Chapter 3: Sums For Our Fallen Grace (Daily Life #04)
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!
"Heh, idiot."
Cassandra couldn't help but smirk after watching the numbers on her screen increase ever so quickly. Once the numbers reached its max, all that was left to do was delete everything on her busy computer screen. Clear all cache and data? Yes. Don't mind if she fucking does. Erasing all traces of HotPineapple12 and their existence was as easy for her as taking candy from a baby.
Sighing in relief, she leaned back against her gamer chair, glancing around her messy bedroom. A fan was used to condition her room. Her clothes tossed and thrown all over the place. She glanced at the time: 4 AM.
Wow.
She was really at this all night.
But if it was 4 AM now, that just meant…
The front door opened. She quickly rebooted her computer before opening the door to her room. Walking through a small hallway, once she turned the corner, she saw who else but a tired Hikaru Mura, resting his back against the front door as he sat down on the clear dirt-trodden floor. His eyes were void of any light. All that energy he usually had was drained. But he was still breathing… yawning, but still breathing.
Her father, Hikaru Mura, was tired. It's the same every day. He would come home late with barely any time to check up on his daughter due to how exhausted he was. Tonight, it was the daughter that decided to greet him, but that didn't stop the tradition of Hikaru Mura being too tired to even give her any fatherly love.
"Oh, hey Cassy," Hikaru tried to smile. It was a weak attempt at a smile. No energy to even feign happiness. "Sorry, I'm late. Got held up at the… office."
"Dad…" Cassandra frowned toward Hikaru. "You always get held up at the office. When are you going to actually start manning up and ask for breaks?"
"Breaks?" Hikaru yawned. "What's a break? Single fathers don't need breaks. We just need to keep working and working and working and working and working and working…"
Hikaru tried to stand up but even his legs barely had any energy. As soon as he got up from the ground, he toppled over and let his daughter catch her. It was a wonder how he even managed to get home in the first place.
"God, Dad!" Cassandra looked visibly irritated as she led her father to the living room couch. "I keep telling you this. Working three jobs at once is a stupid idea!"
"Four actually," Hikaru mumbled as he tried to rest his eyes.
"Whatever!" Cassandra yelled. "Look at you! How the fuck are you going to be able to wake up for tomorrow's shift? And the shift after? And the shift after that shift?! Dad, I told you to let me take care of this!"
"No no," Hikaru weakly stated. "The only thing you need to worry about is… school…"
"Fuck school!" Cassandra exclaimed. "All school is doing is taking the money you earned and giving it to those lazy sleazebags who call themselves teachers!"
"Ha…" Hikaru chuckled on the couch. He couldn't see how visibly angry his daughter was. "But education is still important regardless. You don't want to work four jobs like your old man here, let me tell you that, Cass."
"You wouldn't be working four jobs if you bothered to at least quit two," Cassandra muttered. "I'm serious Dad! You need to ask for at least a month off. You're paler than you were last week!"
"But then, who's going to earn money for us?" Hikaru weakly blinked.
"Me, dad," Cassandra answered. "I can earn money for us. I have a business you know!"
"...Is that where the money you keep getting comes from?" Hikaru asked before musing, "Heh. Look at my good, strong daughter. Already taking care of her useless old man."
"Don't call yourself useless!" Cassandra groaned, pinching the bridge of her nose in frustration. "Look Dad. Just take the day off for a month. I'll bring in the money, alright? You need to stop being a workaholic and just start being… my Dad."
Cassandra clenched her fist.
Dad didn't even respond. As she figured as much, her father had fallen asleep. He probably didn't even hear her compromise, meaning he was going to wake up in two hours and start working from 6 AM back to the measly hours of 4 AM. Rinse and repeat.
"Y-You owe me at least that much, Dad," Cassandra muttered quietly, her expression pained. "Just stop working… You fucking owe me."
"...Abagail…" Hikaru muttered in his sleep. "...Please come back and take care of… your daughter…"
Cassandra's fist tightened.
Even after all these years, he still thought about her. Her sorry excuse of a mother who left their family in this mess in the first place. If there's anyone that definitely owed them something, it was that bitch.
Dad didn't need to owe Cassandra much.
Just her mom.
Fucking Abbygail...
She fucking owed them everything...
(Cafeteria)
"Agh– urgh– F-Fuck– Sh– Shit!"
"Oh, stop being a big baby," Abigail frowned toward Haruto.
The Cafeteria today started a little different than it normally would. For starters, the usual silence was replaced by Haruto's constant moaning regarding his leg pain. Currently, Abigail took it upon herself to change his bandages, but the moment she got to wrapping the lower part of his leg, Haruto flinched.
"Yow!" Haruto gritted his teeth. "Easy with that, will ya? That's my leg you're trying to heal!"
"Yeah, well, I can't exactly heal it with you moving it around like that," Abigail tiredly glanced toward the former basketball player.
"H-Hey, hey, take it easy!" Haruto flinched again as Abigail started to wrap the bandage a little tighter. "Th-That's too tight!"
Abigail slapped him on his broken leg.
"J-Jesus!" Haruto yelped. "The fuck was that for?!"
"Move your leg again and I'll slap it," Abigail groaned. "You're making my job a hundred times harder than it needs to be."
"Y-Yeah, well no one asked you to play nurse!" Haruto held onto the Cafeteria table for support. "Oi, Maggie! Help a guy out will ya?! Maybe with your hands, my leg won't get even more messed up from Abs' lack of medical– YOWCH!"
Abigail had slapped him again on the leg.
"What kind of nickname is 'Abs'?" Abigail coldly asked.
"Maggie!" Haruto called out. "She's killing me here!"
"H-Heh, you two act like an old married couple," Carter chuckled sheepishly.
"As if I would marry this stubborn ass," Abigail rolled her eyes.
"Back at you, ass-riding bitch– OW!" Haruto yelped as he was yet again slapped again on his healing leg.
Carter couldn't help but smile at this small exchange. It was quite funny to watch this back-and-forth between Abigail and Haruto. But most concerning was the lack of response from Maggie. Turning to her, he noticed just how out of it she was this morning.
In fact, of the people in the Cafeteria, this would include of course Abigail, Haruto, Carter and Maggie. Also, there was Arthur, Holland, Mimi, and Zuri.
Either case, back to Carter noticing how out of it Maggie was, he scooted closer to tap her on the shoulder.
"E-Er, M-Maggie," Carter stuttered slightly. "Are you alright?"
"Huh?" Maggie snapped out of it for a second. "O-Oh. Y-Yeah. I am."
"Are you sure?" Mimi blinked as she looked rather concerned by how quiet the supermodel had been. "M-Maybe you have a fever. Here! I'll go get some medicine from the Infirmary!"
"It's not that," Maggie sighed before trying to put on her best smile for Mimi. "It's just… I'm doing fine. I'm just a little out of it today. Tired from, y'know, everything."
"Ugh, now you're speaking my language," Abigail yawned after finishing up with Haruto's leg.
By the time she was done, Haruto looked ready to piss his pants. The bandage work was hella tight, but it seemed to do its job of making sure his leg was firmer and more controllable.
"I-If you say so, Big Sis," Mimi looked down, apologetically.
"This doesn't happen to have to do with a certain fish-named traitor, does it?" Arthur asked Maggie.
