Chapter 5: Agony of Emptiness
"Why...?
"Why have things come to this?
"You've done nothing wrong!
"It shouldn't have happened!
"That man had no reason to hurt you!
"So why...
"Why is he still unpunished for what he did?
"What kind of world would allow it to happen?"
Opening his eyes, Masashi found himself lying in his bed. As he stirred, he wondered about what had just appeared in his mind.
What was that?
He was sure that he had said those things. In fact, saying those things had felt familiar to him, and yet he had no memory of it. However hard he tried to remember, nothing simply appeared.
Maybe it's better to think about something else...
As soon as he thought back to yesterday, however, the horrible events hit him, and he sank back into his sheets.
The number of people in this killing game had now been reduced to eight. Two more people had been killed by their fellow participants.
And Mari was gone as well.
Even though she had never meant to kill Hikari, because of the rules, it had been declared that she must die.
Why had been she forced to die?
Masashi recalled what Monokuma had said.
"Well, I can tell you that it's not my fault."
"Then whose is it?"
"It's simple, really," Monokuma answered. "That Mari Anzai would meet her end like this... was simply part of destiny."
"Destiny…"
And it was those two that caused Mari to die... Sorao Mineta and Takumi Takamitsu...
While thinking more about the conversation, he heard knocking on the door. At first, he ignored it, but as it went on, he found that he would never find peace. Reluctantly, he arose and headed over to the door.
"Good morning, Masashi."
It was Maiha.
"Good morning," he muttered. "What's the matter?"
"I was simply curious as to how you were doing," Maiha said, looking a tad concerned. "After yesterday, I could not but feel a bit... concerned."
"Oh... Well, don't worry. I'm all right."
"Is that so?" she said with a look of skepticism. "Well, now that you're up and about, shall we head over for breakfast? The others have already eaten and now await you."
He nodded, finding it pointless to say otherwise. The two trod up the stairs and through the halls quietly, and along the way, he saw that there was hardly any sunlight. The heavens were shrouded by dark clouds, not a ray of sunlight breaking through. He did not know whether it betokened an incoming storm, but he had little energy to care much about it.
Before they should go up another flight of stairs, however, Maiha stopped.
"There's something about which I wish to talk with you," she said. "Do you remember when we made our agreement on the day when access to the Moonlight City was given us?"
"Huh? Oh… yes."
Mari had come up with the idea of getting Maiha on their side after Sorao had suddenly speculated that she might be the mastermind of this killing game. Of course, as part of the plan, Masashi had essentially used coercion, but in the end, he had felt it necessary to stop her further attempts to thwart him.
"As part of the agreement, you said that I must cease proposing that we lock people up," Maiha said. "But the circumstances have changed, and hence, this cannot be followed anymore. We have a killer and an attempted killer in our midst. They ought to be confined and tied up. Even if Sorao has technically never killed anyone, that is not from lack of trying. It's only a matter of time before he strikes again, do you not agree?"
"Yeah… Can't disagree with you there," he said. "Have you talked about this with the others?"
"Oh, no, not yet. I merely thought aloud in my room last night on what we ought to do about those two wretches," she answered haughtily. "I, of course, wanted to share the idea with you so that you might agree with me when I should eventually reveal it."
"That's fine. We'll go through with your idea," he answered without thinking much about it.
Maiha widened her eyes, looking slightly surprised. "Why, I'm surprised. I thought it would take more effort to sway you over. I never foresaw that I should win you over this easily, with how insistent you had been about forming 'bonds'."
"Like you said, things have changed."
Finishing their conversation, the two headed upstairs and walked into the dining room at last. Indeed, everyone else was there, except for one person: Sorao Mineta. It was not too surprising that he should be absent. After yesterday's events, Sorao had more or less burned all bridges with the group, having been exposed as Tanjiro's and Hikari's attempted killer. And quite frankly, Masashi hoped that he would not see him and so found his absence to be a blessing.
On the other hand, Takumi Takamitsu was here sitting by Kasumi. He looked the same as usual, wearing such decorations as his leafy crown and his small plastic fairy wings he wore on his back. Honestly, the more Masashi looked at him, the more he found it to be out of place. The man whom he saw before him was not an innocent who enjoyed writing tales but a killer who had tried to betray everyone, only to unwittingly cause Mari's death.
"G-Good morning…" Takumi answered meekly.
"Oh, you're here," Faye said. "Breakfast is ready. You'd better get to it, since it's been out for quite a while already."
"Thanks," he said as he sat down and partook of the simple dish of croissants.
"Um, Masashi?" Kasumi said. "Are you all right?"
"Oh, yes... Why do you ask?"
"It's not exactly a secret," Haruyuki answered. "We've lost three more of our companions, and I know that you were… fond of Mari. Such a thing must've shocked you, yes?"
Masashi said nothing for a few seconds. "I'm okay, though… I'm okay. There's no need to worry."
It was then that he noticed that Sayua, who sat next to Haruyuki, looked quite uninterested in the whole discussion. There was hardly a trace of antagonism or haughtiness in her.
