Chapter 1: Silence of the Sacrificial Lamb (Daily Life #04)
Warning: This fic contains intense violence, lots of cursing, character death, 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!
"I… I have to finish…"
Deadlines. Deadlines. Deadlines.
Holland hated the absurdity of the deadlines he had to meet when it came to his games. He hated it. Each deadline felt closer to the last. How he wished he could at least get some time to himself. He wanted to relax. He needed to relax. But he couldn't. Because he was stuck all night working on a game that he pitched to his boss.
The boss loved the idea. Holland was overjoyed to hear that he loved it, even if his face didn't show it. But if he had known just how harsh the deadline was to meet, he would've never opened his mouth at all. He would've stayed quiet, just as he always was. Shy. Quiet. That's the way he preferred himself.
If he had just shut up, things like this wouldn't happen.
Now he was stuck here, drinking an energy drink as he struggled to keep his eyes open. His face looked pale. He continued to brush his hands through the keyboard as he watched the screen's list of code fly from eye to eye. He could stop to take a quick nap. He could. But he won't.
He had to finish. He just had to.
"Finish…" Holland mumbled as he slowly stopped typing. "Finish…"
"Holland?" a voice made him move his eyes toward the side. He felt a soft hand over his back and the warm presence of someone he loved. His mother, Natalie Delaney, caressed his back, her voice filled with concern and worry over how terrible he looked. "Oh my God. How long have you been doing this? You need to sleep. It's 4 in the morning."
"I… Can't…" Holland mumbled, as his tired eyes trailed back to the computer screen. "I… I have to finish…"
"No, you don't," Natalie rubbed his back. "Come on. Onto your bed. Now."
Holland wouldn't move. Instead, Natalie had to force him off of his chair and forcibly drag him to his bed. Of course, with Holland so weak and tired, it was hardly an effort for Natalie to try and do so. Once he gently placed onto his bed, Natalie tucked him in, her eyes wavering with intense worry for her son.
"God, Holland, you can't keep doing this," Natalie shook her head. "Every day I see you come back home looking so exhausted. Don't you know how much that hurts me to see? I'm your mother. I have to look after you. And if you're just destroying yourself over this, then what kind of mother would that make me? Please Holland, you have to stop hurting yourself like this…"
"...I have to finish," Holland mumbled. "I have to."
"No, you don't," Natalie's mouth quivered.
"...I have to… for you," Holland looked weak, frail, and fragile. "I have to. I don't want you working too hard either… Just let me do this. This is for the both of us…"
"Please Holland," Natalie placed a hand over his head. "Please stop. Stop working so hard. Just… relax."
Holland didn't say anything after that. He just looked away as Natalie sat on his bed. Like him, Natalie was also tired. It was 4 in the morning after all. The only reason why she woke up at all was how little sleep she was getting. All because she knew what her own son was going through for her...
That's when Holland spoke again.
"...Why did you decide to keep me, Mom?" Holland's eyes, although tired, still had that same emotionless look. "I've read that most mothers like you would've given up their children in a heartbeat. But why didn't you? I wouldn't have been such a pain in your life if you had done that…"
"...Holland don't say that," Natalie frowned. "I did want you. It was my choice to keep you or dump you, but I couldn't do that. Because I wanted you in my life, Holland. I wanted to take care of you and be your mother. But if you're just hurting yourself for me, then I am a failure of a mother. I don't deserve to be your mother Holland but regardless of everything else, I still think you were the best thing to happen to me."
Holland remained silent upon hearing this. He turned his head to her. He didn't say anything. He opened his mouth, but no sound came out. He tried to say something. Anything. But nothing. So instead, he shut his mouth and rested his head on his pillow.
"...Please Holland," Natalie begged.
He closed his eyes.
"...I'll extend the deadline…" Holland murmured. "The boss won't like it but, if it makes you happy, I'll rest…"
Natalie looked a little relieved. She lowered her head to Holland's face and pecked him on the forehead.
"I love you Holland," Natalie brushed her messed up hair aside.
"...I love you too, Mom…" Holland merely stated.
"Hey, Kingston."
8 AM.
Arthur had to stop and turn to the sound of Jared walking up to him with a serious expression on his face. Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed it seemed. But Arthur could hardly care less. Jared was a cop. In other words, someone of his status answered to him, not the other way around. Compared to him, Jared was a measly mouse in a death maze.
"If it isn't Officer Jared," Arthur stated. "How are you this fine morning?"
"Cut the crap Kingston," Jared frowned toward Arthur. "You know something don't you?"
"...I'm sorry but what are you talking about?" Arthur raised an eyebrow at Jared.
"Yesterday at the Evidence Room," Jared frowned toward Arthur. "You looked through a box of evidence."
"Well, yes, it is the Evidence Room after all," Arthur folded his arms, looking at Jared with a condescending attitude. "I fail to see what's gotten you heated up over that-"
Jared shoved the file he had received on Sayaka Maizono onto Arthur's chest. Arthur looked a little annoyed by how rough Jared was being, but he took a glance at the file. Skimming through it, Arthur scoffed and shook his head before handing it back to Jared.
"So, it's a file," Arthur stated. "What does this have to do with me?"
"You saw this file first," Jared explained. "You know something about the Tragedy, don't you?"
Arthur stared at Jared. He shook his head once again and looked at Jared. If he didn't look condescending before, he sure looked that way now as he had begun to flip his blue hair back with a chuckle.
"You are such a typical police officer," Arthur smirked. "Always quick to jump to conclusions. The first sign of a clue and you take it. Ultimately it does more harm than it does good. I don't know what you mean by Tragedy but if your only source of evidence is me looking through the box that this file came from, then has it ever crossed your mind that I took one glance at it and shrugged it off? Because that is exactly what happened. I don't know of any Tragedy or who the girl in this file is. All I know is that you're ruining my morning with a random accusation."
"Then why did you let me find it?" Jared frowned.
"Pardon?" Arthur raised an eyebrow.
"Don't you remember?" Jared asked.
With Arthur having left, Jared glanced toward the section that the snowboarder was looking through. It was like the shelf he was at but one of the boxes Arthur had been looking through was slightly pushed out, almost leaning over the edge of the shelf.
With a sigh, Jared moved over to the box to push it back in.
"Tidy it up ass- Huh?" Jared blinked, staring at what was inside the box. He slowly picked out a kitchen knife in an evidence bag. He raised his eyebrows as he noted the dried-up blood coated on the knife. Then curiously, he picked up the entire box and set it down on the floor, digging through the contents as he noted other items in evidence bags before finally coming across the file.
"I only found this file because you didn't push the box the file came from back in," Jared eyed Arthur suspiciously. "Almost like… you wanted me to find it."
"...Absurd," Arthur sighed, shaking his head. "Coincidences happen. I don't even know who the girl in that file is so why would I want you to find something so random?... Unless you think I'm part of this Killing Game."
"...Are you?" Jared pressed forth.
"...How rich," Arthur began to chuckle in amusement. "You really are a typical police officer. I have my rights to deny any accusations against me. I don't know of any Tragedy or who this…"
Arthur grabbed the file from Jared.
"...Sayaka Maizono girl is…" Arthur handed the file back to Jared. "But you are free to keep believing what you want."
Once he said his piece, Arthur left Jared alone with nothing but the file that had been so rudely shoved back and forth between the two men.
(Cafeteria)
"Whyyyyyyyy?!"
That was the cry of Carter Franklin who had just realized that the world was out to get him after finding Lawson the Lamb standing in the cafeteria with those bulging eyes and disturbing contorting movements. The contorting movements were new to him but that didn't stop him from nearly pissing himself.
Fortunately for him, he wasn't alone. Barracuda, Haruto, Ina, Kane, Maggie, Titus, and Zuri were also there with him, all with similar reactions to his own.
