Hello readers and welcome to my new chapter. So, while Lucky was editing the last chapter, I used the time to start on this one. Now, I'm able to get this to you guys a bit early (If Lucky doesn't get delayed with editing). So, in this chapter, Monokuma is going to reveal the third motive to the group. I hope you enjoy.
Disclaimer: I do not own Danganronpa.
A Lucky Soldier: Got this one done relatively fast too. Tis' another quick short chapter to get things rolling again. I don't have much to comment on this time so... onto the questions!
Q: Will Chiaki be included in the Class 77 fic?
L: What kind of question is this? Of course she is. She didn't die yet. However, explaining the matter to her is a whole different issue that I'd rather not think about until we get there :D
Q: Will you be showing the Remnants of Despair's Killing Game?
L: Umm... the Remnants of Despair is actually Class 77 (soo... Mahiru and friends). But based on your question, it sounds more like the Student Council Killing Game (A.K.A the episode of absolute despair) (On another note, Mukuro singing was cool) (I'm not saying I justify Mukuro singing in front of a massacre though). Personally, if you're going to make me watch that repeatedly and then write it out, and then insert character reactions to it... I think you're a monster. Spirit? What says you?
By the way, I don't mean to make fun of you or anything, but it was one of those scenes that really hit home when I first saw it. I had to watch that across 2 days ):
S: I agree. Anyone wanting us to write it out are sadist, as well as masochist for wanting to read it (Though the latter could be said for us if we do write it out).
Q: Will Class 77 story be a bit awkward since its in Hajime's POV and aside from Chiaki, they don't know him that well?
L: You have a point there, but they can also have a fresh point of view BECAUSE they aren't familiar with him. It's sort of like they're playing a game about themselves, but through the eyes of another person. I'm sure it'll work out... somehow.
S: I agree, it could potentially be awkward, but it could also not be so awkward, with the help of Chisa and Chiaki, both of whom know Hajime personally (More so Chiaki). And as they watched the 2nd Danganronpa game in his point of him, they can slowly grow fond of him.
Q: Don't you think it's too early to release the motives?
L: Well... on the other hand.. the plot progresses faster! :D
S: Plus, you can take that up with Monokuma.
Q: How will they react to the bad end of the game?
L: I don't think Spirit plans to do the bad end as of now.
S: You guessed correctly. Wouldn't really serve any purpose for the group.
Q: Will Byakuya try to smooth things out with the rest of the class?
L: Are you kidding me? Its Byakuya. Even though he feels bad, telling him to apologize like that is waaayyy out of his nature. If you're familiar with Gilgamesh from the Fate series (Not the Fate Zero or Fate Stay Night one), they're kinda similar.
S: Agreed. Byakuya and apologies are two things that doesn't mix together.
Q: Will Class 78 find out they're fictional characters?
L: No. I would like them to live in their own universe in peace :)
S: Again, agreed.
Chapter 46: Watching Ch 3: NGL! STGH! Part 5
Fifteen minutes later, Byakuya presumably ran out of patience and came down stairs with a very obedient Toko behind him. As they did, they saw everyone back in their usual seating arrangement, except that all the guys looked half dead. Byakuya blinked twice while taking in the scene before him, before proceeding onto his chair as usual.
As he passed by Spirit, Spirit spoke up: "Just in case you're wondering, while I had treated most of their wounds, they still feel some of the aches and pains."
"And I assume by the lack of groans, that Chihiro and Makoto were spared."
"Yeah... its not fair really." Leon answered, letting out a grumble. "Makoto always gets off easy." There were some grumbles of agreement from Hiro, Hifumi, and Mondo.
"Doesn't mean Makoto is not going to be punished." Sayaka added, giving her crush a mischievous smile. "We got a special punishment for him after this chapter."
The luckster, who haven't moved an inch in his formal sitting position, let out a shiver and a blush. Byakuya looked at him for a moment, as well as noted the glints in many of the girls' eyes, before letting out a sigh. 'Its not worth it.' He convinced himself before getting back on his recliner, with Toko doing the same thing. He then turned to Spirit. "Alright, lets continue."
Their host nodded before un-pausing the TV.
The next scene switched to Makoto, Hiro, and Hifumi gathered in the dining hall. Makoto was sitting at the table, his face blank, while Hifumi look very happy. Hiro merely looked astonished.
