Chapter 2: Johnny Beach Goode Part 4 (Daily Life)

Citizens Remaining: 15

Now then, after that session of laughs, what shall I do today? It's only two more days until the party, so let's go explore.

Free Time Sta—

"Puhuhuhu~." Monokuma guffawed as he popped up in front of me.

"You again? I was just starting to think that today was going to be normal."

"What? I forgot to give you something this morning! Unless of course you don't want it…" He pretended to kick up dirt depressingly.

"Just give it to me, but if it's not important don't bother."

"Man, you're really cold to guys like me, definitely the tsundere in your idol group. Ahem, here you go!"

Obtained Monocoins!

"This is… interesting currency, but for what?"

"Seventy-eight Monocoins after your performance in the City Trial! Everyone was given a certain amount depending on how helpful they were in solving the murder case. These can be used to buy items from the vending machines at the Shopping District. As well as the MonoMono Machine, where you can test your luck to get rare items!"

"And what can these items be used for, exactly?

"You want to build up friendships with your companions, right? So what better way than to bribe them with gifts?!"

"I see…"

"Oop! One more thing…" He then took out something I clearly remembered two days ago, the device Kaiba wore on his arm.

"Make a memorial or something with that Duel Disk! I even left Misato's room open so you can get one of her things too! Just a reminder that all of you can't run away from what happened to them, even if you do become closer. Ahhhhh-hahahahahahahaha!"

"Tch…" I took a deep breath to try and calm myself. Try all he wants, he can't break me.

I went back to my room and placed the Duel Disk on my desk before walking down the hall to the room where it happened. I hesitantly pushed the door open and it was completely clean, like Misato was never there. I looked in the closet and saw a single bazooka there, covered in a bit of dust.

Taking it, I slowly closed the door and someone was there to greet me.

"Oh. Mizuno-san." Yu Ishigami, the Ultimate Pessimist greeted me unenthusiastically.

"Ishigami. How long have you been there?"

"I just got here to see the door to Misato's room open and you walking out. Not planning anything with that thing, are you?"

I lifted the bazooka, it was actually lighter than I thought, "This? Not really. Monokuma just told me it was open."

"Hm. Alright. Kinda suspicious, but what do I know?" He just walked away, not giving a second glance at me.

"Rude." I thought before going back to my room and placing the two items together.

A memorial… that didn't seem like too bad of an idea.

I took down the names of our departed companions from their doors, luckily they also had video game sprites of their faces as well. Along with their specific items, I went down to the beach to try and find somewhere to place them.

Free Time Start (for real this time)!

"Oh hello, Ai!"

Alice approached me, eyes closed, big smile on her face.

"What are you doing with those?" She asked, tilting her head.

I explained to her about the memorial and she gladly volunteered to help set it up. I appreciated less work as she went and found an extra table. The two of us set up the memorial with the designated items and names arranged correctly, along with two candles.

It looks like Alice and I grew a little closer.

"Ah! In exchange for helping you out with setting this up, you get to be my taste tester!"

"Taste tester? Oh right. You're a chef, right?"

"Indeed, though I would like to say I'm much more than that. I am called the Ultimate Gastronomist after all ahahaha!" She puts her hand over her mouth as she laughs.

I then remembered the definition of a gastronomy, the study of the relationship between food and culture. I wonder what kinds of dishes she could make with her skillset.

"Come on! Come on!" She dragged me over to one of the huts and I saw quite the stunning arrangement of food.

Dishes displayed in a way that make it look like artwork.

"I know you like meat dishes, sooooo I think you'd like these!"

There were three types of beef, all cut, seasoned, and cooked in diverse fashions. I chose the one in the center because it looked to be my preferred type, grilled. I inserted the perfectly shaped bite into my mouth and…

THE FLAVOR FLOWED THROUGH ME LIKE A RIVER OF STEAK. I couldn't tell what kind of ingredients she used in it, but it all just worked together in harmony. I felt like I was going to melt right through the floor and I stumbled a bit, causing Alice to giggle at me.

Luckily I regained my footing and swallowed before complimenting the chef, "Mph, it's amazing!".

"Really? I couldn't tell by your reaction…" She grinned from ear to ear after hearing that, which annoyed me a bit, but I got over it.

I tried the rest of the meat palette and sat down, trying to take it all in, "Ah… I can't wait to try the rest next time…"

"Hee hee, I'll be sure to make as much as I can. Especially for big eaters like you and—"

"Yo! What's up ladies?" Ryuji greeted us, as I stood up to do the same.

"Is this what we're eating in two days? Weird…" Gold picked up another one of the dishes, unimpressed.

"Them." Alice finished as she just shoved food into their mouths and they began to melt the same way I had.

"Ahhhh…." I heard from the both of them as I went on to continue exploring the island.

I bid farewell to the three of them and passed by the memorial we set up. Thankfully it was left untouched and I breathed a sigh of relief. I continued to stare at it silently, for their souls to be at ease, before moving on.