"S-So… this is the legendary Lawson the Lamb," Zuri stated, looking a little grossed out at what exactly she was staring at. "W-Why does it move like that?"
"Because it's a demon from Hell!" Carter shuddered as he crawled away from the horrible beast. He had previously fallen down after bumping into it for the millionth time. "I-Ina, kill it!"
"...This is high above my pay grade," Ina rubbed her chin.
"W-What do you mean?!" Carter exclaimed with a frightened expression on his face. "You fight demons, don't you?!"
"I strive to topple established hierarchies of the Demon Court," Ina clarified. "This is something more paranormal and sinister. In other words, not my specialty."
"Oh gee, th-thanks," Carter shivered as he looked away from the glaring eyes of Lawson the Lamb.
"...I'll see what I can do later, however," Ina sighed.
"If it really is such a big deal then let's just destroy this fucker right here and now," Haruto folded his arms. "He's literally moving his body like he's daring us to do it. I say we take this little freak up on his offer."
"You guys act like this thing is really alive," Maggie noted.
"I-Isn't it?" Carter shivered as he stared at the lamb in disgust. "W-We have to burn it. W-Wasn't there some molotovs in the other Ultimate Cell?"
"Okay okay, let's just all calm down here," Kane stepped in to finally speak. He was going to be the better man and take charge. After all, that was his role here among the group. And frankly, he was glad to find Carter and Ina in the Cafeteria, although probably for their own thing rather than the morning meeting. "No one is going to molotov anything. We wouldn't want to risk dying in a fire here, would we? All we're going to do is just move this… thing… away to a more secure location."
"S-Secure location my butt," Carter shivered. "This thing always ends up finding me one way or another. It's like… It's like it wants me dead…"
"Man, what did you do to piss it off?" Titus began to chuckle at this exchange.
"D-Don't laugh!" Carter exclaimed. "Th-This is serious!"
"Yeah, the thing could be haunted for all we know," Barracuda flexed his chest muscle. "I'm with Haruto and Carter. We need this thing destroyed! Prosecuted! Damned back into the watering well it came from!"
"Cool it there Barry," Maggie looked amused.
"Look, you guys are jumping to conclusions," Kane stared at the group in bewilderment. "Tons of really creepy old things get brought into my shop all the time and every time something strange happens, it turns out to be nothing more than a coinkydink. That's all it is. A coinkydink."
"Yeah, but in horror movies, the person who suggests that idea dies," Titus pointed out with a grin.
"Um, don't smile when you say that," Kane looked at Titus, strangely.
"I think Kane is right," Zuri spoke up. "I think we are just jumping to conclusions. So, let's just put this thing back where it came from and ignore it."
"I'm with Zuri," Maggie smiled.
"But who's going to bring it back to whatever dimension this thing crawled out of?" Haruto begrudgingly asked.
"Maggie, Zuri?" Kane suggested with an appreciative smile.
"Oh, but you see, I have to go clean the Prison Lounge," Maggie chuckled sheepishly as she scratched her head. "It's still a mess and I never got to clean it because of stuff last night."
"W-What stuff?" Carter blinked toward Maggie. Of course, he wouldn't have known. Carter wasn't there when Jared dropped a whole file on them about Sayaka Maizono.
"I'll come with you Maggie!" Barracuda grinned, joshing Carter's question to the side. "You look like you could use the help!"
"Always appreciate you Barry," Maggie smiled at Barracuda.
"I have other matters to do as well," Zuri quickly made up an excuse. As much as she agreed with Maggie and Kane that they were kind of being ridiculous with Lawson the Lamb, she still had to admit that the thing looks crazy scary. She wasn't willing to go anywhere near this thing.
"Fine, I'll fucking move it," Haruto grumbled. "One of the Ultimate Cells, right?"
"That's right," Barracuda nodded at Haruto.
"Piece of shit gives me the heebie jeebies," Haruto continued to grumble as he hoisted up Lawson the Lamb and began to drag him away from the cafeteria.
"Well, other than that situation, I guess the rest of us will continue to find… something, right?" Kane asked.
Everyone in the room nodded. Though most of them had lost some hope that they would be able to find an exit, if they ever found anything interesting, they would for sure say something at the nighttime meeting… except perhaps Ina and Carter who probably had no intention of rejoining the meetings just yet.
(Ultimate Police Officer's Cell)
"Oh Arthur, you're here!" Yuumi blinked when she found Arthur in the Ultimate Police Officer's Cell. This place seemed to be his favorite spot within the whole facility so Arthur being here was of no surprise.
Yuumi on the other hand was a slight shocker. Why would she, the fun-loving Ultimate Sailor with a fascination with her favorite Ultimate Co-Captain, Sailor Penguin, come to a dangerous place such as the Ultimate Police Officer's Cell?
This was the question Arthur didn't ask. Or at the very least, he didn't feel bothered to ask. Instead, he just stared at Yuumi with a raised eyebrow.
"Yes, I am," Arthur responded. "So?"
"Boo, that was a lame response!" Yuumi retorted with a pout. "Gosh, you're always so cold toward people. What? Did snowboarding freeze your personality too?"
Arthur bluntly stared at Yuumi. He wasn't amused.
"I- I was joking," Yuumi blinked before twiddling her fingers. "Because you know. Cold. Snowboarding. Snow…"
"...I understood the joke," Arthur sighed. "I've heard the joke before. Be more original."
"H-Hey," Yuumi whined. "I didn't think someone of your status would hear jokes like that."
"People are people," Arthur merely stated. "I was bound to hear it at some point."
Yuumi and Arthur remained silent for a moment. It was clear Arthur wanted no part in conversing with her, but Yuumi was always down to make friends. Arthur seemed like a cool person when they met (heh, heh, cool) regardless of how pompous he seemed at the time. That was why Yuumi tried again.
"Sooo, whatcha doing here?" Yuumi asked with a bubbly smile.
"Now that isn't really your concern, is it?" Arthur sighed, shaking his head.
"Come on," Yuumi playfully nudged Arthur. "I won't tell anyone what you're up to. Cross my heart and hope to die!"
Arthur didn't say anything for a while. Instead, he just stared at the Evidence Room before sighing. There was no point in hiding a matter like this. It was futile. Both to get her to leave and to hide this.
"...I'm waiting for Jared to arrive to open the Evidence Room," Arthur stated. "The number of boxes in this room ranges to about 800. I've only searched through 50. That's why I'm here."
"Ohhh, I see," Yuumi blinked before smiling. "Then let's wait here together!"
"Don't you have Mimi to take care of?" Arthur looked at Yuumi with slight annoyance.
"Mimi is my best friend and all but…" Yuumi trailed off before smiling. "But I want to meet new people! And so does Mimi. We're trying to make sure we're all friends with each other. Once we do that, we can defeat White Collar!"
"What?" Arthur scoffed. "With the power of friendship?"
"Exactly!" Yuumi exclaimed. "See? You get it!"
"That sounds ridiculous," Arthur sighed, folding his arms. He looked around, impatiently. "Where is that bumbling police officer? I am wasting precious minutes waiting for him."
If he was a prosecutor, he would totally cut Jared's salary.
"Awww, don't act like our time together here isn't fun!" Yuumi giggled. "How about we have a nice friendly conversation with each other?"
"...I fail to see what we were doing before then," Arthur deadpanned.
"Me first!" Yuumi giggled. "Okay. So, my family-"
"Yuumi, while I do appreciate you taking the time to be with me, I will kindly tell you that I do not care and would rather be alone," Arthur stated in the nicest way possible.
"O-Oh," Yuumi blinked before looking down. "I guess, another time then…"
Arthur watched Yuumi trudge away to the exit. Seeing her in such a pathetic state… why Arthur just couldn't bear to witness that. He looked away and tried to ignore it.
He couldn't.
