Chapter 2: The Solace of Hate and Envy (Deadly 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!
"M-Mayu, w-what happened?"
Two hours after her escapade at the pool, Mayu had met up with Ina in her room. The duffel bag she had been carrying had been opened up, revealing a severed hand. The severed hand. Yuumi's. And naturally, as anyone who would see a severed hand would react, Ina was absolutely mortified by the sight. Mayu was no different.
"I- Y- She- She was still alive," Mayu shivered, hugging herself tightly. "Sh-She just… She just climbed out of the pool. I panicked. I… I hit her. I… She was still alive…"
"Sh-She was what?" Ina widened her eyes. "No. That's impossible. I was…"
"D-Did you not check her pulse when you came across her body?" Mayu asked. The result of her actions felt suffocating. She's… never killed anyone in her life before! So, to take a life like she did... It made her feel sick to her stomach. Half-tempting her to puke inside the duffel bag where the severed hand would still be. "Or or maybe body warmth? P-Please tell me who I hit was a zombie!"
"I… never had the time to," Ina looked away. Oh God. This wasn't supposed to happen! None of this was supposed to happen! It was supposed to be Arthur, not Yuumi, who should've taken the bait!
"You never had the-?" Mayu widened her eyes, her eyes growing more tense. She started to shake uncontrollably. This was no mistake anymore. The danger has never dawned on her so clearly before. "N-No. No no. I don't… I can't… I-Ina, this wasn't supposed to happen…"
"I- I know," Ina bit her lip. The realization of the situation had long dawned on her as well. "I am sorry Mayu. I am so sorry."
"Ina, I don't want to die Ina," Mayu couldn't breathe. The walls felt like they were closing in. Crushing her till she would eventually die of suffocation. She hugged herself, her eyes trembling in trepidation. "Ina, please I don't want to die. I still have so much to live for. I-Ina what are we going to do?! I don't want to die like he did! I don't want to die!"
"Mayu, please calm down," Ina tried to reassure her friend. "I will not let you die. Not like this. I… You have helped me so much with my plot and now you are going to pay for it. So please Mayu, calm down and let me handle it. There is only one way you can live now."
"B-But what about-" Mayu looked at Ina desperately.
"…As the Ultimate Revolutionary, I am dead set on dying for any cause I believe in," Ina clenched her fist. "Making sure you live is the only cause I can accomplish now."
Ina looked away. This was all her fault. She was the reason Mayu was set to die now. The least she could do is try to protect her now. Out of everyone here, Mayu was the one she was closest with. One she understood all too well and Mayu… she only went along with it because she admired her.
God. What kind of shit role model would do this to their admirer?!
"I-Ina, I'm scared," Mayu murmured, shaking slightly.
"Do not be," Ina tried to give her a more encouraging look. "How will you face him if you remain terrified? All I ask is that once you escape and after you take him down, that you will go and take down-"
Ina was interrupted with a hug from Mayu. At this point, the heiress was starting to tear up.
"It's all my fault," Mayu slowly began to cry. "I'm sorry for ruining everything Ina."
Ina remained silent for a moment. Then she returned the hug.
"No, Mayu," Ina's expression twitched in sadness. "The fault was mine. I should have never gotten you involved in the first place."
The revolutionary gave Mayu one last look of encouragement.
"In retribution, I will do everything in my power to make sure you live," Ina assured the heiress. "That is a promise."
"Even though you'll…?" Mayu looked at Ina with tears in her eyes.
"Even though every last one of us will die as well," Ina nodded somberly. "Including me. Including Arthur. The Killing Game will end with you as the victor. And you can carry out my legacy. In the grand scheme of things, I see this as our only best option."
"I'm not ready…" Mayu whispered quietly.
Neither was Ina.
But she never let it show. Instead, she tightened the hug between the two of them.
…
…
…
Mayu groaned weakly as she laid her head on her podium. The guilt. The revelations of her deeds. The stress of having to hide this. And the feeling that she had failed Ina. God, how she felt awful. It made sense that everything came spewing out her mouth as nothing but vomit.
Ina on the other hand remained in the defeated pose she had remained in since we saw her in the last chapter. She continuously banged her fist on the podium, all the while repeating the same words over and over again:
"Damn it. Damn it. Damn it!"
"So," Monohebi plainly stated as she flicked her tongue out. "I take it that you are all ready to vote without any more interruptions?"
"I think we are now," Jared tipped his hat down. He couldn't believe this was the conclusion they came to.
Ina and Mayu were the perpetrators of this crime. Had Yuumi not suffered the second blow, it would've been Ina who would've been the culprit. But as it stands now, Ina was the accomplice and Mayu was the culprit. A culprit to the crime she assisted in.
Monohebi bowed her head down.
"Very well then, I shall ready the vote," was all the snake said moments before a ping sounded from everyone's eHandbooks, indicating that an update had just been acquired within their Voting Booth application.
As soon as they opened it, nothing much changed in terms of updates, but they were now eligible to vote for who the blackened of the case was.
Just like the last vote they had done; the process was quick and easy, and it wasn't a surprise to see who received the most votes:
…
…
…
…
…
…
Mayu: 11
Ina: 1
Arthur: 1
…
"With the votes tallied, I can now formally give my final verdict on the supposed blackened of the case," Monohebi announced as she turned her head toward Mayu, who could only so faintly listen to the serpent speak. "My final verdict for Mayu Mashiro, the Ultimate Heiress:
…
…
…
GUILTY
…
…
…
...That is all."
Monohebi smacked her tail down onto her throne as if she had just slammed down a gavel to conclude these Prison Trial proceedings. Flicking her tongue, the snake continued.
"This Prison Trial has concluded," Monohebi announced. "Congratulations prisoners. You were correct. The blackened of this case was indeed Mayu Mashiro, the Ultimate Heiress. Do with that information how you will."
TRIAL ENDS
When the Trial had concluded with Mayu deemed as the correct killer, all eyes were dead set on Ina and Mayu, the two perpetrators of this heinous crime. Of course, neither girls could look anyone in the eye after the shit they had pulled this chapter.
Monohebi recognized this much obvious tension and cleared her snaky throat.
"In accordance with this need for answers, I suppose I shall let you all talk amongst yourselves before beginning the punishment," Monohebi stated. "Please, carry on with some idle chatter."
"I'm sorry Ina," Mayu avoided looking at Ina. After her puke-infested breakdown, Mayu seemed to be feeling much better to speak properly but not as good when it came to the admission of her guilt. "I ruined everything… again."
Ina on the other hand looked far worse than Mayu was looking, and she wasn't even the one on the chopping block. There was a clear indication of pain in her eyes. She had failed. Not once, but twice. She couldn't kill one man and she couldn't even save her closest friend.
Such was the twisted tragic tale of Ina Hamamura.
"M-Mayu, you cannot blame yourself for any of this," Ina frowned. "All of this. This ploy to kill Arthur. This ploy to try to protect you. It was all my fault. I should be the one who is sorry. Not you Mayu. I could not…"
Ina clenched her fist. She could not protect her like she wanted to…
"D-Damn!" Ina cursed under her breath.
