Danganronpa: Twisted Tragedy (SYOC)

by SilverMark16

[Sequel to Corrupted Hope] Eighteen of Hope's Peak's finest awake to find themselves stuck in an abandoned theme park, Piero's Playground, the joyous place in the world! However, behind the smiles and laughs is a deadly game of tears and tragedy starring a Killing Game hosted by the eccentric Stanczyk and his twisted partner, Monoyena.

5. On Road to Despair (Part 2)

Chapter 1: On Road to Despair (Daily Life #2)

---

Warning: This fic contains intense violence, lots of OFFENSIVE cursing (thanks Monoyena, you fucking asshole!), character death, gore and blood, sexual innuendos, and possible spoilers for the Danganronpa series. But hey, everyone lurking in this fandom has at least played the first Danganronpa so no need to worry much there! Right?

With that said, please enjoy!

---

"...To Aidan Brighton, the Future of the Brightons!"

Aidan Brighton raised his glass alongside his family and friends of the Brighton Family.

It hasn't been a day since he's received that acceptance letter from Hope's Peak New York. But the moment his parents caught wind of what that letter had told them, they went all-out with the celebration. Easily, it was much grander than any of his birthdays were. He couldn't believe it himself either, and he could understand the excitement.

Hope's Peak thrives on the principle that whoever graduates from a Hope's Peak establishment is essentially set for life.

And when he got his acceptance letter…

"I'm so proud of you son!"

"That's some kid you got there, Brighton!"

"Raised him, myself!"

…he was simply at a loss of words. He hasn't said much of a thing throughout his dinner party. He forced a smile here or there to those Uncle Bobbies and Aunt Patricias and he only spoke whenever a question was tossed in his general direction. He thought back to his letter. He should be happy about this, shouldn't he?

…So why wasn't he?

…

...

...

'To the family of Aidan Brighton…'

'Congratulations!'

'Aidan Brighton has been accepted as an incoming student to Hope's Peak New York as the Ultimate Track Star!'

Aidan had excused himself from the dinner table and leaned against his window's porch, glancing out at the moon. The moon was full tonight, meaning that the light shining down on him was to be mystically beautiful.

And yet, he found no beauty in his current situation.

He reread the letter over and over again. His eyes started to mix and match words but no matter what he did, he could never get the text out of his mind. He could never get the idea that he was going to be an Ultimate out of his mind. That he was going to be…

"So, there you are, slowpoke."

Aidan slowly turned back to see a familiar face that he was glad to see. Nadia Brighton walked toward him, arms folded, face curious. Stifling a chuckle, Aidan shook his head as he leaned further against the porch.

"You know, you can't call me that anymore," Aidan laughed, before holding out the letter as if he were showing some identification. "As you can see, I'm the Ultimate Track Star! Meaning I'm faster than everyone in the world!"

"Pft, yeah your bitch of an ex already told me that," Nadia remarked, amused.

"Ouch, that hit a nerve," Aidan laughed. Though, his laugh started to die down. Glancing toward Nadia's curious expression, the new Ultimate handed her a water bottle. "Ahem, water?"

"Really?" Nadia rolled her eyes. "Actual peasant water?"

Nadia took the water bottle and smiled to herself.

"Thank God," Nadia started to drink from it.

There was talk that if you were born as twins, there would be some sort of psychic link between the two. Many times, Aidan had believed it to be true. And if it wasn't the fact that he drank his own water bottle whilst staring out toward the moon, then perhaps it was just one of those days. Those days in which she could sense exactly how he was feeling about everything…

"Talk to me," Nadia bluntly put it. "You look like shit…"

Aidan slowly lowered his water bottle as well as his eyes.

"This isn't what I wanted…" Aidan sighed.

Nadia remained quiet.

"Nadia, I don't think I can do this," Aidan frowned. "I mean, if I go, I'll be leaving you behind. I… It doesn't feel right to do something like that. I think I might just go and…"

"What?" Nadia sipped her water bottle simply. "Reject the offer? What are you, an idiot?"

"Heh, you tell me," Aidan lowered his letter.

"You're an idiot," Nadia deadpanned. "Hope's Peak Academy is the most prestigious school out there. It's like doing makeup for Celine Dion or some shit. Something like this doesn't happen to just everyone, you know?"

"Yeah, but what about you?" Aidan sighed to himself. "I mean, I just…"

Aidan slammed his fist onto the stone railing of the porch.

"I mean, this isn't fair!" Aidan held onto his letter tightly. "You've done loads of awesome stuff as a makeup artist and yet the guy who gets in is me. Someone who just… runs. Like, can you believe that?"

"Tch," Nadia couldn't help but be amused by Aidan's complaints. "You really are an idiot. The world isn't fair. That's how things work. That's life."

Aidan felt his sister place a hand on his shoulder.

"Look," Nadia sighed. "I'm going to be a little sappy for just this moment, alright? You tell anyone, and I'll break your legs and ruin your future. Got it?"

Aidan smiled, softly.

"And what if I wanted that?" Aidan chuckled.

Nadia slugged him on the arm before continuing.

"You got in, fair and square," Nadia stated. "Mom and Dad have done nothing but train you to be the best in our family. And right now, this letter here…"

She gestured to the letter in his hands.

"...This is a result of all the good they did for you," Nadia told him. "In other unsappy words…"

Nadia grabbed his cheeks and tilted his head so that he would face him.

"...Don't fuck it up for someone like me," Nadia told him. "You go get in that school and you show them hell, alright, bro?"

Aidan blinked.

He shook his head.

"But aren't you jealous?" he questioned. "Like, it could've been you so…"

"Well, duh," Nadia rolled her eyes. "Of course I'm jealous. But none of it is your fault. Mom and Dad just decided to put all their drive on you and left me behind. If they had treated us equally, maybe I would've gotten in alongside you…"

The twins smiled amongst themselves at the thought. It wasn't a happy smile or anything like that. It was… solemn. If only they could have gotten into Hope's Peak together. Instead…

"Where's Aidan? I want to give my third congratulations of the night?"

"Yeah, where is that rascal?"

Overhearing the guests' enthusiasm, Nadia glanced back at him.

"Sounds like they need the man of the hour back in the room," Nadia rolled her eyes. "Look, in short, I'm proud of you, brother…"

Aidan blinked.

That was perhaps the first time she's ever said something like that to him. To hear it so, it made him feel a little more motivated to actually accept the invite. He examined Nadia's face. Though, it was the same old petty look she often gave, as a twin, he could see that there was a level of support in her face.

Heh.

She really still cared in her own immature way.

Tucking the letter into his pockets, he gave her a nod.

"Fine, you made your point," Aidan sighed before giving her a thumbs-up. "I'll do what I can to continue making you proud. Alright?"

"Pft, loser," Nadia rolled her eyes.

"Still so mean as ever," Aidan amusedly laughed.

By the next guests' questioning on his whereabouts, Aidan was already off to head back inside. Though he had been given a nice level of encouragement from his twin sister, he still couldn't help but feel how wrong this was. How odd this felt.

How… incomplete this would feel now that he was finally going to go out into the world and be alone for once in his life.

A New Life that he wasn't sure if he was ever going to get used to…

---

[Hotel Mirai]

---

(Aidan's Room)

Aidan opened his eyes to the sound of the ocean's waves crashing down onto the beach shore and the sight of the sun shining over his bed. If Aidan didn't know anything better, he would think that the rooms at the Hotel Mirai were structured the same way:

A large prince-sized bed.

A relatively clean bathroom.

A wooden closet.

And a porch allowing him to step outside and breathe some fresh air and see the ocean from his Hotel room.

Honestly, the Hotel Mirai was a relatively nice place to stay at. If he didn't have to worry about food, the kid, and the fact that he was stuck in a place where death and despair was encouraged, he would love to admit that he would stay in his Hotel room forever. He was sure his peers shared his sentiments but after yesterday…

After they all came to that conclusion that…

…His face grimaced as he placed an elbow over his head.

"Man, what the heck am I going to do?" Aidan sighed.

He thought about it before, but he had just taken charge right from the get-go. No need to carry out any votes or anything like that. He just stepped up. And yet, he didn't even bother to think about the stress and consequences he may have to endure if he did. Damn it.

Damn that and his recklessness.

Aidan slowly got up from his bed and sipped one of his unopened water bottles. Wiping his mouth with the back of his wrist, he sighed.

---

(Hallway)

When Aidan exited out into the Hallway, he noted the rather simple intricate design of the pathway leading to everyone's rooms. The Hallway was essentially a long hall that met at an intersection that divided the Hallway into two sides and would take everyone to the Lobby. He was situated on the left side of the Hallway, which housed the boys, meaning the right side housed the girls' room.

Despite this clear, understandable placement, Aidan didn't exactly expect to see Kazuki leaning against the door to his own room. The philanthropist had his eyes closed in thought. Normally, someone would probably leave someone who seemed to want to be alone to be alone. Unfortunately, Aidan was an Omakin character, therefore, fuck that.

Aidan approached Kazuki, but the philanthropist heard his steps coming a mile away and opened his one eye. Heavily sighing, he shook his head.

"I'm afraid if you wish to kill me… killing me here would serve no purpose…" Kazuki spoke, indignantly. "Please do it when we're in the actual park…"

"Whoa now, that wasn't what I was planning on doing at all!" Aidan raised his hands up defensively. Slowly, he took out a water bottle from whatever pocket dimension he kept them from and handed it to him. "Water?"

Kazuki blankly stared at it.

"Isn't possession of food and beverages outside of the park technically illegal...?" Kazuki questioned.

"Not if it's food and beverages that aren't made from the park," Aidan smiled, giving him a thumbs-up as he held out the water bottle. "So, my water bottles should be A-Okay!"

Kazuki closed one eye and narrowed the other, suspiciously.

"Is it poisoned…?" Kazuki frowned.

"W-What?!" Aidan blinked. "N-No! It's not! It's just water! See?"

Aidan twisted the cap off of his water bottle and subsequently drank from it to prove his point. Then, he pulled out another water bottle and handed it to him.

"Look!" Aidan exclaimed. "Never been opened before! I would never do anything as low as poisoning water!"

Kazuki stared at the water bottle. He rubbed his neck instinctively and sighed bitterly. Judging from his face, Kazuki had been expressing signs of disappointment as well as guilt. But for what? Aidan wasn't sure.

"...What a shame…" Kazuki merely responded. "If it was poisoned…I would've gladly taken one…"

He gave Aidan a small, tired smile.

"But thanks for the offer…" Kazuki closed his eyes and nodded to himself.

Then, the philanthropist walked away, leaving Aidan hanging with that bottled water in his hand. It took a moment for him to process what the philanthropist had just said. If it was poisoned, he would have gladly taken it? That thought scared him.

After all, as leader, he has to make sure stuff like this doesn't happen…

Right?

---

(Lobby)

When Aidan entered the Lobby, it felt as if he had just walked into a business meeting. To his surprise, despite the talk of murder the day prior, everyone seemed to have gathered together in the room. Taking the frontlines was Alina, who was standing in front of a whiteboard she had managed to salvage from behind the bar. Noticing Aidan, she walked up to him.

"Oh!" Alina smiled at him. "Aidan! You finally joined us!"

Her subsequent smile shifted to a pout as she placed her hands over her hips. She started to bob her feet up and down.

"And to think you were going to let your faithful second-in-command handle everything herself!" Alina said, teasingly.

When did I get a second-in-command? Aidan thought with a blink.

He cleared his throat.

"Um, sorry I'm late guys," Aidan rubbed the back of his neck, sheepishly. "Rough morning and whatnot."

Taking out a bottle of water, he raised it around for everyone to see and allowed anyone to come up and snatch it out of his hands.

"Water, anyone?" he asked with his signature grin.

No one accepted it.

"A-Anyway," Aidan cleared his throat and pocketed his water bottle. "What are you guys up to?"

"Miss Alina was just going over the plan for today!" Emmeline waved her hands excitedly. "Right now, we're trying to see who's going to go check out the roller coaster in Miss Manon's Ultimate Attraction!"

"Oui," Manon nodded. "Some people here cannot handle ze greatness that is my Ultimate Attraction. Therefore, Madame Summers has piled up a list for who's going on ze ride today!"

"And by 'cannot handle', you mean you're scared…" Fábio deadpanned.

"Manon Vivienne Levesque is never scared!" Manon huffed. "I just have an upset stomach!"

"Oh my gosh, me too!" Emmeline slowly nibbled on the pills, which were likely the cause of her upset stomach.

"Well, that sounds all nice and dandy," Aidan blinked before turning to Alina. "So, who do you have so far on the list?"