He sighed.
"...What about your family?" Arthur sighed.
Yuumi looked back at him.
"...You were getting ready to tell me about your family," Arthur stated. "What about them?"
Yuumi brightened up.
"I come from a family of fishermen, sailors, and champion divers!" Yuumi raised her hand excitedly. "And I'm like the next generation of my forefathers and mothers before me! What about your family?"
"...They're rich," Arthur stated without a care in the world. "That's it."
"That's so boring!" Yuumi looked disappointed. "Surely there must be more!"
"If there was more, I would've told you," Arthur sighed as he folded his arms.
"Nope, there is more!" Yuumi giggled.
He should've let her leave in disappointment. Now he was stuck trying to tell this girl that his life was nothing interesting. But in actuality, his life was all sorts of interesting. Yuumi knew it for certain. And Arthur was desperately trying to avoid speaking anything about his life.
Yuumi and Arthur? They for sure grew a little closer together…
(Cafeteria)
"Oh, Abigail," Kane blinked when he saw Abigail enter the cafeteria. He had to admit. He hadn't seen her in a while. Hadn't seen her ever since the whole Cassandra speech thing. Frankly, it was nice to see her even though she didn't trust any of them.
"Ah, Kane," Abigail noted. She brushed her hand through her hair, albeit rather awkwardly. The two stared at each other for a while before Abigail wandered away to the Kitchen.
"W-Wait, Abigail," Kane called out.
"...What is it?" Abigail asked, perking up her eyebrow. She sighed. "Look, if it's about the whole trust thing, I'm sorry. I want to get out as much as you guys do, but the threat and the constant paranoia that someone might pick someone off is getting to me right now."
"I get that, but does that mean we can't even have a nice chat between like… maybe acquaintances?" Kane stated, rubbing the back of his neck.
Abigail considered this for a while. How long has it been since she's even had a decent conversation with anyone? The past few days, she's done nothing but lock herself in her room and try to strike a deal with Cassandra, which by the way, completely backfired. Hell. She heard they even had a party without her. She loved parties.
"...Let's make the chat quick then," Abigail sighed. "I'm starving. What do you want to chat about?"
"Well, you're an equestrian right?" Kane pointed out with a smile. "Meaning you might have some interesting trophies and trinkets you might've received back in the days of horseback riding."
"...Mmm, not really," Abigail stated as she looked away.
"Egads?!" Kane exclaimed, shocked. "What do you mean, 'not really'?! The Ultimate Equestrian should have at least some forms of trophy here and there should they not?"
"Didn't I tell you before?" Abigail looked rather annoyed on the subject matter at hand. "I rejected the offer to go to Hope's Peak Academy. Therefore, I'm not really the Ultimate Equestrian. Besides, it's just a title. I could care less of being one."
"Oh… any reason?" Kane looked at Abigail with slight sympathy.
"Yeah," Abigail played with her hair. "It's called 'not caring'."
"Oh wow," Kane looked at Abigail with a sheepish grin. "You're a whole heck lot of a Gen Z girl if I do say so myself."
"Oh yeah, and what about you?" Abigail shoved her hands inside her pockets. "You sound like a man who came straight out of a retirement home. Seriously, what's with your outdated phrases and terms?"
"Hey, respect the elders and the classics, whippersnapper!" Kane shook his fist in the air.
"Alright, old man," Abigail couldn't help but smirk at this. Not going to lie, it was actually kind of funny.
"Ha, there's a smile out of that frown," Kane laughed with a grin. "But seriously, I caught on thanks to my Grandpa. He's the guy who really taught me the differences between the cool age and the newfangled garbage age."
"...Really?" Abigail raised an eyebrow. "Is that what he calls the modern age?"
"Okay, it's what I call the modern age," Kane chuckled. "But hey, when you live in a pawnshop with nothing but hand-me-downs and appreciation for the good ol days, then you would agree with me!"
"Luckily I don't," Abigail gave an amused smile. "So, I guess I will have to disagree."
"Let me guess, you like all that rap music Gen Z kids like nowadays?" Kane looked slightly disgusted at that.
"Try rock," Abigail brushed a lock of her hair aside as she looked away. "Hope that's not too newfangled for you."
"Hmm, rock," Kane hummed to himself as he began to think. He shrugged. "Eh. It's somewhere in between old and newfangled."
"Hmph, good enough for me," Abigail gave a nod.
Abigail's stomach started to rumble. She looked down before looking back at Kane. She turned toward the direction of the Kitchen.
"That's my cue to leave," Abigail hugged her stomach. "Thanks for the chat. It's a nice change of pace for a morning here in this dump."
"Always happy to help!" Kane grinned.
Abigail nodded at him appreciatively before heading into the kitchen to make herself a sandwich. Although Abigail was a key definition of a whippersnapper, Kane had to admit that he enjoyed this small chat with her. No doubt, she felt the same way.
In a way, you can say that Abigail and Kane grew a little bit closer together.
(Prison Lounge)
"Thanks for helping me out, Barry," Maggie gratefully looked at Barracuda with a nod. "I don't know how I would've cleaned up everything here by myself. I'll tell you this now, don't expect me to clean up everything as the wife."
"I would gladly bake for my wife!" Barracuda grinned, giving Maggie a thumbs up. "And do other things too like chores and take care of the kids! If I ever have kids, that is, haha!"
Maggie couldn't help but slightly blush at the thought of having children. Not just any children, but Barracuda's children… Which was a weird thought to have for two people who only met four days ago. Maggie had to shake that thought away and stare at the three large trash bags filled with the mess they had made last night.
There was still so much to clean up. If Maggie had been the only one cleaning up, she would've long driven herself crazy. Luckily, she had the manliest man of them all, Barracuda by her side helping her out.
She appreciated it.
"Maggie, you alright?" Barracuda blinked toward Maggie as he noticed how quiet she had been. Maggie had stopped picking up trash and shook out of her slight daydream.
"O-Oh, sorry Barry," Maggie chuckled sheepishly. "There was just something on my mind."
"What was it?" Barracuda looked at Maggie, curiously.
"Well… it's just that I don't know too much about you," Maggie stated honestly. "I don't think I've heard anything about your family or what your life was like before… all of this."
"O-Oh," Barracuda looked away.
Maggie noticed Barracuda's strange reaction before clearing her throat.
"Oh," Maggie brushed a lock of her hair aside. "I'm… I'm sorry. I didn't realize it was… Sorry."
"N-No no!" Barracuda shook his head. "No apologies! It's just that… I haven't seen my family in three years…"
"What?" Maggie blinked. "Three years? Gosh. Did they…?"
"Haha, they didn't kick me out!" Barracuda laughed. "I'm the second-in-command of the house and I was entrusted with a special duty! But… the duty…"
"The duty was why you haven't seen your family in three years," Maggie concluded. "I see. I'm sorry to hear that, Barry. God, you must miss them…"
"Yeah," Barracuda looked down. "It's been three years since I left for my mission. Now it'll be even longer before I get to see them again. And it's all because Barracuda was weak!"
"Hey, don't say that," Maggie harshly ordered. "You're not weak Barry. You'll see them again when we leave this place. And besides, you are the strongest person here out of all of us. So never say that again, alright?"
"...Okay," Barracuda gave a small smile. He fixed his glasses. "What about you Maggie? What's your family like?"
"My family?" Maggie blinked. She looked a little bit uneasy. "Well, they're like any typical family really. Barely making it. Average. Middle-class. It's really nothing special."
"Huh, I always thought you came from a rich family," Barracuda blinked.
"W-What made you think that?" Maggie couldn't help but look surprised at Barracuda's assumption.
"Well… you're a supermodel," Barracuda stated. "And people always give money to supermodels because they're very good looking and are the face of every fashion magazine out there. That's why I thought you came from a rich family."