There's still a lot of time left.

Free Time

I decided to take a closer look at the department store with merchandise of us everywhere.

I walked over to that area and saw a capsule machine labeled, MonoMono Machine. So this is what he was talking about. Just to test things out, I inserted three Monocoins into the slots and turned the key. What I received was a Whetstone and a box set of 23 movies labelled The Infinity Saga.

Not looking to carry more stuff by hand, I saw a nearby shopping bag and placed the two items into it. I looked around for a bit in the store and spotted Trunks observing a small figure.

"Good afternoon, Trunks."

"Oh, hello there, Ai."

We both politely waved to each other as I came closer to see what he was holding. The figure was the same one Shantae saw from before, Trunks with gold and spiky hair.

"I did say that you could tell me about it later on. Well are you willing to talk about it now? If you're comfortable of course."

"Well, if you're curious, I'll try to explain it in the best way I can."

He went on to explain that he's half-Saiyan, a group of human-like aliens with great strength and potential. The story didn't really drag, Trunks tried his best not to be too confusing with the information.

It looks like Trunks and I grew a little closer. I then remembered I had the Whetstone and handed it to a swordsman who could have needed it.

"Wow! This is quite a gift, I'll be sure to take good care of this." It looks like he really liked it.

"So the form you take right here, it's called Super Saiyan?"

"Yes, would you like me to demonstrate it?"

"Sure, but maybe in a safer location."

"Oh, I shouldn't be so careless. How about the city square? That's pretty open."

I asked if he could give me a lift there and he was pretty gentle. He floated carefully over to the square and set me down without any problem.

"Being able to fly must be nice, isn't it?"

"It is more convenient compared to other forms of travel, so I have to agree. Plus it's quicker. Alright, stand back a bit." He said as air circulated around him and I dashed over behind a nearby bench.

"HAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" An eruption of golden light exploded and it almost pushed me back a few feet.

I walked over to Trunks, slowly so I couldn't get thrown away by the immense power. His hair was up in a way that I thought I could cut myself if I touched it, and it was pale yellow, almost like he bleached it.

"Incredible…"

"You should see the transformations some of my friends could do. You'd be more impressed with them."

"It's strange, with all this power you could maybe destroy all the Monokumas and free us. Why haven't you tried yet?"

"Well, the fact that I could accidentally hurt some of you is a thought. But another thing is… just watch." He fired a ball of light into the sky, bouncing it off and it dissipated.

"Either the Mastermind has managed to weaken my powers, or this city is somehow impervious to serious damage."

"I see, so using those powers could either place the rest of us in danger, or using them would be a wasted effort since this city can just take the damage."

He nodded his head as he powered down, his hair returning to regular blue.

"Yes. But I assure you, if any of you are in grave danger, I'll do my best to protect all of you." I smiled after he said that, which made him blush a bit.

"Thank you, I'll be sure to let you know."

Along with Miles, we've got two kind boys who have superpowers. We can count on them in case an accident occurs in this place, hopefully things won't go that way.

The two of us went back to the Hope-tel for some much needed rest. I then spotted Bernadetta, outside her room, giggling to herself about something.

"Um… Bernie?"

"Ah!" I was taken aback by her reaction.

"It's just me, what's got you so happy?"

"Well… seeing everyone getting along so much has me thinking I can get over my fear of talking to people. I'm a bit excited for the party coming up soon, and I've never gotten close to one of those, despite being a noble."

"You're a noble? I mean, that's great. You're improving and I think you'll become real friends with everyone soon!"

"You really think so? Bernie's gonna do her best then!" She gripped her fists in determination.

"I look forward to it." I gave her a sincere smile as I walked back to my room.

I washed off the makeup like usual and changed into my striped pajamas. It felt like routine at this point and I heard the bear's announcement.

"Ahem, this is a citywide news broadcast! It is now 10 p.m. Ladies and gentlemen, nighttime has begun! All restaurant and shopping areas will be closed soon, so folks, don't try to go against the law! Now then, sweet dreams everyone! Good night, sleep tight, don't let the bed bugs bite…"

As I turned off the screen so I could have some quiet time, I saw my reflection once more. I've gotten used to seeing the zombified face staring back at me, yet I still think to myself every night since I got here. Would it be right to reveal this to everyone? It lingered in my head even as I fell asleep. Such a difficult question shouldn't be answered so soon.

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MONOKUMA THEATER

"I assume some of you have been wondering who the Mastermind is?"

"Maybe we'll have someone completely new? Or we could just reuse the same one over and over again?"

"Well, I'm going to do something I never thought I'd have the privilege of doing on one of these."

"I'm going to reveal who it is right now! Ahem, drum roll please….. The Mastermind of Danganronpa: Fictional Nexus is—"

TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES PLEASE STAND BY

Yeah, I'm definitely not doing that. See you all next chapter! One more day until party time! It's good to have our team relax from all the murder.