"Well, so far…" Alina took out her conductor's baton and began to tap the end of her chin with it. Her eyes trailed toward the whiteboard with the names that she had marked down. "The people that are going are me, Beauté, Fábio, Issac, Isolde… I guess, Kikuko and Yumi."

"Issac?" Aidan blinked in surprise, turning to the toymaker. "Didn't you say you couldn't ride these kinds of rides because Isolde's too scared?"

"Did I?" Issac blinked, before chuckling and brushing her to the side. "Heh. Well, I guess I did. But today, Isolde kind of changed her tune. She wanted to be braver and try out a roller coaster for the first time. Nothing wrong with that, right?"

"I guess not," Aidan rubbed the back of his head.

He noticed Alina had approached a little closer. She held out a marker with a smile.

"Would you like to be added to the list?" Alina smiled.

"Well, I do like roller coasters as much as the next guy," Aidan gave her a thumbs-up. "But having seven people on roller coaster duty seems a little bit excessive. I think I'll sit this one out today."

"If that's what you want," Alina tilted her head and smiled at the track star.

"And so, it looks like we have our list..." Issac patted Isolde on the head. "What says you, Isolde? Excited?"

Pause.

"Yeah, I know you are," Issac chuckled.

The two people sitting next to him, Yukihiko and Alisa, scooted themselves in order to distance themselves from the creepy toymaker. But regardless of how unsettling someone talking to their pet toy was like, he made an astute observation. They did have their list. Meaning, these were the people who will undoubtedly be checking out the roller coaster…

…

With that sorted out, Aidan clapped his hands, taking charge once more. Standing before them, Aidan had to wonder how exactly he threw himself into this position of leader. All eyes were on him right now. He gave his best smile and stepped forward and took a deep breath. After everything they were saying last night, it was hard to think that things were all fine and dandy now.

Because as their situation stands, it wasn't all fine and dandy. It never was.

"So, we got our plans," Aidan smiled. "Operation: Save the Child is still in order! Now, some attractions are going to be open today, so hopefully they'll give us some clues on where the kid is!"

"Ah, we're still on that Operation," Riku muttered.

"Of course I am!" Aidan pumped his fist up. "Never give up! That's part of the mentality we need to beat this game!"

"Oh, how naive," Beauté giggled to herself.

It was clear that the obvious suspects weren't sharing his sentiments when it came to saving the child. Somehow, it just felt that sometimes it was only Aidan that truly cared about saving the boy…

"On the topic of this operation…" Kikuko raised her hand, courteously. "In the events of last night's discussion regarding sacrifice, I am quite aware that there are many of us who were heavily opposed to the idea of killing one another."

"That's obvious enough as it is," Fábio shrugged. "Why bring that up, though?"

"Well, I was hoping we could instigate some rules of our own," Kikuko closed her eyes in thought. "For starters, in order to minimize an incident, perhaps it would be wise for all of us to gather in one place and leave the park together."

"So, kind of like field trip rules," Aidan rubbed his chin.

"Field trip rules?" Yumi blinked. "Mind explainin' here, pardner?"

"I can take this, actually," Alina raised her hand. "It might be different from where you're from, Yumi, but in Western field trips, when we go to amusement parks, usually the teachers let us roam around the park and do whatever we want to do. But they also make sure to assign a time in which everyone can meet up together and leave the park together."

"In other words, the plan is to meet up together at a set location and exit the park together," Alisa pushed her glasses up. "Then, may I suggest we meet up at the entrance to the Happy Highway?"

"That seems like a great place to meet up, yeah!" Aidan grinned, sticking out yet another thumbs-up. "So, that means from now on, to make sure nothing has happened, we all meet up at the front of the Happy Highway! We'll do a roll call, and then leave together!"

"O-Okay, but what about if someone decides to not enter the park?" Daisuke gulped. "D-Do they still have to reenter the park to meet up with everyone?"

"Hey, that's a great question, Daisuke!" Aidan gave him a grin.

Daisuke's sweating face started to flush as he buried himself in his hands.

"C-Could it be?" Daisuke spoke up loudly. "Could this guy actually have feelings for me? No. No no. Daisuke! Don't think too hard about it! We're just friends!"

Aidan blinked.

"What?" he asked, confusedly.

"For safety's sake, I believe anyone who is in the Safe Zone should in fact reenter the park in order to meet up with everyone," Kikuko continued. "It would definitely make the roll call process smoother."

"Okay, so I got it now," Aidan smiled as he took the marker from Alina and began to mark what he was about to say next onto the board. "So, from now on, every morning we'll have a Morning Meeting to determine when the perfect time is to regroup and leave the park together. Once we have the time set, we go ahead and do whatever it is we need to do to save the kid. Once the agreed time arrives, everyone, even those in the Safe Zone, will meet up at the Happy Highway. Then, we exit the park together and head back here, where we can update each other on any interesting things we found."

Turning back to the group, he gave them a thumbs-up.

"Sounds good, everyone?" the track star questioned.

He was met with a barrage of agreements, even from those who seemed a little pessimistic about their chances of finding the child. Though, he could've sworn that the look he saw on Beauté's face was something entirely different. As if she were testing him. Challenging him. Waiting to see just how long his little idea would last…

"In that case, when should we meet up and leave together, today?" Emmeline blinked.

"I would like to suggest 9:30 PM," Alina spoke up. "Thirty minutes before the park closes. After all, I think we're going to need all the time we can get if we're going to do our best to find the child!"

The maestro made her point by pumping her fists and smiling determinedly.

"I agree with Alina," Aidan nodded. "So…"

It was Aidan's turn to pump his fist.

"...Let's get on with the day and begin!" he declared, determinedly.

He was met with no complaints. With agreements either hesitant, just as determined, or begrudging, everyone began to evacuate the Lobby and head straight toward Piero's Playground, assigning themselves accordingly. Watching them leave, he noticed Alina smiling at him.

"Well said…" Alina smiled at him, encouraging. "Leader."

Aidan blinked and smiled.

"Thanks Alina," the track star gave her a thumbs-up.

With the maestro leaving, Aidan would have been the last person in the Lobby. And for a moment, being the leader didn't feel as stressful as it did the day prior. Was there truly hope for a group like them…?

---

[Happy Highway]

---

(Hollywood)

The 16 playmates were able to bypass the previously dark room and enter the Happy Highway with much ease. However, the moment they had stepped onto the road, Monoyena had popped out of nowhere to block their path. Even though the hyena was pretty damn short, none of them really felt like pissing him off at the moment.

Concurrently, Monoyena was also holding what seemed to be marshalling wands and had been waving them around as if he were trying to get some sort of aircraft to land. When he had noticed them, his jagged red eye had already decided to illuminate his annoyance.

"Oi, do you wankers mind?" Monoyena gnashed his pointy teeth together. "Get the fuck off the road! I'm walkin here!"

"Well, I'll be," Yumi tipped her Stetson hat, curiously. "Ah wonder what's got his cactus up his bum."

"What are you doing?" Kikuko took the initiative to ask, closing her eyes briefly.

"What the fuck does it look like I'm doing, Jap?" Monoyena placed his marshall wand-wielding paws over his hips. "Don't ya know what time it is right now?"

"1:49 PM," Alisa checked her pocket watch.

"Exactly!" Monoyena growled. "And if ya dyslexic morons bothered to check, you'd know that I gotta get this entire road cleared off! Fucking running out of time for the big show!"

"Show?" Alina tilted her head curiously.

"Ah, of course," Yukihiko blinked in realization. "The Traffic Jam Parade!"

---

In front of the Street section was a removable sign:

'TRAFFIC JAM PARADE'

'2:00 PM'

'4:00 PM'

'6:00 PM'

'BEGINS TOMORROW'

"Wow, there's even a parade as well," Aidan grinned. "Seriously, if we didn't have to find a kid, I'd totally be enjoying myself right now!"

---

"If it's 1:49 PM now…" Yukihiko began.

"1:50 actually," Alisa corrected, keeping her eyes on the clock.

"Y-Yes, honey, I get it…" Yukihiko sighed before continuing. "The Traffic Jam Parade was set to begin today. And according to the sign we saw yesterday, there is always a Parade at 2:00 PM, 4:00 PM, and 6:00 PM."

"A parade?" Emmeline gasped excitedly. "I love parades!"

"Yeah, good job observing the obvious…" Monoyena surprisingly complimented before muttering to himself, "...Fucking diaper-sniffing freak…"

Yukihiko was not amused by this comment.

"The Traffic Jam Parade is supposed to start soon," Monoyena began to explain. "As such, it's my job as the fucking hyena to make sure ya cunts get off the actual road before the whole thing starts. Because as hilarious as seeing ya wanks get run over by a fucking parade float is, I just can't allow ya to fucking dawdle on the road…"

"The hyena caring for our safety?" Manon widened her eyes in surprise. "Is zis a new side we are seeing of Monsieur Yena? Oh la la~"

"As if ya dick-riding bimbo!" Monoyena snapped, baring his sharp canines and drooling profusely. He dropped his marshalling wands and took out his signature Barbie Blade, twirling it around and pointing it directly toward the actress. "I don't care what the fuck happens to ya cunts! Say that again, and I'm turning your white-ass skin into my personal carpet! Ya hear me?!"

"Eeeeeee!" Manon's face turned blue. "Pardonne-moiiiiiiii!"

"Aye, but the maiden has a fair point," Roderick grumbled. "If it ain't to keep us from getting run over by a parade float, then why can't ye let us loiter on the road?"

"Ya can blame the original fucks who owned the place," Monoyena started to pick his teeth with his Barbie Blade. "Fuckers installed some security measures for the Parade… Can ya fucking believe it?"

Taking out a piece of shrimp lodged from his teeth, the hyena flicked it away and continued.

"Ya see, the Parade was designed as a 30-minute show of 'oohs' and 'ahhs'," Monoyena explained. "It's just like any other Parade really. Parade Floats start moving around on the streets in an array and then it ends. Really fucking boring stuff if ya ask me."

Monoyena started to toss his Barbie Blade back and between his paws as he continued to speak about the Parade's history.

"Most Parades today can't even get the basic security measures right," Monoyena continued. "You would have a bunch of the little ones suddenly get a case of the retard and jump out in front of the fucking floats. The floats would run over them, and then glorious panic ensues. Or sometimes it's the performers themselves messing up and they get fucked up as a result. Whatever the case is, the old-timers in charge of the Traffic Jam Parade clearly didn't have any sense of excitement…"

Monoyena smoothed his curved mohawk with his blade with a sadistic grin.

"Ya see, they just went ahead and added extra security measures to the actual Parade Floats," Monoyena grinned. "Now, whoever steps out into the road in front of a Parade Float, the entire Parade stops, and the entire show gets fucking delayed. While it ain't as fun as seeing stupid twinks get hit by cars, seeing that you've pissed off hundreds of visitors because ya decided to be a retard has gotta be a fucking riot.

"So, in other words…" Fábio began. "If you step out onto the road while the Parade is going on…"

"The entire Parade gets delayed!" Monoyena grinded his sharp teeth together. "Which normally wouldn't be a bad thing until ya realize we have a fucking tight schedule to hold up. So, don't let me catch ya fucks being an idiot and stopping the entire thing because if ya do…"

Monoyena pointed his Barbie Blade toward his subjects, drool spewing under his mouth.

"I'll ram those Parade Floats up your asses so hard that shitting is about to become the least of your fucking problems!" Monoyena snarled. "Fact, why don't I just add this to the rules right now?"

Monoyena's jagged eye glowed and almost instantly, everyone's eTicket had pinged, signaling them of a new update, specifically on their Rules App. When they clicked on the application and scrolled through the rules, they could now see that an extra rule was added, and Rule 16 was replaced:

Rule #16: Delaying the Traffic Jam Parade is prohibited.

Rule #17: Have fun or die!

"There," Monoyena cackled. "That should get ya to know not to fuck with the Parade!"

"Oh yeah, loud and clear…" Fábio played with his ringleted hair.

"What about performers?" Alisa spoke up, taking her eyes off of her pocket watch for the first time since they had stepped into the park. "In most Parades, performers usually dance in front of the floats. If the float is programmed to stop if someone from the sidelines steps out in front of it, then how does it differentiate between performers and visitors?"

"And who the fuck says you can ask me questions like this is theme park construction class?" Monoyena licked his Barbie Blade. "Fucking anorexic bitch..."

Alisa was not amused by this comment.

"Parade Float security measures only work for humans," Monoyena answered anyways. "And our performers ain't humans. Just up and going technology from the fucks that helped make this place."