"...Ahh, you think I'm good looking," Maggie pressed her cheek over her fingers as she smiled to herself. "But no. I came from your average, normal family. That's pretty much it."
"I see!" Barracuda gave her a hearty grin as he placed his hands on his hips. He eyed the trash that was still lying around. "Oh, we need to get to cleaning again."
Barracuda smacked his forehead.
"Lots of trash to pick up," Barracuda laughed. "But no match for these babies!"
Barracuda flexed off his muscles before hurrying to pick up every trash from every nook and cranny on the ground. Maggie had to stop herself from drooling upon seeing Barracuda's awesome muscles and rushed to help him clean.
Needless to say, Maggie was glad he was here. Almost as if Maggie and Barracuda grew a little closer together.
...
Then came the announcement:
"Attention all prisoners," came the voice of one Monohebi. "Please report to the Auditorium for a special announcement from your warden and my master, White Collar. Attendance is mandatory. That is all. See you soon."
Maggie glanced at Barracuda and then toward the mess in the Prison's Lounge.
"This mess is never going to get cleaned up... is it?" Maggie sighed.
"I don't think so," Barracuda shook his head.
(Auditorium)
Gathering at the Auditorium at the behest of Monohebi, all sixteen prisoners grouped together as they stood in front of the grand stage. None of them knew exactly why White Collar was calling them to meet, but whatever the reason was, it couldn't be good… right?
Monohebi was already coiled up on the stage. Knowing full well of what she was capable of, well, none of them wanted to risk anything when it came to interacting with such a hasty being of hell. Instead, they wavered around silently, waiting for the masked man to arrive.
"What do you think he wants from us?" Maggie was the first to break the silence.
"Whatever it is, it cannot be good," Arthur closed his eyes, crossing his arms.
"Yeah, no kidding," Titus frowned. "Whenever this guy comes, it's always something bad. First the drowning, then Naruto almost died-"
"The fuck did you call me?!" Haruto turned to Titus with a heated scowl.
"Whatever this dude got planned, we gotta be prepared to fight it!" Titus declared.
"You're getting a little too optimistic here," Abigail noted with a slight sigh.
"Hey, someone's gotta be!" Titus stated. "If not me then who else, am I right?"
"Yeah, you're right," Yuumi gave a smile toward Titus. She was quite relieved that there was someone to bring up the positivity in their rather negative situation.
Speaking of negativity, the slow click of heels on the stage echoed in the large vacant room. Everyone turned to the stage as Monohebi perked her head to White Collar, looking as formal as he could possibly be. With his cane, he banged the floor, his mask grinning sinisterly.
"Right on time," White Collar noted. "I am impressed. Most younglings such as yourself are often quite lazy when it comes to proper time management. But not you. There is potential."
"Can it, Satan!" Ina pointed her finger toward White Collar. "Why did you call us here?"
White Collar perked her head toward Ina. Guess he should've suspected someone would at least call him Satan at some point. He then repositioned himself, his mask still grinning as he began to look at his watch.
"Three days have passed," White Collar began. "Today is the fourth day of your imprisonment. And yet, nothing has happened. I expected someone to cave yesterday yet it never happened. So, I'm here to change that."
"You're going to force us to play your game?" Kane raised an eyebrow.
"Well, it won't work!" Barracuda declared. "We may have had some differences, but I bet we can last days, weeks, months, even years if we have to! Even with how divided we are, we will never give in to your games! Never!"
"Um, let's not challenge him on that," Jared chuckled nervously.
"Challenge accepted," White Collar clasped his hands together. "Let's make this game interesting. I somewhat expected this outcome. Which is why I prepared a little backup game…"
White Collar held up what seemed to be DVDs, each encased in a plastic case and each labeled with different names.
"...What are those?" Cassandra glared at White Collar, not liking the implications of why he was holding out DVDs.
"...You all must miss home very much," White Collar asked. "Fortunately, I have a ticket for you to see just how they're doing, right here in the palm of my hands. Would you like to see?"
"Why do I feel… a little scared about what we might see in those DVDs?" Carter gulped.
"No, I don't believe it," Kane shook his head. "This must be some sort of trick. You're trying to bait us to watch those DVDs and then it'll turn out to be something else! Yeah! I know your game, you millennial!"
"...Don't believe me?" White Collar asked. "It's really up to you. But I know some of you are curious to see what your loved ones at home are currently feeling now that they are aware of… your sudden disappearances."
"...I couldn't care less," Haruto shrugged.
"Yeah… me either," Abigail looked away.
Holland was silent. He was always silent. But part of him was very curious. He… He kind of… wanted to see.
"You have our loved ones on those DVDs?" Mayu stared at White Collar.
"Yes, I do," White Collar gave a nod. "And if you wish to see them… Well, why don't we play a little game. More like, a minigame of sorts."
White Collar and Monohebi glanced at the rooms that were on each side of the walls. All sixteen rooms. Each of the rooms' Handbook readers lit up red. Then White Collar and Monohebi looked back.
"Monohebi, please explain the rules of their dilemma," White Collar ordered.
"Yes, sir," Monohebi slithered up to the front of the stage. "Minigame: Prisoner's Dilemma. The rules are simple. There are sixteen rooms in this Auditorium. They are known as Voting Chambers. When the Minigame begins, participants must go inside a Voting Chamber. Once inside, they will see a Voting Tablet and must choose between Trust and Distrust."
"...Prisoner's… Dilemma?" Jared widened his eyes.
"Hey, um, what's that?" Mimi looked at Jared.
"It's…" Jared clenched his fist. "Well, um…"
"In this Minigame," Monohebi began to explain. "A pair will be pitted against each other. Each member of the pair must choose between Trust and Distrust. Then the results are produced based on the choices that the two members of the pair have chosen."
Monohebi flicked her tongue.
"If Person A and Person B both choose Trust, they will not receive a video," Monohebi stated. "If Person A and Person B both choose Distrust, they will receive a video."
"And what about if one chooses Trust and the other chooses Distrust?" Maggie asked the snake.
"If Person A chooses Trust and Person B chooses Distrust, Person B will receive an advantage in the Killing Game, while Person A will receive a rather nasty disadvantage along with the videos," Monohebi answered. "Those are the rules of the Minigame."
"So, the idea is to choose Distrust then," Zuri noted, looking toward her peers. "So then, we can all receive videos, and no one has to get a disadvantage, right?"
"What?" Jared blinked before shaking his head. "No no. We have to choose Trust. If we all choose Trust, then no one gets the videos and no one has to get a disadvantage!"
"That just makes it easier for someone to choose Distrust and get the advantage, dumbass!" Haruto glared at Jared.
"Well, I don't trust whatever is behind those videos!" Jared yelled back.
"He has a point," Abigail crossed her arms. "How do we know those videos don't have anything like… pornos or something?"
"You really think he would give us pornos?" Kane deadpanned toward Abigail.
"Hey, I'm just saying," Abigail shrugged.
"You know, I wouldn't be opposed to that actually," Maggie licked her lips.
"...You can heed my word that there is no pornography among these videos," White Collar stated before humming. "Perhaps you would like a sneak peek to see if I'm telling the truth or not, correct? Very well then. Monohebi."
Monohebi slithered off from behind the stage.
Then the squeaky sounds of wheels came along, moving back onto the stage. Monohebi was dragging along a cart with a projector on top. Once the cart was positioned toward the center of the stage, Monohebi played the first DVD she was given, but merely paused it onto a still image: a familiar woman crying on the couch with police officers trying to comfort her. It also seemed like the image was taken from beyond a window.
"Yo, it's just some sad nice-looking woman," Titus noted.
"That's!" Holland spoke out loud before shutting himself up. His emotionless face showed a slight hint of emotion before returning back to his emotionless state. "That's…"
"Holland?" Zuri looked at him in concern.