"I can't believe any of you," Mimi gave a teary-eyed glare toward the revolutionary who kickstarted the plot and the heiress who ended the life of her best friend. "I just… We trusted you. We trusted both of you! Especially you, Ina! How could you go against our back and kill Yuumi like that?! Why?!"
"…Yuumi was never meant to die," Ina looked away. "It was poor planning on my part to merely send a note to Arthur. I am sorry."
"But it was because of your plot to kill Arthur that ended up killing Yuumi!" Mimi exclaimed, angrily. She was getting much more riled up than she normally had. "I will never forgive you for what you did! Never! I… I hate you, Ina! I hate both you and Mayu!"
"There are still some questions I have about the case, though," Jared rubbed his chin. "For starters, why did you take the hand with you? There was blood on the pool covering anyway. Whether the severed hand was there or not, we would've still opened the pool covering to find the body."
"Yes, and why did you throw the wooden plank into the Pool as well?" Arthur raised an eyebrow. "If I'm not mistaken, that evidence was supposed to be disposed of or hidden away and yet you threw it next to the body. It became the main factor that allowed us to discover the trap used in the crime."
Mayu looked away. Her thoughts traced back to that moment… that very moment when she was alone with Yuumi's drifting body at the Pool…
Mayu huffed in relief after pressing the 'Off' button on the pool covering machine. Slowly, she listened to the machine hum and crank, creating its cacophonous noise as she set the evidence she was tasked to remove to the side. She watched somberly as the pool covering closed over the pool water and the body that they had just tossed into the water.
The body that was… not where she had thrown it?
The body that was… by the edge of the pool?
The body that was… slowly climbing out of the water?
"I… I…" murmured the body of Yuumi Kizuchi, whose strength was still strong enough to climb out of the pool but weak to make any sort of conscious thought to what her situation was.
"EEEEYAAAAAAAGH!" Mayu shrieked, stumbling back to the ground as she watched Yuumi slowly rise to the top of the pool.
The pool covering was only halfway there when the sailor rose to the top. And all the heiress could think of in that moment was how?
How?!
How was she still alive?!
How was she still moving?!
Her heart was beating. It was like watching a zombie rise from the grave and drag her down with her. Yuumi… was probably angry at her. At her and Ina. She might… She might drag her down into the pool with her! Drag her down as the pool closed leaving both of them to drown! Well, she's not letting that happen to her! She won't let that happen to her!
Mayu instantly pushed Yuumi back into the pool. The pool covering was only 65% closed at this point. And yet, as weak-minded as Yuumi was at the moment, her will to live was strong. She continued to attempt to climb out of the pool again but with every attempt, Mayu tried to kick her hand away.
"I… I…" Yuumi mumbled as she tried to leave the pool, spewing out pool water from her mouth in order to speak properly. "I… I remember…"
Yuumi's hand grabbed onto Mayu's dress, pulling her down to the ground.
"N-No!" Mayu screamed, watching the pool covering close in at 80%. She kicked and struggled, kicking the wooden plank into the pool as she tried to get away. She kicked Yuumi's hand, trying hard to get her to loosen her grip but for some reason, it caused the grip to tighten. "L-Let go! L-Let go!"
"I… I remember…" Yuumi repeated as she pulled Mayu's leg closer into the pool. "I… I remember why… I became… a sailor… How… I…"
"L-Let go!" Mayu kept screaming as she tried to pull Yuumi's hand away. She was frightened. Tears started forming from the sides of her eyes. If this kept up, she was going to lose her foot! "L-Let go!"
The pool covering was nearing 94% closed. It was closing in. The panic set in further as she watched Yuumi slowly rise above the pool again.
"M-Mommy… Daddy…?" Yuumi mumbled weakly. "I-Is that you…?"
"L-Let- L-Let!" Mayu frantically screamed before she grabbed the nearest object that could help her: The dumbbell. "I said…"
Mayu closed her eyes, raised the dumbbell over her head…
"LET GO!"
…and swung down, lobbing the dumbbell against the back of Yuumi's head.
Yuumi didn't move. All weaknesses set in. The grip of the hand on her ankles loosened. Yuumi's lifeless corpse could only float and wade as it still held onto Mayu's ankle.
The pool covering closed in.
98%
99%
CRAAAAAAAACK
…
100%
Mayu panted. She dropped the dumbbell to the side as she stared at the hand still holding onto her ankle. It was quiet. Yet her heart was still racing. She slowly peered over to her ankle where the hand still lodged itself on.
She covered her mouth. She felt sick to her stomach. The pool covering had completely detached the hand from the rest of the body. The blood dripped from the end of the severed hand onto the pool covering.
She remained frozen for ten. Fifteen. Forty-five. One minute.
"O-Oh my God... Oh my God... OhmyGodOhmyGodOhmyGo- urp-" Mayu felt the need to throw up. But she couldn't. She shouldn't. She held it in and squeamishly pried each finger off of her ankle. But it was as if the hand was glued to her dress. She tried to take it off. And then…
Riiiiip
"Yuumi's severed hand had evidence," Mayu folded her arms, uneasily. "She… grabbed onto me and ripped a small part of my dress when she climbed out of the water. When I saw what was in her severed hand, I panicked and… took it with me."
"And during your scuffle with Yuumi, you kicked the wooden plank into the pool as it lay closing," Arthur smirked to himself. "How fortunate we are to have a culprit that made enough mistakes for us to solve their crime."
Mayu looked away, once again avoiding Ina's gaze.
"Mayu…" was all Ina could say in that instance as Arthur continued.
"I am curious," Arthur fixed a cold stare toward Mayu. "You knew from the very beginning that I was going to be a target. And yet, at the time you still assisted in preparing the contraption that could've ended my life. Why did you get involved? And for what purpose?"
"Did you guys even know the rules of having an accomplice before you two team up?" Jared frowned.
"They had to," Arthur stated, turning to Jared. "Ina is too meticulous to not have asked."
"I did ask, and the both of us were okay with it," Ina stated. This caused some people to raise some eyebrows. "At least, in my case, I was ready to go down with the rest of you if it meant Mayu lived."
"What do you mean by 'in my case'?" Abigail tiredly frowned.
"And why go through the lengths to make sure Mayu of all people lived?" Cassandra folded her arms. "Seems kind of out there don't you think?"
"…It probably had to do with the videos that were received this time around," Holland hummed in thought. "Didn't Ina mention that they watched each other's videos? Maybe that could be the reason they wanted to help each other in the first place..."
"Yeah, but for Ina to team up with the culprit and be willing to die with the rest of us should Mayu have won?" Cassandra asked, raising an eyebrow. "What the hell could have been on her video that would've made her decide to sacrifice herself and everyone else for Mayu's sake?"
"Why don't you see for yourself?"