"I'm not sure how to put it, but… I always feel refreshed after a job well done!" Hifumi stated.
That earned several angry glares from the girls, causing the fanfic creator to wince. "O-Other me…?" He said weakly, though the glares didn't lessen.
"A 3D body isn't so bad in its nude state, I suppose."
"Tempted to throw a baseball at you right now." Leon grumbled. "And not just for that comment. Luckily for you, my throwing arm is still aching."
"But still… I just can't believe it." Hiro said, still looking astonished and puzzled. "Like, for serious… Ogre's a girl?!"
That caused the group to look at the fortune teller incredulously. "You still didn't think Sakura was a girl?!" Leon questioned incredulously.
"Why were you doubting Sakura?!" Hina asked angrily.
"I- well-, can you blame me?!" Hiro said defensively. "Look at Ogre!"
"Quit calling her that!"
"While Sakura's physique is unusual compared to most females, you could still see clearly that she is a girl." Byakuya stated, sighing in exasperation. "Even a monkey like Mondo or a dimwit like Hina could figure it out."
"Dimwit?!"
"Who are you calling a monkey, jackass?!" The heir ignored the pre-mentioned Ultimate's indignant squawks.
While the two were talking, Makoto was completely silent. 'We're going to hell for this, aren't we…?' He deadpanned in his own mind. He sighed. 'Oh well. At least I still had fun, and got an eyeful.'
'Shut up, future me!' Makoto winced at the disapproving looks he got from the girls, as well as the tightened grip Sayaka has on his sleeve. He didn't notice the light blushes from Kyoko, Celeste, and Hina, however.
"Why didn't you resist harder, anyway?" Celeste asked with a 'mask' already in place. "You resisted from more minor crimes than this. And you aren't as perverted as Hifumi nor have idiotice curiosity like Hiro."
Makoto rubbed the back of his head. "I think of an ideas as to why…"
'Better than having to think about all this…'
That got the attention of others. "Yeah, I thought so." Makoto sighed. "It's to get my mind off the killing game, at least for a little bit." He looked down. "Anything would be better than having to think about who else could possibly die, or those that died before. That's what my future self is thinking, I think…"
The girls' eyes softened some at that. Honestly, they couldn't blame him for that. While he does have strong willpower, there's only so much he could take. Still…
"You won't get off your punishment easily, Makoto." Celeste said with a smile. "I so do look forward to doing that."
"Yeah, I didn't think I would…" Makoto replied with a nervous chuckle and sweatdrop.
A moment later, the girls, who just finished their baths, came back in, smiles plastered on their faces.. "Ahh, man what a nice bath!" Hina sighed blissfully.
"Getting a chance to stretch out and relax after all this time was a true pleasure." Celeste stated.
"Indeed." Kyoko agreed.
Junko made a silent groan of boredom. They're being too happy right now. Too comfortable too quickly. Her future self needs to get the despair ball rolling soon!
Sakura was the next to speak. "Normally, after a long bath I like to make myself a protein shake, but…"
Just as she said, Monokuma popped up. "Sorry, no time for that!"
And just like that, their smiles faded away. "That's what I figured…" Sakura sighed.
The others also groaned. "Of course." Leon grumbled. "He's here to ruin the happy feels."
"Why can't he let us have some peace for a moment?" Hina whined.
"We're talking about a despair-loving monster, Hina." Taka said dryly, not yet recovered to his usual upstanding self. "Any sort of happiness is poison for him."
"Aand a clear sadistic one at that!" Hifumi added in.
"...Huh?" Monokuma tilted his head in confusion at that.
"We were just saying in the bath how it was about time for you to get up to something." Celeste revealed to him.
"After seeing how happy we were, an evil little monster like you would never let that last for long." Kyoko added.
Junko mentally pouted at that. Was she really getting that predictable? That's the last thing she wanted!
Monokuma hung his head in depression at that. "Y-You're all so terrible to me…" He sniffed. "Everyone's so cold and mean! Even after I got presents for you all!"
"...Presents?!" Makoto exclaimed in disbelief, with the others looking just as incredulous.
And just like their future counterparts, the others are incredulous. "Is the bear fucking joking?" Mondo asked bluntly.
"I doubt it." Byakuya mused. "Though I don't think it would be the gifts we would want."