Monoyena picked his marshalling wands back up from the ground.

"Anyway," Monoyena grinned sadistically. "Now that you know how the fuck this works…"

The hyena leaned forward and raised his Barbie Blade up to his face.

"Get the fuck off the road!" Monoyena snarled once more.

---

(Street)

"Well, he could've been nicer about it," Alina pouted, folding her arms.

The 16 playmates were forced to move to the left side of the Street section of the Happy Highway (Cluck Deluxe side) after Monoyena made clear of his irritation and good use of his threat. And while they did have a plan beforehand, there were numerous reasons why they decided to stick to watching the Parade.

For starters, the pathway they needed to take to get to the roller coaster was being blocked by Monoyena's presence, so they were kind of at a stalemate regarding that at the moment. Second reason? Many of them were just curious how this parade would end up going…

"A Parade that can stop if it detects someone stepping onto the street," Issac summarized. "And performers that aren't human? This I have to see…"

The toymaker turned to the toy caterpillar around his neck.

"Don't you agree, Isolde?" he smiled.

"Shhhh!" Emmeline waved Issac down, glancing off into the distance excitedly. "I see something! I think it's starting!"

"Right on time," Alisa had closed her pocket watch, seeming content by how well-organized the Parade was thus far…

…

The 16 playmates could see a new figure slowly appear from the entrance to the Happy Highway. Alongside the figure was a barrage of parade floats slowly appearing from the ground up, moving toward the left side first (Manon's Attraction first) and slowly making its way to where everyone was at.

The first section of the Parade that appeared was a goat-like costumed mascot dressed in a police officer's outfit, marching down the road. With its bulging eyes and creepy smile, some of the playmates' realized that perhaps the creator of this monstrosity probably had already gotten themselves sued, defamed, and fired.

"Oh no…" Yukihiko widened his eyes. "Oh no no no no. What is that?"

"It looks like Mister Lawson the Lamb character from the video we saw yesterday!" Emmeline blinked. Slowly nibbling on her pills, her face could express uncertainty. "Um, he looked better when he was a cartoon…"

Valid opinion.

Lawson the Lamb waved toward everyone with that unnerving look on his face as he led the first Parade Float through the street. This Parade Float was being hauled by a typical-looking police truck titled: 'Highway Patrol Department'. On the Police Parade Float itself were six cages housing six neatly dressed mannequins:

One had on a dark wig tied into a small ponytail. Two long strands on the side of its hair were also dyed yellow and they wore a green crop top with long black sleeves.

One wore a hoodie with a picture of Kirby on the front. For some reason, one of the mannequin's knees was missing. Huh. Strange.

One wore a sailor's outfit and carried a plush penguin with a sailor cap. They also seemed to have blonde hair tied into two low pigtails.

One had what seemed to be wearing a wig stylized in neon green and pink-colored braids. It wore a strange and trippy shirt with camo-ripped pants.

One wore a witch's outfit, glasses, and navy-blue hair tied into long pigtails that reached the mannequin's waist.

One wore a police officer's outfit and had blue hair covering half of their face. Out of all of them, don't think anyone cared about this one though.

Music very reminiscent of your classic marching band played as Lawson the Lamb walked in a rather dysfunctional fashion. Tipping his hat to the right even though no one was there because that was where the palm trees had sprouted from, the mascot's movements almost seemed robotic. Whatever it was, it just did not look right at all…

"Remember boys and girls!" Lawson's voice echoed from the cage-riddled Parade Float. "Good children get treats! Baaaaad children go on the lam! That's how things be!"

Lawson continued to march on forth as the Police Parade Float slowly passed by. Some more bipedal lambs in police outfits marched behind the float, allowing the 16 playmates a little moment to register what they had just seen and heard.

"This is what Western parades are like?" Kikuko blinked. She placed both of her hands underneath her chin and had to contemplate her life choices for a moment. "I apologize to admit this but… I was expecting a little more…"

"Same here," Issac scoffed slightly, narrowing his eyes. "That Lamb thing looks like it's about to fall apart. The skin has multiple tears and I know I saw some mechanical bits stick out every once in a while."

"Wow!" Emmeline blinked. "Mister Issac! You're very observative!"

"What can I say?" Issac smiled to himself, brushing his pink hair to the side. "I'm at my best when it has to do with trinkets like that…"

The toymaker tilted his head toward Isolde, as if he were listening to her speak.

"...Huh, burn the lamb?" Issac raised an eyebrow. "That's a bold suggestion."

"Okay, I don't know what you're all complaining about," Alina pouted. "But I don't see anything wrong with this Parade."

On cue, the next Parade Float had started to pass by. This time, it was a much different feel than that of the Police Parade Float. This time, it was a Parade Float entirely dedicated to the Clucks Deluxe establishment they were standing at. And unlike the Police Parade Float, which was just a bunch of cages being pulled by a police van, this Clucks Deluxe Parade Float had a more intricate and well-developed design to it.

For starters, the Clucks Deluxe Parade Float was much longer than the Police Parade Float and resembled what one might see at a chicken meal factory. Humanoid chickens danced on the side of machines with conveyor belts that were transporting small boxes of crispy chicken in a never-ending loop. If one had a keen eye for detail, they would be able to tell that those so-called machines and conveyor belts were nothing but cardboard with a really damn good paint job.

Not only that, but on the right end of the parade float was a large assortment of nests with chicken eggs that cracked open once in a while to show-off singing chicks. And overseeing these nests was Clucky de Lux himself, listing off all of the different chicken meals he could make through his song.

"Oh, Chicken Sandwiches, Chicken Legs, Chicken Bitches!" Clucky clucked. "How delicious! How scrumptious! Chicken for everyone!"

Slowly, the Clucks Deluxe Parade Float passed by with a flock of humanoid-like chicken dancing behind. For an abandoned amusement, this place sure had a large budget to pull off a lot of things now that the writer has thought of it…

"O-Okay, but the music is catchy, at least?" Alina sheepishly smiled toward her peers.

"Honey, just… no…" Yukihiko shook his head.

"D-Did that thing escape from my Ultimate Attraction?!" Daisuke started to wail in terror at seeing Clucky de Lux on the Parade Float. "I knew there was something off about that thing! I knew it was haunted by the souls of children stuffed inside the–"

"Calm down, Daisuke," Aidan ordered him. "It's just some animatronic. Given the fact that this place has robotic dancing chickens on the ground, it's not impossible that Piero's Playground has a spare, right?"

"O-Oh…" Daisuke gulped, glancing down, flushing embarrassedly.

"Oh my, that has to be the smartest thing I've heard you say these past few days," Beauté giggled to herself.

"H-Hey, I take offense to that!" Aidan frowned at the red-headed bitch.

Before he could continue, the next Parade Float arrived. This time however, the Parade Float was moreso a giant comic book with ripped pages featuring Lady Radiance and her many heroic endeavors. Tied above this Parade Float was a logically sized balloon of Lady Radiance, flying over the Parade Float. And leading this Parade Float along was known other than Lady Radiance herself, who had been standing on the Lady Radiance Parade Float and hopped off simply to approach the 16 playmates.

And unlike the other animatronics, this Lady Radiance one seemed much more refined than the others thus far. With smooth movements, the superheroine ran up to the 16 playmates and shined a bright light at them.

"Agh!" Riku covered his eyes. "What was that for?!"

"You look amazing today, citizens!" Lady Radiance saluted. "The evil Spellcaster won't be doing anything to you any time soon!"

"It's Lady Radiance!" Emmeline gasped. "Lady Radiance! Please help us! We're forced to kill each other on Piero's Playground by this mean hyena and his silly clown friend!"

"Sounds great citizen!" Lady Radiance gave Emmeline a thumbs-up. "Stay safe! And have a fun time here at Piero's Playground!"

The superheroine climbed back up onto her Parade Float and continued to wave toward a nonexistent crowd as the Parade Float moved forward. Blinking, Emmeline looked down and nibbled on a pill sadly.

"L-Lady Radiance doesn't care about us…" Emmeline frowned.

"Oh honey," Yukihiko tilted his head, almost condescending-like. "That's because Lady Radiance was a robot and wasn't programmed to solve our problems. So sorry you had to find out that way."

"Can you not be so rude to her for once?" Alina placed her hands over her hips, looking at Yukihiko disapprovingly.

"I've said this time and time again," Yukihiko stared at his fingernails. "She's a grown woman. Therefore, she needs to stop acting like a child."

"I don't see anything wrong with–" Alina began before she got herself cut off by Emmeline's enthusiasm. The butterfly scientist had pointed her finger toward the next Parade Float that was slowly approaching.

And unlike the previous three, there were no dancers leading it and instead it just consisted of rather a large parade float with an oversized sack decorated with Christmas-type memorabilia. Within the sack were presents of every size and sitting on top of the sack was a cat girl wearing a Santa-outfit. Someone that many of the playmates had recognized.

"It's that Cat Burglar!" Emmeline gasped. "Mrs. Claws!"

"Nyahahahaha!" Mrs. Claws' laugh could be heard echoing from the Mrs. Claws Parade Float she sat on. "I have stolen Christmas! These presents are all for me! Try and catch me if you can! Nyahahahaha!"

"Mrs. Claws stole Christmas!" Emmeline continued to gasp.

"I feel like you're the only one who's actually into this…" Fábio remarked.

"Just how long are we going to be here, do ya reckon?" Yumi looked absolutely bored out of her mind. "I thought we had something to do. Not waste our time watching some Parade go on…"

"Yumi makes a compelling point," Alisa glanced at her pocket watch. "The longer we watch this, the more time we waste. Let us head off to wherever we all wished to do here. This Parade has been pretty disinteresting…"

"Mmm… slight problem…" Kazuki noted as he had walked toward the end of the sidewalk toward where Manon's Attraction would've been.

As everyone else's eyes followed, they noticed that what was blocking Kazuki from stepping onto the street to go directly toward Manon's Ultimate Attraction were a group of dancers in clown makeup, leading in the next Parade Float that was a little bit farther behind.

"E-Eh, you mean…" Daisuke widened his eyes.

"Aw come on!" Aidan had hurried over to the sidewalk leading into the Pleasure Park but noticed that it was currently being blocked by the Lady Radiance Parade Float.

"Aye!" Roderick grumbled. "It seems this Parade be blocking our way of doing what we need to do…"

"And there's three different Parade showtimes?" Daisuke exclaimed, his mind sweating. "Th-That just makes exploring the park so much harder! Who designed the Parade like this?!"

"Oi, I did. Why do you think it's called the Traffic Jam Parade, fatso?"

The sudden appearance of Monoyena, no longer wielding his marshalling wands, and instead wielding his Barbie Blade and sharpening one of his exposed canines.

"H-He's HEEEEEREEEE!" Daisuke's face paled and his mouth started to foam.

"So, let me get this straight," Alisa narrowed her eyes, seemingly irritated. "You mean to say that the Traffic Jam Parade is meant to act as a barrier that can keep us locked in one location until the Parade is over…?"

"I mean, I wouldn't say locked, mate," Monoyena smoothed his punk-like mohawk with the side of his Barbie Blade. "You can still cross the barrier by stepping on the street. Only problem is if ya do that, ya stop the Parade, and if ya stop the Parade…"

Monoyena started to lick the side of his Barbie Blade, allowing his jagged red eye to glow.

"I'll amputate your legs, cook in a hot boiling oven, glaze it with the finest BBQ sauce down under, and force ya to eat the grease!" Monoyena snarled before cackling. "Bwa... Bwahahahahaha!"

"In other words, we really are stuck here until the Parade is over," Fábio sighed.

"Fucking hell, all of ya clearly need to have a good wanking once in your life if you're this bored at a Parade…" Monoyena chuckled. "Bwa… Bwahahahahaha!"

The hyena began to laugh at the playmate's obvious boredom/annoyance/unnerved expressions at some of the things they had to watch pass by them. But as the hyena laughed, the fifth Parade Float appeared.

"Bwa… Bwahahaha… bwahaha… Bwah… Bwa… Bwuh?" Monoyena had slowly stopped laughing and tilted his head in confusion. "Erm, w-what the fuck…?"

The fifth Parade float was a relatively nice Parade Float. It was modeled after a classic red wagon carrying oversized child-like toys and trinkets of every kind. This included large letter blocks, toy soldiers and toy monkeys standing still, and to top it off, a throne where Stanczyk sat on top of, waving toward no one in particular. Truly, this was the Stanczyk Parade Float!

"Yes!" Stanczyk giggled. "Yes! And I love you too, random child! Hello! Hello! Oh! What a nice look you have on today!"