…
That familiar sinister voice forced everyone to start tensing up as the clacks of a cane connecting to the hard pavement floor grew louder and louder. White Collar, looking much more pleased than he had been with the last Trial, had arrived with that familiar sinister grin he always bore. Of course, no one was happier to see him than Monohebi, who was perhaps the only being in the room that would be happy to see White Collar.
"Master!" Monohebi slithered over to White Collar. "I apologize for how much the Trial had dragged on. But I assure you, I did everything I could to keep things-"
"Miss Mashiro," White Collar completely walked past the rambling Monohebi and directed his gaze toward the Ultimate Heiress. He held out his hand with his signature devilish grin. "If you would be so kind as to hand me your eHandbook."
"W-What?" Mayu asked, stepping back away from White Collar. No. Was he- She held out her eHandbook and hugged it tightly, shaking her head profusely. "N-No. P-Please. I don't... I don't want to."
White Collar perked his head down toward her. A towering feeling. A feeling as if she were being dominated by a monstrous presence. Shrinking back in submission, she shuddered, feeling compelled to hand White Collar her eHandbook. The longer she refused, she longer her suffering would probably be. Maybe even worse than what Haruto's legs had suffered through. Handing her eHandbook to the man in the devil's attire, White Collar glanced toward Monohebi.
"I think it's time for a little family movie, don't you agree?" He pointed the sharp point of his cane toward the snake.
"Yes, of course, right away Master White Collar," Monohebi bowed her head before slithering off.
Moments later, the projector used to display the Minigame results was dragged in by Monohebi's long ass tail. After a few minutes of fiddling with the equipment, the projector found itself shining a blank image above the throne within the circle of podiums. Then, White Collar connected Mayu's eHandbook to the projector until it brightly showed how every single one of these videos end up starting:
An image of White Collar with his glass of wine.
"To my humblest dearest Miss Mayu Mashiro," White Collar sat on his throne as he glanced directly back at the viewers whilst swirling a glass of wine. "You are a young lady born from a wealthy family. The epitome of what we call the higher-class regiment. You have more than the common man and yet everyday you indulge in sin like any other wealthy being. Overconsumption. Non-satisfaction. What we call here, gluttony. Your desire for more runs in the family. After all, who else would you hate more… than your grandfather?"
…
White Collar evaporated into static to switch the scene to an old stern looking man. Junichi Mashiro was visibly aggravated as he could be seen engaging in a heated conversation with someone. Fixing his glasses and stroking his beardless chin, the old man sneered toward who the viewers assumed to be a detective.
"You think I had anything to do with my own granddaughter's disappearance?" Junichi asked. "As if I would dedicate an inch of my time to get rid of such disappointment. Dealing with her would be wasting my precious time."
"Grandpa, please, the entire family knows how much you hated Mayu," the detective who Junichi was talking to said. Gathering from the voice, it was safe to assume that it was another child of the Mashiro family. A grandson or distant relative even! "They'll need a more promising answer than that."
"Well, you tell the family that the only reason that little shit hasn't been showing her face around these parts is because she's what I've been saying she is from the start!" Junichi banged his fist onto a nearby extravagant ivory desk. The detective jumped at how sudden this action was. "A no-good disappointment! Unfit to carry on the Mashiro legacy!"
"She was selected as the Ultimate Heiress, wasn't she?" the detective asked, confused. "How was she unfit?"
"Ultimate Heiress my ass," Junichi cursed, coughing in between. "She's no Ultimate Heiress. She's just a rat leeching off of our wealth! Just because she thinks she's suddenly a candidate for one of the most prestigious academies in our country she thinks she can win my favor? She took the easy way out of my teachings, I tell you. Only a leech would take the easy road!"
"G-Grandpa, calm down," the detective tried to comfort Junichi.
"Mayu Mashiro, I swear on the name of everyone in the Mashiro Family!" Junichi cursed into the air. "If you show your face back to our household, I will make sure you regret it!"
"Grandpa, please, you're going a little way too far here," the detective looked at Junichi worriedly.
"Too far?" Junichi widened his eyes heatedly. "Too far?! You wanna know something about Mayu Mashiro?! How she got so ridiculously fat? How she looked too embarrassing to uphold the image of a true Mashiro?!"
"She was undergoing a lot of stress; you need to stop–"
"That's her excuse?!" Junichi barked before laughing. "Does she not realize how stressful it is to maintain this company's glory? How hard it is to provide for this country's economic welfare! Our country is failing and only the Mashiros can save it! What's her excuse for not being around to help out with our affairs?!"
"Which is why I thought maybe we should look into it but–"
"Fuck it!" Junichi banged his fist down again. "That little rat can live off the streets for all I care! She's no grandchild of mine!"
"But Grandpa–"
"Shut it!" Junichi pointed a finger toward the detective. "Or should I have to teach you a little lesson about respecting your elders?!"
The detective took a step back. His legs almost felt like jelly. Bowing his head down in shame, the person shook his head. It was a familiar level of submission that Mayu was all too familiar with.
"No need, Grandpa," the detective said. "I understand my mistake for speaking out against you."
"Mayu Mashiro is no longer a member of this family," Junichi glowered over the detective. "Do I make myself perfectly clear?"
"...Yes Grandpa," the detective bowed his head. But from the angle of the footage, anyone could tell that this detective didn't agree with anything Junichi Mashiro was saying.
The prisoners that had been forced to watch this short video starring Mayu's family grew more disgusted by the words that Junichi had spouted.
…
White Collar came back onto the screen. Though when he returned, no longer did he have such a sinister grin on his face. Instead, his mask had a look and tone of disgust as he held his glass of wine a little tightly. Swirling the liquid inside, he began to speak.
"What an unforgiving grandfather," White Collar mused. "We are who others shape us to be. You, Mayu Mashiro, became a gluttonous swine because of your grandfather's abuse. For that, I sincerely apologize for everything you had to go through. However, life isn't something you get served on a silver platter. Do you understand that now?"
White Collar's mask shifted back into that signature sinister grin. Then with a small chuckle, he crushed his glass of wine into shards.
"Think well about what this video has taught you," White Collar stated. "That is all I wish to show you…"
The prisoners slowly turned to Mayu, who looked visibly shaken up by the video she desperately didn't want to see again.
"Goodbye…" White Collar's voice echoed throughout everyone's mind.
"So, that was the true personality of the so-called humble and soft-spoken Junichi Mashiro, was it?" Arthur shook his head, disappointedly. "I've heard rumors that he wasn't so kind to his own grandchildren, and I suppose this video confirmed such rumors to be true."
"Who the fuck did this guy think he was?!" Haruto roared. "How the fuck could he talk about his own grandkid like that?!"
"I-Ina, this was the reason you desperately tried to get Mayu to live?" Zuri turned to Ina, her shock of seeing such a cruel man on the video forcing her to sympathize with the antagonists of this case. "I… I still don't understand but…"
"...When I learned that Mayu had killed Yuumi, at that point in time, only Mayu would've been the only person capable enough to take down Junichi Mashiro," Ina explained, looking down. "Because Mayu would have been the only person who could've escaped should she have won the Killing Game."