Maggie's skin went cold as she went silent again. Judging from that reaction, Arthur was spot-on in his deductions. Zuri slapped him on the arm.
"Arthur!" Zuri reprimanded. "Show some more tact! She got betrayed by someone she really cared about!"
"As did I," Arthur sighed. "So now we're both on the same boat."
Zuri looked down. She didn't want to be reminded of Carter's betrayal in the last Minigame. In fact, even Carter and Mimi looked ashamed by what they had pulled in the last Minigame as well. Holland seemed to be the only one who didn't care, but there was only so much one could read from his never-changing expression of stoicism.
"...What's done is done," Holland merely stated. "All we can do is move on and try to be careful. Especially those with a high bounty over their heads."
"Which includes you Holland," Zuri looked disappointed.
"...Yeah, I know," Holland looked away.
"I'm sorry about that," Mimi apologized. "I just thought…"
"...It's alright," Holland emotionlessly stated. "I understand."
Of the people in the Cafeteria, four of them were stuck with high one million dollar bounties on their heads. Naturally, even though some of them remained confident, they couldn't shake the feeling that they were currently being scouted by the next predator. Speaking of predator, a predatory fish-named fitness trainer was the latest to join the Cafeteria group:
Barracuda entered the Cafeteria, noticing Maggie, and walked up to her.
"M-Maggie," Barracuda carefully approached her. "A-About yesterday…"
"I'll be going now," Maggie immediately stood up. She didn't even want to look at him. She prepared to leave before Barracuda attempted to stop her.
"E-Er, where?" Barracuda asked.
"Somewhere away from you," Maggie painfully stated before hugging herself. Without much else to say, she left the Cafeteria.
Awkward.
Barracuda was stuck, standing there in front of questioning looks like a big idiot. Not that he wasn't already one but still…
"Why would you do that to her?" Mimi was the first to ask. "She trusted you. And you just…"
Barracuda noticed that Mimi was judging him. Most of the people in the Cafeteria seemed to be. And what's worse, he didn't even understand why. He just… played the game. Right?
"I… I didn't know if I could trust her," Barracuda tried to explain.
"B-But you two have been friends since the game started!" Mimi pouted. "Friends are always supposed to stick together until the end!"
"L-Like you and Yuumi?" Barracuda clenched his fist.
Mimi was taken aback by what Barracuda said. So much so, that she took a step back, realizing that he indeed had a point. Barracuda on the other hand, realized that perhaps that was going a little too far.
"I'm sorry," Barracuda tried to apologize.
"N-No, I guess you're right," Mimi looked down, albeit a little shamefully.
"Look, Barracuda," Abigail sighed, stepping up to take the stand. "Whether or not you trusted her or not wasn't the problem. The problem was you played along White Collar's game and you pretty much prepared her like a roast turkey on Thanksgiving. People are going to go after her now because of the bounty you placed on her head with your decision. You understand that?"
Barracuda remained silent. Deep down, he knew he understood that. The rules of the game were explained explicitly so that even he could understand. So why did he still do it?
"Y-Yeah," Barracuda sighed to himself.
He messed up.
Big time.
"...As I said before, there's no changing things now," Holland flipped his hoodie over his head. "The people with that high bounty are going to need to be extra careful."
"Agreed," Zuri nodded. "Which is why I think those with high bounties should stick together with someone who they trust enough to protect them."
"I'll try to find Maggie and protect her," Barracuda volunteered.
"If she will even allow you to come within 15 feet of her," Arthur pointed out. "Perhaps someone else would be better."
"But I–" Barracuda was about to argue before submitting in disappointment. Arthur was right. After what he pulled, there was no way Maggie would want to talk to him again. "I… I guess you're right."
Disappointed.
A disappointment.
That's all he was ever meant to be, was he?
Without much discussion, the Morning Meeting ended as quietly and awkwardly as it started later on, with everyone separating for their long awaited Free-Time Events! But at the same time, a distant paranoia creaking into everyone's cognitive perceptions that perhaps something bad was going to happen soon.
Especially to anyone with one million dollars over their heads…
(Jared's Room)
Whilst the Cafeteria had their own dramas, Cassandra had her own little crisis as she stood in front of the door to Jared's room. Her mind was riddled with things she needed to clear. Choices she needed to make. Although the two didn't end their conversation well last time, this was different for Cassandra.
Typically, she wouldn't go back. But she needed something. She needed to know. She had to know. Could she still keep Jared as her ally? Could she still trust him?
She had to know…
She took a deep breath. Time would tell. She prepared to knock on the door, but before she could, the door opened by itself. Jared looked just as messy and dazed as he did yesterday, but it also seemed like he expected her presence.
Sighing, he opened the door for her.
"Come in," Jared offered to Cassandra.
…
"I thought long and hard about things," Jared admitted. "About everything we talked about yesterday."
"So, you mean you considered everything I said about losing yourself?" Cassandra looked slightly hopeful.
"Not exactly," Jared stared at his evidence wall with a somber look. "You were right about me. What you said yesterday. I'm just as dirty as the cops you've met. Not that I know what they're like in the first place."
"...What are you thinking about doing?" Cassandra narrowed her eyes. This was definitely not where she wanted to place her hope on.
"White Collar kept saying that none of us have even accounted for our sins," Jared continued, ignoring Cassandra's question. "And he's right. I've never fully admitted everything about my past."
"H-Hey, look at me," Cassandra demanded. "What are you thinking about doing?"
"...When I shot that scumbag all those years ago, it felt good," Jared's frown deepened. "It wasn't a feeling I wanted to feel. But it felt good, thinking I had enacted the justice she deserved. And every time I was reminded of what I did, everyone celebrated me for it. So why shouldn't this be any different?"
"This isn't funny!" Cassandra started to raise her voice. "Tell me what you're going to do!"
"...Heh, White Collar knows all too well I shouldn't even be a police officer," Jared chuckled to himself. "I broke protocol. I went against the rules. Chief called it bravery and doing what was it. But I always knew it was wrong. Glad to know it took a Killing Game to recognize it 100%. That's the price I pay for not coming clean sooner."
"Shut the fuck up and tell me what the hell you're thinking about doing!" Cassandra yelled. "Tell me Jared! Tell me!"
Cassandra froze. Not because she went ballistic there… but because in Jared's right hand was a gun. A Glock 22. Police-issued firearm, straight from the Ultimate Police Officer's Cell. He pointed the gun toward Cassandra, causing her heart to sink slightly.
…
Jared withdrew the gun and set it onto his gun holster.
Cassandra was noticeably relieved. Should've known that Jared wouldn't agree to shooting her, or any of the prisoners, but given with how much of tangent he went on, she wasn't completely sure. But now that she was, she had the freedom to express her usual emotion of being absolutely fucking pissed.
"What the fuck Jared?" Cassandra clenched her fist. "What are you doing with that? No. What are you going to do with that?"
"Isn't it obvious?" Jared mused. "I'm going to kill White Collar tonight."
"You literally put no thought into what I said–" Cassandra was about to say before the police officer interrupted.
"And you forgot that the game has already started last night with the new Minigame in play," Jared reminded. "You of all people can easily tell how easy some of these people will be to break. It's inevitable that in a matter of time, a body is going to show up."