"Most likely, it's another motive." Kyoko guessed.
Some of the others paled a little at that. "Th-That soon?!" Hina exclaimed.
"Like our future selves said Hina, the mastermind wouldn't let us be at peace for long." Kyoko told her softly. "And the motives are a clear way to ruin our happiness."
"I know, but…" The swimmer looked downcast. "I still remember the last trial. I don't want to see another motive, so soon…"
"Trust me, we know how you feel Hina." Makoto said sympathetically. "But you have to remember that watching this is for our own good."
"Makoto's right. We need to watch the events of our future so that we won't let it come to pass." Sakura stated, placing a comforting hand on her friend's shoulder.
"Hmmm? Oh, have I got your attention?" The bear said tauntingly. "Puhuhu. Then let's head to the gym, where your presents await! No questions, no dilly-dallying! Get a move on, and everything will become clear!" With that, he left, leaving the remaining students nervous as to what his 'gifts' are.
"W-What is it…?" Hifumi stuttered nervously. "What are you scheming this time?!"
"He's probably going to repeat the same thing again." Kyoko said. "Providing us with a motive to get things moving…"
"...Again?" Hina's face fell at this. "I don't want to… I don't want to do this anymore…"
"Me, neither. I'm, like, totally traumatized…" Hiro groaned.
"It's okay. We have Alter Ego." Kyoko reminded them. "I'm sure he'll find something that'll help us. So for now… we have to just endure it, come what may." With that, the group reluctantly left the dining hall.
The group feel themselves tensing up for what's to come. "Let's hope Alter Ego will be help to find something to help us." Taka said, gripping his knees.
"I'm sure it will." Makoto said, some of his optimism coming back up. "After all, the AI is made by Chihiro. Alter Ego won't let us down!"
Chihiro felt himself blush at the confidence Makoto has in him and his AI before determination build up in his eyes. This is his chance to help his classmates. Alter Ego won't let them down!
The scene changed to the group walking into the gym, with a still traumatized Taka along with them. When they got in, they saw Byakuya and Toko already waiting for them. "To be kept waiting by the likes of you." The heir scoffed in disdain. "Rest assured, if we had access to firearms, you'd all be dead."
Several of the students frowned at the sight of the future Byakuya. "Oh great. We gotta deal with him." Sayaka grumbled.
"Yippee." Junko drawled with little to no joy.
"Byakuya…?" Makoto looked at the heir curiously. "Did you get here early?"
"Did you forget how to walk? Is that why you're late?" Byakuya mocked, ignoring the luckster's question. "It's simple - right foot, left foot. Right foot…"
Suffice to say, that got the group rattled up real good. Leon huffed "Man... what a pain.."
"How does he act all arrogant, after what he have done and said?" Hina cried out angrily.
The heir stayed silent, not wishing to trade blows with his classmates right now. He hates seeing this, seeing how arrogant was before. And the angry comments from the others does not help.
Celeste giggled at that. "The same as always, I see. Her, on the other hand…" She, along with the rest of the group, turned to Toko, who was very still and silent.
"Look like Genocide Jack is gone for the moment." Sayaka noted while Toko sighed in relief. "Must've sneezed while off screen."
"And it seems like Miss Fukawa's a bit traumatized at the moment." Hifumi added.
"Oh, she's back to her Debbie Downer self, huh?" Hiro commented on in slight shock.
"I heard what sounds like a sneeze, and she was back to her old self." Byakuya informed them.
"So now she goes from manic to depressive whenever she sneezes?" Hifumi asked, a bit baffled. "Seems kinda late to add that into the mix…"
"Why does e-everyone keep making fun of me…?" Toko growled at them. "I hope you all win the l-lottery and get hit by a bus…"
"Okay, now she's back to the Toko we all know and keep away from." Leon remarked.
Toko glared at the baseball player. "I especially h-hope that you win and g-get hit."
"Fortune followed by misfortune." Junko mused. "Gotta admit, that's a good one."
"Say, wasn't that how you got into Hope's Peak Makoto?" Leon redirected the attention to him.
"Uhhh... let's not talk about that right now.." Makoto nervously replied back, both with the intention to keep things going as well as avoiding embarrassment.
"So when you wanna say something mean, then you can talk, huh?" Hina sighed in annoyance.
"Anyway, it looks like everyone's here." Sakura said, changing the subject.