"And I suppose if you had killed me as originally intended, you would be the one instead of Mayu who would go after him," Arthur pointed a raised eyebrow toward Ina.
"...That's right," Ina folded her arms.
"Mayu, I didn't realize you had such a…" Maggie trailed off as she looked at Mayu sympathetically. The reason for her trailing off was the fact that Mayu looked to be in shambles after seeing her own grandfather in the video once again.
She hugged herself, sitting on the ground as she tried desperately not to release any tears. She failed to do so. Because as she struggled to breathe, tears started falling from her eyes. All she could feel at this point was her heart trying desperately to escape from the cage it was in.
"All… All I ever wanted to do was show him how worthy I was to become next in line for the Mashiro family," Mayu whimpered through her tears. "I just wanted to show him that I could become just as much of a Mashiro as he was. B-But h-he was always so hurtful to me. Even when I became the Ultimate Heiress, he never stopped hurting me. I just wanted him to accept me for who I was. W-Who I could be…"
Carter looked at her before remembering a conversation he had with her when they had investigated the Equestrian Cell during its opening.
"W-Wait," Carter turned to Mayu, confused. "B-But aren't y-you like… rich? Y-You can probably afford l-like five of each."
Mayu glanced at Carter with a slight frown, as if living life as an heiress was the most obvious thing in the whole world. She sighed and shook her head to reject Carter's initial opinion.
"That's the perks of being the daughter of a very wealthy family," Mayu shook her head. "But in order to be a heiress is more than just being a daughter. You still have to work and fight for it. Prove yourself worthy of being an heir to my family's entire assets."
"A-Ah, g-geez," Carter looked away, a little regretful for his initial opinion. Clearly it was an entire field he wasn't too familiar with. "Th-That's… I'm sorry to hear that."
"Becoming the Ultimate Heiress was already a big step to gaining access to all my family's assets," Mayu explained. "But there is still one task left…"
Mayu didn't continue. Instead, she looked down and folded her arms. Carter noted that it wasn't something she was too comfortable talking about… especially to him. He didn't press. Instead, he changed the topic.
"H-How could your family be so mean?" Barracuda asked, completely flabbergasted that the man in the video happened to be her grandpa. "Family members are supposed to take care of each other!"
"...I t-told you," Mayu held her neck, letting a tear stream down her cheek. "My family sucks. Every member of the Mashiro family is a peasant who would grovel and beg to get what they want. Especially to get what they want from G-Grandpa…"
"That piece of shit…" Jared darkly stared down, knowing there was nothing he could do to bring him to justice.
"When I saw the video, I couldn't breathe," Mayu sniffled. "I thought that everything was over for me in terms of being a Mashiro. But Ina told me that she could help me punish Grandpa for everything he ever did to me and the family."
"That's right, I did," Ina clenched her fist. "Junichi Mashiro is a demon like no other. For every transgression he's committed unto his own granddaughter, he had to be punished. And I was going to be the one to start an uprising against him."
"And that's the reason why you bothered to help Ina kill Arthur, even knowing you'll die alongside the rest of us?" Cassandra raised an eyebrow.
Mayu didn't say anything in response to that. She just looked down, miserably. After a couple of moments, the heiress finally spoke up.
"I hated him," she merely stated. "I hated him for everything he's ever done to me. I hated him for every little thing he said about me. In the end, I would prefer to die than live in a world where he's still alive. That's how much I hate Grandpa."
"Mayu…" Ina looked pained after hearing her own friend say something so serious.
Mimi looked away. Suddenly, she considered retracting her earlier statement about hating Mayu and Ina. Just watching that video, she understood all too well how being verbally abused would feel. But at the same time, that still gave them no right to kill and mess Yuumi's corpse like that!
"B-But I'm not ready to die," Mayu's voice started to crack. "I'm not ready to die. I held on to the hope that I would win the game so I could go and end Grandpa's entire career myself. I held onto the hope that Grandpa's entire life would've been destroyed. I still want to end him."
Tears seeped down her eyes as she turned to White Collar. She began to grovel down to her knees, hands clasped together as she bowed her head down to the sophisticated devil.
"Please White Collar," Mayu begged as she sobbed. "Please, I'm begging you. B-Before you kill me, at least let me have my justice. Please punish my Grandpa for everything he's ever done! That's all I ask for!"
White Collar perked his head toward Mayu. Then he laughed. A haughty, taunting laugh. His distorted British voice echoed throughout the chambers as his grin widened.
"You are certainly a true member of the Mashiro family," White Collar laughed. "How unlike you Miss Mashiro. I mean, to think the great Ultimate Heiress would grovel and beg someone to end the life of her own Grandfather! Doesn't that sound familiar? It should. You were the one who plainly stated that every member of the Mashiro family is a peasant who would grovel and beg to get what they wanted. And yet here you are, doing exactly that."
White Collar glowered over Mayu with a hideous grin. He lifted up her chin with the sharp tip of his cane.
"You know what we call that in this dying world?" White Collar asked Mayu before he started to let out a quiet growly whisper. "A hypocrite."
"P-Please White Collar," Mayu pleaded through her tears. "Y-You always talked about how much you hate sin and all that stuff. S-So you can do something about Grandpa! R-Right? For the sake of the Mashiro family's future?"
"True, I do hate sinners," White Collar chuckled darkly before he went back to his harsh whisper. "But my beef isn't with your Grandfather, Miss Mashiro. As terrible as he is, I'm afraid the sinner I show priority over is you. Have you seriously forgotten? You're Miss Kizuchi's killer. And you know the price you have to pay to take someone's life."
"N-No, please!" Mayu felt herself unable to breathe once more. "Please White Collar. Please don't do this. I- I panicked. I didn't mean to kill her! Sh-She just wouldn't let go of my ankle! Th-There was nothing else I could've done!"
"You could've saved Miss Kizuchi," White Collar suggested. "You knew she was alive. You found that out plain as day as she climbed out of the pool. You could've helped her and yet what did you do? You pushed her back into the pool… and bashed her in the head with a dumbbell."
"N-No, n-no, I… Oh God," Mayu started to hyperventilate. She started to sob uncontrollably now. The fear and trepidation set in. She started to panic. She clutched her head, fearing what was to come. "Oh God! Oh God! OhGodOhGodOhGodOhGod! I don't want to die! I don't want to die! I'm not ready to die!"
"M-Mayu," Ina hurried over to Mayu's side.
"I-Ina, please help me!" Mayu sobbed. "I don't want to die! I don't want to die! I want to live! I still want to live!"
"Monohebi…" White Collar turned to the snake. With a bow of her head, the snake slithered up to the prisoners, some of which surrounded Mayu, ready to protect if need be. He held out his arms as if he were the cross itself. "I believe it's punishment time for Miss Mashiro, for the unfortunate and tragic murder of Yuumi Kizuchi."
"Yes Master," Monohebi nodded toward her master.
"P-Please don't do this," Mayu sobbed, trying her best to hide behind her prisoners. "P-Please. I don't want to die! I don't want to die! Oh God! Oh God! Ina! Please help me! I don't want to die! Oh God!"