"So, your big plan is to shoot White Collar before someone kills someone?" Cassandra clenched her fist. "There are so many holes with that plan! Come on! You're not thinking straight! You'll die if you fail!"
"And if there's even a chance of success, I'll take it," Jared scratched his head with the gun. Gun handling skills: 0%. "Even if it costs me my life."
"You've gone nuts," Cassandra gritted her teeth. "Why are you so desperate to become a martyr?"
"My only desperation is making sure this Killing Game stops," Jared stated. "And the only way for that to happen is by killing the mastermind at the top. That's White Collar."
"Okay, and what if you don't end up killing him?" Cassandra pointed out, unamused. "You're just going to be another body piled up onto the stack of corpses we've already had to deal with."
"And then that's when Plan B comes in," Jared twirled the gun around. Gun handling skills: -5%.
"P-Plan B?" Cassandra blinked.
"Why do you think I presented you and only you with what I'm going to do tonight?" Jared asked. Cassandra remained silent as the police officer leaned forward. "Because I know you're the only person in this place that won't try to stop me."
Cassandra widened her eyes. Did this mean that he was putting his trust in her for… Wait! But that still doesn't explain–
"You think I don't know what you're trying to do?" Jared checked the gun to see if the ammunition was kept nice and tight. "That you don't have a plan of your own. The way I see it, I kill him, boom, game's over. He lives, boom, I'm dead, but then everything will fall on you."
Cassandra took into what Jared was saying. She had to admit, she had forgotten that Jared was an individual capable of thinking and planning something. Could it be that he had known what her intentions were all this time?
"You see it now, don't you?" Jared chuckled to himself. "Whatever happens, it's going to benefit you in the long run."
"And what makes you think you can trust me with whatever you think I'm trying to do?" Cassandra raised an eyebrow.
"I can't," Jared shrugged. "But wasn't this what you wanted in an ally?"
Cassandra bit her lip. Fuck. He knew all this time.
"Y-You knew all this time?" Cassandra looked away.
"Cassandra," Jared covered the one eye that was covered by his blue locks. "I'm crazy, not stupid. How could I not think that's why you buddied up with me? The thought crossed my mind hundreds of times."
Cassandra didn't respond.
Jared chuckled to himself before looking at Cassandra somberly. From her perspective, she could see all too closely face of a man who was ready to stare Death in the eyes.
"G-God, I fucking hate you," Cassandra gave Jared a rather cold look. "If you knew I had a plan up my sleeve, you would also know that I didn't need your help. That I didn't need you going crazy and… and… I just hate that people have to do so much just to help my selfish ass…"
Her mind wandered to her father...
Good ol' workaholic Dad...
Jared glanced toward his police hat before putting it back on his head, semi-completing his police officer look. He also put back the badge that Zuri had handed back to him last night.
"I guess that's the closest I'll ever get to see you get all sentimental," Jared seemed a little content with himself. He tipped his hat toward Cassandra.
"...So, I guess this is it then," Cassandra frowned.
"Yeah," Jared nodded. "Of the few times we've spoken, it was nice."
"I guess it was," Cassandra sighed.
There was a static silence between the two of them. Jared had turned back to the evidence wall before Cassandra silently left the room. The police officer had long fixed his hat. He had made his decision. This was something he had to do so there was no going back now.
…
And as soon as Cassandra closed the door, she leaned against it. She stared at her hands. She knew all too well that Jared's made his decision. There was no talking him out of this now. She clenched her hands into fists.
She lost her ally.
She was all alone now.
Now it was her turn to make the decision of what she was going to do. She left the Prison Rooms and headed toward the direction of the Auditorium, with new thoughts in mind. Thoughts that reminded her of a simple fact.
That Jared was right.
He couldn't trust her…
(Cell #66)
Ina opened her eyes only to the dimly lit darkness.
All track of time lost once again. How long has she slept for? How long will she be kept inside for? Will she ever see the light of day again? The Revolutionary wasn't sure, but what she was sure about was the maddening feeling of solitude slowly trying to corrupt her mind. Her sanity was getting depleted by the moment.
At this point, she needed to chat with someone outside her prison cell.
Her stomach grumbled.
She was hungry too. She had hoped that someone would bring her something to eat. Something for her to take her mind off for two hours. Because she reached the stage where her maddening mind was starting to fill up with plenty of false thoughts.
What if everyone had escaped without her? Left her to rot in this Cell?
What if everyone had died? What if she was the final survivor of this Killing Game?
What if everyone forgot about her? Would she starve or die from dehydration then?
It was the same paranoia in her mind. Locked in a Cell without a moment of time to step out and see the sun in the Ultimate Basketball Player's Cell, feel the pool water from the Swimming Pool, or even see what the new Ultimate Cells had to offer. The only exception to that rule was when White Collar needed to announce something, and even then, that wasn't every day.
Ina sighed.
She missed what was outside Cell #66. Truly, this was torment.
…
There was a soft knock on her door as Ina perked her head up, exhausted.
"H-Holland?" Ina tried to guess. "Z-Zuri?"
"No, it's me," it was the voice of her demon half-brother instead. Ina didn't respond. Why should she? He was the reason that…
After he slid a plate of food for Ina to eat, Ina heard a small sigh from the other side of the Cell.
"Don't worry," he said. "I'm just here to deliver your food. That is all."
Small pause.
"I'll… be going now," Ina could tell there was a hint of disappointment in his voice as Arthur prepared to walk away.
But any longer without any company and she was going to go insane. In normal circumstances, she wouldn't give Arthur the time of the day. But maybe just now, maybe now just this once…
"W-Wait," Ina weakly called out.
The footsteps belonging to her half-brother stopped.
"...Y-You can stay," Ina said as she took the plate of food that was made for her. "P-Please…"
…
Arthur couldn't believe that he finally had the chance to officially speak to his half-sister. The two remained on opposite sides of the metal door that separated the two. Ina slowly ate her plate of food, in an effort to savor her nourishments. Arthur on the other hand was too busy trying to contemplate what he should say to her.
All this time of wanting to speak to her and yet, now he was speechless. What could he even say to her?
'How have you been?'
'How is life?'
'You know, ever since you tried to kill me, found out you were related to me, and have been locked up in a prison cell for a long, long time.'
Yeah, none of those options were going to work.
But instead, much to surprise, it was Ina who spoke up first.
"I still do not understand," Ina spoke out. "Why did you do it?"
"D-Do what?" Arthur blinked, taken aback and confused.
"Yesterday," Ina specified. "You are intelligent. You are crafty. You easily knew I would choose to Distrust you. You could have chosen Distrust to save yourself and yet you still chose Trust. Why?"
"I already told you why," Arthur sighed. "Because you are my half-sister. You are family to me. That is the only reason why I chose to Trust you."
"Even at the cost of your own life being auctioned off to whoever would be greedy enough to try to kill you?" Ina asked.
"Of course," Arthur said as a matter-of-factly.
Ina clenched her fist. She didn't want to believe that someone like Arthur could really care for someone like her. Arthur was the son of the father who acted like she didn't exist. And yet, it was the son who apparently cared for her. She couldn't believe this. Or…
She didn't want to believe it.
She wanted to keep hating.
She wanted every excuse to keep hating…
But how could she now?
"Why me?" Ina set her plate of food aside. She felt miserable. "You do not even care about your family. Why would you care suddenly for me? I… tried to kill you."
