Chapter 1: Silence of the Sacrificial Lamb (Deadly Life #01)
Warning: This fic contains intense violence, lots of cursing, character death, and possible spoilers for the Danganronpa series, most notably the first one. But hey, everyone lurking in this fandom has at least played the first Danganronpa so no need to worry much there!
With that said, please enjoy!
"To my humblest dearest Titus Erskine," White Collar sat on his throne as he stared back into Titus's eyes. "The one who has forgotten most of his own life. Or so he says. Do you really not remember much of anything in your entire life? Or were you twisting the truth and bending it into a lie? Whatever the case maybe, there are ones you and I both know for a fact, you remember all too well. Those people are your family:
…
…
… Your mother and your grandparents…"
CHAPTER 1: SILENCE OF THE SACRIFICIAL LAMB (DEADLY LIFE)
"Attention all prisoners," Monohebi's voice echoed throughout the facility. "A body has been discovered. After a certain amount of time has passed, the Prison Trial will begin. That is all."
…
The smell was becoming unbearable for Barracuda, Jared, Kane, and Mayu. It was a smell unlike anything they had smelled before. For Jared, maybe it had that touch of familiarity when he would stumble upon a crime scene in his line of work, but this was unlike anything he had gained a whiff of.
It was the smell of toxicity in the air, slowly getting cleansed by St. Esther's ventilation system. Smell of toxicity mixed with faint alcohol and Titus's corpse, which by the way, had been burning as well. A part of Titus was all charred up, skin nearly shriveling into dust and ash, nearly exposing nothing but charred pieces of bone or crispy black and red skin.
For the group of four that had stumbled onto the scene, it was just too grotesque to stare at. This was Titus. Someone who they had seen, alive and well just hours before, now dead before them.
"A-AUUUUUUUUUUGH!" Mayu wailed once more, collapsing down to her knees. "A-AUUUUUUGH! N-No. N-Nooooooo!"
"W-Why?" Barracuda widened his eyes, his face green with disgust and visibly close to puking on the floor. "W-Why is Titus? W-We had a way out of here. W-Why did this happen? W-Why now?!"
Jared repositioned his police hat and stared at Titus's corpse with a rather serious expression. He didn't care about the why. Not now. What he should care about was…
"What happened, happened," Jared seriously stated. He turned to Barracuda and Mayu. "Barracuda, Mayu. Guard the crime scene. Make sure no one comes even an inch to the body. Kane."
He turned to Kane, who at the moment looked to be frozen in pure shock and terror. His eyes never wavered from the body, like he was entranced by the horrific sight.
"Kane!" Jared snapped the Ultimate Pawnbroker out of his frozen state.
"A-Ah, yes?!" Kane asked, his legs wobbling a little due to Jared's sudden outburst.
"Go alert the others what has happened," Jared ordered Kane. "Now!"
Kane didn't need to be told twice. As soon as Jared made his command, Kane quickly rushed out of the Prison Lounge and alerted anyone he could find.
…
When Kane returned, more and more people had gathered at the scene of the crime. These people included Abigail, Arthur, Carter, Haruto, Ina, Maggie, Mimi, and Yuumi. Cassandra, Holland, and Zuri were the only ones missing…
"J-Jesus!" was the first thing Haruto said when he entered the once smoke-infused room. The second thing he said occurred right after he saw the body. "W-Wha- Holy fucking shit!"
"What the hell happened?" Abigail bit her finger nervously. "One moment Holland gets attacked. Next moment, there's a fire and Titus-"
"Hang on," Maggie folded her arms, looking concerned. "What's this about Holland getting attacked? Is he alright?"
"Abigail and I left Zuri to take care of him," Yuumi looked down, holding her sailor hat to her heart out of respect. "He's fine but he was bleeding. Like a lot."
"A-And what about the Lamb?" Carter asked, looking specifically toward Haruto. "D-Did you catch him?"
Haruto was about to respond before Arthur jumped in with his response. Of course, Yuumi looked away from him as soon as he did, but the Ultimate Snowboarder paid her no mind.
"The Lamb is currently charred to bits thanks to the fire in the Ultimate Revolutionary's Cell," Arthur folded his arms with a cold gaze. "I suppose that will be the last we will see of that wretched being."
"I… g-guess that's a relief," Carter sighed.
"B-But Titus!" Mimi's mouth quivered as she held onto her witch's hat as tight as she could. She stood the furthest away from the body. Just one glance at it was enough to frighten her. The smell of the room didn't help either. "H-He's… H-He's…"
"Dead?" entered a new voice in this large group of people. The person at hand was Cassandra, who had just arrived at the Prison Lounge with a nonchalant expression as she admired the destruction the fire had caused and ultimately the work made upon Titus's body. "...Yeah. It sure seems like he's dead alright."
"Bitch!" Haruto growled. "Show some common human decency! One of us is fucking dead and you're gonna flaunt around like you're still the hottest shit in the room?!"
"Funny you should say that considering there was a fire in this room," Cassandra pointed out with a frown. She was met with a single 'Fuck you'. Typical. "Yeah, one of us is dead, but ultimately, it was one of us who ended up killing him."
Her quick cut response forced everyone into silence. The thought hadn't creeped into their mind at all. Someone had attacked Holland. Someone had burned down two significant areas in this facility. And someone had killed Titus. One of them. The thought hadn't creeped into their mind before but it sure was creeping in now.
Could it be?
"...Seriously?" Cassandra glanced at everyone in slight bewilderment. "All of you were so distracted by what the fuck was going on that none of you even gave the most obvious conclusion a moment's notice. Fine. I'll say it again. Someone here killed him. And it's one of you bastards standing in this room."
Cassandra pointed her finger at the others, separating herself from the group. That was when Abigail stepped forward with a glare and an interjection.
"Hang on," Abigail glared at Cassandra. "How do we know you're not the one who did it? Where were you when everything happened?"
"Of course it would be you to accuse me, Abbygail," Cassandra rolled her eyes. "I didn't kill this idiot because I'm not stupid enough to fucking break."