"Commencing punishment…" Monohebi announced.
"Do not touch her!" Ina yelled as she stood in front of Mayu. The heiress clutched onto Ina's hand as Mayu was soon to get dragged to the execution chamber. All she could do was hold her close as Mayu sobbed into her arms.
"I don't want to die, Ina, I don't want to die," Mayu exclaimed through her tears.
"It's okay Mayu, you will not die, I will not let anything happen to you!" Ina exclaimed, holding her friend close to dear life.
"I-I'm so scared Ina, I'm so scared," Mayu continued to sob. That was when a chain suddenly lodged itself around Mayu's neck. Ina widened her eyes, feeling her strength completely outmatched by the chain that would drag the heiress away from the revolutionary. "Aghhhh! N-No no no no no no! Oh God! Please help! Oh God!"
"No Miss Mashiro," White Collar placed both hands on his cane as he watched Mayu get pulled away from Ina. "In this facility, there is no God. There is only me and your due punishment."
Ina felt her grip on Mayu slip away as the heiress screamed, the chain dragging her into the execution chamber by her neck. With one final scream from her own lips, Ina called out the last thing Mayu would ever hear:
"M-MAYUUUUUUUUUU!"
Monohebi slithered toward a large red button and slapped it with the end of her tail. With a single hit, the button clicked, bursting into stars as a pixelated screen showcased Monohebi dragging Mayu by the neck.
Below this scenery were the words:
...
MAYU MASHIRO HAS BEEN FOUND GUILTY
COMMENCING PUNISHMENT...
...
Mayu found herself crying as she remained seated in a booster seat, typically used for babies at the family dining tables. Speaking of dining tables, she was sitting as the main guest of honor, unable to move thanks to the booster seat. Amongst this extremely long dining table were mannequins wearing Victorian-styled masks and crudely drawn smiles on their faces. They watched her excitedly as she struggled to escape from her confined seat.
Along the top of the dining table was a great big feast, filled with the most extravagant foods one would typically see in a royal castle dinner setting. Roasted turkey, jello, sausages strung about, escargot, different types of sandwiches arranged in different patterns, and a giant glass chandelier hung over this extravagant dining table as well. Paintings of White Collar in different Victorian-styled outfits glowered over this execution scenery as Mayu started to cry.
She was in no mood to eat. How could she be? She was going to get executed very soon.
That was when a large plate with a large metallic lid on was placed right in front of her, served by the best chef in this facility: Chef Monohebi. Removing the lid, Mayu widened her eyes to see a giant cake, decorated with completely white frosting and a small White Collar figurine with an angel halo over his head as the cherry on top.
Qu'ils Mangent de la Brioche: The Ultimate Heiress' Execution
With her tail, Monohebi held out a spoon, spinning it around as she flicked her tongue. Then, she began to grab a piece of the cake before stuffing it into Mayu's mouth, force-feeding her some of this delicious vanilla cake.
Mayu chewed and swallowed.
Another piece of cake was stuffed inside her mouth.
Mayu chewed and swallowed.
Stuff a cake inside her mouth.
Chew and swallow.
Then the tempo increased.
And Monohebi started to shove more and more amounts of cake into Mayu's mouth at an insane speed. Mayu had little time to chew and swallow, instead letting her mouth fill with pieces of cake as soon Monohebi chucked more pieces into Mayu's mouth.
Bits by bits, Mayu tried to swallow the cake, her eyes tearing up over how much cake she was forced to consume but Monohebi never rested, even as her mouth started to bulge like if she were playing the Marshmallow challenge or if she was a chipmunk. Mayu struggled to spit the food out too as whenever she tried to, more cake was just placed inside her mouth.
The mannequins started to laugh at her. Monohebi never rested until every last piece of the cake was in Mayu's mouth. And Mayu couldn't stop crying at how much cake was being force-fed to her. The process continued to flash back and forth.
Monohebi force-feeding Mayu cake.
Mayu crying with her overly stuffed mouth.
The mannequins pointing and laughing.
The paintings of White Collar jeering and laughing alongside everyone else.
Monohebi force-feeding.
Mayu crying.
The mannequins laughing.
The paintings laughing as well.
The background started to distort as flames started sparking on the walls. The wallpaper slowly turned to soot, ash, and dust as yelling could be heard from behind Mayu's overly abused mouth.
Monohebi force-feeding.
Mayu crying.
The mannequins laughing.
The paintings laughing.
The glass window behind Mayu shattered as rocks and bottles were being thrown from behind her. More mannequins started to climb inside, this time with pitchforks and torches.
Monohebi force-feeding.
Mayu crying.
The mannequins laughing.
The paintings laughing.
Once the mannequins that started invading the dinner table got closer, Monohebi had finished stuffing enough cake into Mayu's purple-looking face. Little by little she tried to swallow the cake, before the snake stuck the spoon right in the middle of her cake-infested mouth. Slithering off, Mayu was pushed over onto the table, with the mannequin mob sliding her across all the different other foods that had been served.
Once she had reached the opposite end of the table, Mayu had swallowed only half of the cake before spitting out everything else including the spoon. She watched as the mannequins and the paintings of White Collar continue to laugh at her. Flames erupted all around her. And sobbing for the last time, she heard a click.
The glass chandelier that had been above the dining table was now right above her and getting ready to fall. Mayu widened her eyes before them, bracing for impact.
The chandelier fell.
…
And it fell right beside her head. Opening her eyes, she felt slightly relieved. Her breathing was still suffocated but she was glad to have seen that the glass chandelier did not fall on–
–a blade fell and cleanly cut through her neck, having been connected to the rather long chain on the glass chandelier.
…
…
…
Monohebi slithered toward Mayu's dead corpse, dressed in a classic French peasant attire, and picking up Mayu's severed head. Then she raised Mayu's head up for all to see. The mannequins cheered. The paintings of White Collar were completely burnt up. And some other mannequins began to eat some of the leftover pieces of cake that Mayu didn't get to have stuffed into her mouth.
The Queen was dead.
Junichi Mashiro stormed into Mayu's room with a visibly angry look on his face. He was always angry when it came to Mayu Mashiro. Why wouldn't he be? She was the only daughter in the Mashiro family and for her to hold the title of Ultimate Heiress in this family instead of the sons was an insult to his pride and the future of the company he worked hard to establish. With his boiling red face, Junichi pointed a finger toward Mayu.
"You," Junichi glared at Mayu. "What did you do?"
"Grandpa, I– What do you mean?" young Mayu looked taken aback by Junichi's sudden appearance in her doorway.
"Don't treat me like an idiot young lady," Junichi growled. "What did you say to the detective?"
"D-Detective?" Mayu blinked, looking a little intimidated by Junichi's tone of voice. "I– I don't know any detective. I swear Grandpa, I never–"
SLAP!
"Fucking liar!" Junichi roared. "You went to a peasant. A local cop. You told him something. What did you tell him?!"