Arthur remained silent for a moment.
"If there was anyone in my family I truly cared about, it was my adoptive sister," Arthur revealed. "The sister that would've been you had my father settled with you…"
Arthur clenched his fist.
"She used to be someone I could count on," Arthur stated, his face turning cold and icy. "The Kingston Family has long fooled the world into thinking they had it all. But what they lacked was everything a true family needed. Being a member of the Kingston Family felt more like a necessity rather than something natural. Like a title, rather than a place you could affectionately call your home."
Arthur stared up into the ceiling.
"My adoptive sister had nowhere to go," Arthur grimaced. "I know that even now, the title of being a Kingston daughter has weighed her down morally. To the point where she's become just as bad as my father."
Arthur turned back to the door, as if he could see Ina through the door.
"When I left home, part of myself felt that I could have saved my sister from her fate," Arthur explained. "And when I learned that you were my half-sister… I felt as if fate had given me a second chance."
"To do what?" Ina listened to what Arthur was saying. Something she wouldn't usually do, but her sanity levels depended on this.
"Save you from Hell," Arthur merely answered. "Listen to me Ina. I meant everything I said. I truly do care about you as family. And I will do everything it takes to make sure you live."
There was a moment of silence before it was Ina's turn.
"At the same time, half-brother," Ina frowned. "You must know that even if you do, it will still not be enough for me to accept you. I will still treat you as an enemy to my cause. And I will never treat you as my half-brother."
Arthur winced upon hearing that.
"The truth of the matter is I am not a second chance for your previous failure," Ina explained. "I am not your adopted sister. I am merely the bastard child that you pitied so much that you feel like you have to take care of me."
Ina glanced behind her.
"I, too, meant what I said," Ina looked down, a little sad. "As long as I'm alive, your family is forced to fall as another tainted symbol of hope. So, any promises you make, I will immediately assume you will never keep."
Arthur placed his hand on the door.
"...And I will never stop making promises I do in fact, intend to keep," Arthur softly stated. "Trust me…"
There was no way Ina was going to trust him. Arthur figured that. Ina knew that. But he spoke with his heart instead of his tongue.
That had to be worth something to Ina, right?
If not, then at least it's worth it to the fact that Arthur and Ina grew a little closer together, finally! Hope Fragments as a complimentary reward!
(Ultimate Sailor's Cell)
"A little birdie told me you'd be here."
Mimi turned to see an unexpected presence in the form of Abigail Ellsworth. As it turned out, the Ultimate Fairytale Writer had been spending most of her time in Yuumi's Ultimate Cell, no surprise there. She had fed Brucey and was now sitting back against the glass that contained the shark, jotting stuff in a book.
"Oh, Abigail," Mimi briefly looked up before glancing down at the book. "Why are you here?"
"Well, I'd be lying if I said the only reason I was here was to check up on you," Abigail yawned. "You're the Ultimate Fairytale Writer, right?"
Mimi looked back up toward Abigail, intrigued.
"I was wondering if I could maybe… borrow some books that you've written before," Abigail asked, genuine about her intentions.
"My books?" Mimi blinked. "But why?"
"Well, fairytales are basically what parents read to their children to get them to sleep, right?" Abigail asked. "And lately, my insomnia problem has been getting worse and worse."
"Ah," Mimi tapped her chin before smiling softly. "Well, if that's the case, I'll do you one better! I'll write you a fairytale! Original tale, concocted by the great witch, Mimi Kazoo!"
"Is that what you're doing right now?" Abigail glanced toward the book that Mimi was writing in.
Mimi's soft smile shifted into a slight look of sadness. Alliteration is awesome. Ahem. She flipped through pages and pages of her book, sighing slightly.
"Actually," Mimi set her pencil down. "I was. But the only reason I opened this book up again was because of…"
Abigail instantly knew where this was going.
"...Yuumi right?" Abigail asked.
Mimi nodded.
"I promised her I would record her adventures so that she and Sailor Penguin could read it one day," Mimi frowned. "But just opening up this book now after everything… after knowing that I can't keep my promise anymore."
Abigail sat next to her, her tired eyes glancing toward the pages that she had already filled out.
"Well, Sailor Penguin is still here, isn't he?" Abigail asked. "And for all we know, Yuumi's spirit still lives on beside you. So technically you still have a chance to complete that promise."
"Thanks, but even a young witch like me knows that you're just saying that to make me feel better," Mimi sighed. "I'm not a little kid, you know."
"And so, you're not even going to give it a chance, regardless of if it's true or not?" Abigail raised an eyebrow.
Mimi paused to think about that as Abigail continued.
"What was the story you were going to write for Yuumi about?" Abigail asked.
"...A mermaid who would have feared the ocean," Mimi answered plainly. "It was basically about Yuumi and her adventures out at sea."
"I would love to read that," Abigail nodded. "A story dedicated to your best friend."
Mimi glanced back at Abigail. That part was true. A story dedicated to a best friend was better than not writing anything at all due to a promise she was never going to keep now. Or rather, a promise that would be kept if Yuumi's spirit truly was beside her.
"...Then, is that the story you wish for me to write for your sleeping problem?" Mimi asked Abigail, curiously.
"Kill two birds with one stone," Abigail nodded. "Yes."
Mimi nodded in return as she marked something on the page. She smiled shyly toward the prestigious equestrian.
"I'll have it ready for you tomorrow," Mimi told her. "It will be called 'The Mermaid Who Fears the Ocean'."
"Can't wait," Abigail nodded in satisfaction.
"But before I get started, can I ask you some things?" Mimi asked.
"Of course," Abigail plainly stated. She had already asked her to do so much, least she could do was answer some things on her mind.
"Why can't you sleep?" Mimi pressed on.
Abigail blinked. She wanted to know what was exactly going on. She rubbed her arm, slightly uncomfortable.
"It's just hard," Abigail sighed. "I've been getting a lot of nightmares. Memories really."
"That's probably because of what White Collar is doing to us," Mimi looked down.
"...Maybe," Abigail looked away. That was definitely not it. White Collar was more of an inconvenient factor supplying fuel to her problem. "You also wanted to ask about other things?"
"Yeah," Mimi nodded. "Do you think Big Sis Maggie will be okay?"
Abigail blinked once again. This was a surprising question. She thought about how Maggie acted in the morning. How she had to talk to Barracuda about what he did was wrong. How hurt Maggie was…
"Maggie's… a strong person," Abigail stated. "We've all been through a lot and Maggie's held her own with whatever issues she's been dealing with. I think she'll be fine. What she needs is space and a chance to talk things out with Barracuda again though."
"Then, do you think Barracuda is a bad person for doing what he did?" Mimi asked.
"No," Abigail shook her head. "Everyone makes mistakes. Barracuda made a mistake. And I know he recognized that. But everyone in this game has made mistakes at some point. Best we can do now is move forward and atone."
"I see," Mimi looked down.
Abigail began to understand why Mimi had been asking those questions. The discourse between Barracuda and Maggie had reminded her so much of what was happening between her and Yuumi. Just seeing them go down the same path was bringing back memories she didn't want to remember.
"Look, Mimi, everything's going to be fine," Abigail assured her. "Maggie will be back in no time and Barracuda will be back to his normal optimistic self. They just hit a sore spot in whatever they have going on."