"That's… that's my mom…" Holland hugged himself, biting his lip, his eyes never changing. In fact, this might be his rarer moment of showing emotion. "Why… Why do you have a video of my mom…? And that window. That house. That's… That's…"
"That's your mom?" Titus widened his eyes toward Holland. "What a milf!"
Ina smacked him across the neck.
"Ow!" Titus groaned. "Shutting up now."
"This should be evidence enough," White Collar stated. "Mr. Delaney. You can watch more of it depending on the results of the Minigame. Same with the rest of you. Relish in the moment to see your loved ones with the thought that you will never see them again… unless you partake in the Killing Game."
"So that's your plan," Arthur frowned. "If we watch those videos, we'll be compelled to kill someone in order to leave. Right?"
"It's a motive, an incentive to kill," Mayu added, looking off into the distance, slight horror in her eyes.
"Then we should…" Zuri widened her eyes.
"Choose Trust," Jared nodded. "Look guys, I know we've had our differences these past few days, but I'm telling you, all of us should choose Trust. That way, we don't fall for the motive. I know we miss our loved ones, but we can get through this if we all avoid receiving the motive!"
"But…" Holland looked away.
"Curious," Mimi tapped her chin. "But what are the pairs that are to compete against each other?"
"That's quite simple," White Collar's mask twisted itself into a snarl. His voice was getting a bit distorted. "I hope you remember who you were paired up with when you first arrived at this facility. If you do not, then do not worry, Monohebi will remind you."
Monohebi flicked her tongue as she listed out the pairs:
"Pair A: Abigail vs. Titus
Pair B: Carter vs. Ina
Pair C: Haruto vs. Mimi
Pair D: Holland vs. Jared
Pair E: Kane vs. Zuri
Pair F: Maggie vs. Barracuda
Pair G: Cassandra vs. Mayu
Pair H: Arthur vs. Yuumi"
"The Minigame will start in ten minutes," White Collar continued after Monohebi listed out the pairs. "Feel free to talk amongst yourselves about your choices. Once the game begins, head to the appropriate rooms. Your eHandbooks help you access the rooms, just like how you are able to permanently open up those Ultimate Cells. Then, cast your choice and leave the room to wait for the results. It's as simple as that. Now then, Monohebi, please count us off."
"Ten minutes until Prisoner's Dilemma begins," Monohebi stated.
"Yo Abigail," was the first thing Titus had said to Abigail once the ten minutes had begun. Everyone had separated into their pairs to discuss the vote. Jared had told everyone to choose Trust, which was a good idea. There were some disagreements about this subject, but ultimately, if choosing Trust had the highest chance of avoiding falling for the Killing Game, then by all means, Titus was down.
However, he wasn't sure if Abigail shared the same opinion as him. She didn't know too much about her besides the fact that she was your typical punk rebel girl. Was that the type of person he would be able to trust? Titus didn't know.
"You're gonna vote Trust, right?" Titus asked Abigail.
"...Depends, are you going to choose Trust?" Abigail eyed Titus with an aloof expression.
"You bet I am," Titus gave Abigail a thumbs-up and a grin. "I know my memory is hazy and whatnot, but I would like to keep on living and avoid any type of murderous conflict. And if trusting each other gets the job done, then we gotta do it! Right?"
"...Right," Abigail blew the hair that covered her eye. It slowly trailed back down over her eye. "Sure. I'll choose Trust."
"Sweet!" Titus grinned. "I knew I had nothing to worry about when it came to your trust!"
Abigail blankly stared at Titus. She did side with Cassandra's words about distrusting people. Was he seriously that positive and optimistic? Abigail wasn't sure but it really did seem like trusting would be the correct decision… or would it?
...
Carter watched Abigail and Titus make their peace with the vote before turning to Ina. Truth be told, he wasn't sure what Ina would choose. Ina seemed to be on the side of against playing along with White Collar's games so he really shouldn't have anything to worry about. But what about the advantage?
Would she really want the advantage?
"H-Hey, y-you're not going to choose Distrust, are you?" Carter asked Ina.
"Why would I?" Ina blinked, looking toward Carter, curious.
"W-Well… because of the advantage… is what I thought…" Carter looked down slightly. Even mentioning it now made him feel shameful. Maybe he was feeding her ideas. Maybe he shouldn't worry too much…
"Hmm," Ina looked at Carter strangely. "Are you going to choose Trust?"
"H-Huh?" Carter blinked. "Well… only if you choose Trust. Yeah."
"...Then I suppose you have nothing to worry about," Ina rubbed her chin in thought. Much like Carter, she too was having doubts about whether or not Carter would choose Trust or Distrust. So far, all he's done in his eyes was freak out and get targeted by this lamb mannequin thing that may or may not be possessed.
Was that a sign? Or just being damn unlucky? Ina wasn't sure. But she and Carter had a lot to think about when it came to the vote.
...
"You will choose Trust right, Haruto?" Mimi asked Haruto as she tugged on his leather jacket.
"Yeah, why wouldn't I?" Haruto looked at Mimi with a frown.
"Well…" Mimi trailed off.
"I'll choose Trust alright?" Haruto grumbled as he crossed his arms. "Quit bugging me about it."
"Oh okay," Mimi looked a little hopeful upon hearing him say that. Haruto was always an aggressive person and just hard to talk to because of his hot temper. Not going lie, but with how much of a ticking time bomb he was, Mimi always felt nervous around him. But him reassuring her that he was going to choose Trust made her feel pretty safe from that disadvantage Monohebi had mentioned.
Haruto on the other hand thought Mimi was pretty annoying. Cute like a child. But with her wild fantasies and how much she clings onto others, that was a little bit annoying to him. Didn't help that when they first met, he thought of her as nothing more than just a freak. But hey, after a couple of days of knowing her, she seemed fine. Still annoying and can still get on his nerves but hey, who doesn't get on his nerves nowadays?
They were going to be just fine in this game.
...
"...Jared."
Jared had turned to the quiet voice of Holland. His eyes had been shifting around, something Jared didn't expect to see from someone as emotionless as Holland. The still picture of his mother must've set off something. He felt for him. He missed the people he cared about back home too.
He placed a hand on Holland's shoulder and looked at him.
"Holland, you alright?" Jared asked. Holland didn't say anything. Instead, he merely hid his gaze away from the police officer. Jared took a small breath and nodded. "Listen. You'll be able to see your mom again. I promise you that. But for now, we need to stay strong. For our sake. For her sake. For… a friend's sake."
Holland looked at him when he mentioned the last part.
"It's going to be okay, alright?" Jared playfully pushed on Holland's shoulder. "Now, anything I can do for you for the time being?"
Holland remained silent for a moment before opening his mouth.
"...Just one thing," Holland looked away. "Vote Distrust for the Minigame."
Jared blinked before his face started to drain out of shock.
"W-What?" Jared blinked. "H-Holland! W-Why would you want that?"
"...You know why, Jared," Holland hugged his arms tightly. "I… want to see her. I want to see my mom."
"And I told you, you will see her again," Jared attempted to assure Holland once more. "But you're just going to end up playing White Collar's sick game if you receive the motive video."
Holland was silent.
"Look, I'm not going to choose Distrust," Jared told Holland.
"...I know you won't," Holland frowned before looking at Jared with a rather empty look in his eyes. "But I will."
"H-Huh?" Jared blinked.
"If you choose Trust, you'll be given the disadvantage… But if you vote Distrust, we'll both be safe from the disadvantage," Holland stated. "And I get to see my mom and you get to see your… friend. Objectively, there's only one right choice for this instance."
"I…" Jared didn't know what to say.
"...I'm sorry Jared," Holland looked down. "But just… just think about it. Alright? You know what to do…"
Jared didn't know what to say. He just looked down.
What exactly the hell was he going to do?