"She's been like that ever since she came," Haruyuki said, as if he had sensed what Masashi was thinking. "Quite a moody one, isn't she?"
"I'm not moody," Sayua responded half-heartedly. "I'm all right… Yeah."
"I-I…" Takumi stuttered. "I-I'm sorry… I'm sorry for what I did. I…"
"Aw…" Kasumi said. "Poor little Kumi…"
"Don't feel so sorry toward him," Maiha said disgustedly. "It's been made clear that he cared not a whit about Hikari, whom he deceived into signing his contract. He could not even answer one question about her. Quite an uncaring one we have here!"
"N-No, that's not true!" Takumi answered, looking more insistent. "I-I cared about her, honest! But I… I just couldn't say anything, that's all. I-I was so frazzled by the whole thing, I swear!"
"It all happened so quickly that I suppose it was only natural that you should have lost your bearings for a bit," Haruyuki said, nodding. "And I suppose you deserve some pity after the revelation of your... condition."
It took Masashi a few seconds to remember that Takumi had been revealed to suffer from a sleep disorder that caused him to see hallucinations. These hallucinations had in fact been the mythical creatures and nightmares that Takumi had often referred to. Sorao had discovered the secret of his disorder and had used it as part of his scheme to manipulate Faye and Takumi. Even knowing this, however, made Masashi feel none the sorrier for him.
"He deserves only some pity for his condition. You would be a fool to let such a thing make you forget the murderous intent that he had," Maiha said, making a dismissive gesture with her hand. "In fact, we know that he is greatly inspired by his delusions and uses this inspiration for his stories. He's quite capable of being influenced by his delusions... That definitely warrants further observation."
Despite the cold, harsh, and judgmental tone in her voice, Masashi had no desire to gainsay her. What was there to object to? Takumi was clearly someone who could not effectively tell the difference between fact and fiction. Judging by the others' expressions and silence, he presumed that they also thought likewise, even though they might deny the accusation upon being asked.
"Well, anyway, we have something to investigate, now that Masashi is here!" Kasumi added.
"Oh, that's right," Faye said. "Masashi, you don't know it, but Monokuma was here earlier when we ate breakfast. He told us that the next ship was available."
Sayua groaned, resting her head on one hand. "What's the point? We all know it's pointless."
Maiha rolled her eyes. "It behooves us to investigate the place. We may uncover more information about our circumstances and possibly find a way out of this."
"Um, one more thing!" Kasumi said, raising a hand. "What should we do if we, um… see Sorao?"
Masashi grimaced for a few seconds as he took in the mention of his name.
"He'll show up eventually, but don't worry about it. We'll deal with him appropriately," he answered. "If you see him, let us know right away."
The others headed over to the new location, Masashi staying behind to finish his breakfast. Once he was done and cleaned up after himself, he walked up to the upper deck. Even now, the gray clouds had not disappeared, but something about having it be sunny felt off to him, so he did not mind it.
He looked around and saw that there was something new beyond the ship's port side. The Egyptian palace was on that side, and when he arrived there, he fully saw what was by that ship's port side. A certain building covered up most of the deck. It was a wide white building, the roof shaped like a circular dome. Though there were windows placed throughout the building, there was otherwise nothing remarkable on the outside.
There was a signpost set right beside the door. It said "WELCOME TO OUTER SPACE - MAN'S FINAL FRONTIER".
So this is supposed to be a space station, I guess…
Masashi headed inside and found the hallway to be surprisingly sparse. It looked completely white and clean, and save for a receptionist's desk in the middle, a few benches, a plain trash can, and a few monitors placed at various spots in the ceiling, there was nothing in this lobby.
To the left of the desk was a flight of stairs going up. He walked up and saw that the stairs were straightforward, with no turns whatsoever. As he went up, he saw that on each floor, there was a room to his right side. The doorway for the first door had a sign, and it was labeled "MARS CAFETERIA".
Unsurprisingly, the cafeteria was a wide and clean room, many small tables strewn throughout, the walls decorated with starry wallpaper. A counter was by the wall to the left of the door, though there was no one to even take any orders. Instead, there was only another door to what he presumed was the kitchen.
"Pretty large, this place," Faye said, stepping out of the kitchen. "Feels like a place for a great party."
"Oh… I guess so," Masashi replied. "Found anything interesting?"
"No, just a bunch of utensils. Nothing I haven't seen before," Faye answered before giving out a sigh. "By the way… I can't help but wonder about what happened that evening with me and Takumi, when I berated him greatly. Thinking about my own behavior… I still can't help but feel… uneasy."
"Uneasy?"
She nodded. "I always thought I could manage myself, even in dire times, but… my reaction… I felt a bit of regret right after I went on that tirade. I thought it'd all be fine, but then Sorao revealed that it'd all been part of his manipulation… his attempt to make Takumi feel compelled enough to become his partner in crime."
She bit her lip as she grimaced. "I can't believe I didn't see through it… I should've seen through it! Why didn't I…?"
As she continued to bemoan what she ought to have done in hindsight, Masashi stood there silently.
She was right. She ought to have seen through the deception.