"I hope you're right," Mimi pouted.
Abigail tiredly glanced away.
She hoped she was right as well. For Mimi and their sake.
But speaking of Hope, Abigail and Mimi had gained some Hope Fragments due to having spent a little time growing closer together.
So that's always good, right?!
(Cafeteria)
5:30 PM.
Zuri glanced toward the time with a sigh. With each passing day of being locked in this twisted Killing Game, time seems to move inconsistently. Either it moves fast, or it moves especially slow on days like this. At the moment, Zuri stared at the key to Cell #66 that she entrusted herself to keep.
The thought that she was practically the new leader wasn't something she was entirely happy with. She spent so long being the background character. The bassist. The one who held everything together by establishing the tempo. Back home, Hana was the one who led everything. And now, she became the lead.
The lead singer of this dysfunctional band.
"...You alright?"
Zuri gasped, placing a hand over her heart.
"H-Holland!" Zuri turned to the owner of the voice. Surely enough, it was Holland, who stared with that same usual expression on his face. "You scared me."
"...Sorry," Holland looked away, slightly ashamed. "I didn't mean to. I just didn't expect to see you alone here. Especially after you said that people with high bounties should stick with someone for safety reasons."
"I know, I know," Zuri sighed. "I guess I just got caught too much in the heat of things to realize I was all alone."
Holland sat next to her.
"...And we can't have that," Holland stared at her, stoically. "What's wrong?"
"N-Nothing," Zuri lamely tried to excuse herself.
Holland blankly stared at her.
"...Okay, except why did you do that Holland?" Zuri sighed, hugging herself after giving up too quickly. "Why would you bring me up to be the new leader of the group? You know I always saw myself more as a 'person hidden in the background' kind of gal."
"...And I always saw you differently from that," Holland bluntly stated. "You know this. Even if you don't believe yourself to be, I always believe in you…"
Holland flipped his hoodie over his head.
"...So, I thought I'd give you the chance to show you just how capable you really are," Holland stated. "Show you that you do have what it takes to be a leader."
"Y-You're sweet, Holland," Zuri glanced away, slightly embarrassed. In fact, her cheeks tinted pink at how much support she was getting. "B-But what if I'm truly not cut out for this? What if more people die under my watch? I don't know how exactly I'll…"
"...You worry too much," Holland said. "When Kane saw the opportunity to take advantage of my crime, he took it. When Jared saw that people were still dying under his watch, he gave up. Truthfully, leadership is just a position to give people hope for the future. Good leadership can never stop players of a game from hurting others. The only way for the players to stop is to stop the game altogether."
"So, you still think people are going to die under my watch?" Zuri looked a little depressed at the thought.
"...Even if you aren't the leader, even if someone else takes the title, bodies will still drop," Holland stated. "That's how the game White Collar created works. He has a plan to get everyone to kill each other until there is one person left."
Holland looked away.
"...I chose you as the leader not just to show you that you can be capable of leading, but also because you instill more hope than the others," Holland stated. "And hope is what we need in a game like this. Out of everyone in this entire group, you have more hope for others. You proved that when you gave me a second chance..."
Zuri understood what he was saying. In fact, the points he made were right. She was someone who could easily instill hope. But she still can't believe it. Still can't believe in herself and that she had what it took...
"...I just want people to stop killing each other," Zuri bit her lip.
"Me too," Holland sighed. "...But I think at this point, a lot of people here recognize that the only way we can stop people from killing others is by killing the game itself. Until then…"
Zuri listened to everything Holland was saying. She glanced at him, her eyes starting to tear up.
"God, I don't think I can do this," Zuri miserably stated. "I don't even know what to do. You believe so much in me and yet I can't even…"
"...Zuri," Holland glanced back at her. "...It's going to be okay."
"No, it's not…" Zuri whimpered.
"...You're holding yourself back," Holland hesitantly placed a hand on her shoulder.
"I just want to be back home, Holland," Zuri miserably stated. "I just wanted to be in a band with my friends. I never asked for any of this. I never even asked to be an Ultimate student. So why is this happening to us?"
"...I don't know," Holland emotionlessly answered.
Zuri closed her eyes. Tears started to form into larger droplets over her eyes. Holland stared at them, watching each droplet slowly trickle down her cheek. Placing his soft hands over her cheek, he carefully wiped away one tear at a time as he glanced at her closely. His face may have stayed the same, but deep inside, it told a different story.
Zuri on the other hand, slowly reached for Holland's, allowing him to hold onto her warming cheek for a little longer. Holland jolted slightly. Zuri's face heated up, warmer than before. Zuri's eyes glanced back into Holland's. She noticed his pupils dilate slightly before the two let go of each other, turning away from each other softly.
"I… I'm sorry," Zuri wiped her tears herself. "I… I… I got carried away there."
"...M-Me too," Holland glanced away. His cheeks were starting to feel warm.
This was a first for Holland.
Throughout his life, his only emotion has been stoicism. He never smiled. He never cried. He never got angry. No matter how funny, sad, or frustrating a situation was, Holland never let his emotions get the better of him. Emotions were a distraction after all. Make even one tantrum, one significant emotion, and that'll distract others from their focus.
That was what he believed in.
He never cried for his mother because he knew how she was working to support him.
He never got mad at his mother because he knew what she was sacrificing for him.
…But being happy on the other hand was a complicated emotion. He didn't know why he didn't smile as much as he could have. Perhaps it was the constant practice of burying his negative emotions that even the positive emotions got buried alongside it.
Emotions.
They were a distraction. And they were a confusing feeling that Holland didn't bother to have enough time to pay attention to...
Until the Killing Game.
Until he was trapped in this facility.
Until now, he was letting those emotions he had worked so hard to keep contained to seep through. Sadness. Frustration. And now…
Warmth?
Why was he warm?
Why was he so warm being next to…?
…
Zuri recognized this feeling altogether. Admiration is what she called it. The warmth in her cheeks and the fluttering of her stomach. She called it a symptom of being amazed and intrigued. The first person she ever felt this way toward was her best friend, Hana. The leader. The one who taught her so much. Taught her what it meant to be part of a group.
And for a long time, she thought it was because she admired her so much for how confident and amazing she was. Warmth. The tint of pink in her cheeks. The ever-growing desire to want to be with her forever…
Hana was the only person she had felt like this toward for a long time.
And yet now…
…Now the feelings have come back for who she thought she could call her best friend: Holland.
The symptoms were all there.
The warmth in her heart.
The flush of blood over her face.
The ever-growing desire to escape with someone who cared and supported her so much.
Even after what he did, even after his mistake, he still found a way to provide her with the support she needed. He still found a way to talk his way into letting her run back to him. He still found a way for her to want to be near him more.
But none of that was admiration.
None of that was because she thought he was amazing.
All of that was because he was someone she truly cared about… right?
…
Her face flushed. Was it just her imagination or did he get a little closer? No, it was just her imagination. He hasn't moved an inch and yet her first-person perspective disillusioned her into thinking that he was one who moved closer.
No.
It was her.
She was moving closer.
Maybe if she closed her eyes…
The imagery was now dark. But her mind still thought of Holland. His warm presence definitely felt closer. No, this time, she didn't move. Wait. Then, did that mean?
…
Yes.