Mayu gasped for breath, feeling her cheek as she laid on the floor. Tears started to form in her eyes as she stared at her Grandpa. She wasn't shocked in the slightest. This was just how Grandpa was. He got angry all the time. And it was always her fault. Yet this time, she didn't know what he was talking about. But if he was angry, she had to have done something to upset him.
"I… I just… I don't know," Mayu murmured to herself.
"Look at you," Junichi shook his head with clear disdain in his eyes. "Mayu Mashiro is supposed to grow up to take over my company? The higher-ups have to be joking. You're nothing but a fraud, you damned little girl. Can't even stand up to give a straight answer. How the hell are you supposed to control an entire company if you can't even give your own grandfather a straight answer. I'll repeat myself again. What did you tell the detective?"
"I– I never went to the detective about anything!" Mayu exclaimed. "I never did!"
Junichi's facial features twitched. He glanced around before taking out something from his pocket. Mayu's eyes widened as she crawled back away from her grandfather. She shook her head, the fear in her eyes growing.
"N-No Grandpa, p-please, I'm t-telling you the truth–" Mayu whimpered. "P-Please don't put that on me!"
Mayu had no time to escape. Before she could even consider running, Junichi pounced on top of her, strapping a collar around her neck. With a gasp, Mayu struggled to take it off. Just one press of a button from Junichi's hands and immediately the heiress felt a shock emanate throughout her body.
"A-AGHHHH!" Mayu screamed in pain. "G-Grandpa! P-Please take it o-off- A-AGHHHHH!"
Mayu desperately tried to remove the shock collar from her neck as Junichi sneered down at the girl. With a heavy breath, Junichi glowered down toward the heiress once again, asking the same damn question.
"Let's try again this time," Junichi growled. "Did you or did you not go to the detective?"
"I… I…" Mayu whimpered. "W-Why do you think it was me?! I was here all d-day!"
"Because who else would it fucking be?!" Junichi growled. "Why else would a detective go and investigate one of my grandsons for tax frauds?! Why else would he dare question a Mashiro to who's to receive everything I own about his own sins?! Let me answer that for you. Because the person in first place wouldn't have any competition. So, was it you who leaked that detail to the detective?"
Mayu felt the tears fall from her eyes. What else could she say? She clutched the ground, fearing that if she took too long to answer, Grandpa would activate that shock collar again. So, she had no choice. She had to answer.
…
"...Yes…" Mayu weakly whimpered.
Junichi stared at Mayu. Then with a petty sneer, he pressed the button repeatedly, with Mayu's screams contained only in her own room and the sounds of the shock collar zapping Mayu's entire central core.
"A-AGHHHHHH!"
"P-Please Grandpa, n-no- A-AGHHHHHHH!"
"A-AGHHHHHH!"
Ina's knees collapsed as she watched her friend get brutally executed. It was now her turn to almost puke. She couldn't get Mayu out of her mind. She heard her call out her name, begging for her to help her. She was so scared. She didn't want to die. She… She didn't deserve this. She pounded her fist onto the ground in frustration. She failed. Once again, she had failed.
"M-Mayu… M-Mayu…" Ina mumbled her friend's name over and over again.
"Ina?" Zuri walked up to Ina, worriedly. "Are you okay?"
"Don't give her any sympathy," Arthur coldly stared at Ina. "Have you forgotten? The only reason Mayu ended up dying in the first place is because she forced her into becoming an accomplice in trying to kill me. She is responsible for both Mayu and Yuumi's death and I believe she recognizes that fact very well…"
Mimi listened to what Arthur said and nodded her head toward Zuri. There was no sympathy for Ina Hamamura, at least in any of Mimi's fairytale books.
Ina also listened to Arthur and she did agree. She agreed with everything Arthur said. Everything that happened today, it was all her fault. Yet she couldn't forgive one simple fact... That all of these things that were pointed out were said by Arthur of all people. With a yell, Ina got up and grabbed Arthur by the collar, pushing him against a nearby podium.
"Y-You bastard!" Ina screamed. "W-Why could it not have been you who died?! W-Why?! F-Fucking slimy bastard! W-Why?!"
Arthur didn't seem too pleased to have found himself getting attacked like so. Monohebi was about to intervene, but White Collar held her back with his cane. Truthfully, he was intrigued to see where this melodrama was headed.
"And if I died, don't you think Mayu would have suffered the same fate anyway?" Arthur bit back with a sneer. "As I said before, Ina, if you want to kill, you'll have to try harder than to hand me a bloody note."
"You do not get to speak her name!" Ina hissed. "You are a demon all the same! If anything, I will kill you right now if I have to!"
"Oh?" Arthur raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "Now that is a little better."
"Both of these fuckers are psychos," Haruto mumbled.
"Enough, both of you," Jared walked up to Arthur and Ina, attempting to separate the two. "Arthur, I don't want to get started with you. You had a chance to get rid of the note and yet you handed it off to Yuumi with clear intent. You're not innocent in this at all. As for you Ina, why? I can see you hate Arthur, but why? Why go through all this trouble? Please, help us understand."
Ina had let go of Arthur the moment Jared arrived to settle this mess. With a frown, she crossed her arms, looking away from the rich snowboarder. She shook her head.
"I do not wish to disclose anything about my reasoning," Ina stated. "I wanted to kill Arthur because the Kingstons are all the same. They are nothing but demons that need to get eradicated from the face of the Earth."
"So, your anger is directed toward my whole family?" Arthur raised an eyebrow. "There are plenty of other snobby rich families in the world. Why did it have to be mine?"
"Perhaps it would be simpler if it was just shown to you," White Collar chuckled darkly. "Yes, why did Ina have such a strong motive to try to murder Arthur Kingston? The answer will come if Miss Hamamura allows me to have her eHandbook…"
Ina narrowed her eyes toward White Collar. She certainly was in no mood to budge.
"You know, it wasn't really a question," White Collar sighed before Monohebi swapped Ina's eHandbook with the now deceased Mayu's eHandbook. Ina had little time to react.
"H-Hey!" Ina glared at Monohebi. Before she could even take it back, the snake had plugged in the eHandbook to the projector.
The next thing the prisoners knew, White Collar showed once again in yet another short family film.
"To my humblest dearest Miss Ina Hamamura," White Collar's mask grinned. "Before we get to your little video, I must disclose that I put a lot of effort in tracking down who you hate the most. It was quite complicated, but you can be rest assured that who you will see is the real deal. After all, I did my homework. I've committed myself with plenty DNA tests. And now you will have the product of my research. I present you the one who you hate most in your life… your father…"
…
White Collar evaporated into static to showcase a very familiar video.
Alexander Kingston paced back and forth in the extravagantly decorated room dubbed as the second living room of the large Kingston estate. With the amount of expensive golden antiquities that were neatly stacked upon counters and diamond-crested chandeliers that swung and remained attached to the ceiling, one would have to wonder if the Kingston estate was Buckingham Palace. Sitting on the side were Victoria Kingston and Louise, who were looking equally worried as a lone detective sat on another sofa facing the two Kingston ladies.