"W-What the fuck is that faulty sperm doin on that Parade Float?!" Monoyena gnashed his teeth angrily. "Oi! Stanshit! What the fuck?!"

"Oh?" Stanczyk turned toward the group of 17 below him. His grin widened as he waved his hands excitedly. "Oh! Best friends! Monoyena! It's you! Hi! Hello! Look at me! I'm King of the Hill!"

"Oh my," Beauté gasped. "How elegantly intriguing…"

"Get the fuck down there!" Monoyena ordered before holding up his Barbie Blade, threateningly. "Or I'll rip your spineless ass to shreds!"

"Huh?!" Stanczyk held up his hand over where his ear would've been on his jester's mask. "S-Sorry! I can't hear you! I'm moving too far away to hear your threats!"

"Acting like the fucking Queen of England…" Monoyena's jagged red eye illuminated brighter variations of its original color, signifying just how angry he was. Under his breath, the hyena continued, "I'll fucking tear this twink a new one, I swear to God…"

"Hehehe hahaha!" Stanczyk continued to laugh. From the sounds of it, he seemed like he was having a lot of fun just riding the Parade Float toward Pleasure Park. Waving toward the 16 playmates, his grin continued to remain strong and happy. "See you around best friends! This is so much fun! Woooo!"

As his Parade Float moved away, the 16 playmates remained silent at what they had seen. It was official. This Parade had taken a turn for the strange yet slightly endearing. But mostly strange. And Stanczyk being on the Parade Float was just the icing on the cake.

"Please tell me that was the last of these Parade Floats," Mara sighed. "I don't think I can handle staying around for another."

"You said it pardner," Yuumi rubbed the back of her neck. The gunslinger was obviously bored since the Parade started.

"From the looks of what's approaching…" Manon blinked. "There seems to be one more!"

"N-Nay… it be not…" Roderick suddenly widened his eyes.

...

The last of the Parade Floats was much larger and grander than the other ones. Not because it just looked better or had an intricate design or anything like that… But because this parade float had a large 32-foot-tall monster on top of it. Matching the heights of the buildings of the Happy Highway's Street section, unlike the other Parade Floats, this one just exhibited a feeling of terror…

The monster itself looked to be a cross between a dragon and person. With its muscular arms and lizard-like head, one could easily imagine this as some sort of crossbreed between Godzilla and John Cena. Which is the only time I will ever mention those two in the same sentence by the way! It hovered over a decorative set of cardboard, painted to represent the Empire State Building.

And most interesting of all…

RAWRRRR!

It roared.

It tilted its head, lowering its upper body down to Parade Float. It opened its mouth up and down. Clearly, all the budget went into designing this Giant Monster Parade Float.

"N-Nay, it's the Beast of Guantanamo Bay!" Roderick exclaimed. The fisherman's face turned exceptionally blue. Reaching into his overalls, he took out his gun and waved it around like a maniac, his forehead sweating. "W-We need to take it down! W-We need to shoot it! K-Kill it!"

"W-What the–?!" Daisuke widened his eyes. "I-Is that a GUN?!"

"Oi!" Monoyena was definitely looking pissed at what was happening. "You pull that trigger and I'm cutting off that hand off, ya hear me?!"

Despite the threat, Roderick felt little control over his shaking hands. He felt himself instinctively point the gun toward the 32-foot-tall beast as it let out another vociferous roar. He felt his finger point slowly move toward the trigger. But before his gun could let out a bang, he was immediately restrained behind Aidan and Fábio.

"R-Roderick!" Aidan held his arm tightly. "Take it easy man! It's just a Parade Float!"

"N-Nay!" Roderick exclaimed. It was no surprise that someone who was arguably the strongest of the group was giving trouble to two other people. "L-Let go! Th-That monster needs to be defeated! I-It'll eat us all! G-Grind our bones into liver and s-spit us out!"

"We're going to need a little more help here," Fábio turned toward the others.

However, it seemed a majority of the group seemed a little frightened by Roderick's sudden outburst. Or rather, seemed a little frightened by the fact that the person who was freaking out was also wielding a very dangerous firearm. In fact, it seemed that out of everyone, Yumi was the one with the darkest blue of faces.

"L-Let go!" Roderick wailed. "L-Let go! A captain needs to take care of his crew! I ain't gonna let this beast eat more people!"

"Agh!" Aidan felt his grip on the larger male's arm loosen. "Someone?! Anyone?!"

"Allow me…" Kikuko bowed her head as she stepped forward, voluntarily.

As the two boys struggled to keep Roderick at bay, the shrine priestess had simply walked up to the three and bowed her head. She placed her hands together and began to mutter something under her breath.

"O Seiryuu…" Kikuko began to pray. "Please give me the necessary strength I need to subdue this troubled man's demons…"

"Um, when we asked for help, we didn't mean a pra–" Aidan began before ultimately getting cut off.

Kikuko had taken out an ofuda. With glowing blue eyes and quick speeds, she instantly smacked it against Roderick's forehead, taping the warding charm directly onto it. Almost like magic, Roderick stopped struggling. Bewildered, Aidan and Fábio let go of Roderick, allowing the larger fisherman to fall onto his back.

Whatever Kikuko had done seemed to have done the trick. Roderick was out cold. The gun remained in his hand but was under no threat of being used. And Kikuko seemed to be satisfied with what she had done.

"Thank you," Kikuko bowed her head. "Seiryuu…"

…

As the Monster Parade Float passed by and began to follow the other Parade Floats, which had circled around Pleasure Park and was now currently passing by the right side of the Street section of the Highway, Aidan took the initiative of confiscating Roderick's gun and tossing it gently toward Yumi.

"W-What?" Yumi blinked, face paling slightly. "Yer giving this to me?"

"Hey, as the Ultimate Gunslinger, you're definitely better at gun-handling than everyone else is," Aidan shrugged before giving her a thumbs-up. "I trust you."

"What about him?" Alina glanced at Roderick's unconscious body, worriedly. "He's not… dead. Is he?"

"Far from it," Kikuko shook her head. "I merely used a warding charm to keep his inner demons at bay. Double that with a correctly timed pinching of his pressure points and he should be knocked out for no more than an hour."

"Oh la la~" Manon exclaimed happily, her eyes sparkling. "Incroyable! You have amazing skills, Madame Unmei! Truly fantastique!"

"It's nothing amazing," Kikuko shook her head. She didn't seem to enjoy the praise. "Any shrine maiden could do it."

"But you are ze Ultimate Shrine Priestess, no?" Manon giddily questioned. "That must mean you are much better than any ordinary Shrine Maiden! Oui?"

"I…" Kikuko closed her eyes with a sigh. "I… suppose so…"

"Even if Kikuko's skill is unmatched, we can't just leave Roderick on the floor like this," Fábio folded his arms. "Think we should shelter him somewhere? Maybe Daisuke's Ultimate Attraction?"

"An unconscious man is susceptible to danger…" Kazuki spoke up. "If we're going to move him anywhere… I think he should be escorted outside of the park. Don't you agree…?"

"Yeah, I get it," Alina nodded. "If he remains unconscious here, someone here might go and attack him. That's what you're worried about, right Kazuki?"

"...Exactly…" Kazuki tiredly nodded.

"Oh my," Beauté gasped before smirking to herself. "It sounds like you don't really trust anyone here."

"...I guess you can say that…" Kazuki quietly chuckled. "...But I didn't mean to cause any offense… I just thought this would be the safest option… Wouldn't you all concur…?"

…

They did, in fact, concur.

Once the last Monster Parade Float passed by the Lady Radiance statue, the roads of both the Hollywood section, the Street section, and Pleasure Park, were completely free of slow-moving Parade Floats. On cue, Monoyena twirled his Barbie Blade around and glanced toward his subjects.

"Sounds like the Parade's over!" Monoyena combed his hair using his Barbie Blade. "Hope ya enjoyed the show! There's two more where that came from!"

"How annoying," Riku grumbled.

"Now that ya know how this Parade works, I'll go and catch ya wanks later!" Monoyena grinned, exposing his sharp canines. "Good luck on whatever the fuck y'all are thinking about doin! Hopefully it's to go and kill someone! That'll really get my knickers dancing like it's the 1920s! Bwa… Bwahahahaha!"

Almost instantly, the Monoyena had scurried off to who knows where. Judging by the direction he went; it was clear that they had the okay of stepping onto the street now. Alisa checked her pocket watch.

"It is 2:30 exactly," Alisa stated. "The next show isn't until another hour, 30 minutes, and five seconds. We should start moving and plan accordingly before we get roadblocked in the middle of our investigation again."

"Great idea," Aidan nodded. "So, we still remember our roller coaster group, right?"

"I have it all memorized!" Alina proudly stated. "Though, there's still one more thing we need to think about."

She turned toward Roderick's still unconscious body.

"Who's going to carry him out of the park?" she asked.

"Leave that to me, sweetie," Yukihiko shook his head. "Although this is clearly a grown man, I think the most qualified for caretaking duty is clearly me, the Ultimate Child Caretaker…"

Yukihiko paused and examined Roderick's physique.

"Though, given how burly he is, perhaps I could use some assistance?" Yukihiko questioned.

Though there was some silence, an unlikely hand rose up. The owner of that hand stepped forward. It was Mara. And she seemed as if she was trying hard not to get any attention pointed directly toward her.

"...I'll do it," Mara folded her arms.

"Could I get someone else?" Yukihiko sighed.

"Tch," Mara narrowed her eyes. "Helping you bring this guy out of the park should realistically ease everyone's tensions. After all, the known killer here isn't roaming around in the Killing Game Arena, right?"

Mara stared at her hands, glumly.

"Besides, I can't stand being here anymore longer," Mara shrugged. "So, might as well…"

Yukihiko couldn't help but remain suspicious of the karate master's reasoning. She was a killer after all. But despite this, he sighed and relented. There was no point in arguing. Besides, killing in the Safe Zone wasn't going to benefit anyone in the long run so…

"...Fine," Yukihiko merely stated. "Let's go…"

With Yukihiko and Mara carrying Roderick away toward the park's exit, this left the current group at 13, soon to separate into smaller groups of numbers. Turning toward everyone, Aidan pumped his fist in determination.

"Alright gang," Aidan grinned. "With that settled, I think it's time we get to finding the kid! Operation: Save the Child Take Two is in order!"

"Right!" Alina pumped her fist as well.

"When did it become Take Two?" Riku questioned.

Ignoring Riku's question, everyone else either shared that same feeling of determination or were just impatient. If they were going to get to investigating, they were going to have to start moving now. If they wanted to avoid getting blocked off by the next Traffic Jam Parade, they were going to have to move. So, move now, they did…

---

[Ultimate Actress's Attraction]

---

(Outside)

Almost immediately, Alina had gathered the group that were going to go on the roller coaster ride together. For reminder's sake, this included Alina herself, Beauté, Fábio, Issac, Isolde, Kikuko, and Yumi. However, since it turns out that Fábio was the only person of the group to have investigated this, it meant that it was up to him to give these folks a grand tour of what Manon's Attraction was all about.

"Wow, this attraction looks like the real deal alright," Issac chuckled. "Lady Radiance vs. Spellcaster. Someone can make a toy out of this."

"I'm pretty sure they already do…" Fábio deadpanned.

Without much else to do, the five of the group of seven headed inside. The only two that stayed behind were Alina and Yumi, the latter of whom had glanced at Roderick's gun tucked in her gun holster uncomfortably. Raising an eyebrow and perking her head, Alina took notice.

"You alright, Yumi?" Alina asked.

"H-Huh?" Yumi blinked. She lowered her Stetson hat. "O-Oh. Uh. Y-Yeah. I'm fine. Just thinkin 'bout that Roderick fella…"

Alina gave the cowgirl a smile of assurance.

"Oh, no need to worry too much about it," Alina assured. "You have his gun. And frankly, I think a lot of us definitely trust you well with it."

Yumi slowly trailed her fingers on the gun in her holster. Then, with a small yet uneasy, forced smile, she nodded.

"I… guess you have a point…" Yumi merely responded.

"Come on," Alina gestured toward the cowgirl with a smile. "The others are waiting!"

Skipping off to enter the queue line for the Attraction, Yumi took another look at the gun. It felt weird having something in that holster again. With heavy breath, she followed behind the maestro. Perhaps taking on this task of riding the roller coaster would help ease her worries for a moment…

---

(Queue)

"...and that's how this queue works, based on my understanding..."