Holland had been undergoing the same process, but at the same time, he was hesitating. He's known Zuri for a good two weeks and a day. And yet he felt the gravitational force push him closer to her.
She was warm. Just like him.
Her eyes closed.
Temptation was taunting him.
What should he do? His body was moving but he didn't feel like he was in control. Like a puppet being moved by strings. Or an original character created by someone named Sempi being controlled by a psychopath named SilverMark16 who is trying to tease the audience with shameful shipping. Weirdly specific but that was what it felt like.
He saw himself moving closer.
Closer.
Closer.
Closer.
Inches apart from each other.
Like two planets ready to collide with one another.
…
"Ah! There you fucks are!"
Zuri and Holland retracted away, scooting away to the far ends of the cafeteria table, faces flushed in embarrassment. Holland covered his face with a slight groan. Zuri avoided eye contact, but her trembling voice was giving herself away as one millisecond glance just told her one simple fact:
Haruto cockblocked them.
"H-H-H-H-H-Haruto!" Zuri stammered. "W-What's going on?! W-What are you doing here?! B-B-B-B-Because we weren't doing anything! R-Right H-H-Holland?!"
"...Er, yeah," Holland timidly responded as he continued to cover his face.
"I feel like I did something that might've pissed off Fanfiction users," Haruto narrowed his eyes with a confused blink before shaking his head. "Wait. Screw that. You guys gotta come, right now!"
"...W-Why?" Holland glanced at Haruto with one eye.
"It's Jared!" Haruto exclaimed. "The fucker's gone crazy!"
Instantly, all feelings of warmth were quickly replaced with dread. This was especially the case with Zuri, who's eyes widened in fear as she remembered what she had just told the police officer last night.
"You left this behind hoping one of us would take your place as the new leader, right?" Zuri asked the police officer. Jared said nothing in return. "...That new leader is me. And I just wanted to say… Please. Please don't do anything crazy."
Zuri looked at her former leader with a solemn look.
"The others might not accept it, but just know that if you ever go back to our group, you're free to take the leadership role again," Zuri assured the police officer, handing him back his badge. "People really looked up to you. So, I'm saying this again. Please don't do anything crazy. Okay?"
"W-Where is he?" Zuri stood up, looking much more adamant than before. She clenched her fist, pocketing her key.
"Auditorium!" Haruto exclaimed. "We need you as the leader to help contain the situation! So, move your ass and let's go!"
Haruto ran off into the direction of the Auditorium, leaving behind Zuri and Holland.
The two glanced at each other and gave each other small nods. Whatever they had nearly done, they acknowledged that they would talk about it later.
Right now, what was important was whatever the hell Jared was doing.
Oh, and I guess they got Hope Fragments from spending a little time closer together and stuff. But that wasn't important either.
(Auditorium)
"W-Whoa w-whoa, c-calm down Jared!"
"Is that gun actually loaded?!"
"P-Please don't shoot!"
It was already 6:00 PM by the time Zuri and Holland arrived with Haruto and the Auditorium was already thrown into madness and disarray. Almost everyone was there at the scene, with the only ones not there being Cassandra, Ina, and Maggie, all for equally understandable reasons.
But those that were there at the shitshow were all strangely spread out. When Zuri and Holland got closer, they quickly understood why.
Jared was pointing a gun toward everyone. Each person was getting a turn of being pointed out. And noticeably, everyone was freaked out over the sight of Jared being crazy enough to physically threaten his own peers like that.
"Have you lost your bleeding mind, Jared?!" Arthur was taken aback when the gun was pointed toward him.
"Probably," Jared shrugged. "But if any of you loses yours, you know exactly what will happen. And frankly, it's not something I want to happen."
Safety was already off.
Finger on the trigger.
Zuri stepped forward but Holland pulled her back as soon as Jared directed the gun toward her.
"Not one step, new leader," Jared stated. "Unless you want a bullet in your leg."
"W-Why?" Zuri asked, horrified by what the police officer was doing. "W-Why?! I thought I told you to not do something crazy! What are you thinking is going to happen if you shoot one of us?!"
"Relax," Jared shrugged. "The intention was never to shoot one of you guys. What I'm doing now is making sure none of you try to stop what I'm going to do next."
"And what is that?" Abigail folded her arms, tiredly.
"Ending the Killing Game," Jared turned toward the Auditorium stage as White Collar stepped forward, hands up in the air out of defense. The mask he wore looked less than amused by what was happening. As for Monohebi, she was most certainly riled up, her eyes glaring at Jared for threatening her Master like this.
"Jesus!" Haruto exclaimed. "How long have you been there?!"
"Quite a while actually," White Collar gave a small shrug. "Though, I have to commend Mister Marakovich over there. Had he not arrived at this peculiar situation we were in, something bad would have most certainly occurred."
"I just wanted to go find Maggie, man!" Barracuda whined. "What the hell is this anyway?!"
"Next thing you know, everyone else started gathering here," Arthur folded his arms. "And then Haruto had the bright idea to bring our new leader and company here."
"We need all the power here if we're gonna stop this!" Haruto cracked his knuckles.
"And why would you guys want to stop this?" Jared kept his gun pointed toward White Collar before noticing Carter step forward. Turning, he pointed the gun toward Carter. "Ah ah ah. That's strike one Carter. Don't make me do it."
Then he pointed the gun back toward White Collar, who instead made no attempt to move. He kept his hands raised while Monohebi flicked her tongue at an anxious rate.
"Obviously dude, if you shoot him, you're going to die," Abigail said as a matter-of-factly. "That's the rule."
"Heh, not if he's dead," Jared smirked, keeping the gun locked on White Collar. "White Collar runs this joint. Once he's dead and the pet snake is dismantled, we'll be free. We'll be out of here in no time! This is the only way we can leave!"
Holland perked his head upon hearing Jared's thoughts. He was right. Other people had the same thought he did. End the rules by ending the game. But in order to end the game, Jared has decided to...
"D-Dismantle me?!" Monohebi hissed. "Why I never!"
"Fascinating," White Collar mused. "It took you 15 days for you to finally come up with this. To threaten me with a gun that I purposely gave you in your Ultimate Cell. Come on Mister Caertas. I thought you were supposed to be one of the more intelligent members of this group."
"Shut up!" Jared yelled. "Or I shoot your dick off!"
"...Okay, now don't be rash," White Collar sweatdropped. Even sinister devils like their pee pees where they were.
"Don't do it Jared," Zuri stood firm, as she clenched her fist. "Don't do it. You don't know what would happen if you go through with this! For all we know, this plan isn't going to work! There has to be another way!"
"We don't have other ways!" Jared ordered. "We've spent countless hours finding nothing! There is no physical escape! But this solution right here, in my hand, is the only way. The best way to end this Killing Game!"
"Hm, if I am allowed to speak just this once," White Collar began to voice his opinion. "Even if you do successfully kill me and take down Monohebi, how exactly do you think you will find a way out?"
Jared was silent.
"I mean, you said it yourself," White Collar shrugged. "You never found a physical escape. So instead, your plan is to just shoot me dead? I don't understand."
"Once I kill you, no more bodies will drop," Jared kept his gun focused on him. "No more Trials. No more Investigation. This entire Killing Game you created. It's completely fucked now."
"And after that?" White Collar asked.
"W-What?" Jared gritted his teeth.