...
"Wow, looks like a lot of people are actually considering voting Trust," Kane looked proud as he completely missed what Jared and Holland had been talking about. "Goes to show that even with the hardest of times, we can still team up together to fight the bigger threat!"
"Yeah," Zuri fiddled with her thumbs before hesitantly asking. "B-But… you're going to vote Trust. Right Kane?"
"What?" Kane widened his eyes at Zuri. How could she ask such a question?! "Of course, I will! Just because you look like a Sarah and was born in the problematic Gen Z era, doesn't mean I will damn you with a disadvantage in this sick game! I'm voting Trust. And as long as you vote Trust, we won't have any problems!"
"Oh… good," Zuri gave a small smile. "Sorry for asking Kane. I just had to make sure."
"Then let me make sure," Kane rubbed his chin. "You're going to vote Trust too, right?"
"Of course!" Zuri looked rather determined. "I trust you because you've been our leader for the past few days. How could I choose Distrust? That's just not right, you know?"
"Hmm… for a Gen Zer, you make a valid point," Kane grinned. "I'm glad to have you as my opponent. Our battle of Trust and votes will be legendary!"
"Yes, I agree!" Zuri smiled, her face never changing from determination.
Kane, who is so adamant on being a boomer, did not realize that he had just quoted an internet meme, something millennial's typically do.
Okay boomer.
...
"You with me big guy?" Maggie smiled toward Barracuda.
"You'll choose Trust, right?" Barracuda looked toward Maggie in slight worry. Barracuda was admittedly closer to Maggie compared to anyone else in this cast of sinners and prisoners. He knew he could trust her, but there was a slight fear that the one person he could trust might betray him. So, he just needed to make sure by asking her… even though she could lie but hey, he needed to believe something here.
"Um, do you really need to ask?" Maggie's face looked offended before resorting to a smile. "Of course, I'll choose Trust, you big lug."
"What a relief!" Barracuda announced, flexing his chest muscles with a hearty grin. "Then I'll choose Trust too!"
"You better," Maggie laughed at Barracuda's flex. "Or I will not be happy. And naughty boys won't like me when I'm not happy."
"Luckily, I'm not a naughty boy," Barracuda laughed. Maggie's comment flew straight over his head. But she didn't care.
At the very least, their vote was going to be as easy as pie. They were going to vote Trust.
…Or will they?
...
Everyone seemed to have a resolve to Trust each other (besides Jared and Holland, but we don't talk about that). Mayu was no different. Unfortunately, her opponent was Cassandra, the most untrustworthy person here, who was first above Arthur, the second most untrustworthy person according to the review section of this fic. Mayu wasn't exactly on good terms with her. Then again, who wasn't? She split the group on Day 2. And she hated her guts.
But at the very least, maybe the two could come to an agreement. Business deals and the likes were the Mashiro Co.'s speciality, so no doubt Mayu could offer a worthy deal for Cassandra to vote Trust.
Mayu slowly approached Cassandra with a small hesitant smile. She held her hands behind her back with a rather hopeful and expectant look on her face.
Cassandra raised an eyebrow at this. She wasn't an idiot. She knew Mayu wanted something. And given the situation they were in; it wasn't hard to figure out what that was. Regardless, she let Mayu speak first. She wanted to hear from the horse's mouth what exactly she wanted…
"Hey… av- I mean, Cassandra," Mayu began slowly. "I know we got off on the wrong foot from the start and I know we both don't really like each other, but how about just in this one case, we set aside any harsh thoughts we may have towards each other-"
"What harsh thoughts?" Cassandra raised an eyebrow.
"...Ahem," Mayu paused and continued, trying to keep her smile and hopes up. "Yes. Harsh thoughts. How about we set those aside and just call a truce, alright? At least, just for today."
Cassandra stared at Mayu. It looked like she was genuinely interested in what Mayu was selling here.
"I will choose Trust," Mayu smiled. "You choose Trust as well. And then after that, we can go back to hating each other. Deal?"
Mayu extended her hand out toward Cassandra for a handshake to solidify the truce.
Cassandra looked at Mayu's hands before examining the heiress carefully. She considered the choices given to her and frankly, she seemed to like every aspect of the choices. Trusting each other to avoid the motive? That sounds like a good enough deal to her.
Cassandra ultimately came to a conclusion after thinking carefully about what she would do.
"You know what," Cassandra gave a smile. Odd sight, since she always had the resting bitch face but still, it was a nice smile. She took Mayu's hand and shook it. "You got yourself a deal."
The two shook hands for a while… maybe a while too long, before the they let go and turned back to the Voting Chambers, waiting for them to open.
...
"Hmm, Yuumi, you will choose Trust, correct?" was the first thing Arthur had asked Yuumi. The sailor had to look at him in surprise before smiling and giggling.
"Um, duh!" Yuumi giggled as if it was obvious. "Of course, I will! You have nothing to worry about! What about you Arthur? Are you going to choose Trust?"
"Hmph, do you need to ask?" Arthur gave Yuumi a nod of approval. He didn't say anything after that. Yuumi pouted and poked his cheek. "Ow. What was that for-"
"Come on, I want to hear you say it," Yuumi giggled. "Say you'll pick Trust."
"I-" Arthur began before Yuumi began poking his cheek. "Stop-" Poke. "I-"
Arthur quickly grabbed Yuumi's hands and looked her straight in the eyes.
"How do you expect me to say what you want if you're going to attack me with your fingers?" Arthur asked Yuumi with a rather serious expression before nodding and sighing. "Yes. Of course. I will choose Trust. There really wasn't supposed to be too much of a debate here."
"Hehe, I was just checking!" Yuumi stated with a giggle.
"How amusing," Arthur looked away, crossing his arms as if he didn't care.
Then the voice of a certain snake sounded, announcing the following:
"Ten minutes have passed," came the voice of Monohebi. "The Minigame: Prisoner's Dilemma will begin now. Please step inside the Voting Chambers within the next two minutes. Anyone who is not inside the Voting Chambers within the next two minutes will be unable to participate in the Minigame and thus, their vote will automatically be set to Trust by default. At least one person of every pair must vote otherwise, both members of the pair will be punished. That is all. As a reminder, please step inside the Voting Chambers within the next two minutes."
Hearing Monohebi's announcement, the prisoners hurried to snag a Voting Chamber. They scanned their eHandbooks over the Handbook readers, letting the red lights flash green and waiting for the doors to open. Once the doors opened up, they hurried in.
…
Then two minutes passed.
The doors closed. Everyone made it inside the Voting Chambers. And as expected, there were the Voting Tablets with two simple options: Trust and Distrust.
...
...
...
...
...
...
It didn't take too long for everyone to finish voting. Most of the cast had made their decision by the time they had entered the room meaning the voting process was quick and easy. As for the result process, some members of the cast held their breaths, hoping they had made the right decision once the projector began to show a new screen detailing all of the votes submitted in the Voting Chambers.
"Here are the results for the Minigame: Prisoner's Dillemma," Monohebi announced. "Results have been accumulated thanks to the votes submitted by our participants. Thank you for playing the Minigame and good luck."
"Pair A: Abigail [DISTRUST] vs. Titus [TRUST]
Pair B: Carter [TRUST] vs. Ina [DISTRUST]
Pair C: Haruto [DISTRUST] vs. Mimi [TRUST]
Pair D: Holland [DISTRUST] vs. Jared [DISTRUST]
Pair E: Kane [TRUST] vs. Zuri [TRUST]
Pair F: Maggie [TRUST] vs. Barracuda [TRUST]
Pair G: Cassandra [DISTRUST] vs. Mayu [DISTRUST]
Pair H: Arthur [DISTRUST] vs. Yuumi [TRUST]"
"...That is all," Monohebi concluded. Immediately, there were some murmurs and gasps between some people as they stared at the results. Some looked shocked, others seemed relieved, but some looked scared and angry.