"Which means…" As Kyoko said that, the scene changed.
Once again, the camera lowered from the ceiling to behind the remaining Ultimates. When the camera was right behind them, it zoomed in to the podium, and Monokuma jumped on it once again.
"It's look like everyone's here! So then, let's get started!" Monokuma stated, as lively as ever.
"Come on, out with it." Byakuya demanded. "What kind of motive have you prepared for us this time?"
"Whatever you subject to us, we will not break." Sakura stated in determination.
"Yeah, that's right!" Hina immediately agreed with. "We're not gonna lose to you ever again!"
They wanted to agree with the future counterparts. Want to say that they're not gonna let a motive influence them…but the last two chapters chipped away their belief.
Right now, all they could do is hope that another murder doesn't happens.
The bear merely giggled at that. "You don't have to get so defensive. Calm down!" He told them. "I've decided to change things up a bit this time."
"Change things up…?" Chihiro grew nervous at that. "What does he mean by that?"
"If it's a motive to kill, I doubt it's anything good." Taka stated with a frown.
"Up till now, I've been using the WOOSH of the North WInd to get you all moving. But sometimes you gotta use the Sun to light a fire under someone's bat!" He ended that statement with laughter.
"I'm not liking where this is heading…" Hina said nervously.
"Neither do I." Sakura agreed, tense. The others were just as nervous or tense, wondering what the mastermind got in store for them.
The bear then held his arms open wide. "So without further ado, I give you… THIS!" Suddenly large stacks of money falled in front of him, forming a large, neat pile. "Ten million dollars!"
Immediately, there nervousness and tenseness was replaced by pure shock. "Ten million dollars?!" Hiro shouted.
"He has that much money?!" Hifumi exclaimed, mouth wide open.
"I figured that the mastermind's finances are high considering the extra interior designs and elaborate executions," Celeste murmured loudly to herself. "But to able to throw away that much money at a chance for one of us to kill each other?"
"How much does the mastermind exactly have?" Byakuya questioned, trying to figure that out in his mind. While he doubt that it could match the Togami family's assets, it must be incredibly substantial.
"Something tells me we're better off not knowing." Junko remarked, rubbing her head nervously. "The mastermind is already scary as it is." Internally, she's congratulating herself for her superb fashionista job and countless contacts already willing to do her bidding.
"I've prepared this graduation present for whichever lucky student makes it out of here alive!" He announced. "Whaddya think? It's ten million bucks! Ten million smackaroos! It's like totally wowie wow wow, am I right?!"
As soon as that was revealed, eyes immediately turned to Hiro and/or Celeste. Something which the two noticed. "H-Hey, why are you looking at me for?!" Hiro said in panic.
"The two of you are easily the greediest people out of all of us." Byakuya stated bluntly. "Which makes you the easily susceptible to this motive."
"C-Come on, guys! Do you really think that bad of me?!"
"Yes." Several of them said blankly and simultaneously. Not even Makoto came up to defense, knowing full well how far his greed could take him.
Celeste merely smiled while Hiro hung his head. "Well, you do not have to worry about me." She told them. "My gambling gave me a very significant sum, so there's nothing you need to worry about."
Makoto frown, but quickly hid it from the others. He could tell that she's lying. The money she made, while large, is not enough for what she aims to do. Add to the fact that staying in the school means keeping her from that dream, and it's definitely worrying. Despite the dream itself being a bit shallow.
Celeste was having similar thoughts. She could see that her future self is getting quite frustrated with how the way things are going, due to her demeanor in the beginning of the chapter. The ten million dollars, which is more than enough for her plans, along with the chance to get out, is very tempting.
But she made no plan to reveal the others her thoughts. To her, it isn't too worrying. She is confident that her future self can resist that temptation without fell. She doesn't need to murder. She won't. Besides, she shouldn't worry him like this.
Makoto stared at the bear and the ten million dollars in front of him. 'So that's the motive you've prepared, is it?' He then spoke up outloud. "Ten million dollars is…"
"It's not nearly enough." Byakuya interrupted coldly.
The group was silent for a moment. Then, Kyoko spoke up. "When it comes to motives, money certainly is the gold standard, so to speak." She said. "Whether it's in a mystery novel, or the real world... "
"B-But…" Hina spoke up, looking determined. "There's no way we kill each other for money!"