If she had, then Mari's death would have been prevented.
Wanting to be elsewhere already, Masashi headed back to the stairs and walked up until he found another door. The sign on the door to the right said "SATURN THEATER".
Saturn? Not Jupiter? Masashi thought. Then again, I guess having all the planets would make this place pretty large.
He headed inside, and found himself in a wide room that quite resembled the lobby of a film theater, what with its luxurious red carpeting and the various film posters plastered on the beige walls. There was a counter to order food from, but with no attendant, one would only waste one's time. On the wall opposite to the doorway were two doors. The one on the left was labeled "AUDITORIUM", and the one on the right was labeled "PROJECTION ROOM".
Wondering whether anything was playing in the auditorium right now, Masashi went inside and was briefly taken aback by how large the room was. Many rows of red seats were gathered together from one end of the room to the other, all facing the great white screen at the fore. As Masashi's attention was drawn to the empty screen, he saw two people standing nearby.
"Oh, Masashi!"
The voice was Kasumi's, who was with Takumi. She waved at Masashi and beckoned him to come.
"Isn't this room wonderful?" Kasumi asked. "Reminds me of the theater that's close to my house."
"Really?" Masashi said. "I take it that you go there often?"
"Well, whenever I'm in the mood," she answered. "Sometimes, if I don't have plans for the evening, and I don't feel like unwinding at home, I go out to the theater. I usually like action, but a sweet comedy film's nice as well. Doesn't hurt that it sometimes gives me ideas."
"Ideas?"
"Yeah, ideas! Techniques that I can use in my thefts!"
Oh… should've figured.
Masashi then eyed Takumi, noticing that he had not said a word. Instead, he seemed to be more focused on staring at other parts of the auditorium, but not in a way that suggested listlessness. Rather, he looked more contemplative and troubled.
I can't believe it... Masashi thought. He killed Tanjiro, but he was allowed to live... and yet Mari...
"Um? Masashi? You okay there?" Kasumi asked.
Masashi stared at her for a few seconds as he got back his bearings. "Oh... yes. Why do you ask?"
"Well, you were staring daggers at Kumi!"
"I was just... thinking, that's all."
Kasumi showed a small frown for a second, suggesting that she had figured out what she was thinking about. A few seconds later, she put up a more neutral expression. "Anyway... could I talk with you outside for a minute? It's about... you know. But not in a way you're thinking about."
Sensing that it was a topic that she did not want Takumi to hear about, he walked with her outside to the lobby, Takumi seemingly taking little notice of their leaving.
"I've been thinking about what happened with Kumi and Sorao yesterday," she began. "You remember what Sorao said about him… about how he didn't care about Hikari, right?"
Masashi silently nodded. How could he forget? Every bit of Sorao's manipulation had left behind a bitter taste in his mouth, and he could not rid himself of it any time soon.
"At the time… I couldn't help but think that Kumi wasn't a good person," she continued. "Seeing Hikari as a tool because of her powers was pretty… ugly, I guess?"
"'Ugly' is one way of putting it."
"Yeah, but after we went back to our rooms, I remembered something else said after the class trial. It was what Monokuma had said."
"That's right!" Monokuma said. "He felt very lonely, you see. The killing game cut down many of the friends he had made during his time here. But if he had her powers, he would be able to commune with the dead."
"I… I guess that makes sense," Faye said.
"Yes… Hikari's powers are quite extraordinary," Monokuma said. "If he left this place with her alive, the little idiot could communicate with his dearly departed friends such as that clown girl or that motherly nun… as well as his two special darlings."
"His… special darlings?" Sorao asked.
The very mention of them seemed to have a great effect on Kumi, as his face grew pale, and he lightly shook his head as if not wanting Monokuma to speak of them.
"Oh, yes, yes, they're no longer with him, you see. He'd lost them long before this killing game began," Monokuma said before flippantly waving his paw. "But there's no need to know more about them, so let's move on."
"It's about the 'two special darlings' part," Kasumi said. "Who do you think Monokuma was talking about?"
"Well… there's one answer that comes to mind."
If truth were told, he had had a suspicion of who they were, though he could never be certain as long as Takumi had been unwilling to divulge about his past.
But with Monokuma's words, the answer had grown beyond obvious.
There was no point in holding back the answer, however much Takumi wished to keep it secret.
"It was his parents. I heard from Sister Hikari at one point that he currently lives in an orphanage. It's not hard to connect the dots."
"Yeah… that's what I figured as well. I heard the same from Sister Hikari, too, when she was still alive," Kasumi replied sadly. "So his two special darlings were his father and his mother… He lost them long before the killing game, according to Monokuma."
"Know anything about how he lost them?"
Kasumi shook her head. "Sister Hikari didn't tell me. Did she tell you?"
"No. I don't think she ever figured out his past, but she must've had a few suspicions."
"Oh… that's a shame," she answered as she looked down at the floor. "It's awful… losing one's parents…"
Oddly enough, Kasumi sounded far sadder about this than Masashi would expect. She even looked as if she were ready to shed a few tears.
"What's the matter?"