Alexander's blonde hair shined throughout the video, even as he kept that cold expression he shared with his son's while stressfully pondering over the situation at hand. Victoria on the other hand, held Louise's hand, sharing their concern more for the father's wellbeing as the lone detective remained patient.
"I can't understand it!" Alexander exclaimed. "That blasted kid! How could he just 'go missing' like that? It was your job to keep an eye on him and you're telling me you lost him? Lost the son and future heir of the entire Kingston Estate?! What kind of blasted third-rate private detective are you?!"
"Mr. Kingston, remain calm," the detective sighed. "I'm sure he'll turn up somewhere. He just lost me momentarily. He's bound to make a mistake and I'll be there to catch it."
"Fool!" Alexander snapped his fingers with a scowl. "You think the prodigal son of Alexander Kingston would ever make a mistake? He's meticulous. Cunning. Calculative. Just like a member of the Kingston family should be! I ordered you not to underestimate him and look at this now! There's been no signs or trace of him for three months!"
"Father, please, give the detective some time," Louise sighed. "He's doing his best."
"Silence!" Alexander exclaimed. "You think the adopted daughter of a Kingston family has a right to speak to me like that? Sit down and be quiet! You are not to speak up at any point during this conversation."
"Alexander, please," now it was Victoria's turn to speak and given the expression on her face, she was definitely not very content with how he was acting at the moment. "You have no right to yell when you're clearly acting like a child about all this. Listen to Louise. She is right after all. You need to calm down."
Alexander took a deep breath and shared a nod of confirmation to his wife and adopted daughter regarding his temperament. He had calmed down a little as he peeked back at the detective.
"Remind me again, when was the last time you saw him?" Alexander sighed.
"Japan," the detective answered.
…
The image evaporated into static as White Collar was shown once more, his mask returning back to its signature sinister grin.
"Ah yes, surprised?" White Collar asked. "I was too. But the DNA tests don't lie. And I've done extensive research to make sure this is all true. So, believe it or not Miss Hamamura, or rather, Miss Kingston, Alexander Kingston is your father. And you are his daughter."
White Collar chuckled to himself before clasping his hands together.
"Oh, and before I forget, let's talk about the Disadvantage," White Collar sinisterly grinned. "I have a very special one that I know you will just love."
…
White Collar leaned forward with a distorted laugh.
…
"If you win the Killing Game, you get to switch places with the one you hate," White Collar revealed. "Let me reiterate this with an explanation. When you go ahead and kill someone, should you successfully get away with the crime, no one will be executed. Instead, you will get to leave and the one who you hate will take your place. Meaning they will get to suffer through the rest of the Killing Game just as you once did! Doesn't that sound fair and just?"
Everyone in the prisoners widened their eyes when they heard what the Disadvantage was this time around.
"That is all," White Collar sat back against his throne, content with his revelation. "The choice is yours to make, Miss Hamamura/Kingston. And goodbye."
The video had ended in static…
…and left a group of very shocked and surprised prisoners. But of course, no one was more shocked and surprised than Arthur was.
"What is the meaning of this?!" Arthur looked visibly confused and shaken. "Why on Earth does she have my video?!"
"Oh?" White Collar perked his head. "Are you shaken up Mister Kingston? Come now. Surely you realize what this means, don't you? I even said it plain as day! Or did you want to hear it straight from her mouth? Go on, Miss Hamamura. There's no need to be shy. The whole world knows now."
Ina remained silent as everyone slowly realized what was going on. Slowly realized what this all meant. This was a game changer for sure. But the motivation. Why? That was the only question left.
That was when Ina finally spoke.
"…Never in my entire life have I not thought about this moment," Ina stated. "The moment when I would finally find the answer to my lifelong question: Who am I?"
Ina turned to Haruto.
"There was a reason why I did what I did during the Minigame," Ina told Haruto.
"D-Did you push the wrong button or something?" Haruto tried to wrap his head around what logic Ina was using. "You did, didn't you? Damn it! How could you make such a dumbass mistake like that?!"
"I assure you, I did not choose Trust by mistake," Ina pointed out. "I only did it because I wanted to. That was all."
"I… Y-You're making no sense!" Haruto growled toward the revolutionnaire. "You're going to get a huge fucking Disadvantage over this you know!"
"...Maybe, but in the end, it'll all be worth it," Ina stated. "As I said before. I chose Trust because I wanted to. That's all there is to it."
"I did it to accomplish one of my greatest missions," Ina looked toward Abigail.
"...Do you still hate your father?" Ina asked.
"Oh yeah, big time," Abigail stated. "You?"
"With a passion," Ina nodded. "That's why I want to know so desperately who he is. So I can finally put a face to the man who left me behind all those years ago. And then finally, one of my life goals shall be complete."
"I wanted so desperately to know who he was that I was willing to receive the Disadvantage," Ina clenched her fist. "And I got what I wanted but instead of relief, all it did was fill me with rage."
Ina finally gave a look toward Arthur as she walked closer to him. It was clear he had understood everything. Understood exactly what was going on and what had been revealed. And clear to say, Arthur's smug personality had now faltered into complete shock.
"I finally found out who I am," Ina looked absolutely devastated. "I am the daughter of a demon. I have always been. My entire fight has been one big lie."
Ina took another step closer to Arthur, a seething anger emanating from within her. But the moment she took that step, Arthur saw tears form in her eyes. Tears that told him just broken she was when she had first found out.
"How dare you, Arthur Kingston?" Ina's eyes quivered. "I mean how fucking dare you? I have spent my entire life hating a man I did not know, wondering why he abandoned me. And then I find out, the man who created me had his own son and adopted another daughter? Right then and there I envied you Arthur Kingston. I envied you and your adopted sister. You both had the life I never had. You both had everything handed to you while I had nothing. And yet, while your adopted sister stayed behind, you still chose to abandon your own family. You still chose to leave him. Do you know how much that hurt me to hear? To hear that his actual son, the son he chose to keep, abandoned the family for his own selfish needs."
Ina stared into Arthur's eyes. He couldn't believe he didn't notice it before. The blonde hair that was very reminiscent of his father's. The notable facial features. It was all there. And yet he was too blind to see.
"Do you understand why, now, Arthur?" Ina's breath shuddered. "Do you understand why I wanted to kill you?"
"…H-Hamamura, listen, if you truly lived with my father, you would do the sa—" Arthur tried to say before Ina cut him off. For the first time in this game, he was actually unsettled. Unsettled by the sins of his own father staring right back at him in the face.
"I am not a Hamamura!" Ina yelled, angrily. "I am a Kingston, just like you! I planned to kill you and leave so that my father will suffer the same fate I had to suffer through in this game! Once I left, I would have found help for everyone here, but not without relishing in my father's misery once he realized that his favorite son was killed by the daughter he scorned! But instead, thanks to you, the wrong people died!"
"I… Ina," Arthur didn't know what to say. No way in hell would he have ever realized that he was stuck in a Killing Game with an afterimage of his father. The whole thing was so surreal to him as he couldn't help but notice more of his father's similarities in Ina.