"After the Killing Game 'ends', what do you think will happen next?" White Collar asked. "Why, I'll tell you. You'll be stuck in this facility. You never found a physical escape route so why should you think that you'll find one after Monohebi and I are gone? Keheh. Don't you see how flawed your plan is?"
"That's why I loaded my gun with six bullets," Jared darkly stated. "You know of an exit, don't you? That's the piece you're holding over our heads, huh?"
"Ah, there's the intelligence I'm used to," White Collar would totally bow if Jared wasn't pointing that Glock 22 at his dick. "Of course, I know of an exit. Both Monohebi and I know it exists. But killing me is only going to keep that a secret, forever. So, I ask again, are you really so sure you want to shoot me?"
Jared's hand started to tremble.
"Oh, but of course, you must've considered that too," White Collar nodded. "Such a smart boy. Let me guess. Your next plan of action is to torture me for information. I'm afraid that the moment you do that, you would already be breaking Rule #8."
"Violence against White Collar and Monohebi is prohibited," Arthur nodded.
"In fact, the very moment you pull that trigger, Rule #8 will be violated," White Collar was getting the upper hand of Jared's little hostage situation here. "So unfortunately, you'll be dead before it starts. Are you really, really so sure you want to shoot me?"
Jared's eyes twitched.
It felt so easy when he did it before. Why was he hesitating now? He was aware of this, wasn't he? Aware of that possibility. He thought back to his earlier moment with Cassandra.
"So, your big plan is to shoot White Collar before someone kills someone?" Cassandra clenched her fist. "There are so many holes with that plan! Come on! You're not thinking straight! You'll die if you fail!"
"And if there's even a chance of success, I'll take it," Jared scratched his head with the gun. Gun handling skills: 0%. "Even if it costs me my life."
"You've gone nuts," Cassandra gritted her teeth. "Why are you so desperate to become a martyr?"
"My only desperation is making sure this Killing Game stops," Jared stated. "And the only way for that to happen is by killing the mastermind at the top. That's White Collar."
"Okay, and what if you don't end up killing him?" Cassandra pointed out, unamused. "You're just going to be another body piled up onto the stack of corpses we've already had to deal with."
"And then that's when Plan B comes in," Jared twirled the gun around. Gun handling skills: -5%.
"P-Plan B?" Cassandra blinked.
"Why do you think I presented you and only you with what I'm going to do tonight?" Jared asked. Cassandra remained silent as the police officer leaned forward. "Because I know you're the only person in this place that won't try to stop me."
Cassandra widened her eyes. Did this mean that he was putting his trust in her for… Wait! But that still doesn't explain–
"You think I don't know what you're trying to do?" Jared checked the gun to see if the ammunition was kept nice and tight. "That you don't have a plan of your own? The way I see it, I kill him, boom, game's over. He lives, boom, I'm dead, but then everything will fall on you."
Yeah.
He was aware of this.
He was ready for this.
If there was even a chance of success, he would take it. Even if it costs him his life, right?
He took a deep breath.
Then he stopped hesitating.
His hand was firmly placed onto the trigger as he stared at White Collar straight in the eye. No more hesitation. This was the plan.
"Yeah, I'm sure," Jared answered the Devil.
And he was sticking to it till the end.
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
"AGH!"
Jared was immediately thrown onto the ground, his arm pinned against his back as the prisoners had grabbed hold of the gun, making sure the trigger was never pulled. He was thrown onto the ground, courtesy of Haruto, who had trouble getting up thanks to his leg (to which Abigail had run to his side to help him up). The one who pinned his arm was Barracuda and the one who made sure the gun was set back to safety was, of course, Holland.
"Got too distracted there, I suppose," Arthur noted as he watched Barracuda pin down the police officer.
"Fuck!" Jared yelled. "I have to do this! I have to kill him!"
"N-No you don't!" Barracuda exclaimed. "There has to be a better way to do things!"
"There is no better way!" Jared roared. "The only way is to lodge a bullet between his eyes! That's the only way people can live!"
"Mask," White Collar corrected, lowering his hands, tapping his helmet with a shrug.
Jared was filled with rage. The gun was instantly wrestled away from him by Holland, who tried to handle the weapon with care. But given the fact that Holland had now moved away from him, Jared had a little more strength to resist the muscular Barracuda.
"G-Get off of me!" Jared yelled.
"W-What?!" Barracuda exclaimed. "Y-You're stronger than I thought!"
"Don't let him go!" Zuri ordered.
Carter rushed toward Jared as the police officer now found himself standing. Barracuda kept a firm grasp on him but found some difficulty in keeping that grasp with how much he was struggling. Carter on the other hand grabbed his other thrashing arm, but of course, being the weak shrimp that he was…
"ACK!" Carter felt Jared's free arm elbow him into his gut. "Oof!"
Groaning, Carter collapsed onto the ground.
"Let go!" Jared yelled. "Let go! I have to kill him! Give me the fucking gun, Holland!"
"Stop Jared!" Mimi cried out. "Please! You're scaring us!"
"I have to end this Killing Game!" Jared yelled. "I have to end it! I have to end it! I can't afford to get more people killed! I just can't—"
"Enough!"
Jared was immediately struck across the face with a fist. Haruto's fist. As soon as Abigail had helped him up, Haruto charged forth to hit the bastard. Jared stopped yelling. Blood spewed from his nose and mouth as he looked up at Haruto in shock.
"Look at yourself," Haruto clenched his fist, coated with Jared's blood. "You're a fucking mess. You're a cop. You're supposed to be keeping the peace in this damn place, not destroying it."
Jared coughed. When he looked back up, his nose was noticeably crooked. Haruto punched him so hard that his nose was practically broken. He was weakened, still angry, but the strength to fight back against his peers was gone.
He failed.
...
It took a long while before Jared truly calmed down. And at this point now, White Collar was noticeably bored and Jared was noticeably frustrated with the interference of others. Guess he should've expected that he was going to get caught by people walking into the Auditorium at irregular times.
"Th-This was supposed to be the end of the Killing Game," Jared coughed. "I was supposed to kill White Collar. Why did you guys stop me?! I was going to save you guys! I was going to save you guys from having to kill each other…"
"Not at the cost of your own life," Zuri stepped forward, with both a determined and disappointed look on her face. She squatted down to meet his face. "I told you not to do anything crazy. Why did you go and–"
"I just wanted to end the bloodshed," Jared coughed.
"And we don't want you shedding blood just to end it," Zuri reprimanded. "Why don't you understand that, Jared? Were you really so desperate that you had to go and try to kill someone for it?"
Jared remained silent. All that was in his mind at that point was the following:
He failed.
He failed to shoot White Collar and failed to die for anything.
Now what?
"Grk," Jared's eyes started to water. "I just wanted to end the Killing Game. I just wanted to save people. I just wanted to make sure no more bodies dropped. And most of all, I wanted the guy who's making us do this in the first place, to die for the lives we lost…"
Jared turned his teary-eyed anger toward White Collar, who merely leaned against his cane. Monohebi was still pissed that Jared had even tried to attempt something like this.
"I wanted to kill him so badly," Jared gritted his teeth. "I so desperately wanted to shoot him…"
"...And why didn't you?" White Collar perked his head curiously. "You had all the time in the world to do it. And yet, instead, you listened to me ramble on about the aftermath of my death. I suppose you just weren't desperate enough…"
"Fuck you," was all Jared could say.