When Alina and Yumi caught up to the others, the two noticed that everyone had waited at the queue line's notable intersection. As a reminder, the arrow pointing to the left was decorated with sparkly stars while the arrow pointing to the right was decorated with cartoonish shadows. And currently, Fábio was in the middle of explaining this branching pathway. By the time Alina and Yumi had caught up to the others, he had stopped.

"Oops, sorry about that!" Alina rubbed the back of her head with a brightened smile. "Didn't mean to interrupt!"

"Oh my, was there something wrong?" Beauté tilted her head curiously. Slowly, her lips widened into a smirk. "Don't tell me someone has gotten cold feet."

"No no, far from it," Alina pulled off a giggle.

"Er, could ah ask what's with the branching pathways?" Yumi blinked.

"Fábio was actually in the middle of explaining this," Kikuko responded, bowing her head. "Based on what I understand, these branching pathways lead to separate coasters. The path on the left leads to a Lady Radiance coaster car and the one on the right leads to a Spellcaster coaster car."

"Yeah, that's about right," Fábio shrugged, twirling one of his ringleted hair. "It's a dueling coaster. So it's only natural for it to have two coaster cars. Right now, we were discussing dividing ourselves evenly to see who would go on which car."

"I see," Alina understood. "We are a group of six after all!"

"Ahem," Issac cleared his throat.

"S-Seven," Alina corrected herself, forgetting to include the toy caterpillar. "So I would presume four on one coaster and three on the other?"

"Each coaster has eight cars in them," Fábio nodded. "So, yeah. That would be the obvious thing to assume."

"Then, in that case, I volunteer myself for the Spellcaster coaster," Beauté smirked. "I do like dark magicians. There's something about them that is just so… elegant."

"You would think that, wouldn't you?" Alina chuckled sheepishly.

"I would like to ride the Lady Radiance coaster," Kikuko politely raised her hand. "I'm afraid I do not wish to associate myself with a coaster based on a rather diabolical character."

"Sounds like you've seen the Lady Radiance movies," Fábio slowly pocketed his hands with a shrug.

"I… dabble with Western pop culture media at times…" Kikuko glanced away, hiding her face.

"What team do you want to be on, Isolde?" Issac glanced at Isolde curiously. "Team Radiance or Team Caster?"

After a pause, Issac's eyes look surprised.

"Team Caster?" Issac blinked. "Man. What a buzzkill. I wanted to be on Team Radiance. Oh well. Your word is law, I guess…"

"So that's one person going for Radiance and two people going for Caster…" Fábio dictated. "Personally, I'd like to go on the Radiance one. What about you two?"

The figure skater glanced toward the maestro and gunslinger, both of whom were giving it a thought on which coaster they wanted to ride. Though, it had to be noted that the obscene amount of time they were wasting on trying to decide was completely unnecessary. Just pick one already!

"Hm, I can't decide," Alina tapped her chin. "What do you think, Yumi?"

"Ah would like to be on Team Radiance," Yumi tipped her hat. "Gal be radiating all kinds of beauty. Kinda like a certain blonde in front of mah eyes…"

Yumi gave her a quick wink.

"Huh?" Alina blinked. She tucked her hair behind her ears. She smiled to herself. "Oh, come on. You're just flattering me."

"Does that mean you're taking Team Spellcaster, Alina?" Fábio questioned.

"Guess so," Alina quickly overlooked the flirtatious remark she was given and pumped her fists, almost teasingly. "You're going down by the way Team Radiance!"

"Okay, let's not take this too seriously here," Fábio was the real buzzkill here.

…

Once the decisions were made, Fábio, Kikuko, and Yumi headed in the direction that led them to Lady Radiance's coaster. By the time they made it to the gate that would soon open and allow them to board the coaster, the three noticed that Alina, Beauté, and Issac (and pet) were ready to board the Spellcaster coaster right across from them. Both coasters had just arrived, with their safety bar handles raised up into the air.

Suddenly.

Hyena.

"Well, well, if it ain't the pussy and friends," Monoyena appeared at the control panel, pressing a button and causing the coaster itself to remain at its loading dock. The stuffed hyena started to cackle. "Back to being a good fucking embarrassment of a son, have ya, twinky-toes?"

Fábio was not at all happy with that comment.

"We are here to ride the ride," Kikuko spoke up. "Why are you here?"

"Well, I don't know how amusement parks work at your fucking mess of an island, Nip, but here in the West, we got something called ride control panels that we use to make sure guests get on rides safely and securely," Monoyena condescendingly stated. "Course, the Japs probably don't know anything about safety given the fact that they can't even handle a few quakes and waves here and there! Bwa… Bwahahahaha!"

Kikuko took a deep, deep breath and exhaled. It was clear that what the hyena was saying was seriously getting on her nerves.

"You're here to turn the ride off of automatic, right?" Fábio questioned.

"Hey, ya remembered, not bad…" Monoyena seemed genuinely impressed before his jagged red eye darkened. "...For a twink with a bad hairdo…"

"Automatic?" Issac questioned from the other side. "Like, as in, the ride just goes on in a loop if no one turns that option off?"

"Oi, can't fucking hear ya over there!" Monoyena cupped his ear, acting as if he were deaf. "Anyway. Automatic simply makes the ride just go on over and over again. All safety options are off when it's on automatic. So good luck climbing onto the ride when it's on automatic, get me?"

"I may not know mah tech well, but why have dat option in the first place, then?" Yumi asked, confused.

"For show purposes, dumbass!" Monoyena gnashed his sharp teeth together. "Ya ever go outside, see a ride in action and go, 'I wanna ride that too!'? Yeah. That's what automatic is for. But turning it off sets it to manual. Which is what it's on now. That's how I get ya fucks to board the ride and then I can do all the fucking safety checks and shit…"

"Much like a traditional amusement park!" Alina pointed out from the other side.

"Still can't hear ya, ya blonde bitch!" Monoyena called out.

"W-We're not even that far apart!" Alina pouted.

"Anyway, ya wanks gonna ride the ride or what?" Monoyena took out his Barbie Blade and twirled it around. "Time's a wasting and we need all the fucking power we can get in this fucking joint…"

The six– I mean seven, looked amongst each other either from the same side or from the other side. Were they sure they really wanted to ride this ride?

…

Yes.

Yes they were.

Fábio had seated himself in the front with Kikuko sitting behind him and Yumi sitting behind her. Similarly, Alina had seated herself in the front of the Spellcaster car with Issac and Isolde sitting behind her and Beauté choosing to sit in the last car on the back. Monoyena had stationed himself at the control panels and pressed a button.

Slowly, the safety bar handles for both coasters had lowered themselves, keeping every rider safely tucked in their own carts. Putting on some headphones and a microphone, Monoyena acted as if he were a ride attendant and his voice echoed throughout the loading dock.

"Alright, attention ya wanks," Monoyena began. "Ya know the general rules of every amusement ride. Please stay seated. Keep all arms and legs inside the vehicle at all times. Check your safety bar handle and raise your hand if it's not working… yadda yadda, bullshit, bullshit, load of big fucking bullshit…"

Monoyena's expression seemed bored before he took off his headphones. His mouth widened into that signature sadistic grin of his as he slapped his paw onto a button.

"...And have fun!" Monoyena started to cackle. "Bwa… Bwahahahaha!"

That laugh did not make any of the riders comfortable with the position they were in. And slowly, the both coasters began to move at the same time toward a dark tunnel straight ahead. Whatever awaited them was going to be absolutely nerve-racking…

---

(The Ride)

Fábio, Kikuko, and Yumi couldn't see anything for a while. But their ears picked up the sounds of police sirens and the smell of what appeared to be a hot dog from a nearby hot dog stand. Some visuals of tall buildings could be seen but most compelling of all was the voice of Lady Radiance speaking to them.

"Hey, welcome to the team, superstars. Glad you picked my side. Listen, Spellcaster has been sighted around the corner of Goldenrod City. Follow my lead. That criminal is not going to get away with his crimes. Hope you guys can fly!"

The ride itself moved slowly. Then slowly, amidst the darkness and occasional lights, the ride turned the corner and began to ascend, into what seemed to be a dead end. The ride kept moving however and slowly, Fábio attempted to turn his head toward the riders behind him.

"H-Hey, uh, how are you guys doing back there?" the figure skater asked.

"Just fine," Kikuko seemed way too invested in what was about to happen.

"Is dat a wall in front of the ride?!" Yumi was not.

The voice of Lady Radiance spoke up.

"God, I can't see anything through this darkness. Cover your eyes folks. Things are about to get really bright…!"

Almost instantly, the dark tunnel they were in illuminated with light and the wall itself opened up to reveal the light at the end of this tunnel. In short, the coaster was approaching a peak right outside of the ride's actual building. Not only that, but as soon as they reached the peak, so did the Spellcaster coaster. Alina, Beauté, and Issac shared glances with the Lady Radiance riders.

"Oh, hi there," Alina sheepishly smiled as she gripped the safety bar.

They were already so high up. Both coaster carts came to a stop, giving them a good look at almost the entirety of Piero's Playground. Though, given the fact that most of it were just trees, it wasn't much to look at. Then, both Lady Radiance and a new voice started to speak.

"Ah! Spellcaster!"

"Lady Radiance! So glad of you to stop by. It does brighten my day to see you."

Kikuko groaned.

"Save your formalities. Whatever you're plotting, I'll stop it."

"Hahaha. Is that so? Very well then. Give me your best shot!"

"I plan so! Alright, citizens! Hold on tight! This is going to get bumpy!"

"Bumpy?" Yumi questioned.

Both coaster cars started to shake and almost all too quickly, both coasters flew down the track's highest peak at a high speed of let's say 200 mph. (I don't know my speed measurements but it's supposed to be really damn fast, okay?!) All the riders were notably taken aback by how sudden the drop was as they flew down the descent and started to ride alongside each other.

"Wh-Whoooaaaaaa!" Fábio felt the wind blow against his face, holding onto the safety bar handle tightly.

"Woohoooooo!" Kikuko started to cheer, raising her arms excitedly into the air.

"Yeeeeehawwwww!" Yumi similarly cheered, waving her Stetson hat like a typical cowgirl.

Also similar was the reactions of the riders on the other coaster that were feeling the adrenaline rush and excitement of the ride.

"Yeaaaaahhhh!" Alina praised, raising her arms much like Kikuko had been doing.

"This is so elegaaaaaant!" Beauté acclaimed.

"Hold on tight Isolde!" Issac kept one hand on the safety bar handle and another hand on Isolde, making sure she didn't fly off of his neck.

By the time the ride had stopped descending, both rides were now side-by-side, twisting and turning abruptly with the sounds of blasts and explosions ringing in their ears. It was a clear simulation of the back-and-forth blows between Lady Radiance and Spellcaster.

"You're going to have to do better than that if you're going to catch me, Radiance!"

"Ha! I can do this all day! Take that!"

"Agh! Once again, Radiance, you seem a little impatient. How about you try slowing down a bit?!"

"Oh no! It's Spellcaster's magic! Brace yourselves!"

The Lady Radiance coaster shook and abruptly came to a stop. The Spellcaster coaster then rode off ahead without them, with the voice of Spellcaster cackling as he escaped back into that dark building once again.

"Darn it! He's getting away… but not for long. Heroes never give up!"

Immediately, the Lady Radiance coaster started back up at a high speed and directly flew into the building. As the Lady Radiance coaster moved, luminous lights began to brighten up the place in a neon light. The building was still dark regardless and there seemed to be no sign of the Spellcaster car anywhere.

"Damn it, where did he go?! Oh! There! The sewer!"

The ride moved a little slower.

"Damn it, where did he go?! Oh! There! The sewer!"

Lady Radiance's voice unnecessarily repeated itself, but the ride started to move until it was engulfed in complete darkness. Now, Fábio, Kikuko, and Yumi had no idea where they were. Which made the sudden attack and bump on the ride that much more surprising. Not only that, but the ride itself had started to move up as soon as Spellcaster's voice came back.

"Aha! You fell for my trap! How about it, Radiance? How's this for a magic trick!"

"Spellcaster, you–"

The ride had ascended until finally, Fábio, Kikuko, and Yumi felt as if gravity was trying to pull them out of their coaster cars, with the ride coming to a complete stop. This naturally made all three riders hold onto their safety handles with widened expressions that none of them could see.

"Agh!" Yumi's voice asked. "W-What in tarnation?! I feel like I'm about to fall out!"

"I-Is this part of the ride?" Kikuko's voice questioned. "And where are the others?!"

"I… don't know…" Fábio's voice stated, somewhat nervously.

The ride started to shake, with bursts of dim lights blasting in different corners of the room they were in, though it really didn't help them see anything in the room. And for a while, it felt like the blood and adrenaline was starting to rush to their heads at an inappropriate speed.