One such person was Titus:
"Yo Abigail!" Titus marched toward Abigail as soon as he saw what the results were. He wasn't happy at all. That optimism that he had shared with Abigail about her vote had been shattered so brutally. "I thought you said you would choose Trust! I… I… I trusted you, woman! H-How could you betray me so…"
"...Sorry," Abigail looked away. "I didn't really think you would choose Trust. I thought you were just saying that to get on my good side."
"G-Girl, I… I can't believe I trusted you!" Titus threw up his hands in frustration. This was the first time anyone would've seen Titus so frustrated and perhaps almost angry. "I thought we had each other's back, but I guess I was flipping wrong!"
"Look, I said I was sorry," Abigail bit her lip, rubbing her arm. "If you were me, you would've done the same."
"Hell no I wouldn't have!" Titus exclaimed. "Because I'm not you! I… Goddamn it!"
Titus threw up his hands in frustration once more. He was going to get a disadvantage. He was going to get a disadvantage and it was all because he trusted the wrong person.
Abigail on the other hand didn't really care about the advantage she would receive. Instead, she just watched the rather angry Titus tend to himself. A creeping dread filled her mind. That dread was guilt.
What had she done?
...
"I'm sorry…" that was all Ina had to say to Carter. And frankly, Carter couldn't blame her for this. After all, he figured something like this would've happened. Stuff like this always happens to him. Always.
"C-Can I at least know why?" Carter looked at Ina, a rather disappointed look in his face. "M-Maybe I came on too strong by asking you or…?"
"...I was not sure whether I could trust you or not," Ina answered honestly. "That is why I chose to Distrust you. I'm sorry. I didn't think you would choose Trust."
"W-Well, I did say I was going to," Carter scratched the back of his neck. "B-But… don't sweat it. I get your point of view. With all the nervousness and stuttering I do, it's right for you to see me as kind of shifty…"
Ina held out her hand to further explain but it was clear Carter didn't want to talk about it. Ina bit her lip.
Had she made a mistake in her line of thinking?
...
As it turned out, Haruto and Mimi were not fine when it came to this game.
Haruto could only avoid gazing at Mimi as she looked at him, hurt, betrayed, and close to tears. Mimi stormed up to Haruto as she began to pound on his chest. Though, with a small child-like girl like her compared to a well-built basketball player, her punches did barely any effect to him at all.
"H-How could you Haruto?!" Mimi looked close to crying. "Y-You said you would pick Trust! And I t-trusted you! H-How could you do this to me?"
Mimi continued to hit him on the chest. Haruto himself felt a little guilty as she did nothing but punch his chest. At this point, the punches were starting to bug him, but at the same time, he had no right to be bugged. He lied to Mimi. He distrusted her. And as a result, she was going to get a heavy disadvantage compared to his advantage…
"Look, I'm sorry kid but…" Haruto tried to explain. "I did this for the group. The advantage could really help us get through the Killing Game whether it be to buy us a little more time or help us in finding some sort of escape. It was the logical choice for me."
"Y-You… You should've told me," Mimi looked down, her mouth quivering.
"If I did that, you would've chosen Distrust and threw the plan in a loop," Haruto stated with a frown. "Look. Whatever the disadvantage will be, it'll be fine. A disadvantage doesn't necessarily mean you're done for. So, suck it up and deal with it. This will be beneficial for all of us."
Mimi didn't say anything after that. She just tried everything she could to hold in her tears. She was right to feel nervous around him.
"Y-You could've told me instead of lied," Mimi repeated. "You could've told the truth."
Mimi began to sniffle as she felt the tears trail down her cheeks. For Haruto, he just turned away. That wasn't something he wanted to see. Besides, this advantage could really help them. It was the smart thing to do… right?
...
It was no surprise that Maggie and Barracuda ended up Trusting each other. Anyone could've seen that coming a mile away. Maggie gave Barracuda an appreciative smile once she had walked toward the gentle giant.
"Thanks for not breaking my trust, Barry," Maggie smiled. "I knew I could count on you."
"Haha, of course!" Barracuda gave Maggie a thumbs-up. "I trust you a lot Maggie!"
That comment made Maggie blush slightly. Unfortunately, her moment of admiration was cut short when Barracuda had noticed the other votes on the projector screen. One vote had stood out to him.
"Wait, why did Jared choose…?" Barracuda blinked. Maggie and Barracuda turned to Jared and Holland, who had been standing next to each other in an awkward silence.
Jared and Holland didn't really say anything. Instead, they avoided eye contact. Jared couldn't believe he had to go against his own words. He couldn't believe it. Holland on the other hand felt guilty for forcing Jared into this gambit. But he had to. He just had to…
For the sake of his mother.
"Hey Jared," Maggie walked over to Jared with a serious expression. "What happened? I thought the person who would come up with the whole 'choose Trust' campaign would actually follow through with the idea."
"I…" Jared looked down.
"...It was my fault," Holland spoke up, avoiding Jared's gaze. "I… I told Jared to do it."
"Holland?" Maggie widened her eyes. "But… why?"
"...I wanted the video," Holland looked down. "I'm sorry but I… I just wanted the video. I wanted to see my mom…"
Maggie looked at Holland before looking at Jared. She understood Holland. He was desperate to see his mom and being locked away in a prison with no sign of anyone coming to rescue them or escape, she understood that desperation. But at the same time, she was disappointed, especially toward Jared.
"...And you went through with it and gave him what he wanted," Maggie looked toward Jared with slight disapproval.
Jared didn't say anything. He just looked ashamed.
"...I'm disappointed Jared," Maggie frowned. "You're a police officer. Aren't police officers supposed to be heroes who sacrifice themselves to serve the community?"
"...Yeah," Jared looked away.
"...You know exactly where I'm going with this," Maggie sighed before leaving.
Jared did in fact know. He should've chosen Trust. If he had chosen Trust, he would've saved Holland from the motive. True, he would've received the disadvantage, but he would at least uphold his part of helping the group in making sure no one else got the motive. He could've. He should've.
But he didn't.
Jared tipped his hat down as he heard Holland's quiet voice whisper to him.
"...I'm sorry Jared," Holland said. "...But I appreciate you doing this for me. Even though…"
Holland didn't say anything after that. He merely stopped himself upon realizing that Jared was in no mood to speak. Holland's face was still emotionless. Then he left Jared and held his tablet close to him.
But even Holland couldn't help but feel terrible about the circumstances. Because seriously, this really sucked…
...
"Thank you, Kane," Zuri placed a hand over her heart as she smiled appreciatively toward the Ultimate Boome- Pawnbroker. "I'll admit. My heart was racing a bit when I read the results. But I'm glad you chose Trust."
"I am too," Kane didn't look as happy compared to her. Zuri noticed and immediately knew why. After all, it wasn't hard to figure out, considering Kane's attention was pointed toward the vote results of other members in the group.
Kane sighed.
"Damn it," Kane cursed. "What were they thinking? I really thought we were all in this together for once."
"I… thought so too," Zuri looked down. "I can't believe Haruto, Jared, and… Holland would choose Distrust like that."
Kane didn't say anything for a while. Once that while was up, Kane sighed.
"Damn it," Kane looked down in slight frustration. "Damn it."
...
"I knew it!" Mayu stormed toward Cassandra.
She wasn't surprised to see the results at hand. She knew this would happen. She knew someone like Cassandra couldn't be trusted. She knew it and yet she still made the deal thinking she would Trust her. She shouldn't be so angry, but she couldn't help it. With a failed 'business' deal like that, she had to be.
"I knew you would choose Distrust!" Mayu hissed toward Cassandra, who had only looked at her with slight distaste of her own. "I just knew it!"