"It's… Well, it's just that…" Kasumi answered. "After realizing that he lost his parents and wanted to see them again, even if it meant killing and leaving this place with Hikari… I feel really sorry for him."
"You do?"
"Yeah. After all, I also…"
She stopped.
"Um… never mind. I think I've taken up too much time already. We should go back to looking around."
Huh…
Something about Kasumi's sudden empathy with Takumi came off as quite disagreeable with Masashi, who could hardly find Takumi's misdeeds to be more justifiable, even in light of this revelation. Still, Kasumi's further reaction intrigued him, though he was in no mood to try to pry more from her.
After Kasumi headed back into the auditorium, Masashi took a peek at the projection room, the other room on this floor. It was a small room cluttered with equipment, which he dared not to touch or tamper with. The room had a transparent window, such that anyone inside the room could see the auditorium and the screen there. Other than that, however, there was nothing of note in the room, so he left the room, headed back to the stairway, and continued his way up. As he walked, he saw that he was close to the end, and there was only one floor remaining.
Reaching the top of the stairs, he took a look at the sign atop the door: "NEPTUNE CLUBROOM".
When he stepped inside, he was met with sundry objects throughout the room. The light-blue walls were lined up with booths in which one might sit to talk with one's friends, and the middle of the room had a lit-up image of the planet Neptune that shifted in lightness as time went by. It looked almost like a stage for dancing. But the other side of the room caught his attention the most. The wall there was nothing more than a great window that allowed one a view of what was outside the ship. A great telescope was beside the window, which made the spot an observatory of sorts. On the wall to the telescope's right was a counter stocked with sundry drinks, and on the wall to the left were two doors to the men's and women's restrooms.
"Quite a sight, isn't it?"
It was Haruyuki, who stood beside the counter with Maiha. Masashi noticed that Sayua was here as well, sitting in one of the booths.
"I find the vibe of this room to be quite… 'lively'," he continued. "It feels like a place to which reckless young men and women go every evening to while their time away so as to banish the troubles of their daytime lives. Oh, they dance and drink every bit away, not caring a whit about the consequences of their wastefulness! That is for their future selves to deal with, as in the meantime, they relish in the moment, wishing to be the stars of the night. At least, that is what I imagine such a place is like."
"It's loathsome," Maiha replied tartly.
Haruyuki looked at her. "Is that all you have to say?"
"I certainly do not care for such a choice for nightlife entertainment," she answered. "I have heard too many tales of fools making insipid decisions after becoming encouraged by the foolishness that makes up the clientele."
"I quite don't care much for it, either, but there is a certain appeal that I understand," Haruyuki answered.
"Whatever your appeal may be, I much prefer more meaningful forms of leisure," Maiha said. "I suppose that at least this place would make a good place for dancing… even if it is of the kind that I don't indulge in."
"Um, guys?" Masashi said, wondering how long those two would have gone on if he had not interjected. "I'm still here."
"Oh, yes, that's right," Haruyuki said as he and Maiha faced him. "My apologies. I was just taken in for a moment by the atmosphere."
"To save you your time, no, we have not found anything interesting here," Maiha answered. "It's all a waste of time."
"And what about Sayua?" he asked.
"Oh, her?" Haruyuki said. "She's been quite moody ever since we came up here. She was insistent that we leave her be."
"It's the first time that I've seen her that contemplative," Maiha added. "I must say, I prefer her like that. The less noise she makes, the better."
"Now, now, don't be like that," Haruyuki said. "I am sure that she's a bit… troubled, that's all."
Maiha rolled her eyes. "Yes, of course I'm aware of that. The mess that we had to behold yesterday made it all too clear. To be quite truthful… I can't say she was in the wrong for what she did. Striking Takumi and Sorao, those two insolent men, was understandable, in light of their misdeeds."
"Hey. You done talking about me?"
Sayua stood up from her booth and walked up to them, looking not at all upset or bothered, interestingly enough. Instead, she
"Oh, well… I'm not sure whether we're done per se, but…" Haruyuki said.
"Then are you at least done with this room?" Sayua said. "I wanna go down to the lower floors already."
"Huh? Lower floors?" Masashi said.
"Didn't you see it?" Sayua said. "In the lobby downstairs, there's another staircase. It heads down."
"We simply decided to look at the upper floors first," Haruyuki explained. "In fact, I think we're about done with our search here. Shall we get going, then?"
"Hmm… Guess so," Masashi said, seeing nothing of note here.
Masashi and the three others walked down to the other floors and gathered Kasumi, Takumi, and Faye. Afterwards, they all headed down to the lobby on the ground floor, whereafter he saw that there was another set of stairs connected to this floor and located on the right of the reception desk. These stairs headed down, and there was a sign placed right next to the doorway:
Enjoy the dazzling roller coaster ride in the Space Shuttle!
Venture through the solar system!
Behold the wonders of the galaxy!
"Ooh, a roller coaster!" Kasumi said, clapping her hands once. "I always like to ride these whenever I'm at an amusement park!"
"Figures that one of these should appear eventually," Faye said.