"She's right. You can't simply purchase a person's life." Sakura stated firmly.
"You can say ten million or however much, I don't give a crap! For serious!" Hiro exclaimed.
"Yeah… they're all right…" Makoto said, his voice quiet at first. As he continued, his voice got louder. "Whether it's ten million, or any other amount of money… no," He shook his head. "Not even just money. From now on, no matter what you do… we won't kill our friends!"
Their future selves' resolves manage to bring up some of theirs. "They're right. This time, his plan is doomed!" Taka stated confidently. "None of us here would kill for money! I know I wouldn't!"
"Same here!" Hina immediately agreed. "There's no way I would kill any of my friends for cash, no matter how much!"
"Neither would I." Sakura said softly. "Like my future self said, you can't purchase someone's life."
"Look like this chapter might be the murder free one." Leon remarked with a grin.
Some of the others, however, have doubts. Some of those people being Byakuya and Kyoko. Neither of them forgot the lesson of judging others by your own standards. They knew a few would most likely kill for ten million dollars.
Junko, meanwhile, felt confident about the motive. Yeah, she knows most of them wouldn't kill for some quick cash, but this motive is for her most greediest classmates.
The bear wasn't dissuade at the least. "C'mon, stop trying to act tough." He taunted. "The most important thing is to live a pure and moral communal life!" With that, he left, leaving his words hanging in the air and the sum of money on the stage.
The group was silent for a moment. Finally, Hina spoke up. "Th-There's nothing to worry about, right?" Hina asked nervously. "Nobody would kill for money… right?"
Byakuya scoffed. "Have you so quickly forgotten the lesson from last time? You can't judge others by your own standard." He reminded her.
The group's confident is dimmed at the reminder of that lesson. "W-Well, this might be different this time!" Hina insisted. "After all, none of us here are willing to murder for money!"
"Have you forgotten about Celeste and Hiro?" Byakuya reminded her. "One is a gambler while the other is an embarrassment of a scammer."
"Hey! I resent that!" Hiro protested angrily. "What about Hifumi and Toko? Maybe they would want to get ten million dollars!"
Toko snorted. "E-Even if I wanted to, which I d-don't, I-I can't. Even a d-drop of blood makes me faint."
"And don't try to bring up Genocide Jack." Celeste said before Hiro could say anything. "Remember that she would only kill boys that she deems adorable. She doesn't kill to survive or for money."
"And I gain more than enough money thanks to my fanfictions!" Hifumi interjected, offended. "I don't need any of the money Monokuma offers!"
"Anyway, back to my previous point, we cannot rule out murder." Byakuya stated. "It's clear that there's gonna be a murder every chapter. There's no point trying to deny it. And you're clearly in denial or foolishly idealistic if you try."
"Not to mention, someone may still kill regardless of the motive." Mukuro decided to add. Although the chance was extremely low, the desire to get out can still get to them.
Several of the students couldn't help but flinch at that. They wanted to disagree, to argue against it… but they knew Byakuya and Mukuro is right. Not even Makoto could deny it, no matter how much he wants to.
"Y-Yeah, there might be someone here who's having m-money problem!" Toko quickly agreed with the Togami heir.
"Personally, I've earned over one million dollars from my gambling efforts." Celeste stated. "My life is… comfortable."
After hearing that, Toko decided to turn towards Hifumi. "H-Hifumi? What about y-you?!"
"I'm a super popular content creator!" Hifumi shouted in offense. "I don't have any problem making enough to buy my comics and DVDs!"
"Th-Th-Then…!"
"Just stop." Sakura interrupted firmly. "Pressing others about their personal finances is… ugly."
That caused the writing to prodigy to recoil in shock. "U-U-Ugly?!"
"H-How could you say that? Are you also calling me ugly?"
"No, I am not." Sakura denied calmly. "Only the act itself is unappealing, and no one has the right to do so."
Byakuya smirked. "Don't worry. Either way, whatever's going to happen will happen without warning." He assured them. "That is the nature of the game." With that, Byakuya left, with Toko quickly tagging along with him.
"And how is that not fucking worrying?" Mondo asked incredulously. "That would make make paranoid as hell!"
"You are really messed up in the head, Byakuya." Leon said, shaking his head.
"You know... he did say that he won't kill himself right guys..?" Makoto weakly said from his seat.