"Take that! And that! And that! Hahahaha! What says you now, Lady Radiance?! Think you can stop me?!"

"Heroes never give up Spellcaster. So. Let. My. Friends. Go!"

Almost immediately the Lady Radiance coaster car moved at a high speed. No longer did the three feel as if they were falling. Now, it felt as if they were being pushed back into their seats by an electromagnetic force. The coaster car had blasted itself through a relatively bright tunnel. The riders in the Spellcaster coaster were now side-by-side with them and all they could hear was…

"The power of my radiant light compels you!"

"N-NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

In fact, that was the last thing they would hear before they reached a familiar sight…

---

(Queue)

Monoyena sat back on the stool leading to the control panel, enjoying some delicious shrimp on a plate. He used his Barbie Blade as a makeshift fork and continued to snack on his Australian (maybe?) delicacy. He seemed to be enjoying himself. Though, the enjoyment faded by the time the Spellcaster and Lady Radiance carts approached the loading dock once more, with the riders completely overtaken by the adrenaline rush the ride had pumped into their system.

"Oh," Monoyena tossed his plate of shrimp to the side and sighed. "Yer back…"

The hyena opened his mouth with a sadistic yet irritated grin.

"So!" Monoyena grinned. "How'd ya wankers enjoy the ride?"

---

(Outside)

Fábio, Kikuko, and Yumi slowly wobbled outside of the Ultimate Attraction's left exit. Comparatively, Alina, Beauté, and Issac had seemed to have been relatively content with the ride as they left through the Ultimate Attraction's right exit. This would also explain why the ride itself had two exits, huh.

"Well, that had to be the most uncomfortable I've been when riding roller coasters…" Fábio stretched out his back, uncomfortably.

"It was quite rough…" Kikuko had to agree.

"Are y'all kidding me?" Yumi blinked before grinning optimistically. Whatever had been bothering her previously had long passed now. "Now dat was a rootin' tootin' roller coaster!"

Yumi almost fell over, but she caught herself immediately.

"E-Erm, ahem, dat was just a result of the fun ah had…" Yumi sheepishly smiled.

"Hey guys!" Alina ran up toward the riders on the Lady Radiance coaster, with Issac and Beauté following behind. "How was the ride on the Lady Radiance side?! The Spellcaster one was so amazing! I really felt like I was a supervillain!"

"I agree, it was quite elegant!" Beauté was equally as content, placing her hands over her lips with a smirk.

"Though, Isolde didn't have a good time, I'm afraid," Issac sighed to himself. He had taken the toy caterpillar off of his neck and had begun petting it on its back. "Poor thing threw up…"

How does a toy cater- Nevermind.

"Unfortunately, I am willing to agree with the… caterpillar," Kikuko eyed the caterpillar uncomfortably. "I was unaware that Western roller coasters would be so rough…"

"I feel like a bone in my body got misplaced or something..." Fábio winced. "Lady Radiance really took a beating in that ride, I guess..."

"Ah saw nothing wrong with it!" Yumi shrugged before blinking slightly. "'Cept maybe it hurts the spine a bit..."

She massaged her head with her finger.

"Oh, I'm sorry you three didn't get to enjoy it," Alina blinked, looking down somewhat disappointedly.

"Oh, no need to apologize to them," Beauté giggled creepily. "They obviously couldn't handle a simple roller coaster…"

"Girl, there be nothin' simple 'bout that coaster," Yumi winced before smiling excitedly. "Dats what makes it funner than riding a cattle toward the sun!"

"Mmm, fair enough," Beauté gave a rather condescending look toward the three.

"Though, opinions on the ride aside," Kikuko slowly raised her hand. "I was wondering about something…"

"What is it, Kikuko?" Alina tilted her head curiously.

"What was this supposed special quality to the ride that Fábio told us about?" Kikuko asked. "I didn't find anything that was anything special…"

"Huh, Isolde agrees with you," Issac rubbed his chin. "She says that the roller coaster is just your state-of-the-art typical coaster so…"

All eyes were on Fábio now. His head regained the ability to think straight. As such, it was enough for him to express surprise that people were approaching him about it. Makes sense since he was the one who checked out the Attraction and learned about the special qualities in the first place.

"I'm… not too sure of myself either," Fábio sighed, tucking his hands inside his pockets. "But I don't think I'm ready to ride the ride again just to try to find out. One time was enough for me."

"Aw, really?" Alina seemed disappointed to hear that.

"I must agree," Kikuko nodded. "One time was certainly enough."

"Don't ya worry!" Yumi grinned at the riders of the Spellcaster coaster. "I'm still willin to ride this bull up and down the peak!"

"Then, perhaps we should come back at a later time?" Issac suggested.

"That would be nice!" Alina clasped her hands together excitedly. "It was so much fun!"

In the end, all Fábio really got from his suggestion of the search was a back pain and no clues to what Monoyena was talking about. He had folded his arms and let his mind wander. Could it be that Monoyena was just spewing lies out of his mouth? Well, he wouldn't be surprised if the hyena said that to send them on a wild goose chase.

But at the same time, there had to be more to the ride…

Right?

---

[Ultimate Fast Food Employee's Attraction]

---

(Inside)

Aidan grimaced.

Clucks Deluxe knew exactly what they were doing when they advertised their joint as a nonstop fest to sell everything chicken. Based on the menu, it was just as he had learned not too long ago. Every product in Clucks Deluxe was chicken-based:

Chicken Pot Pie.

Chicken Wings.

Chicken Legs.

Chicken Fries.

Chicken… Water?

Ew!

Aidan didn't even want to know what that was. Besides, it obviously can't compete with the greatness that was his signature water bottles! Purely made from natural sources called the factory! Delicious flavors that taste just like water! And to top it all off, it was cheaper than any tap water at a low low price of 6.99 dollars!

The beauty of water bottles everyone!

Nevertheless, Aidan placed his order. He was starving so he might as well get something to eat. He couldn't skip leg day after all! Leaning against the wall, the order came through and all that was left to do was to snag a table.

And given the fact that this amusement park's only guests were 16 students from some academy, it was relatively easy to snag a table in a room that was virtually empty.

Aidan snagged a table and began to eat his lunch precariously. Though he noted the slight oily feeling of an otherwise crispy piece of chicken, taking one bite off of it and the track star relented. It was pretty good! In the words of Homelander, deeeeel-l-l-l-l-l-licious.

Anyways.

Aidan began to eat through the Clucks Deluxe Special, noting the suspicious glances that the Clucky de Lux animatronic was supposedly giving him from time to time, which could honestly just be his imagination speaking, and allowed himself a little peace and quiet. Unfortunately, peace and quiet would be broken with a soft-spoken…

"Um, h-how are you enjoying it?"

Aidan glanced up and wiped his hands.

"Oh, Daisuke," Aidan blinked. "You're here."

He held up some bottled water.

"Water?" he smiled genuinely.

"O-Oh, um… Oooh…" Daisuke covered his face, sneaking peeks and there. "Think Daisuke! Think! Should I really accept such a kind offer from such a handsome guy? Maybe he likes me! Maybe he doesn't! I don't know! I don't know!"

Aidan had no idea what the heck he was talking about. A classic anime sweat drop dripped down the side of his head.

"Um, if you don't want it, you can just say 'no'," Aidan chuckled sheepishly.

"Ugh!" Daisuke felt his face flush. "H-He's really speaking to me despite me being so pathetic! What have I done to deserve such a feat?! Ohhhh, why can't I give an actual response?! I'm such a loser…"

Once again, Aidan had no idea what the heck he was talking about.

…

"So, Daisuke," Aidan started to speak to the larger male. "Um…"

It took a bit before Aidan finally found the right moment to talk to the self-deprecating fast-food employee. Daisuke had been mumbling nonstop to himself and it had gotten to a point where it made having lunch a little more depressing than he would like to imagine.

"W-What is it?!" Daisuke tensed up.

"...Are you always like this?" Aidan blinked.

"L-Like what?!" Daisuke gulped, his face flushing in embarrassment. He buried his face into his hands. "Ooooh. Daisuke! You've gone ahead and done it again! You've made a fool of yourself!"

"...Like that," Aidan slightly deadpanned.

"A-Ah!" Daisuke gulped, looking down. "I– I'm sorry for annoying you! Y-You were just trying to enjoy your lunch and I was… Ughhhh…"

He closed his eyes and lowered his hat miserably.

"I'll… I'll be out of your hair now…" Daisuke muttered before turning away. "I'm so so sorry…"

"W-What?" Aidan blankly stared at the fast-food employee. He stood up. "Hey, you never answered my question. Daisuke. What's wrong? I haven't done anything to upset you have I?"

"H-Huh?" Daisuke blinked. He had turned back, confused by Aidan's question. "W-What do you mean?"

"Well, you're acting as if I told you to leave me alone," Aidan explained. "If I did do that, I didn't mean it and I'm sorry!"

Daisuke stared at the track star. Though, now that the track star thought about it, he never once told this guy to screw off or anything remotely close to that! There was really nothing for him to apologize for in the first place!

"N-No, I should be sorry," Daisuke fixed his glasses. "I-It's just… I… I always do stuff like this…"

"Talking to yourself just to put yourself down?" Aidan curiously asked.

"N-No, being annoying…" Daisuke glanced down.

Same thing.

"W-Whoa, who said anything about you being annoying?" Aidan blinked. "I mean, I'll be honest, Daisuke. What you usually say to yourself isn't necessarily annoying in my eyes. It's just a little… uncomfortable."

"O-Oh," Daisuke drooped down, hunching over. "Siiiiiiigh. I'm… s-sorry for making you uncomfortable."

"Th-That's not something you should apologize for!" Aidan waved his hands frantically, though his mind wandered to his thoughts. Though, not in this instance…

He cleared his throat.

"Look, what I'm trying to say is that it's not healthy for someone to constantly put themself down like this," Aidan gave Daisuke an assuring smile. "Have you always been like this?"

Daisuke glanced back and straightened himself up. Though, the moment he did, he had pulled up his shirt collar to cover his face. It was clear that talking about himself was far from second nature. He began to stutter and mumbled to himself a little more frequently this time…

"I-Is he asking about me as a person?" Daisuke gulped behind his shirt collar. "C-Could it be? I-Is he actually interested in me and my boring lifestyle? Ooooh. Daisuke! Snap out of it! Snap out of it!"

Aidan patiently waited.

Daisuke slowly lowered his shirt and sighed heavily.

"Siiiiigh," Daisuke looked down, pathetically. "I guess it's been like this for as long as I can remember. I-I'm not very good with f-feelings and I'm just a pathetic person with no friends and no future…"

"See, it's that right there!" Aidan pointed his finger toward the fast-food employee. "You're not a pathetic person!"

"I-I'm not?" Daisuke was taken aback by Aidan's sudden remark.

"And you have friends!" Aidan declared.

"I– I do?" Daisuke was taken aback by Aidan's confidence.

"And as long as I'm the leader, you're going to have a future!" Aidan exclaimed. "By escaping this hellhole with that kid with your life intact!"

"I- I am?" Daisuke widened his eyes.

Daisuke buried his face into his hands once again. He snuck a peek toward the track star occasionally, feeling his cheeks raise to higher temperatures.

"M-Man… h-how could you say something so nice to a loser like me…?" Daisuke frowned to himself, looking down miserably.

"Easily," Aidan gave him a thumbs-up and a reassuring smile. "Look man. I get it. There are times when I feel like I'm a loser compared to everyone else. Everyone feels that way. But you're kind of taking it to a whole new level. I… don't know what exactly caused you to feel that the entire world is against you but as leader, it's my duty to make you realize that's not the case!"

Daisuke glanced at Aidan.

He had his doubts scurrying through his mind. Was this some kind of trick? Some kind of act to get him to lower his guard? No. From what he's seen of Aidan, he knew the track star wasn't the type of person to pull something like that. At least, he would hope. He's been wrong about someone like Aidan before…

"...I don't think the entire world is out to get me…" Daisuke timidly corrected, keeping his stutters to a minimum. "I just think that I don't fit in the world…"

"Huh?" Aidan tilted his head, one hand on his hip.

"S-So far the roadmap of my life h-hasn't exactly been great," Daisuke frowned. "In fact, I think it's taken a turn for the worse n-now that I'm here, forced in a game where killing each other is encouraged…"

"Hey, it really isn't anyone's cup of tea either," Aidan scratched the back of his neck. "Besides Beauté's I guess but she's a little freaky in that regard."