"Indeed, I'm sure we're all captivated with the wonders of traveling at high speeds," Haruyuki replied.
Maiha rolled her eyes. "A simple amusement for simple folk. I much prefer a smoother attraction such as teacups."
The group walked down the stairs to the roller coaster ride and found themselves on a small platform. Here, they could see most of the parts that made up the ride, what with its many turns and loops. The background looked like a night sky decorated with many purple lights such that it looked far more galactic and otherworldly than something that one might see down from earth. The background was accompanied with dynamic images of asteroids and the planets. It was so large that it was hard to believe at first that all this was contained inside a ship.
"Um… where's the ride?" Takumi asked.
Yes, there was nothing that looked like a roller coaster train by the platform. Impressive though the ride looked, it would be pointless if they could not actually explore it.
"I think this may answer our question."
Haruyuki pointed at a small post standing by the edge of the platform. There was a small sign on the front:
PRESS RED BUTTON TO CALL SPACE SHUTTLE
Sure enough, there was a red button right below the text. Faye pressed it, and a few seconds later, nothing happened.
"Just what is going on?" Maiha asked, frowning.
"I'm quite confused myself!" Kasumi answered. "Maybe it's not working?"
"I should imagine that Monokuma would've appeared and alerted us about it already," Haruyuki said. "It seems this ride is a little different from a typical roller coaster ride."
Not long after, the group heard rumbling coming from nearby. Soon, the roller coaster's train appeared, and once it stopped on the platform, Masashi could see that the train was designed to look like a rocket.
"Let's get on already!" Kasumi said, the only one here who looked excited. "I wonder what's in store for us!"
"From Monokuma? Nothing good, I should think," Maiha answered. "Still, I suppose that we have no choice but to ride it, in order that we may discover anything new."
"Do you think this ride takes us somewhere?" Masashi asked.
"Perhaps. Perhaps not," Haruyuki said.
"Not a very helpful answer," Faye replied.
"In my defense, I never said that it would be helpful."
The group settled themselves into the cars, Masashi and Kasumi in the front car, Faye and Takumi in the second car, Maiha and Haruyuki in the third car, and Sayua by her lonesome in the fourth car. The front car had a red button that was labeled "START". As soon as Kasumi unhesitantly pressed it, the safety restraints moved down against the passengers, and the train began to move slowly. The path at first was straightforward, but as soon as it began to rise, Masashi gulped.
As soon as the train reached the peak, it stopped for a few seconds.
And no sooner had Masashi taken in a breath of air than the train rushed down.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"
Masashi could not hold in his screams, and neither could the others, it seemed. Thenceforth, everything passed through his sight so quickly that he could barely understand it. The train went through several loops and turns, and at one point, the train was upside-down for more than a few seconds. Despite the unbelievably high speed that they were going at, it went by so quickly that all fear that Masashi had felt was all but gone. He simply took in the experience and the rush.
Eventually, the train slowed down, and the station was in sight. As soon as it stopped, and the restraints moved back to their original place, Masashi staggered out of the train, his heart beating quickly.
"Woo-hoo!" Kasumi said as she adjusted her red masquerade mask.
"Aah… Aah…" Sayua said. "Th-That was…. Never again…"
"S-So fast…" Takumi said.
"Oh… What a rush that was," Haruyuki said, looking quite pleased. "I didn't expect to feel like this…"
Maiha groaned, glaring at him. "Are you through?"
"Don't pretend as if you hadn't found it merry," he replied. "I saw you screaming and smiling, once."
"You were imagining things," she quickly said.
"Um… guys?" Faye said. "Where exactly are we?"
"What are you talking about? Aren't we back on the station?" Masashi said.
"No, look around."
It was then that Masashi noticed that there were no stairs connected to this platform, even though they had walked down a set of stairs to get here. Instead, the platform was connected to a hallway.
"Seems like we're on a different station," Sayua said.
"What?! How come?!" Kasumi replied.
"And now... enter Monokuma!"
Drawing in a few groans from the participants, Monokuma appeared from beneath.
"So how did ya like the ride?" he began. "Wait, actually, don't answer that. I don't like it when people ask questions they know the answer to already."
"Coming from you, that sounds... off," Haruyuki replied.
"Just tell us what's going on already," Sayua said half-heartedly.
"Oh, fine. I was getting tired of this small talk, anyway," he said. "You see… this roller coaster actually has two stations. If you start from one station, the roller coaster takes you to the other, and vice versa."
"So the roller coaster essentially loops between the two?" Faye asked. "That seems pretty weird. What if we want to get to the other side, but there's no roller coaster?"
"Well, that's what the posts are for!" Monokuma said, pointing at a nearby post with a red button on it. It looked exactly like the post that they had seen on the first station. "If the roller coaster is simply docked on the other station, then all you have to do is press the button. It'll automatically make its way to you."
"I see…" Haruyuki said. "I must say, though, having to ride through the roller coaster just to reach the other side is a little… impractical."
"Well, that's the amusement park experience for you. Take it or leave it," Monokuma said. "Oh, and speaking of taking things… take these."