"That's a lame excuse and you know it!" Mayu pointed her fingers at Cassandra. "You must have been the murderous peasant that killed Titus!"
"Guys, we shouldn't accuse each other like this," Jared stepped forward and attempted to calm the situation. "We don't know for sure it was someone here. Cassandra's just trying to start drama. As usual."
"Y-Yeah, Jared's right," Kane also stepped forward to take control of the situation. "Let's just calm down. Titus, the fire, Holland's attack. All of them had to have been White Collar. I mean, who else here would be crazy enough to-"
"I am not amused by your attempt at a bad joke," came the sudden appearance of Monohebi the snake. She seemed to have appeared almost out of nowhere but the group that had gone to investigate Zuri's escape plan now had a feeling where she could've come from. "To think that my Master would willingly participate in the Killing Game is absurd."
"The snake…" Ina narrowed her eyes at Monohebi. "Was it you that caused everything then?"
"Of course not," Monohebi shook her head. "I merely sat back and watched the events unfold with Master White Collar."
"W-Wait," Yuumi blinked. "Does that mean… You know what happened? All of it?"
"Certainly," Monohebi nodded. "How else can one dictate what is right and wrong during the Prison Trial? Most certainly, the killer is amongst you as Miss Mura has stated."
Cassandra gave a slight boastful look at being right.
"As such, it is now your duty to uncover what happened during these series of events and ultimately who was the blackened that took Mr. Erskine's life," Monohebi continued. "This is your Investigation Period. You only have a limited amount of time so best use this time wisely."
"Oh yeah?" Haruto glared at Monohebi. "And how do we know you're telling the truth?"
"...That's up to you to decide," Monohebi stated. "I cannot control how the participants think. In the meantime, I have provided you all with a new application on your eHandbooks."
A ping and a small vibration forced everyone to take out their eHandbooks and open it up. Arthur narrowed his eyes on his own. Mimi blinked and looked around, slightly confused. Yuumi was the first to say something.
"Hey, it's…" Yuumi blinked.
"An Autopsy Report," Maggie widened her eyes.
"The first of many I presume," Monohebi nodded as she flicked her tongue. "It has everything you need to know about Mr. Erskine's demise and you can use it freely whenever you want. Now then..."
Monohebi's red eyes flashed.
"Let the Investigation commence. Good luck Prisoners."
With that said, she slithered away. Barracuda attempted to see where she went but all he could see was nothing. She just disappeared.
"Sh-She's gone," Barracuda blinked.
"W-What do we do now?" Mimi asked, nervous.
"The only thing we can do," Jared nodded. "We're going to have to investigate what happened to Titus. And… figure out the truth of what happened."
"Can I still defend the crime scene?" Barracuda scratched his head. "Only cause, I want to leave the thinking to the rest of you."
"Yeah, defend the crime scene," Haruto nodded in agreement. "I like that idea. So no one comes in and fucks up evidence or something. I'll join ya with that."
"I suppose with that settled, we should all go and investigate what we can," Kane clapped his hands together, nervous for what will become of them if they are unable to find anything.
Everyone eventually separated into small groups to investigate what they could. They had to investigate. They had to find clues. Anything of the sort. Otherwise… They'll end up joining Titus in accordance with the rules set by White Collar and his pet snake Monohebi.
Yes.
They had to do this.
For Titus.
For their own lives.
[INVESTIGATION BEGIN]
(Prison Lounge)
The first thing Jared did when the investigation began was look through his eHandbook. It didn't take long for him to notice that what Monohebi had stated earlier was the truth. There as its own separate application was the Autopsy Report and upon opening it, he got this little document:
Victim: Titus Erskine
Cause of Death: Blood loss from a single stab wound
Time of Death: Unknown
"...Time of death is… unknown?" Jared raised an eyebrow.
"Well yeah," Haruto scratched the back of his neck as he stood near Titus's body. Just being near it was enough to give him the slightest heebie jeebies. "I imagine it's because of the fucking fire. A corpse in that kind of extreme heat would fucking mess with the time of death. Surprised you didn't know that y'know being a cop and all."
"...No no, I did," Jared rubbed his chin in thought. "I just thought it was strange. I mean, is this why the fire happened? Because they wanted to mess with the time of death?"
"Hell if I know," Haruto grumbled. "But what I do know is that whatever psycho did this sure loved the idea of getting a beatdown from me."
Haruto punched his fist into the other palm of his hand.
"I don't think assault needs to be warranted against a murderer," Jared repositioned his police hat.
"Hey, speak for yourself," Haruto glared at Jared. "One of us just fucking offed someone and attacked another and you're telling me they don't deserve a fucking beatdown?"
"...Well, if we're speaking about beatdowns, can I at least ask you what the hell happened when you left us with Holland?" Jared asked Haruto before quickly adding, "And no. It's not because I think you're a suspect. I mean, you were with us when Holland was attacked and when the fires started so… I think you're innocent."
"Yeah yeah, I get it," Haruto sighed. "You just want a better picture about what the fuck happened. Right?"
"...Yeah," Jared tipped his police hat.
"Alright, I'll start from the very beginning from when I left you guys to take care of Holland," Haruto stated. "I went to go find that Lamb bastard until I found Kane and Maggie on the ground and this area here, fucking burning. Kane was the one who told me to go catch the Lamb and that's when I found Mimi and Ina's Cell burning down too."
"Okay… and then?" Jared took everything Haruto had said into consideration.
"Then that dickhead Arthur arrived and decided to check out what the hell was burning inside Ina's Cell," Haruto crossed his arms.
"...It was the Lamb," Jared concluded, looking down with a frown.
"Yeah, the fucking Lamb," Haruto scoffed. "Someone else beat me to the punch, which is a damn shame because I was really looking forward to pummeling that creepy fuck."
"But isn't it strange?" Jared asked. "I mean, isn't the Lamb supposed to be in my Ultimate Cell?"
"Well, no, because I moved it to Ina's Cell," Haruto rubbed the back of his neck as he avoided looking at Titus's corpse.