"Y-Yeah, I guess," Daisuke felt himself sweat. "B-But after everything that's happened to me, I sometimes think that maybe I'm not cut out to live…"

"Okay, stop right there," Aidan gave him a thumbs-down. "Let me tell you a little something right now…"

Aidan placed his hands over his hips. His expression became deeply serious. In fact, he was not happy with what Daisuke had just said.

"If you're thinking you're not cut out to live, then that makes you an idiot," Aidan berated.

"H-Huh?" Daisuke widened his eyes. He felt a little hurt hearing Aidan call him that.

"Listen, Daisuke," Aidan sighed. "What you said just now is quitter's talk. In the end, it's not going to help anyone. Especially not yourself…"

"B-But…" Daisuke grimaced.

"Look, I get it," Aidan sighed, rubbing the back of his neck and closing his eyes. "Whatever happened in your life, it was probably really hard. Probably something I'm never going to get. But that's just life. That's how twisted it is. Life isn't fair and it's our job to just deal with it."

Daisuke… never really thought about it like that.

"So, don't go saying something as lame as that again, got it?" Aidan folded his arms.

Daisuke blinked.

He felt his face flush further. He glanced down and held his flabby cheeks. To look at Aidan now was getting much more difficult. Was it out of shame or was it out of…

"G-Got it…" Daisuke looked down.

"Good," Aidan gave him a thumbs-up and a small grin. "Glad we have an understanding."

There was a brief moment of silence before the track star stood up and held up his now clean and finished plate, once filled with chicken, mashed potatoes, and gravy. Unhealthy meal but on the count of survivability, it was all he got. Before he could clean up however, Daisuke spoke up again.

"U-Um, A-Aidan…" Daisuke closed his eyes, nervously. "C-Can… D-Does this mean that we're um… F-F-F-Friends…?"

Aidan paused.

Then, he started to laugh.

"O-Oh, I see," Daisuke drooped over. "Siiiiiiigh. I g-guess that's fine… I knew it was too good to be true. Damn it, Daisuke! Y-You're such an–"

"Dude, of course we're friends," Aidan laughed. "What? You think I just say that kind of stuff to anybody?"

Daisuke perked his head up, surprised.

"Th-Then…" Daisuke gulped.

"Man, seriously, you worry too much," Aidan chuckled, tossing his tray into the trash before heading back toward the fast-food employee. "Look. We're all in this together to save a kid. Being friends is just a neat perk of working together as a team. Am I right?"

He had a point there. God. His optimism. The way he was so supportive. It was really familiar…

"...Y-You're a really good leader," Daisuke bashfully complimented.

"Am I?" Aidan blinked before chuckling sheepishly. "Haha. Hey! Thanks! I guess when it came to learning how to take charge for once…"

Aidan glanced to the side with a slightly somber look.

"...Nadia taught me well," Aidan muttered to himself.

"N-Nadia?" Daisuke felt his heart skip a beat.

Aidan shook his head and gave him a thumbs-up once again. Truth be told, for a lunch break that went slightly disturbed, talking with Daisuke wasn't all that bad. In fact, if anything, it got him pumped up for what was next to come!

"A story for another time!" Aidan grinned. "Catch ya later, D!"

Then, with a hustle, Aidan dashed out of the building, ready to continue his search for the boy. Leaving Daisuke all alone in a room with a chicken animatronic and the smell of chicken radiating from the chicken, the poor fast-food employee could only mutter to himself as his face heated up. His heartbeat with a mixture of excitement and slight depression.

"W-Who's Nadia…?" Daisuke gulped to himself. "Ohhh. Daisuke. Don't tell me you've fallen for someone who's already dating someone else! Ooooh! Stupid Daisuke! Stupid stupid stupid!"

Despite Daisuke not knowing Omakin lore, Aidan had confirmed that he and Daisuke were in fact friends. It was a clear level-up from where they were originally. In other words, Aidan and Daisuke truly did get closer together. But only time would tell how long this friendship would last.

Because if anything, Daisuke was scared.

…

Will he mess it all up again…?

---

[Hotel Mirai]

---

(Lobby)

"G-Gah! M-Monster!"

Roderick woke up in cold sweat. He glanced around frantically. He was in a place he could easily recognize: The Lobby. But how did he get here? The deep-sea fisherman rubbed his head with a grunt. The last thing he remembered was seeing a giant beast move past the street. He had his gun out. Kikuko was there. And after that…

…Nothing.

He glanced at himself.

He had been laying on the Lobby's sofa. A blanket had been covered over him. Despite how confused he was, that emotion was quickly overtaken by a sense of worry and concern. He thrusted himself off of the cushions and attempted to get up. But the moment he did, a voice snapped his head toward the Hallway.

"Oh honey, you're awake," it was clearly Yukihiko, who was holding one of Aidan's signature water bottles. "How'd you enjoy your nap?"

"Nay, Yukihiko," Roderick shook his head. "Where be the others? Where be the monster?!"

The child caregiver shook his head.

"The others are fine," Yukihiko cradled his teddy bear, sweetly. "As for the monster? It was simply a Parade Float. There was no monster, Roderick…"

"N-Nay!" Roderick started to shake. "Don't be treating me like me mother! I saw the monster! I know it was real! I saw it!"

Yukihiko shook his head.

Can't believe I have to treat this grown man as a child… Yukihiko thought, bitterly. It was time to take a different approach at trying to comfort this crazy fisherman. Tilting his head, he sighed.

"What I mean is…" Yukihiko began. "There is no monster anymore. You killed it, Roderick. One shot in the eye is all it took."

"I… I did?" Roderick blinked. He rubbed his beanie. "Th-That be strange… I don't remember pulling the trigger… Or any gunshots…"

"Of course you don't remember," Yukihiko set his teddy bear on the side, gently. "After all, you took a heavy hit from that thing. But I assure you, you killed it."

Roderick felt his body. He blinked. It was… gone?

"N-Nay!" he widened his eyes. "Where be me trusty gun?!"

Yumi had it but given the way he mishandled that gun; it was clear no one could trust him with it. Yukihiko scooted closer to the larger male and placed a hand over his shoulder.

"Oh honey…" Yukihiko took a deep breath. "...The monster ate it. Right after you shot it."

"Y-Ye jest!" Roderick pulled his beanie over his eyes, nervously.

"I'm afraid not," Yukihiko shook his head. "Your gun made a worthy sacrifice for the better good. I'm so sorry, sweetie…"

While lying to a child never felt right, once again, Roderick was a grown man who mishandled a gun. Yukihiko was doing the right thing. If anyone's going to carry a firearm from here on out, it is not going to be the fantasy-believing sailor.

"N-Nay, me precious fishing gun…" Roderick tightened his fist with a sigh.

…

"Here, drink up."

Yukihiko had handed Roderick the water bottle that Aidan had offered everyone this morning. Hesitantly, the fisherman took the water bottle, twisted the cap off, and began to sip. He snuck glances toward the child caregiver and the blanket that he had been so kindly covered in.

"Ye been watching over me this entire time?" Roderick blinked. "How did ye get me here?"

Yukihiko had been shaking baby formula inside a baby bottle. Raising an eyebrow, the child caregiver simply gave little reaction to the question at hand.

"It wasn't just me," Yukihiko frowned. "Mara helped as well."

"Ye don't look happy about that…" Roderick blinked. Though, part of him was surprised that Mara ended up helping in the first place.

"Of course not," Yukihiko grimaced. "I can't stand being near that girl. I'm sure you know the reason why."

"Aye…" Roderick slowly nodded.

Mara being a mother killer was no secret to any of their classmates. In fact, there were some who would rather keep their distance from her or simply judge her for that action. Yukihiko and Roderick fell under that specific category.

"...Where she be now?" Roderick questioned.

"Ugh, who knows?" Yukihiko glanced at his nails, uncaring. "She's probably in her room, alone and sulking. If she were here, I'd tell that scum you reap what you sow."

Roderick wasn't sure how to feel about that. It was true that she may have been a scumbag murderer, but after yesterday… Huh. He just wasn't sure. He watched the child caregiver shake his head and sit himself on a chair. Opening up his baby bottle, he chugged his baby formula down.

"Anyway, let's stop talking about her," Yukihiko shrugged. "We still have some time before we need to regroup with everyone."

"N-Nay!" Roderick blinked, glancing out the nearby window.

The sun had long disappeared and was replaced by a starry night sky.

"I've been out for so long?!" the fisherman exclaimed.

"Yeah, I was surprised too," Yukihiko shrugged. "Kikuko said that you'd be awake in about an hour. It's been much more than that. I do wonder why though."

The child caregiver gave a slight chuckle at that, as if he had already figured out the answer to that problem.

"N-Nay," Roderick groaned, holding his head. "I wasted my day…"

Yukihiko tilted his head, giving him a curious yet serious expression. He examined the fisherman closely. Specifically, he gave a close look at the fisherman's eyes, noticing bags underneath them.

"...If you don't mind me asking, Roderick honey," Yukihiko began. "Do you perhaps have trouble sleeping?"

Roderick looked surprised.

"A-Aye!" the fisherman exclaimed. "B-But how did ye know?"

"Child's play, sweet pea," Yukihiko gave a smirk. "I've seen my younger siblings spend nights without sleep before. It's become second nature for me to notice stuff like that."

Yukihiko sat back and crossed his legs.

"Let me guess…" Yukihiko leaned against his knee. "Nightmares?"

"A-Aye…" Roderick blinked, rubbed the back of his neck. "Ye sure know yer stuff."

"Once again, handsome," Yukihiko smirked. "Second nature. Why don't you tell me all about them?"

For the Ultimate Child Caregiver to give off such an aura that Roderick felt like he was talking to his own was simply amazing and extraordinary in so many ways. For a moment, it didn't feel as if he were talking to someone, he was trying to survive with but rather someone he knew his entire life. Someone he could trust…

"...Me nightmares always be the same…" Roderick sighed. "It be me alone on The Commodore's Choice. That be the name of me fishing boat. And it be a dark night, with the only light source being the light inside the cockpit."

The fisherman started to shake.

"That be when the sea starts shaking…" Roderick folded his arms, uncomfortably. "And shortly after that, I see it…"

Roderick's gaze darkened.

"It be a different monster every dream but it be the same result in the end," Roderick declared. "Sometimes, it be a terrible tidal wave, slowly playing with the Commodore's Choice like a laddie does with a rubber ducky in the bathtub. Sometimes, it be a giant squid, letting its slimy tentacles climb up the side of me ship's hull. Sometimes, it be even a giant beast… Just like the Beast of Guantanamo Bay…"

"You did mention that back at the Parade…" Yukihiko noted.

"Aye," Roderick uncomfortably recounted. "A terrible beast with the head of a serpent and the body of a man that stands 32 feet tall… Known to feast on unprepared sailors trying to brave the storm. Such a fiend be the cause of many disappearances off of Guantanamo Bay. Thus, the Beast of Guantanamo Bay…"

Roderick lowered his beanie.

"Eventually, I just stopped sleeping and started power napping…" Roderick muttered. "But I know what yer thinking. Ye be thinking I'm crazy."

Yukihiko smiled at him. That was exactly what he was thinking about.

"But I swear to Davy Jones, I've seen it with me own two eyes before!" Roderick declared. "And it be much more terrifying to see in person!"

There was an awkward silence in the air.

Yukihiko had immediately regretted listening to Roderick's rambles. But with a more level-headed mindset, the child caregiver could tell that perhaps these silly nightmares had been damaging his psyche in the real world. Scooting closer to the fisherman, he placed a hand on his cheek, like a mother would do to her own child.

"Oh sweetie," Yukihiko sighed. "I'm so sorry you had to go through so much. The ocean is truly a terrifying place. But you have to realize that you're on land now. These monsters won't come off the shore to attack you. Understand?"

"...But they always do in me mind…" Roderick mumbled.

Yukihiko stared at him before patting him on the shoulder.

"Lucky for you," the child caregiver smiled to him. "I know someone who could potentially help your problem."

"N-Nay!" Roderick blinked. "Ye do?"

"Kikuko has warding charms I believe, yes?" Yukihiko leaned back and kept his legs crossed. "Perhaps you could try asking her for one of those. They could help fight back against those demons in your mind."

"Nay…" Roderick deadpanned. "Everyone knows the power of shrine priestesses be false."

And yet monsters are real? Yukihiko thought to himself.

"Just give it a try, sweetie," Yukihiko masked a supportive smile. "I guarantee that you won't know until you try…"

Roderick folded his arms and thought about this carefully. What other choice did he have? It wasn't like he wasn't already used to sleepless nights but if Kikuko could really truly help him with his nightmares, that'd be a nice, good step at clearing away those pesky monsters in his dreams.