Monokuma then took out two keys and handed them to Masashi.
"These are the keys to one room," Monokuma said. "I could've given you only one, but I felt a spare would be helpful. I don't want to deal with a case of people being locked in after a staff member accidentally swallowed the key."
"You have to be making that up," Faye asked.
"You'd be surprised at how stupid some dares can be," Monokuma answered as he handed Masashi the keys.
"So what room are they for?" Kasumi asked.
"Oh, you'll see. I mean, there's only one locked door here, so it's not like it's a mystery or anything," Monokuma said. "In fact, let me take you there, since I'd just appear a few minutes later to explain it to you, anyway, and that would lead to unnecessary dialogue. And I hate that very much."
"Once again, coming from you, that sounds off," Haruyuki remarked.
Monokuma let out a small growl as his face turned red. "Yeah, well... you're full of unnecessary dialogue! That's all I have to say! Hmph!"
As Monokuma turned around and stormed off, the group stood silently puzzled at what had just happened before they chose to follow him. They walked through the passageway and found themselves in a hallway that had a few connecting doors. The two on the far left were simply the men's and women's restrooms, but one room particularly intrigued Masashi. It was called "SIMULATION ROOM", and when Masashi tried to open the door, he found it to be locked.
"Guess this is the room, all right," Faye said. "Must be important if it's locked."
"Well, what are you waiting for?" Monokuma said. "Open it up already, you bozo."
"No need for names..." Masashi said, though knowing the futility of his words.
Without further ado, Masashi unlocked the door, and the group stepped inside. He had imagined it to be full of technology and other complicated-looking equipment, but instead, the room looked somewhat barren. There were about eight red metallic armchairs set by the walls, such that they faced each other in a circle. A red curtain surrounded the chairs in the same circular format. Moreover, each chair not only had a headset but also was connected through wires to something behind the red curtain. What it was connected to was directly opposite to the doorway. Masashi raised the curtain enough to see what it was, and it appeared to be a great metallic box attached to the wall.
"What in the world is that?" Maiha asked.
"That, my dear lady, is one of our machines for our VR program. You know, virtual reality," Monokuma said. "If this device were operational, you could join the program and access a virtual world designed by us."
"That… doesn't sound appealing," Faye said. "And from the way you speak, it doesn't sound like the device is working."
"Well, because of a few technical problems, the machine's not working right now," Monokuma said. "Oh, but don't worry, sooner or later, I'll get it up and running again, and you can have fun with it."
"It's not going to try to kill us, is it?" Masashi said.
"Oh, no, no, of course not!" Monokuma said. "It's a perfectly fine and simple simulation! Just trust me, dude!"
"Don't ever say that again," Maiha replied.
"Is that all to this room?" Haruyuki said.
"Yep, the VR game's the main attraction. Of course, there are a few… modifications that you can make to this room. Let me show you, pronto!"
Monokuma then took them out to the hallway and showed them a door that was to the right of the Simulation Room's door. This room was called "CONTROL ROOM". This time, however, the room needed no key, and Masashi opened it without a hitch.
The control room, though roomier than Masashi had expected, was nonetheless small. There was a panel of buttons on the left wall, as well as various tools such as a jackhammer and a container of beakers in the corner, and a goodly number of blue crates. Otherwise, there seemed to be nothing remarkable.
"You see those buttons?" Monokuma said, pointing at the panel. "You can add cool things to the Simulation Room! Like smoke and confetti! The room used to be a stage room, which is why all these special effects still remain in place."
Indeed, there were sundry options available, though Masashi wondered why he would ever want to use them, even if he were interested in trying out the VR game later. The only other notable thing was the door in the back of the right wall, but when he asked Monokuma about it, he got a laugh in return.
"You're free to enter that if you have the keycard for it," Monokuma said. "But since you don't… well, it's not like it matters anyway. What's behind that door isn't anything important, actually."
Seeing no point in trying to get any more answers from him, Masashi decided that he was done with this room.
"I believe I've explained enough," Monokuma said. "I'm afraid that now, I must leave you. But don't fret! You're almost done with your journey! You can make it! I believe in you! Now go, run like the wind, young ones!"
Monokuma sank into the ground and disappeared as usual.
"Well, that was weird," Faye said. "Let's just… check out the rest of the floor and head back as soon as we can."
The others nodded, and the group left the control room and headed to the far right end of the hallway, where only one door was found. It was called "RELAXATION ROOM". Masashi did not even bother to guess what might be inside, given how undescriptive the name was.
"Whoa…"
Most of the room was completely white and filled with equally white benches set in a way that suggested little thought. But the one thing that had color truly stood out, for it was a wide piece of artwork that filled up the walls and showed what seemed like the roofs of a small village that looked somewhat premodern. One part of the mural even showed what looked like a clock tower, with great emphasis on the clock.
"What weird art," Faye said. "Haruyuki, what's your take on it?"
"You wish to hear my opinion?" the art critic said as he looked up close at the artwork. "If I had to say… I would say that this work exudes nostalgia, but for a time that the artist clearly never lived in. And yet, I can feel passion."