"H-Huh?" Jared blinked. That was news to him! "Why?"
"Look man, I was carrying that thing from the Cafeteria to Cell Block A," Haruto glared at Jared. "I didn't give a shit where he was from originally, so I tossed him in the nearest cell."
"...Uh, my cell is the nearest cell," Jared pointed out with a blink.
"...Shut the fuck up," Haruto growled, a little embarrassed. "So I put him in the wrong cell. So what? Big fucking deal."
Jared rubbed his chin about this fact. Haruto placed Lawson the Lamb in the Ultimate Revolutionary's Cell? Was there any connection to that fact with the fact that the Ultimate Revolutionary's Cell just so happened to be the only other place that burned down. Not only that, but Lawson the Lamb just so happened to get burned up alongside the cell it was in?
The more Jared thought about this, the more confused he got. Maybe this wasn't important at all to the case, but Lawson the Lamb did apparently attack Holland, so this had to be something to look into.
"Did you see anyone else at the scene of the fires?" Jared asked Haruto.
"Besides Mimi and that bastard, Arthur, no, not really," Haruto testified before Jared nodded.
He kept a mental note of what Haruto had stated. For now, he had something to go off of if Haruto was telling the truth. Despite being normally so aggressive, Jared felt a sense of trust with him or at least with his methods.
...
Next, Jared moved toward the body itself. He instinctively ducked down and picked himself back up as if there were imaginary police tape blocking everyone off from where Titus's corpse was found. Jared squatted down and examined the scene, with Barracuda and Haruto watching him closely, Haruto more so than Barracuda.
Jared took note of Titus's face. Normally that face would be smiling in glee with some strange comments here and there. Now it was just empty. No sign of life to be detected. Titus was gone. Jared couldn't help but feel slight anguish over the thought that someone that had just been alive earlier this morning was now the body he had to be investigating.
Jared's eyes trailed down to his stab wound. He had been effectively stabbed in the stomach. The knife no longer lodged in his stomach meant that the blood that was once fresh in Titus's body had been seeping outside, leaving a puddle of drying blood near Titus's body. The blood changed Jared's focus onto Titus's hands.
There was blood on Titus's hands. Jared could imagine what might've happened. When Titus got stabbed, he must've placed his hands around his stomach area instinctively. A futile effort to stop the bleeding.
Then his attention pointed toward the murder weapon: the knife that was sitting so casually beside Titus. Jared immediately picked it up with his gloved hand-
He dropped it.
"Jesus!" Jared cursed.
"J-Jared!" Barracuda exclaimed in concern. "You alright?!"
"What happened?!" Haruto looked equally as concerned but a little annoyed. One could never tell with that scowl of his.
"The knife is still hot," Jared waved his hands around to cool off the heat. Even with the gloves, the amount of heat on that knife was still hot to touch.
"You really tried to pick it up?" Haruto blinked before shaking his head. "Dumbass. There was a goddamn fire here like ten minutes ago. Of course, it's still going to be hot. Hell, the entire room is still as warm as the Mojave Desert."
"I'm sorry," Jared rubbed his gloved hands. "I just thought my gloves would protect me…"
"Why are you picking up the knife anyway?" Barracuda asked Jared.
"Well, it is the murder weapon," Jared rubbed his chin. "So, it's best to examine every nook and cranny on it and get as many details about it as possible."
"...It just looks like a regular old kitchen knife to me," Barracuda blinked.
"...Maybe," Jared stated as he continued to eye the knife. He examined it without touching it. It was quite clearly a kitchen knife. The helm of the knife looked clean. The blade itself was covered with Titus's blood but there were some dry splotches on the blade that seemed to have come elsewhere. Perhaps someone else who had gotten stabbed by the knife…
...
While Jared focused on the knife at hand along with Haruto and Barracuda, Maggie focused especially on the scattered chess pieces near Titus's body. Her mind didn't want to focus on the body at hand. In fact, she didn't want to acknowledge that something like this happened. She didn't. Not at all.
She gave a sigh.
"God, what a mess," Maggie sighed. "So much for cleaning up the Prison Lounge."
"Maggie," Kane walked up to her.
"S-Sorry," Maggie folded her arms, looking uncomfortable about the atmosphere of the crime scene all together. "I know it's insensitive to say something like that, especially in front of…"
Maggie didn't bother to look back at Titus's corpse. Kane placed a hand on her shoulder.
"Yeah, I get it," Kane looked down. "None of us really expected someone to…" Pause. "But that's not what I wanted to talk about."
"What did you want to talk about Kane?" Maggie asked Kane, pressing her cheeks against her fingers.
"...Where were you, Maggie?" Kane looked at Maggie in concern. "W-When I saw that there was a fire in the Prison Lounge, I… I got worried. You said you would be cleaning at the Prison Lounge so…"
Maggie blinked at Kane before looking down and rubbing her arms. She sighed and played with a lock of her hair, even biting it at times.
"I… I was going to but…" Maggie trailed off. "But I saw something."
"H-Huh?" Kane widened his eyes. "What did you see?"
"...It was in the Ultimate Revolutionary Cell," Maggie revealed, as she folded her arms. "A little before the fires started, I heard a noise. Like someone was getting beaten to death."
"D-Did you ever check to see what it was?" Kane blinked.
"Are you kidding?" Maggie blinked back at Kane as she tightened her grip on her arms. "As soon as I heard that, I scrambled back to my room. Maybe I could've been a bigger person and tried to stop what was going on but I… I guess I was scared. So, I ran and hid in my room until the announcements started ringing."
"...I see," Kane looked. "So that's why you weren't there at the Prison Lounge."
"...I still can't believe all this happened though," Maggie looked down. "We were supposed to escape today. Not…"
Maggie twirled a lock of her hair with a sigh before glancing at Kane. She gave a small chuckle. At first, Kane didn't know what she was laughing about until Maggie spoke out about it.
"So that's what you look like without your brown jacket on," Maggie weakly chuckled. "You do realize you're wearing your shirt inside-out, right?"