With a hearty sigh, he nodded.

"I'll give it a try, lassie…" Roderick stated. "If ye are confident it'll help fight monsters, then it may be a good weapon yet…"

"Of course," Yukihiko nodded, hugging his teddy bear again before slightly twitching. "Also, it's 'laddie'."

"Thank ye, by the way," Roderick slowly stood up. "For listening to the tale of this old sailor… Most people think I've lost me marbles, but you actually listened. It be a good change of wind for the sails of the Commodore's Choice. Yarhahaha!"

Roderick started to laugh. He even laughed like your typical pirate/sailor. And not only that, but this was probably the first time anyone would've seen him laugh. It was a peculiar sight but at the very least, Yukihiko was glad he was getting some work done with him.

"Of course, sweetie," Yukihiko gave him an innocent smile. "Just know that you can always come to me if you have any trouble. Someone has to act their age around here."

"Aye, ye got it," Roderick gave the child caregiver with a nod of approval.

Despite the fisherman completely letting that snide remark fly over his head and Yukihiko refusing to admit it himself, the two definitely seemed to have grown closer together. Roderick was going to have to work on these pesky nightmares and now Yukihiko was on his payroll.

Great…

---

[Happy Highway]

---

(Hollywood)

…

"Attention all guests at Piero's Playground. It is currently 9:30 PM. All rides, restaurants, and gift shops will be closing. Please make your way toward the exit as staying in the park after hours is prohibited. Thank you for visiting and we hope you continue to have a fun time all around, even after visiting Piero's Playground."

…

Just where did the time go?

After much scurrying around the park, in the end, there didn't seem to be too much development in the search for the boy. The Parade definitely slowed down most of the time they needed to continue searching. Those that rode the roller coaster really couldn't figure out what the special touch to it was. And you readers never got to see the Ultimate Doctor's Broadway Musical because the word count was going to go past the limit.

Regardless, as promised in the Morning Meeting, 14 people showed up to the Happy Highway, which included those that had been in the park all day and Yukihiko, who had arrived from the Hotel Lobby. At the moment, it seemed like Aidan had just finished roll call.

"Yukihiko," Aidan placed his hands on his hips. "Where's Roderick and Mara? I thought we were supposed to meet up together."

"Well, yes," Yukihiko glanced at his nails. "Roderick is waiting for us at the Hotel Lobby. As for Mara, I don't really care but I can safely say she's in her room."

"So much for making the roll call process easier," Kikuko sighed to herself.

"We promised to meet up together at the Happy Highway, though," Alina seemed disappointed. "The least Mara could do was come."

"I don't know about you, darling, but that mom-killer doesn't seem like someone who would consider following our rules," Yukihiko scoffed.

"B-But that still doesn't mean we shouldn't figure out where she is!" Alina pouted. "Sh-She might be in the park for all we know!"

"No… I think it's alright…" Kazuki shook his head. "The hallway that leads to the rooms is a one-way path to the Lobby. If she really did leave… Yukihiko and Roderick would've seen her do so…"

"This is true," Alisa nodded, glancing at her pocket watch. "In either case, I suggest we leave soon. Time is wasting for our Nighttime Meeting…"

Alisa was correct. Time was starting to work faster the longer they stood around talking about Mara's habits. Together, the 14 headed back to the Hotel Lobby where they would report their findings…

---

[Hotel Mirai]

---

(Lobby)

It was just as Yukihiko said.

By the time everyone had returned, Roderick immediately leapt from the couch and bowed his head, apologetically. Needless to say, it was a surprise as no one really expected that to be the first thing that would happen in their Nighttime Meeting.

"Argh, me crewmates!" Roderick declared. "I apologize for me earlier freakout in the morning. I may have slayed the beast but to cause you all grief and distress! That be not in the book of sailors! As such, ten lashes on me back would do!"

"What is he talking about?" Fábio raised an eyebrow toward Yukihiko.

"Oh, he's just being silly," Yukihiko shrugged, holding his teddy bear close to him. "At ease, sailor. No need for any lashes. You've saved our lives. We are grateful to you for that."

"He what?" Yumi blinked.

"Er, aye…?" Roderick blinked, equally confused but for a different reason. "If that be yer wish then, fine. So be it."

"It is good to see that you are feeling better, Roderick," Kikuko bowed her head politely. "Thank you for your apology as well. It has been well-received by Seiryuu…"

"He was not apologizing to your heathen god," Riku remarked.

Kikuko flashed a glowing blue glare toward the doctor. She was definitely offended by what the yakuza had just said to her.

"Be that is it be…" Roderick began, lowering his beanie. "What have ye found in today's search? I pray for good news, yes?"

"The special touch in Manon's Ultimate Attraction was a bust," Fábio shrugged. He cracked his back. "Literally."

"Oh non!" Manon gasped. "Did my Ultimate Attraction hurt you, Monsieur Barbosa?"

"Just a bit of back pain, but that's usually what happens when I don't practice my stretches for a year," Fábio shrugged with a chuckle, letting his twinkling eye die out.

"The ride itself was as uncomfortable as wrestlin with a rattlesnake on a rampaging buffalo," Yumi dictated. "But it was still plenty of fun! Yeehaw!"

"I thought it wasn't uncomfortable at all!" Alina perked up with a smile. "I thought it was really exciting!"

"Precisely!" Beauté had to agree. "A most elegant experience, indeed!"

"Well, glad to hear you guys had fun when we're supposed to be looking for a kidnapped child," Aidan retorted, slightly disappointed. "Though, on the topic of Ultimate Attractions… Did anyone get to check out Riku's Ultimate Attraction?"

"Tch, it was horrible," Riku folded his arms and closed his eyes. "The effects were subpar. The songs were terrible. And the seats were uncomfortable! A true insult to my Ultimate Attraction, I dare say…"

"Eh?" Manon blinked. "Monsieur Arakawa. Where were you sitting? I did not see you in any of the showtimes…"

"Ignore him," Alisa stared at her pocket watch. "He didn't even visit his Ultimate Attraction today."

"Lying again, Riku?" Alina gasped, glancing toward the yakuza doctor, disappointedly.

"Yep!" Emmeline pouted, stuffing her face with more of her pills. "I thought the show was so much fun! I like the songs! And the monster at the end was–"

Emmeline's mouth was covered by Manon's hand.

"Oh la la~" Manon exclaimed. "No spoilers, madame! C'est impoli!"

Removing her hand from Emmeline's mouth, the butterfly scientist looked down bashfully.

"O-Oh, right!" Emmeline giggled. "S-Sorry!"

"Whew, thanks Manon!" Alina pumped her fist. "I rode the Lady Radiance ride six times too many today! I never got a chance to catch the show because of that!"

She teasingly smirked at Riku.

"Tomorrow, I'm for sure dragging Riku to watch it!" she gave him a grin.

"Pass," Riku muttered.

"Okay, so it sounds like both attractions were a bust today," Aidan sighed. "Is there anything else anyone would like to share?"

"I do," Alisa pocketed her pocket watch. "I would like to update everyone that the gift shop that sits at the Street section has still yet to open. My curiosity has been piqued regarding it so I would like to check it out tomorrow."

"That sounds like a good idea," Issac shrugged. "It's kind of weird for a gift shop to not be open so…"

...

There was a moment of silence shortly after. It was clear that no one really had found anything much of note today. If anything, the only thing that was really fundamentally new and interesting today was the Parade, and only because that thing served more as a hindrance to their investigation. Typical of the jester and hyena that plotted this to give them an obstacle.

"So, in the end, no one found any leads to where the kid is…" Aidan frowned. He clenched his fist. "Damn it. Is there really nothing we can do?"

"Hey, Aidan, don't worry about it," Alina gave him a supportive smile. "No one said this was going to be easy!"

"Yeah, I know but…" Aidan sighed.

It was clear the others were at a loss on how else they were to continue the search. Although they had searched new areas they had yet to see before, it still wasn't enough. With the park closed at the moment, it just meant that tomorrow, they were going to have to start turning the entire place upside-down if they were to really find them.

"...God," Aidan placed his hands over his hips worriedly. "I hope the kid is doing okay…"

That was the hope of almost everyone in the room.

At least, one would hope so…

…right?

…

---

[?]

---

(?)

Nick let his back hit the wall. He hugged his knee as he let the TV play yet another episode of Stanczyk Says. There were many reasons for that. If he had simply turned the TV off, he'd be stuck in a room of darkness. And a room of darkness wasn't where he wanted to be right now.

"Psst, Nicky!"

"Hm?" Nick turned his head toward the vent that was right beside him. For the past two or three days, he didn't expect himself to have someone to help him through this troubling time. It was a girl he knew well from school. Or at least, it's what he'd like to think.

After all, he hoped it wasn't just some figment of his imagination!

What really separated him from seeing whether or not who he was talking to was truly her, was the small ventilation on the floor that connected his room to the other. And a quick peek through and he could notice and infer that her room was just as dark as his room with a TV playing the same episode of Stanczyk Says as well.

"How are you holding up?" the girl questioned.

"Not really good," Nick frowned.

"...Yeah… me too…" the girl stated.

There was a brief moment of silence.

"Do you think anyone is coming…?" Nick suddenly asked.

"What?" the girl returned the question.

"Do you think anyone is coming to save us?" Nick asked. "Maybe your parents and my parents…"

There was another brief silence.

"...I don't know Nicky," the girl answered. "I would like to think they are but…"

How could they when not even they knew where they were right now? This time, the silence wasn't brief. It remained quiet for a while as both children sat back-to-back against the same wall, quiet. The only sound in either room…

…was the sound of Stanczyk's voice behind their television's blue screens.

---

DANGANRONPA: TWISTED TRAGEDY

---

Chapter 1 Daily Life 2 is finally finished! Holy crap! This took longer than expected. Thanks a lot cheesy Universal Studios-experienced style rides XE Nevertheless I had to cut some scenes cause I was going well over my limit hahaha XD

Free-Time Events have started and I'm trying to explore different ways on how to do them. Last time in Corrupted Hope, it was just... people interacting with whoever which also included people with little to no chemistry with one another. This time, I'm trying to avoid stuff like that but this new way I'm tackling FTEs is still in the works so don't come barraging me with pitchforks and torches if I end up creating an FTE scene with two people who don't really have good chemistry at all. Hmmmm.

Please let me know how the characterizations of these characters are! We're still in early story stage so it's not too late for me to correct some character traits that may not be your liking :D Also, you now have a good insight of what the roller coaster is like. I hope what I described can be visualized cause good lord it was difficult XE

Whatever the case is, do give me theories on who you think might bite the bullet :D We are slowly approaching territories of death... and I just realized I need to rewrite the 4K words I already wrote for Trial Part 1 DX Damn it! Hoping I finish that before Daily Life Part 3 comes out.

Be sure to check out, Otterplay's Danganronpa: Algorithmic Alteration! His Chapter 1 is set to premiere soon so be sure to check that out! Only on Prime Amazon! 14.99 for membership! One-month free trial however :D

As always, like, comment, and subscribe to the tragic cause! Daily Life Part 3 is coming up next ;D

---

Playmates Remaining: 16

---

Aidan Brighton - The Ultimate Track Star [Omakin]

Alina Summers - The Ultimate Maestro [Otterplay]

Alisa Zachary - The Ultimate Clockmaker [ExtraMeme]

Beautè Morose - The Ultimate ? [Grandma Sue]

Daisuke Kido - The Ultimate Fast-Food Employee [CandleFire45]

Emmeline Swan - The Ultimate Lepidopterist [Prince PokePersona]

Fábio Barbosa - The Ultimate Figure Skater [Rayy12]

Issac Santiago - The Ultimate Toymaker [oddlyillregular]

Kazuki Nobukatsu - The Ultimate Philanthropist [emberblitz321]

Kikuko Unmei - The Ultimate Shrine Priestess [WolfieRed23]

Manon Vivienne Levesque - The Ultimate Actress [Sempi]

Marabel "Mara" Garcia - The Ultimate Karate Master [Epifanio Therion]

Riku Arakawa - The Ultimate Doctor [theotakureader101]

Roderick Cutler - The Ultimate Deep Sea Fisherman [Orlando Butler]

Yukihiko Yuno - The Ultimate Child Caregiver [Weekaro]

Yumi Gundo - Ultimate Gunslinger [MrUtenaHolic]

---

Guest Stars:

Arianna Rodriguez/Lady Radiance [Omakin]

Spellcaster [Omakin]

Mrs. Claws [nekoja]