White Collar shook his head in disappointment.
"Well then, I suppose I can say that this was a rather huge waste of my time," White Collar stated. "But thank you for the theatrics, I suppose."
White Collar turned to leave before glancing down toward Monohebi and turning back.
"Ah, but do count yourself lucky, Mister Caertas," White Collar stated. "Had that gun gone off, you would have been executed with a most excruciating execution. But, thanks to the heroic actions of your peers, unnecessary bloodshed has been spared."
White Collar hummed to himself.
"I think these prisoners deserve a little reward, don't you Monohebi?" White Collar extended his arms out like the cross.
"I agree, Master," Monohebi nodded. "If any of those bullets had hit you, I would've personally strangled Mister Caertas myself. So, as thanks for saving Master White Collar's life, we shall supply a reward out of the kindness of our hearts."
"What kind of reward?" Arthur narrowed his eyes.
"Oh, wouldn't you like to know, Mister Kingston," White Collar chuckled sinisterly.
"I would actually," Arthur sighed, folding his arms.
"We will hand out the reward tomorrow," Monohebi stated. "But do not get any ideas, thinking that if you threaten Master White Collar and then save his life, we will hand out free rewards like that."
"Tomorrow then," Abigail frowned.
"Tomorrow indeed," White Collar extended his arms once again, a little relieved that he still had his dick. Then he turned around and with Monohebi, they disappeared off stage, not to be seen until they were needed.
...
Another hour had past, as everyone had to tend to the aftermath of Jared's little existential crisis. The police officer had long quieted now, letting his broken nose continue to bleed slightly as he mourned his failed assassination attempt.
"So, what are we gonna do with this bastard?" Haruto grumbled. "Lock him in Cell #66?"
"And exchange him for Ina?" Arthur asked. "I could not be happier to hear that."
"Um, no," Mimi shook her head. "Jared may have gone overboard, but he never once attempted to kill any of us like Ina did!"
"He threatened to shoot us if we got close," Abigail deadpanned.
"O-Okay, but his big mission was to kill White Collar!" Mimi pointed out. "I think at the very least, he should be monitored in his room by someone."
"That's a good idea, Mimi," Zuri nodded. "At most, we should have someone make sure he doesn't go overboard like he just did."
"I suppose I could do it," Arthur sighed. "Definitely won't try anything when I'm through with his idiocy. But I still think he should be exchanged for my half-sister."
"Jesus, what the fuck happened here?" a voice asked.
The voice belonged to Cassandra, who had wandered downstairs to see a gathering of people. Clearly, she missed the shitshow. That was disappointing. But what was the shitshow, she had to wonder? Taking one look at who was bleeding the most and instantly she understood. She bit her lip. Jared failed to kill him, did he? Guess that meant that he would be expecting that Plan B soon.
"Fuck, the hell happened to-" Cassandra was about to say before nearly tripping over someone who was on the ground.
"A-Ah, a-anyone gonna help me off the ground?" Carter groaned on the ground, clutching his stomach.
Oh yeah, Carter. Jared really did a number with that strong elbow thrust to his gut.
He reached out his hand toward the closest person, Zuri, who returned it by helping him up. Allowing him to lean on her shoulder, Carter gave her a small grateful smile.
"Th-Thanks," Carter thanked.
"No problem," Zuri smiled. "Do you need to go to the Infirmary?"
"J-Just an elbow thrust," Carter sighed. "I think I can s-sleep it off."
Zuri nodded in understanding and helped walk Carter to the direction of the Prison Rooms.
"I'll help Carter to his room," Zuri called out. "You guys get Jared to his and have Arthur watch him inside."
"If you need someone to help out with the shift, I got my Advantage from the last Minigame to pop in," Haruto offered Arthur.
"Perhaps I will hit you up on that offer," Arthur nodded in return.
Zuri smiled slightly at the peace now and began leaving the Auditorium to head straight to Carter's room. Holland had watched this exchange occur. His stoic face was stoic but inside, he felt slightly disappointed. He had hoped the two would get to talk about what had happened before the cockblock…
"Attention all prisoners," Monohebi's voice announced. "It is now midnight. Curfew hour begins now. As such, all prisoners must report to their confinements. Anyone who is caught outside of their confinements will be punished accordingly. Be sure to review the rules on the Rules App of your Handbook. That is all."
"...Already?" Holland looked up at the ceiling. Time truly did move at inconsistent speeds depending on what they were doing.
…Guess he had to wait for tomorrow if he wanted to talk about what had happened with Zuri.
Soon enough, he left to return to his quarters. Jared was escorted toward his room and with him, the people in the Auditorium dispersed, leaving behind a very confused Cassandra. Had she been here a little sooner, perhaps she would have been the one to volunteer to watch Jared over the night.
"Seriously, what the fuck happened?" Cassandra grimaced.
While what had happened did scare a lot of people (or confuse in Cassandra's case, even though she knew some of the minor details of what probably happened) some wondered if stopping Jared really was the right thing to do. If maybe had Jared truly succeeded in shooting White Collar, the Killing Game would end…
Was Jared… right?
DANGANRONPA: CORRUPTED HOPE
Another episode of Chapter 3 Daily Life, complete! I really did expect this to come out a little later than usual but hey, earlier episode shouldn't be something to complain about, right? XD
Some updates: I have finished both Trial episodes. I got the green light for Trial Part 1. Trial Part 2 still needs to be beta tested! Also, big news, I'm back in school for more university shenanigans but I think it shouldn't affect my writing schedule too much :0 Speaking of schedule, I think I can boldly say that Chapter 3 will be completely finished by the last week of October - the first week of November! So that's exciting!
As for this chapter itself, I have waited a while to write a scene where someone threatens someone with a gun. Of course, it would be Jared who did it. Of course, it was literally one of the first scenes I thought about during the early planning stages of Corrupted Hope. Just someone threatening someone with a gun. Fun stuff!
Either case, do leave me a review for what you thought about the chapter! Loved it? Hated it? Let me know and why! :) Specifically, for the "Hated" part cause I gotta know what not to do XE
And of course, we're reaching it :D The end of the Chapter 3 Daily Life. So close I can smell it! Or maybe that's just Jared's kneecaps...
Prisoners Remaining: 12
Abigail Ellsworth - The Ultimate Equestrian (oddlyillregular) [0]
Arthur Kingston - The Ultimate Snowboarder (SinWriter7) [1,000,000]
Barracuda - The Ultimate Personal Trainer (Weekaro) [0]
Carter Franklin - The Ultimate Opinion Columnist (armadas) [0]
Cassandra Mura - The Ultimate ? (ExtraMeme) [500,000]
Haruto Walker - The Ultimate Former Basketball Player (theotakureader101) [0]
Holland Delaney - The Ultimate Game Designer (Sempi) [1,000,000]
Ina (Hamamura) Kingston - The Ultimate Revolutionary (VividIsSleeping) [0]
Jared Ceartas - The Ultimate Police Officer (Otterplay) [500,000]
Maggie LaDroubi - The Ultimate Supermodel (Project Drama) [1,000,000]
Mimi Kazoo - The Ultimate Fairytale Writer (Idraegan) [0]
Zuri Auraline - The Ultimate Bassist (CandleFire45) [1,000,000]