"H-Hey..." Kane looked away with a small blush on his face. "D-Don't judge my fashion sense. Back in the old days, wearing shirts inside-out was like a big deal in the ol 1800s!"
"...Somehow, I highly doubt it," Maggie shook her head playfully before moving toward the floor. Of course, Haruto kept a close eye on her as she moved to pick up the chess pieces scattered all over the floor. Having grabbed a nearby box that seemed mostly intact from the fire, she began to count and dump pieces into it.
"You're cleaning?" Kane gave a sheepish chuckle. "Now of all times?"
"I said I was going to clean the Prison Lounge, didn't I?" Maggie weakly joked as she managed to gather up every piece off the ground. She blinked for a few moments before looking around the floor. "Huh?"
"What's wrong?" Kane looked at Maggie as he joined her on the ground.
"...I might be going crazy," Maggie tapped her chin before counting every piece at a time by placing them out into the open into two different groups: a group of black and a group of white. Once she had done so, she snapped her fingers. "No... I'm not. Kane. There's a piece missing."
"A piece missing?" Kane blinked, examining the groups she had placed out. "Hey you're right. It's missing the King piece."
Sure enough, in the group of black pieces, the King was missing. Maggie and Kane looked around the area for a few moments before Kane scratched the back of his neck.
"Huh," Kane muttered before looking toward Maggie. "Are you sure it didn't just roll off somewhere?"
"No no, I checked everywhere," Maggie crossed her arms. "It's not here."
"That's bewildering," Kane rubbed his chin as he closed one eye. "Check again. It has to be like hidden in a pile of trash or something!"
(Bathroom)
"Agh-"
"No, don't move, Holland. You'll put more pressure on your wound."
Holland had tried to stand up but the moment he did, he felt the oozing pain from his wound suddenly jab him where it hurt. The sudden action nearly caused him to fall had Zuri not been there to catch him.
Before the rest of the group had left, they had managed to make makeshift bandages out of nothing but the toilet paper and towels in order to wrap around his leg wound. Such handiwork was only possible thanks to the Ultimate Police Officer and Ultimate Personal Trainer.
"B-But," Holland slightly winced, looking down at his leg wound. That was the most expression anyone would've probably seen from him at this point.
"I know, I know," Zuri looked down. "You… You want to go help and investigate who…"
Zuri couldn't even finish that sentence. Instead, she continued with another line of conversation.
"But you can't Holland," Zuri shook her head. "You need to stay here and rest. Your leg is still bleeding a lot. And you heard what Jared said. Any sudden movements and the blood might seep through."
"B-But… they need us," Holland looked away.
"I… I know, I know," Zuri looked at Holland. "But right now, we can't afford to…"
Lose someone else? Lose you too? The more she thought about how to finish that sentence, the more she recognized the reality of the situation. They had gotten pinged on their eHandbooks and received the Autopsy Report. That was when they officially learned that someone had died. Someone among them. Titus. And what was worse was the possibility that it was someone among them that had done the killing. That was a thought Zuri tried so desperately to push out of her mind.
That was when Zuri stopped talking. She met her eyes with Holland's, who looked at her with slight sympathy.
"Z-Zuri?" Holland asked Zuri.
"...W-Why?" Zuri's voice trembled. Her body began to shake. "Why did this happen? We had a chance to escape. To fight back against W-White Collar. Why did someone have to…?"
It was clear to Holland that Zuri was close to tears. Close. Yes. That's right. They were that close to a means of rebellion. To a means of freedom. And now it was all lost and they had to continue playing along with White Collar's game.
"...I c-can't forgive the person who did this," Zuri frowned, her lips turning a little bitter. "Th-They killed Titus and not only that but th-they… they probably were the reason why you got hurt too. I just… I just can't forgive them."
Holland stared at Zuri, returning to his blank and neutral expression.
"...I'm sorry," Zuri said. "I… I'm probably just rambling. I just can't believe this happened…"
Holland looked at his leg.
"...I can't believe it either," Holland stated, his expression never changing. "But… we can't just not do anything about it."
Holland looked at Zuri, his expression slightly softened but still flat.
"Zuri… let's go to the crime scene," Holland stated. "We have to do it. For Titus."
"...Holland," Zuri eyed his leg. "What about your wo-"
Holland tried to get up. He tried. And the more he got up, the more of that pain rushed to his leg, jabbing him with that awful horrible feeling. He clutched his knee as Zuri quickly got up, ready to catch him if he collapsed to the floor. That was when she noticed Holland was now standing, or at least, doing his best at standing.
"...Let's go," Holland stated. "We need to be at the crime scene."
Zuri didn't say anything after that. She admired his resolve to find out what happened. As such, she hurried to hoist his arms over her shoulders. She was to be his makeshift crutch as he moved around.
And together they left the boy's bathroom.
Abigail walked out of Prison Lounge and into the intersection between the Prison Lounge, Cafeteria, and Cell Block A. She had decided to let the people inside the Lounge do their own investigating, or rather, she would investigate elsewhere while they cleaned out whatever needed to be found in the actual crime scene.
Of course, the question lied on where she needed to go next to investigate. The Ultimate Revolutionary Cell was the next big place to check out, considering that was where the other fire occurred but no doubt, there would be a handful of people there too. Abigail wasn't able to continue her thoughts as she was interrupted by the sight of Mimi and Yuumi on the floor and the smell of something burning casually sitting on the ground, near the entrance of the Prison Lounge, covered in soot, and practically destroyed from the fire.
"Damn, what the hell is that and how long has it been sitting there?" Abigail rubbed her nose quickly. She was getting sick of the smell of burnt… well burnt everything. Maybe she should probably ditch the Ultimate Revolutionary Cell.
"Oh, I think that's Kane's jacket," Yuumi stated. "Yeah. Now that I think about it, he was missing his signature brown jacket. He must've gotten caught on fire when he discovered the Prison Lounge burning. Poor guy."