Before any of the students could comment, the school bells rang. And soon after, the nighttime announcements played. "It's that time already, huh…?" Hina sighed.
"Before we separate, let me remind you…" Kyoko turned her eyes towards everyone. "Starting tonight, I'll be leaving my room door open to make sure nothing happens to Alter Ego. But just because my door is open, don't assume that will make me an easy target." Her eyes then grew colder. "Or the predator may suddenly find itself the prey…"
Several in the group felt chills run up their spines. "Okay, that kinda scared me a bit." Leon admitted.
"Don't blame ya." Mondo snorted. "Kyoko is one of those chicks you just don't mess with."
"Understatement there." Hina said in agreement.
While the others were slightly intimidated, Mukuro couldn't help but find herself interested.
"Ehh? I didn't know detective training was so... physical." She commented.
"Don't worry about it too much. I'm very certain that there are very few detectives in the world this confident in their capabilities." Kyoko replied. Certainly, her special training had saved her in a few past cases.
The group couldn't help but feel a chill up their spines a bit. "Okay, okay, let's everyone just head back to our rooms!" Hiro quickly changed the subject. "And don't think about the money thing! Got it? Good! Then let's break!" He then turned to Taka. "...How was that? Pretty good, right Taka?"
Again, the Ultimate Moral Compass was dead silent. "...Right." Was all the fortune teller could respond to the silence. With that, the group disperse.
"Geez, is Taka gonna be like that the entire chapter?" Junko huffed. "Or even the entire future watching?" 'If he doesn't get killed off first. Puhuhuhu…'
"Jesus, I hope you won't." Mondo sighed, looking at his friend.
The moral compass took a deep breath. "As do I, bro. But I can't say for sure future me will recover from this." It'll probably take some help, that much he's certain of.
The scene switched to Makoto crawling onto bed and laying down. 'Money…' He thought to himself. 'There's no way that's gonna get anyone to kill anyone else…'
"I told myself that, but deep in my heart, I was still troubled." Narrator Makoto stated. "After all, I thought the same thing last time, about having our secrets revealed. Even if the reason for it seems completely nonsensical, a murder can still happen. That's the lesson we learned."
Makoto's narration hit the group hard. They want to believe that none of them kill for money, that this motive isn't gonna kill anybody… but like Makoto said, the last chapter taught them that they could kill for the most absurd things. And the fact that they have two greedy classmates in there, made it even more concerning.
'This time will be different. I'm sure of it.' The luckster continued encouraging himself. 'Because of the program Chihiro left behind- Alter Ego. We finally have some small hope to grasp onto.'
Those thoughts brought some of the spark back into the class, but not by much. Like Makoto said, it's a small amount of hope they're grasping onto.
'Hope.' Makoto thought to himself. The one thing they all desperately need right now, both present and future. Hope that their future selves can get out of the killing game. Hope that they can figure out who's behind all this, along with the mysteries surrounding the school and this game, in order to stop it.
And thanks to Chihiro, they have that hope.
'As long as we have that, then I'm sure…' With those lingering thoughts, Makoto slowly went to sleep.
A moment after the screen turned black, the bell was rung and the morning announcements was played. Slowly, Makoto got up from his bed with a small yawn. 'Well then… I guess I should head to the dining hall.' He thought to himself before heading out.
The scene switched to Makoto and remaining group gathered at the dining hall. "So, the people here today…" Hiro murmured out loud, looking around to see only himself, Makoto, Kyoko, Hina, Sakura, Celeste, and Hifumi. "...are just us seven."
The group frowned at this. "I didn't expect to see Toko or Byakuya anyway," Sayaka stated. "But Taka?"
"We shouldn't be surprise." Sakura sighed, closing her eyes. "We all saw how he is."
"No argument there," Mondo sighed, looking down.
"Byakuya and Toko are a lost cause," Sakura admitted. "But…"
"It looks like Taka's decided to stop coming for good, too…" Hifumi noted sadly.
"It's like he just… given up." Hiro sighed.
"For the people wound tight as he is, when you snap, you snap hard." Celeste stated factly.
Makoto looked down at the table. "I wish there was some way to make him better…"
"Same here, man." Mondo sighed, clenching his fist. More than likely, the future Taka is probably thinking is his fault. Thinking that Chihiro may hate the two of them, like his present bro did. If only he could snap some sense into him.
