Mimi Kazoo - The Ultimate Fairytale Writer (Idraegan)

Zuri Auraline - The Ultimate Bassist (CandleFire45)