"Yuumi and Mayu both died because of you!" Ina exclaimed, as she wiped her eyes with her arm. "It was only supposed to be you who died! Only you! Not Yuumi! And not Mayu! I… I had this all planned out and yet once again, you continue to be a thorn in my side since the day we were both born!"
"I-Ina, listen I—" never had Arthur felt so helpless before. Never had he felt so down. To feel so… useless. And not just by anyone, no. But by yet another Kingston he knew little about.
SLAP!
Arthur felt his cheek. The slap stung. It stung harder than when Yuumi had slapped him before. Stung... differently. Almost too painfully for him to handle. He looked at Ina, surprised and unable to do anything. How was he supposed to know this was what his own actions would have led to?
"Damn you Arthur Kingston," Ina's mouth quivered before she spat at his shoes. "Damn you."
"Wait, so Ina's dad is Arthur's dad but they're from separate moms right?" Barracuda blinked, trying to grasp what was happening. "Then, what would that make them?"
"It would make Ina, Arthur's half-sister," Abigail told Barracuda, the prisoners watching the two siblings stare at each other.
"What a fucking twist," Cassandra rolled her eyes.
One sibling's eyes filled with hatred and envy.
The other with confusion and unending shock.
Both of whom were stuck in a Killing Game together with newfounded knowledge of who they both were…
DANGANRONPA: CORRUPTED HOPE
Oh my God! Chapter 2: The Solace of Hate and Envy has finally reached its thrilling conclusion! Holy hell! I can't believe I made it this far and yet look at me go! Now, for some stuff that I really really need to talk about ;D
Let's start with the title: The Solace of Hate and Envy. I don't exactly remember how I came up with this title, but I know it had much to do with the story of Cain and Abel which was a huge inspiration for constructing what I wanted to reveal in this chapter! Throughout Chapter 2, we kept on seeing hatred as a recurring theme throughout everyone's characters, especially in their flashbacks. Jared's hatred was Warren Nizens. Maggie's was Harry Harbreak. Ina's was her father. But the only question was... where was envy in all of this? Where was the envy? Well, envy was always meant to be the hidden meaning of the title. Cause while everyone harbored hatred, envy was going to be the thing that everyone should have been looking for. Who here would most likely be envious? Which of the culprits here was harbored envy as a trait? So, while almost everyone had someone they hated, in the chapter, only one person harbored envy and that was Ina. Now as for the Solace of Hate and Envy, well this title was always meant to describe the accomplice and culprit part of the case between Mayu and Ina. If Ina was Envy, then that made Mayu, hatred. And the Solace was there bond together as they plotted the murder of Arthur together. Course, there are other meanings to the title as well and it can literally be conveyed in many different ways, but this was pretty much how I conveyed it so ;D
Next on the list is the killer. First things first, I would like to thank zetsunaflame for granting me permission to use Mayu Mashiro. Now, in terms of her character, while she was supposed to have similar traits to Byakuya, given how snobbish of a rich person she is, I couldn't very well have two snooty rich elites in this cast, so someone had to go much earlier. Mayu was a very interesting case in terms of writing because there was always a fine line between her being a meme character to being someone you can take seriously. So, she can say the most random silliest things, but when things need to be serious, she can be serious as depicted with her backstories and whatnot. Either case, Mayu was a fun character to write and being the Chapter 2 killer was always meant to be her placement. No last-minute switches or anything!
As for Chapter 2 as a whole, oh boy. The planning stages for this chapter, especially the Trials were rough. I had written Trial Part 1 like three to four different times until one stuck perfectly. And I was constantly at a loss when it came to searching for beta readers. Speaking of whom, I would like to thank DarkAngelofSorrowReturns for the beta readings she did for Chapter 2's trial. Seriously, like without her, I don't think the Trials would have been half as good as they were in your guys' eyes so :D
Ina and Mayu as accomplices and culprit? The idea came about when I was first designing my kill list. At the time, I was kinda leaning toward Ina as the Chapter 2 killer since it did seem like a good place for an Ultimate Revolutionary to leave, but I realized I had more story with Ina to tell than I did with Mayu. And that was when I decided to have them team up together to make this wicked murder plot involving a horse moving a corpse and the Swimming Pool covering to cut off a hand. Somewhere in the beta, a basketball was going to be used but the physics of using a basketball as a murder weapon seemed so unlikely. So, this was the Chapter 2 Trial you got instead of whatever the hell I had planned XD
Mayu's execution is heavily based off of the events of the French Revolution if you couldn't tell. Qu'ils Mangent de la Brioche? That's French for "Let There Be Cake!" And I don't know, it just fit Mayu so well. She's rich and she loves to eat. And also, I was really heavily inspired by that one death scene from one of the Nightmare on Elm Street movies, but I wasn't going to have Mayu eat from her stomach because that's too much, even for me for a possible Danganronpa execution XE
Oh, and as for how the story of Cain and Abel ties into this Chapter? Well, for starters, this chapter picked straight up from the aftermath of Kane's murder of Titus. So that was the first reason why it became the main Bible story for this chapter. But really, the story of Cain and Abel was directly supposed to tie into the big twist of the Chapter: Ina is Arthur's half-sister. In the story of Cain and Abel, God showed more favor to Abel than he did with Cain. And out of jealous rage, Cain killed him over it. This is exactly how Ina felt when she found out that Arthur was the child that her father decided to keep while she was abandoned and left at an orphanage. Only, this time around, Cain failed to kill Abel and instead killed someone else.
Speaking of which, I am so happy right now because the twist between Ina and Arthur has been one of the most highly anticipated scenes I wanted to write for a while now and I'm so glad y'all get to read it :D And now it changes everything between these two characters!
That's it in terms of what I gotta say about Chapter 2. It has been a long chapter. I might need to go on a small break to figure out what I want to do for Chapter 3. But asides from that, I'll see you all in Chapter 3! Please let me know what you thought about this chapter and about Chapter 2 overall! I love feedback! I answer criticisms! And I hope you all have been enjoying this journey along with me!
Until then, Chapter 3 awaits! ;D
Prisoners Remaining: 12
Abigail Ellsworth - The Ultimate Equestrian (oddlyillregular)
Arthur Kingston - The Ultimate Snowboarder (SinWriter7)
Barracuda - The Ultimate Personal Trainer (Weekaro)
Carter Franklin - The Ultimate Opinion Columnist (armadas)
Cassandra Mura - The Ultimate ? (ExtraMeme)
Haruto Walker - The Ultimate Former Basketball Player (theotakureader101)
Holland Delaney - The Ultimate Game Designer (Sempi)
Ina (Hamamura) Kingston - The Ultimate Revolutionary (VividIsSleeping)
Jared Ceartas - The Ultimate Police Officer (Otterplay)
Maggie LaDroubi - The Ultimate Supermodel (Project Drama)
Mimi Kazoo - The Ultimate Fairytale Writer (Idraegan)
Zuri Auraline - The Ultimate Bassist (CandleFire45)