"On another topic…" Celeste turned towards Kyoko. "Kyoko, did everything go alright last night?"
"Yeah, I didn't have any problems." The lavender haired girl confirmed, her voice hush. "I went and checked on the laptop a little while ago, and there weren't any problems there, either. But…" She hesitated for a moment before letting out a sigh. "It's related to this case, so I suppose I should be blunt."
She then gave a firm stare towards everyone. "I have to make a new rule. Using Alter Ego without permission is prohibited." She stated firmly. "Someone going in and out of the dressing room would draw unwanted attention from the mastermind."
Junko raised an eyebrow. "That should be a no brainer." She remarked. "Why should they make a rule about it?"
"I think I have a guess." Kyoko said, staring straight at Hifumi. Several of them also looked at the fanfic creator, whiched caused him to sweat a little.
"I would have thought that would be obvious. Why do we need to make a rule about it?" Celeste questioned.
"That's a good question." Kyoko then stared straight at Hifumi. "Do you have any thoughts on that, Hifumi?"
That got almost everyone staring at Hifumi now, making him sweat even more. "W-What?"
"...What are you doing to Alter Ego?" Chihiro accused, his eyes both mad and suspicious.
"N-Nothing! I doubt future me is doing anything!"
"Tell that to Kyoko there, fatty." Leon remarked.
Hifumi sweated a little at that. "N-No…" He stuttered. "It's just like you said. We all need to be… very careful…" He let out a few nervous pants.
"...Huh?" Was Hiro's response to Hifumi's strange reaction, while the others took a few steps away from the fanfic creator.
"Whatever, let's just hurry up and eat!" Hifumi shouted in sudden anger. "We don't have time to stand around flappin' our lips!"
Byakuya rolled his eyes. "You definitely visited alter ego."
"What did you do?" Chihiro asked again, sounding more suspicious.
Hifumi pale little at the stare Chihiro is giving him. Like an protective mother, wanting to protect her child. "I-I'm sure it's nothing bad!"
Hiro yelped in shock at this. "Jeez! Why're you talkin' like a pissed-off drill sergeant all of a sudden?!"
The scene then fast forward to everyone at the table, eating their breakfast, though Hifumi made a note to keep far away from Kyoko. Makoto was in the middle of eating his own breakfast when he heard Celeste suddenly speak in front of him. "Celestia Ludenberg…" She sighed. "Celestia… Ludenberg…"
The repeat of her own caused some raised eyebrows. "Um, what's up with your obsession with your name?" Junko inquired.
"Oh, it's nothing much." Celestia reassured with a giggle. "It's something that my future self will explain soon."
Makoto looked up from his breakfast curiously. "What are you doing…?"
"No matter how many times I hear it, I never tire of hearing my own name." Celeste stated. "Isn't it so splendidly charming?"
That earned sighs and/or eye rolls from the group. The gambler can be really self absorbed sometimes.
"Oh yeah, I've been wondering about that. Why that name?" Makoto asked her curiously.
"...Why?"
"I mean, is it from something?" The luckster clarified. "Why'd you pick it?"
"Wait…?" Hina spoke up, looking confused. "Are we back on the topic on her name again? Cause I'm still wondering if Celeste is her real name or not?"
"Of course it's not, you dimwit." Byakuya sighed in annoyance. "Very rarely do Japanese parents give their kids names like that."
"Well, I'm one of the rare ones, because it is my name." Celeste said, her voice polite but tight. That merely made the heir rolled his eyes.
"When are you going to stop denying it? Very few of us are dumb enough to fall for the lie."
"It is not a lie. It's the truth, one that you cannot refute."
"I am so confused here…" Hina moaned, holding her head.
"Tell me about it." Hiro sighed.
"I did not pick it." Celeste denied. "My name was given to me by mother and father…"
"Come on, that can't be your real name, can it?" Makoto asked with obvious doubt.
"It is, indeed, my real name." Celeste stated with a straight face. "Make no mistakes about that."
Makoto sighed at that. "Okay, so your parents gave you that name?"
"That's right." Celeste confirmed. "My father is French nobility, and my mother is part of a German family of musicians."
'There's no way that's true…' Makoto deadpanned in his mind.