"Hey sweetie, why the hell are you so pissed?" Cassandra cracked a chuckle before glaring at Mayu, coldly. "You're the one who made the deal. If anyone should be pissed and saying stuff like that, it should be me. Now thanks to you, we're both getting a motive video."
"Ugh, so it's my fault?!" Mayu widened her eyes before clenching her fist.
"That's what I said, isn't it?" Cassandra rolled her eyes. "Oh, and by the way, if you want to make a deal with someone that actually works, give them a better incentive than just a truce. Because frankly, your whole pitch on us having a truce for just this moment was pure shit. You weren't selling me anything but safety for your own skin. I just did what I thought was the right call."
She smiled smugly.
"Glad I was right," Cassandra said.
"I… I…" Mayu shook her fist. She was right. She wasn't happy about it, but Cassandra was right. Her deal didn't sell anything. That was a key factor in trying to sell someone a business deal. Yet, all she could think of was protecting herself. How couldn't she? It was Cassandra.
And she let her get the better of her. She looked up from her distaste back toward the Ultimate Bitch.
"How are you so calm?" Mayu frowned. "You lost and got a motive video."
"...Not like I'm going to kill over whatever's in my video," Cassandra shrugged with a smirk. "I'm not weak to bend head over knees for whatever White Collar has on me… unlike the rest of you idiots. But good luck to you, rich bitch."
Cassandra merely left Mayu alone. She was ready to leave the Auditorium because as far as she was concerned, she was done for the day.
And she didn't lose.
She won't lose.
...
Yuumi had noticed Mimi crying over Haruto's vote, but at the moment, her attention had been turned elsewhere. That elsewhere was Arthur, who didn't seem to feel any sort of guilt distrusting Yuumi like that. She had to storm up to the snowboarder with a betrayed look on her face.
She had hung out with him. Joked with him. Engaged in friendly chats with him. She thought everything was fine and this? This was how he repaid her?
"Arthur!" Yuumi stormed up to Arthur before shaking her head at him in disbelief. She opened her mouth to speak before whatever sound she was trying to make never ended up coming out.
"...If you have something to say, just say it," Arthur merely stated. "I made my choice. And so did you. That's all that happened."
"H-How…?" Yuumi stammered. She had never felt this betrayed in her life. She had never betrayed at its finest. Was this… Was this what betrayal felt like? "H-How… How could you?"
Arthur didn't say anything.
"...I… What happened Arthur?" Yuumi asked, still holding out hope for him. "We both said we would choose Trust, right? So… what happened? Was it something I did? Did I do something to upset you? Is that why you chose Distrust?"
"...Not at all," Arthur stated. "I just wanted the advantage for the Killing Game. You were useful in providing me that, so I thank you."
"I… I can't believe you," Yuumi looked at Arthur as if he were a horror movie villain. "I… You don't even care that you betrayed me."
Arthur stayed silent at this.
"I can't believe you Arthur!" Yuumi exclaimed. "You would be so low as to play along with White Collar's stupid game! I told you we were going to be friends in order to fight back against him. Not… Not this…"
"...I never asked to be friends," Arthur responded. "You were the one who forced that upon me. And besides. The power of friendship to defeat White Collar? Seriously? Grow up. All I did was play the game. There is no reason for you to be so-"
SLAP!
Arthur had to recoil from the force of Yuumi's hand against his cheek. There was a burning red mark on his face, and he couldn't help but rub the stinging pain he felt. He looked slightly shocked as he saw Yuumi's face distort from hurt to anger.
Everyone had turned away from their own dramas to witness this altercation between Arthur and Yuumi. Yuumi had to take a deep breath, but she couldn't help but feel the stinging salt near the tips of her eyes as she looked at Arthur with disgust.
"Y-You're… Y-You're horrible," Yuumi stated. "You're horrible. All you did was just play the game? Arthur Kingston. I-... You're the most horrible person on the planet! I can't believe you were the person I tried to be friends with!"
Arthur's face remained shocked for a moment before reverting to his nonchalant look. He stood up and patted the dust off his clothes as he watched Yuumi turn away from him. Did he make a mistake?
Surely not.
...
Clap.
Clap.
Clap.
"How marvelous," White Collar gave the group his slowest golf clap as a sign of mockery to their efforts. "How exhilarating. I see we have made fine progress on showing you just how faulty your sad lives really are. Wouldn't you agree, Monohebi?"
"Yes Master," Monohebi agreed as she flicked her tongue.
"Fucker," Haruto glared at White Collar. "Was that really why you made us play your shit game? Huh? For your own sick twisted amusement while you divide us up again and to fucking show mock pity for our lives?!"
"Oh, believe me, your lives have been pitiful for a long time," White Collar chuckled oh so casually to himself. "I'm just glad to have helped you."
"How did you help us?" Abigail glared at White Collar.
"Funny you would be the one to ask," White Collar trailed his hand up to his single intact horn. "You did choose to Distrust Mr. Erskine after all. It's… almost like this game helped you all differentiate the bad apples to the good clueless Adams and Eves you are. Good for you."
As he said that, all eyes turned to those who had voted Distrust: Abigail, Cassandra, Haruto, Holland, Ina, Jared, and Mayu. All of them avoided looking at the gazes of others. Those who voted Trust expected some of those names to vote Distrust, but other names were a complete surprise to them. Those names felt the most guilt for having voted the way they did.
"Your videos, advantages, and disadvantages will be provided for you first thing in the morning," White Collar explained. "But as for now…"
White Collar glanced toward Monohebi. The snake flashed her red eyes before her voice began to ring upon the facility's intercoms.
"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."
"It's a recording?" Kane blinked.
"You heard her," White Collar clapped his hands. "Thank you for participating in this wonderful Minigame. Now, best head back to your rooms, lest you want the risk of being caught outside and painfully punished…"
The cast of 16 stayed in the Auditorium in silence. While they had much to argue about in terms of the results of the vote, everyone shared a collective glare toward White Collar. The devilish man didn't seem to mind.
And soon…
One by one, they headed back to their confinements, dreading what was to come the next day.
DANGANRONPA: CORRUPTED HOPE
What a chapter! We're nearing the end of the Chapter 1 Daily Life meaning someone is about to bite the dust soon! :D Who do you think it will be?
I have to say that I did crank out like 5000 words in one day so if there were some aspects of this chapter that may have seemed rushed, then by all means, let me know and I can try to fix and spruce it up a bit. So far, I like what I reread and edited so I suppose it should be fine, but either case, maybe it might seem rushed to you guys. I don't know!
The whole Minigame aspect was something I've been waiting to introduce for a while in terms of motive announcing. I made this idea up back when I played Zero Escape: Virtue's Last Reward (which is seriously a really good game. Check out the entire Zero Escape series if you haven't!) and thought it would be cool to spice up the Killing Game by adding interesting features like this. I hope you guys like the Minigame because Prisoner's Dilemma is a go for these guys.
As always, let me know how I'm doing and if there's anything about your characters that I should know about! With that said, the end of Chapter 1 Daily Life is near...
Prisoners Remaining: 16
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 Basketball Player (theotakureader101)
Holland Delaney - The Ultimate Game Designer (Sempi)
Ina Hamamura - The Ultimate Revolutionary (VividIsSleeping)
Jared Ceartas - The Ultimate Police Officer (Otterplay)
Kanenoshin Amao - The Ultimate Pawnbroker (benkj6)
Maggie LaDroubi - The Ultimate Supermodel (Project Drama)
Mayu Mashiro - The Ultimate Heiress (zetsunaflame)
Mimi Kazoo - The Ultimate Fairytale Writer (Idraegan)
Titus Erskine - The Ultimate Conductor (Lidamek)
Yuumi Kizuchi - The Ultimate Sailor (Shamelles410)
Zuri Auraline - The Ultimate Bassist (CandleFire45)