"I know I would cry if that was my hat," Mimi gestured to her witch's hat. It seemed like Mimi wasn't handling this quite well. Compared to everyone who had gotten that resolve to investigate what had happened to Titus, Mimi was still down in the dumps and completely depressed.
How could Abigail blame the girl?
In her eyes, Mimi had the mentality of a child. And a child to be exposed to something like this… Abigail fiddled with her hair for a moment.
"...How are you girls holding up?" Abigail sighed. She might as well ask. It was common human decency.
Mimi hid her face underneath her witch's hat.
"...I still can't believe it…" Yuumi looked down sorrowfully.
"...I don't think any of us can," Abigail responded with a straight face. "But we got to do what we got to do in order to find out why this happened."
Mimi peeked underneath her hat. Yuumi also glanced at Abigail. Aloof and apathetic. She tried to not care too hard, but she had to. She couldn't help but feel that… maybe she was also a guilty party in all this. After all, she was the one who chose to Distrust Titus. Now he's sitting in the Prison Lounge with a hole in his stomach and half-roasted like an unfinished Thanksgiving turkey.
"...Anyway, you take care now," Abigail stated before leaving and heading to Cell Block A.
…
Mimi and Yuumi glanced at each other. Then the Ultimate Fairytale Writer avoided the Sailor's gaze.
"...I-Is Titus really…?" Mimi asked. She still couldn't believe it. No. It's not that she couldn't believe it. It's that she didn't want to. This had to be a joke. Just a… seriously deranged, cruel joke…
"...Yes Mimi, he is," Yuumi's eyes looked slightly empty for a moment.
"...No…" Mimi softly spoke. "But we were… All of us were friends, weren't we? Maybe you and Haruto weren't on good terms but Titus… He was the happiest guy here compared to everyone! W-Why did he…? Why was it him…?"
"I don't know Mimi," Yuumi looked away as she clutched Sailor Penguin tightly. "But we're going to find out. All of us. Alright?"
Yuumi gave Mimi a reassuring smile. Mimi didn't say anything. Instead, she was still haunted by everything. It was like ever since that party, everything just came crashing down. Tumbling into nothing but drama, arguments, and finally… death and chaos.
Yuumi looked saddened. It seemed like nothing she said was giving Mimi any optimism at the moment. Maybe…
"Huh?" Mimi looked ahead, behind Yuumi.
The conversation had sidetracked and trailed off as Mimi noticed two people arriving: the limping Holland and the Zuri that was currently acting as a crutch for him.
"Holland, Zuri," Yuumi blinked, surprised. "What are you guys doing here? Holland. You should be in the bathroom and Zuri-"
"...It was my idea," Holland answered with a neutral expression. "..We wanted to help out with the investigation. So, I asked Zuri to help take me to the crime scene."
"Oh, well the crime scene is in the Prison Lounge," Yuumi gestured inside. "But seriously. You should rest-"
"N-No," Holland winced slightly. "...I would hate to be useless at a time like this…"
"Besides," Zuri gave Yuumi and Mimi a small smile. "We already made it all this way here so…"
Fair enough.
Yuumi didn't dare protest anymore as the two slowly entered the Prison Lounge…
(Prison Lounge)
The first thing Holland and Zuri saw when they entered the Prison Lounge was the surprised looks of everyone inside. The first to speak was Jared, who had finished examining the kitchen knife and now had Titus's eHandbook in his hands.
"H-Holland?" Jared widened his eyes. "Zuri. Why did you bring him here?"
"O-Oh… I… Was-" Zuri blinked.
"...It was my decision," Holland stated with that neutral expression again. "I told Zuri I wanted to be here and ultimately we decided to come help with the investigation. I hope you don't mind."
"W-Well no, we welcome more help in a situation like this…" Jared trailed before looking a little more serious. "But you shouldn't be walking about like this. It's going to add more pressure to your wound."
"...We'll deal with that later," Holland merely stated with a blank look as he limped his way toward Barracuda. "Is… that where the body is?"
Holland nearly tripped but was held up thanks to Barracuda.
"Y-Yeah," Barracuda nodded. He too was surprised that Holland had come over to help out. "Though, no throwing up on the crime scene. Jared already warned me of that."
Barracuda assisted Holland to the body as Zuri stepped forward into the Prison Lounge. However, the moment she did, she felt a crinkle and heard the small sound of something being split into pieces. She glanced down and lifted up her boot.
"What is…" Zuri blinked.
"Whoa, careful there Zuri," Maggie walked over with Kane. "Those are some glass shards you're stepping on. You're lucky you're wearing boots and not sandals. I would hate to see someone wearing sandals step on…"
Maggie shuddered.
As it turned out, both she and Kane had yet to find the missing chess piece. The Prison Lounge was a large area after all and all that ground they had to cover and not just once, but a total of three times, can be a bit tiring.
"Glass shards…" Zuri murmured. "What are glass shards doing here?"
Zuri leaned closer, noting a faint alcoholic aroma from it.
"And the smell…" Zuri stated before looking at Maggie and Kane. "Hey. We didn't happen to have alcohol at the party, did we?"
"...Not that I know of," Maggie frowned as she attempted to recollect events from the party before giving Zuri a sly look. "If we did have alcohol, I imagine it would have made the party ten times better, hehe."
That sly look turned into a devilish smirk. Zuri and Kane glanced at one another, a little suspicious at what kind of parties Maggie has been to.
Zuri took another glance at the glass shards she had just shattered into tinier pieces. From the looks of it, they originated near the Prison Lounge entrance. Anything else of note, Zuri wouldn't know. Whatever it was originally, the glass shards seemed too unrecognizable now thanks to how shattered it was.
...
While Zuri, Maggie, and Kane flustered over the glass shards on the floor, Jared focused more on Titus's eHandbook. Could there be any clues about his death on his eHandbook? Jared wasn't sure but normally anyone looking through a dead man's eHandbook would feel like this was an invasion of privacy.
Jared was a cop, however. In other words, he was technically allowed to do this for the case. Granted, he probably needed a warrant but White Collar and Monohebi didn't seem to care about warrants or anything like that in this case.