"You really that we would fall for the lie?" Byakuya asked with a raised eyebrow. "Anyone with a decent amount of intelligence would know that was a lie."
His comment caused Hina, Hiro, and Hifumi to look away, with one of them whistling.
"But okay, so were you born in France or Germany?"
"Tochigi." The gambler answered.
"And now some truths." Byakuya remarked. "Though they do remain inconsistent with your lies."
"I do not know what you mean." Celeste replied back, smiling. "Sure, I was born in Tochigi, but that only because my family moved there."
"And yet, it's clear that you're Japanese."
"And Junko and Mukuro are twins."
"Hey, don't drag us into this!" Junko exclaimed with a pout. "It's not our fault we look differently, and we ended with different last names!"
'Now we're getting somewhere…' Makoto thought with some exasperation.
"I was born in Utsunomiya, the capital of Tochigi, which is known for its delicious gyoza." Celeste explained in more detail. "You may be surprised to learn that I absolutely adore gyoza."
That took the group by surprise. "You actually like gyoza?" Leon asked with some disbelief. "I would've thought you would hate considering, considering your taste."
"While I do find it stinky and vulgar, I do enjoy it." Celeste stated. "It's one of my favorite meals."
"Wow. Guess there's always something new we can learn about each other." Sayaka commented out, also surprise by the reveal. "How come you didn't tell this before?"
"It's not really something I tell most people." The gambler stated. "Makoto is one of the few I could reveal that too." While she is a bit irked a bit of herself is revealed like that, she realize that something like this would be unavoidable. Hopefully, this won't reveal any information too personal.
"I love its stench, it's base vulgarity." A disappointed look then entered her face. "So, as you can imagine, I'm quite disappointed that I will never taste my hometown's gyoza again."
"Never say never, you know…?" Makoto told her. "Once we get out of here-"
"We will never get out of here." Makoto recoiled in shock at the cold tone she adopted. "How long will you continue this ridiculousness? You should give up. If you don't, it can only lead to murder…" With that, and a sip of her remaining tea, she left the dining hall.
The others also recoiled at her response. "Geez, what is up with her?" Leon remarked. "Does she really not believe we'll get out of here?"
"Don't you miss your family Celeste?" Hina asked her. "Or any of your other friends you have?"
While she doesn't looked affected by those words on the outside, inwardly is another story. The last thing she wants is to be trapped in the school forever, true, but seeing her family is not the primary reason. Though she is worried about her cat.
However, she doesn't revealed any of those things. "I don't have an answer as to why my future self is acting this way. Perhaps she'll change her mind in the future."
Makoto frowned a little. He also wondering why Celeste is acting this way. He knows that her relationship with her family is… less than stellar, but there is stuff she wants to do outside of the school. Did she really given up hope, despite the appearance of Alter Ego?
Makoto stood still as the gambler went away. 'The more I talk to her, the more I just don't understand her…'
"Tell me about it." Hina turned towards Makoto. "How are you able to understand her, Makoto?"
"A lot of patience." Was his answer, rubbing the back of his head.
"Something you have an abundance of." Kyoko added with a small smirk.
That drew a bashful smile from the luckster, but inwardly, he's still thinking about Celeste reaction. He can't but wonder, is the gambler still acting? Or has she really given up hope of escaping?
And that's the end. I hope you guys liked this chapter. Hopefully, I can deliver the next chapters around this amount of time, but I'm not getting my hopes up. Especially with the tasks of picking which freetime events to do. Though I do know to do Hifumi's, Celeste's, Kyoko's, and Sakura's, so they'll be my main priority. Review, favorite, and follow and I will see you guys later.
A Lucky Soldier: Man... being reminded of those 4 minutes of absolute despair really makes me feel sad. They didn't deserve that.
Anyways, I finished Fate: Extella the other day and aside from the repetitive Dynasty Warriors gameplay, I think that the multiple arcs as well as the side stories unfold the whole story in a very beautiful way to the point that I didn't mind repeatedly playing the same stages over and over again. The music was also exceptionally good for me. After I unlocked the third title screen, I found myself just sitting in my chair listening and admiring it before I remembered I needed to finish the rest of them. My favourite ending so far is Archer's ending, especially after you know how all the pieces of the story come into place. His lines at the end along with the music just went so well together I couldn't get bored watching it over and over.
And that's it from me. See y'all next chapter!