Maiha gave the artwork a small knock. "The walls, surprisingly enough, are made of glass. I should imagine that this artwork was brought in rather than painted here."
"I wonder why this artwork was chosen," Masashi said as he looked at it some more. "It doesn't fit in with the outer space theme."
"Who knows, maybe the designers just found it nifty and didn't have any other place for it," Faye said. "It doesn't seem like there's any other purpose in this room other than to sit down and relax."
"I-It looks so fancy..." Takumi mumbled.
"Yeah, with how well-made it looks, I can hardly relax while looking at it!" Kasumi said as she gave a small clap. "Wouldn't mind trying to steal one of these as a challenge! But I would need to find a way to make sure not to break it… Hmm…"
"Well... This has ended up being quite unimportant," Faye remarked. "I was hoping there'd be a clue about what's going on."
"Indeed, it seems that our mastermind wishes to keep us in the dark a little more," Haruyuki said as he looked across the room. "Perhaps we'll hear more after the next tragedy."
Faye groaned. "Don't speak as if it were inevitable. I don't want to see another tragedy... No more betrayals, no more secrets, no more deaths, please!"
"I'm afraid that's a bit too much to ask for. And besides, secrets spice things up, not only killing games. They make things more... interesting, do you not agree?"
Faye looked askance at him. "No offense, but I don't think your idea of 'interesting' lines up with my idea of 'good'."
Meanwhile, Masashi noticed that Sayua stood by the side, having beheld the scene silently. She stood listlessly, and Masashi had a feeling that all she thought about was how much she did not care a single bit about what was going on.
And quite frankly, he did not find that to be strange.
The trip back involved riding the same roller coaster ride as before, and while the path to the earlier station was different, Masashi felt less unnerved, but at the same time, it felt less exciting for him. After the train stopped at the first station, the group got off the train and made their ways upstairs. They left the space station and made their way back to the woodland kingdom, and along the way, there was some minor discussion on what Faye ought to cook for lunch. Masashi did not join in; it was something that he could not muster the energy to care about.
When they stepped into the dining room, however, everyone stopped.
"Good morning. You've been wondering about me, I take it."
It was Sorao Mineta himself. He looked the same as usual and appeared to be eating a bagel. But the one thing that Masashi focused on the most was that unmistakably smarmy look on his face.
"You!" Sayua blurted out, emotion suddenly returning to her face. "You've finally shown up!"
"Well, yes, I certainly can't leave my fans in suspense, can I?" Sorao chuckled as he put the bagel down on his plate. "Don't worry, I jest. I know none of you are fans."
"That's quite an understatement!" Faye said. "You tried to kill Tanjiro and Hikari! Don't think we'll ever forget that!"
Masashi could not say anything at first. Though he had reassured the group that he would deal with Sorao appropriately, in truth, he still had hoped that he might not show up. But now that Sorao sat before him, the ugly reality reared its head, he being caught speechless.
"You've made quite a timely appearance," Maiha said, stepping forth with a sneer. "Masashi and I have agreed that you're to spend the rest of your time here in your room, all tied up. You'll have no more time to pull off any machinations."
At first, Masashi thought that Sorao would either be upset or make a snide remark that matched his arrogance. But instead, the smile on Sorao's face widened, and eventually, he let out a laugh.
"You think it's so simple, yes?" he replied. "Well, before you make any more bold statements, take a look at the rules."
Unsure as to what Sorao was up to, Masashi took out his Monopad reluctantly and looked at the section that listed the rules. He scrolled all the way to the bottom and found one new rule:
No participant may physically restrain another for the purpose of confining that person in one location, unless that person is willing or is proven to be an immediate physical threat. Any restraints that are part of Brightmere Mirthyard's attractions or are put in by Monokuma are exempt from this.
"Wh-What the…?" Masashi said.
"Get it now?" Sorao said. "You say that you plan to lock me in and tie me up. But how will you enforce this?"
"How can this be?!" Maiha exclaimed. "This rule was not in place last night!"
"True, it wasn't… but it now is. Who do you suppose asked Monokuma to put it in?"
Masashi gasped with horror as he looked back up at the arrogant musician. "No… Sorao… you didn't…"
Sorao said nothing for a few seconds, glancing to the side as if thinking about something. But then he looked at Masashi with a devious sneer.
"You have it right. It was I who asked Monokuma to put in that rule."
The others gasped.
"Sorao!" Kasumi said. "Why… Why did you ask him to do that?!"
"Isn't it obvious?" Sorao said, lowering his voice. "I knew that you would see me as a threat and try to keep me locked in my room. So… I asked Monokuma to put that rule in. Of course, it was he who added in the extra bits about the exceptions to the rule, but that hardly matters. In the end, you may not tie me up nor try to stop me whenever I wish to leave my room."
Masashi once again said nothing. At first, he thought that this was all a great joke, albeit an unfunny one. And yet, the more he stared at the screen, the clearer it became that there was no punchline.
"You've got to be fucking with us!" Sayua blurted out.