Jared took a deep breath.
Why was he so nervous? He glanced at Titus's corpse. He gave him an apologetic look before opening up Titus's eHandbook…
Sure enough, just like every eHandbook, the first thing that was displayed was the name:
Name: Titus Erskine
Next was the personal information:
Gender: Male
Ultimate Talent: Ultimate Conductor
Birth Date: August 1
Height: 6'
Weight: 195 lbs
Blood Type: A+
…
Seeing this now, Jared was reminded of something else that had a similar format to Titus's personal information: Sayaka Maizono's file. All in the same order as well. Could that mean that he was right?
That White Collar really did…?
Jared shook his head. This was no time to be thinking about something like that. What he needed to focus on was Titus, not Sayaka. Jared flipped past the personal information and settled on the applications he had.
Immediately, the first thing Jared had set his eyes on was that wretched application: the Video Application. Jared hesitated to play it. It was that same nervous feeling again. He shouldn't be so nervous. He had to do this if he was going to find justice for Titus's killer.
But why did it feel so wrong to pry in business that wasn't his…?
Jared hesitated on tapping the Video application.
"...This area..." Holland spoke up.
Jared shut off the eHandbook and watched as Holland and Barracuda glanced toward the untouched area of the Prison Lounge. That area was the cleanest part of the crime scene thus far. After all, the fire never managed to reach there.
"It's so clean," Holland stated with a neutral expression.
"Yeah, the fire only managed to reach up to half of Titus's body," Barracuda crossed his arms and looked around in thought. He sure was trying to think hard about all this. "I don't know how big the fire was at the Ultimate Revolutionary's Cell but…"
"The Ultimate Revolutionary's Cell fire was huge as fuck," Haruto interjected, folding his arms and still making sure no one but Jared got close to the body. "I would say the same thing about the Prison Lounge fire, but it only looked large from the outside, not the inside. It's a relief that the jukebox and gramophone thing is still intact after all that. Titus… Titus did have some moves at that party."
Haruto cursed himself for remembering the dead. This was no time to get emotional in the slightest!
"...I see…" Holland rubbed his chin. "I would gather then that investigating the cleanest section of the crime scene is meaningless…"
"Yeah, seems like it," Barracuda hunched over, looking a little sad.
Holland didn't say anything else for a while. He hummed in thought with that stone faced expression of his and limped toward the Prison Lounge entrance. He then glanced at Barracuda.
"...Ah… I think I'm finished here," Holland looked down with that neutral expression. He had already paid his respects to Titus earlier and had found nothing much to help out the investigation in the meanwhile. "...Could someone help me toward the Cafeteria? It's… the least likely place to find any clues but I would rather not leave any stones left unturned…"
"Y-Yeah, I'll help," Barracuda blinked as he helped Holland to the Prison Lounge exit and then to the Cafeteria.
…
While Holland had begun to leave, Zuri remained in the Prison Lounge. She was still curious about those glass shards but ultimately, she had to search elsewhere if she was going to be one step closer to finding any-
Clack.
Zuri's ears caught something. She glanced around. What was that? If her hearing was right, it would have been somewhere around…
Zuri checked under some desks and crawled on the floor until she reached the more burnt section of the Prison Lounge. Of course, her crawling around was bound to catch someone's attention: Haruto's.
"Oi, what the fuck are you-" Haruto looked a little irritated that someone was actually trying to sneak around the cr-
Zuri held up what she had heard: a chess piece. The black King chess piece as a matter of fact.
"S-Sorry," Zuri looked at Haruto apologetically before standing back up. "But I heard something and… I found this…"
Haruto glanced at Zuri strangely before looking at the black King chess piece. Of course, he looked a little dumbfounded. For the oddest thing of that chess piece was:
"Why the fuck does a chess piece have such a sharp tip?" Haruto deadpanned. "Who the fuck makes chess pieces like that?"
"Oh, well, I guess these are special or something," Zuri wasn't sure either. She had questioned it herself when she talked about chess with Holland. It was just odd to have sharp chess pieces in general. Especially if it was only one type of piece that had that sharp tip: the King.
"Hey, there's something on it though," Haruto narrowed his eyes. "...Is that…?"
On the sharp tip of the chess piece was a wet red liquid. Zuri and Haruto glanced at each other. Was this blood? Or was this something else? And the chess piece looked relatively untouched by the fire as well. So, what was it doing in the burnt section of the Prison Lounge… more specifically near Titus's corpse?
"I… I don't know for sure," Zuri frowned, looking at Haruto. "But I guess we can only assume as such…"
Her biggest question at the moment: Could this have been used in Titus's murder?
(Ultimate Revolutionary's Cell)
The Ultimate Revolutionary's Cell was in a much worse condition compared to the Prison Lounge. It wasn't surprising as to why it was, however. The Prison Lounge was twice as large as the Revolutionary's Cell and it took less fire damage. Hell, the damage in the Cell was the first thing Carter, Ina, and Mayu noticed.
"W-Whoa, what happened here?" Carter widened his eyes as he pinched his nose together to avoid inhaling any toxic air. Though of course, the toxic air had long since cleared, so it was safe to say, Carter just didn't want to smell the scent of ash and coal.
"The effects of the fire, no less," Arthur nonchalantly stated before gesturing to the pile of debris that was once Lawson the Lamb. "Over there is where you will find the Lamb in question… or at least what remains of it."
Mayu was the first to walk up toward Lawson's dead 'corpse'. She looked slightly disgusted. Somehow, the Lamb looked even more hideous when it's destroyed. She hesitated to move near it but ultimately did so anyway, the pressuring gaze of Arthur certainly forcing her to move quickly.
"Well, this is the Lamb alright," Mayu gave a nod of affirmation. "Seems like he was beaten before he was burnt into a crisp."
"How confident are you about that deduction?" Arthur asked Mayu.
"Well… you see his limbs?" Mayu gestured to Lawson's apparent dislocated limbs. "And see his face? I can firmly say that no fire could have broken the Lamb apart just by itself. It had to have been broken by force first."