Takumi buried his face in his teddy bear, trembling. "S-Sorao… how come you're on Monokuma's side?"
"To be frank, even I'm surprised to see that I've managed to be in his grace," he answered. "But in the end, I must've amused him enough with my performance in the killing game so far. And that's why... he agreed to my request."
"I might have expected it," Haruyuki said. "You've manipulated quite a few people so far. I wonder whether you're of the kind that Brightmere Research likes."
"I clearly have done something right if I've managed to get that silly old bear to listen to me," Sorao answered proudly. "Oh, and don't bother trying to argue that I'm an 'immediate physical threat'. I've never attacked anyone in this room, and I don't plan to."
"Oh, God…" Faye mumbled, trembling a little. "You… You're awful. No matter what the rules say, it doesn't change the fact that you're dangerous. You tried to kill Tanjiro and Hikari. And you even planned to betray Takumi and Tanjiro, your partners in crime!"
"Your loyalties shifted very easily in the previous case," Haruyuki added. "You first teamed up with Takumi, intending to compel him to kill Tanjiro. And later, you teamed up with Tanjiro, only to backstab him when the opportunity arose."
"It was only a tragic set of events that ruined your machinations and cost Mari's life," Maiha said, frowning judgmentally at Sorao. "I suppose that the only thing consistent was that you sought to end poor Tanjiro's life."
"Tanjiro! Why do you feel so sorry for him?" Sorao said mockingly as he made a dramatic and flippant gesture with his hands. "Before the sordid affair, he had not trusted me, you know. He had realized that I was dangerous. But as soon as he struck that idiotic spirit channeler's head and thought that he had become a killer, his wits went away, as did his mistrust of me. After all, I had a plan to help him get away with it, and in his eyes, I was his savior! That's why he never tried to kill me and would try to kill Takumi, a not-so-innocent bystander. He let the fear of death conquer him. For all his talk about how evil this killing game was, he was all too willing to play it once he thought that he had become a killer! He talked the talk, but could not walk the walk, so one can only call his words empty. He was nothing more than a loser!"
"You… You bastard!" Sayua roared.
"My goodness," Haruyuki said, sounding truly amazed. "You truly feel no guilt at all."
"I can't believe that such a handsome guy as you can be so horrible!" Kasumi said.
Sorao chuckled as he flickered with his red hair. "Why, it looks like I was wrong. I have one fan after all. I take it that my fanservice moment back in the clothing shop won you over?"
Kasumi stuttered as a blush appeared on her face. "N-No... I shouldn't fawn over scoundrels like you! Oh, why do you have to be so evil?"
"The seven of you can call me evil however many times you want. I don't care what you think of me at this point," Sorao answered before he leaned back on his chair. "Well, enough of this. I'm tired of talking about the past. Now let me enjoy my breakfast in peace, will you?"
"No fucking way!" Sayua replied, slamming her hand on Sorao's table. "We can't tie you up, but there's no way we can leave you be!"
"But what's your solution, Sayua?" Faye asked.
"Well... just have someone watch him the whole day!" Sayua answered. "Make him give up his freedom!"
Sorao frowned, though he did not look too irritated. "I personally don't see a point. You know that if something happens, I'll be the first suspect. My chances for victory in this killing game have all but vanished. You can trust that I won't do anything from now on."
"I refuse to believe you at this point!" Faye said. "You've tricked us before, and you'll do it again, I'm sure of it."
"And besides, what can you do about it?" Haruyuki said. "Are you planning to try evading our gaze all day? That would get tiresome rather quickly, yes? And you can't use violence to get us to stay away. Otherwise, that'd allow us to restrain you, according to the rule."
"Oh, good point!" Kasumi added.
Sorao deepened his frown. "Well... I admit you have a point..."
"Looks like you have no choice," Masashi said. "We'll watch you from now on."
Saying nothing for a few seconds, Sorao let out a sigh. "Fine... If that's what you want, I'll go with it."
Huh... That was easier than I had expected.
Masashi had thought that Sorao would protest more or even try to run over, however stupid that might be, but here he was, complying with the new order already. Of course, he had no reason to complain about it, so he said nothing.
"You will do the same with Takumi, right?" Sorao said. "You're not going to feel sorry for him just because he has a sleeping disorder and a tragic past, are you?"
"What a fool I should be if I were to let those two things sway me!" Maiha said bluntly. "We've already agreed to lock him up, of course."
"You both have lost your freedom. End of story," Masashi added.
Takumi sank his face into his teddy bear, groaning, and all the while, Sorao rested his head on his hand and gave a long sigh. At this point, Masashi did not care about how they felt. He must not let them go unpunished for what they had done.
Hello, everyone! Chapter 5 is here, and things have taken an unhappier turn, now that Sorao and Takumi have more or less lost favor with the group, and Masashi has to come to grips with his new reality, but it remains to see how well he'll try. Also, the fifth ship is here, and it has a roller coaster. Yay!
Anyway, what do you think will happen in this chapter? Who do you think will survive? There are only eight people left, so there really are not a lot of options left. As always, I appreciate that you've continued reading this! I hope to see you later!