"Intriguing," Arthur closed his eyes as he took in what Mayu was saying. "And then someone set him on fire along with the rest of this Cell."
"Sure seems like it," Mayu gave a nod before slightly looking down.
Arthur took notice and sighed.
"What's wrong?" he asked.
Mayu twiddled her fingers together, embarrassed by what she was about to do next. She gestured to the limbs and began to move them around, specifically Lawson's legs and feet. Arthur frowned at the sight. Was she seriously playing with a dead mannequin at a time like this?
"I can spin its legs and feet," Mayu spun the leg around 360 degrees. Then she spun the feet.
"...Yes, that is how the Lamb undulates," Arthur sighed. "I fail to see where you're going with this."
"Well for one, were its feet always this prone to moving in circles?" Mayu asked before drooling. "And two… I suddenly feel hungry for some lamb chops."
"Bloody- Don't drool on the damn crime scene!" Arthur glared at Mayu with a rather unamused glare.
...
Carter stepped back away from Lawson the Lamb's dead corpse… not that he had been alive in the first place. Or at least, Carter had hoped so. Last thing he needed was to see this thing pop back up to life with all its burnt up remains, hell bent on dragging him to the depths of Hell. He never had the best experience with that thing.
So, in a way, he was glad that Lawson was gone, shriveled into nothing but trash.
As he stepped back away from the Lamb, he felt his shoes crinkle and the sound of glass shatter into even tinier pieces. He blinked. Glass?
Carter squatted down, eyeing pieces of glass on the floor. Ina was the only one who noticed what he was doing as Arthur and Mayu were too busy fixing their investigations onto the Lamb itself.
"What's wrong Carter?" Ina asked.
"These pieces of glass," Carter scoured the floor for more pieces of glass, noting the faint smell of alcohol and then finally trailing his eyes toward the empty cabinet.
Wait. Empty cabinet?
"H-Hey, what were in these cabinets?" Carter asked Ina.
"...Molotov bottles," Ina eyed the cabinet before looking confused at their disappearances. "But they're all gone."
Ina walked closer to the cabinet before stepping on more glass shards. She looked down before realizing what these pieces of glass were.
"I see…" Ina stated. "Then…"
"...Y-Yeah, you must be thinking it too," Carter nodded. "Th-These pieces of glass belonged to the molotov bottles from the cabinet. Th-That… must've been what caused the fire in this Cell. B-But for someone to throw every bottle in here…"
"No… I assume the fire in this Cell would have to be my fault," Ina crossed her arms, looking down slightly.
"H-Huh?" Carter blinked, confused. It didn't take long before it hit him. "W-Wait…"
"...I must have gotten carried away," Ina frowned. "Sorry. Again. About Mr. Rowan. However, the moment we escape, we'll finally be free from White Collar's control. And whatever he showed you will mean nothing."
Carter looked slightly unsure but at the same time, he knew Ina had a point. They were all about to leave soon. This should be a joyous day, not the day to leave behind regrets. Carter sighed and nodded at Ina.
"Y-Yeah, you're right," Carter gave her a small smile.
"Now, if you will excuse me," Ina folded her arms, looking serious. "I have something I need to do in my Ultimate Cell. Do not wait up."
"Um, y-you got it?" Carter looked at her, strangely.
Ina gave Carter a firm nod and headed directly into the Ultimate Revolutionary Cell. Carter would've followed but he was eager to leave this facility. He turned his heels and headed toward the Auditorium.
"N-No way, don't tell me," Carter widened his eyes as he repositioned his glasses on his face. He leaned closer in a small whisper. "I-Ina. W-Was it you who…?"
"...Destroyed Lawson the Lamb?" Ina whispered back, making sure Arthur and Mayu did not hear them. "...Yes. It was. I beat him and burnt him up. I… I didn't expect the fire to be that great, however. So, the destruction of the Ultimate Revolutionary Cell is all because of me. I apologize."
"B-But what about the Prison Lounge?" Carter asked Ina.
"...I do not know what happened in the Prison Lounge," Ina firmly stated. "I went back to my room after I finished destroying the Lamb."
"A-And… Why would you do something like set your own C-Cell on fire?" Carter asked Ina, now a little frantic.
Ina looked at him with a slight frown before looking down.
"...Firstly, I did not intend to burn my entire cell," Ina stated. "Secondly, I destroyed Lawson the Lamb for you."
"H-Huh?" Carter blinked at Ina.
"...He was causing you the most distress in this infernal hellhole," Ina rubbed her arms with a frown. "I thought this act could atone for my betrayal in the Minigame…"
"O-Oh," Carter suddenly felt like an idiot for blaming Ina for what was to happen to Mr. Rowan. It was clear she regretted her mistake. The least he could do now was… "W-Well, th-that doesn't matter anymore. W-What matters is that we f-find out who killed T-Titus."
Ina looked away before nodding in agreement.
"N-Now, w-what did you use?" Carter asked Ina. "T-To burn up the L-Lamb I mean."
"...It was a-" Ina began before she was rudely cut off by a small announcement from Mayu.
"-A lighter!" Mayu raised a lighter in the air before dropping it on the floor. "Agh! Hot! Hot! Hot!"
Carter and Ina turned to look at Mayu.
"Why would you use your own bare hands to dig through this recently burnt up Lamb?" Arthur deadpanned at Mayu. A stupid move in his eyes. She deserved that slight roast on her hands.
"Well excuse me for getting excited over a clue, Prince Arthur!" Mayu pouted as she stuck her tongue out toward the snowboarder.
"Do not call me Prince Arthur," Arthur frowned at Mayu.
"I-Is that what was used to light the Lamb on fire?" Carter asked Mayu as he walked over to the Lamb's remains with Ina.
"Yes, it most certainly is," Ina confirmed, nodding as Arthur looked at her strangely. Due to him investigating the Lamb with Mayu, he wasn't aware of Ina's admission regarding the Revolutionary Cell fire, so it was only natural that he felt suspect of her confidence.
"How would you know that for sure?" Arthur asked Ina.
Ina didn't say anything in response. Instead, Carter took over with a stutter and nervous outlook. He had a feeling Ina probably didn't want this fact to be revealed… at least not yet.
"W-Well, where did you find it?" Carter asked Arthur and Mayu. "B-Because if it was in the Lamb then that would mean that the lighter was probably used to light it on fire."
Arthur raised an eyebrow before turning to Mayu.
"I did indeed find it in the Lamb," Mayu stated as she pointed to the lighter on the floor. "And as you can see, the fire kind of destroyed it as well."
"In other words, the lighter was in this Lamb, melting under the high temperature, while the fires were going off," Arthur nodded. "So, I guess we can assume that this lighter may have been the cause for the Ultimate Revolutionary Cell getting shot up in flames."
"That would be the correct assumption, yes," Mayu did a small curtsy at that fact.
Ina looked away. Carter was the only one who took notice. Guess this confirms what she had thought. She was the reason the Ultimate Revolutionary Cell caught on fire. But to Carter, there was still more to the story. It can't be that simple, can it?
If Ina burnt down the Ultimate Revolutionary Cell then… How did the Prison Lounge get caught on fire? Was that Ina's work too? But she stated she had nothing to do with that fire…
...
Carter was confused. His head was beginning to cloud with many theories. Before he could even leave to make sense of those theories, Arthur stopped him. No, he stopped them all.
"Before you leave, I have to address something important," Arthur folded his arms. "What were each of you doing around the time of the fires?"
"Um, you first," Mayu placed her hands on her hips, expectantly. "You can't just go and expect to spill where we were if you're not going to offer it first."
"Fine," Arthur folded his arms. "I was in my room, looking through my eHandbook. Then Monohebi announced that there were fires occurring in the Prison Lounge and Ultimate Revolutionary Cell. That's when I ran into Haruto and Mimi. By the time the fires evaporated, Haruto and I went into this Cell and found the Lamb."
"In other words, you have no alibi before the fires started," Mayu looked a little boastful.
"I suppose not," Arthur crossed his arms, unamused.
"Lucky for you, I have an alibi," Mayu beamed. "I was in the Cafeteria the entire time. That's when I smelled smoke. When I ran out, I saw Kane on the floor and the Prison Lounge in flames. That was when Haruto showed up asking about the Lamb."
"U-Um," Carter scratched his chin. "I-I don't think that counts as an alibi."
"Silence you peasant!" Mayu frowned at Carter. "What do you know about alibis? I said what I said. That is an alibi!"
"...Can anyone confirm you were in the Cafeteria the entire time?" Arthur closed his eyes, silently losing his patience.
"W-Well um… no but-" Mayu stated before being interrupted.
"Then it is not an alibi," Arthur glared at Mayu. "Next."
"I met with Ina before the fires," Carter stated. "A-After we talked, I went to the Auditorium to check out Zuri's escape option. T-That was when we learned of Holland's attack and then… the fires."
"Now that is an alibi," Arthur stated. "Can be corroborated by a whole group of witnesses... And what about you Ina? What did you do after your conversation with Carter?"
Ina remained silent for a few moments. Carter looked at her. She figured this would be the time to spill the truth that she was the reason the Ultimate Revolutionary Cell caught on fire…
"...I stayed in my room until the announcements came," Ina looked away. "In other words, I do not have an alibi."
"...Perfect," Arthur sighed. "So only Carter has a designated alibi for the events that transpired. Very well then. You may leave."
That was when Carter, Mayu, and Ina left. Ina trudged behind however, staring at the handiwork she had made. Then she looked in front and left.
Arthur watched as they left before taking out his eHandbook. All he did at that point was stare at it in thought.
Abigail had wandered to Cell Block A where she noticed Carter, Ina, and Mayu leave the Ultimate Revolutionary's Cell. Apparently, that was where the Lamb was found amidst the flames in that cell. The Lamb, huh?
Also apparent was that it was the Lamb that attacked Holland. But that just seemed out of the left field. How could it be the Lamb? It was just a mannequin after all. Was the hysteria surrounding that thing real? Was Carter right about that thing being possessed? Or was Holland just mistaken? He did say he thought he saw the Lamb so it's not entirely possible that Holland might have mistaken someone as the Lamb. So many theories and questions…
Abigail wasn't sure how to answer any of those, but she was going to head into the Ultimate Police Officer's Cell to find out-
Cassandra had just come out of the Ultimate Police Officer's Cell with a rather intrigued look on her face. She must've found something good…
"What did you find?" Abigail walked up to the Ultimate 'Who Knows What Her Talent Is'. Cassandra stopped and stared at her.
"...Jesus Christ," Cassandra glared at Abigail. Clearly, she didn't like being approached so suddenly like that. "First off, I have a name. Use it. Second, mind your own business. I don't have to tell you everything I find, Abbygail."
Abbygail…
Abigail didn't know what the fuck her problem was with a name like that, but it annoyed her to no end that she was still treating everyone like garbage, especially during the circumstances now. Abigail turned and headed inside the Ultimate Police Officer's Cell.
(Ultimate Police Officer's Cell)
Once Abigail entered the Ultimate Police Officer's Cell, she glanced around the area. Aside from the misplaced Lawson the Lamb who was currently 'dead' in the other Ultimate Cell, everything seemed normal. Normal.
Then why did Cassandra have that look on her face? It was clear she found something but what was it? Abigail sighed in annoyance. Oh how she wished Cassandra would at least be helpful and tell them what the fuck she knows instead of keeping everything a secret.
Guess Abigail was going to have to find out what Cassandra knows herself…
Abigail took a glance at the SWAT uniform on display. It looked untouched. The guns were supposed to be free of bullets too. She figured it didn't have anything to do with the crime. After all, Titus was stabbed, not shot. And the bullets would be kept safe in the Evidence Room.
Safe in the Evidence Room?
Abigail turned her head and looked at the Evidence Room, glancing specifically at the door that was locked by the eHandbook reader.
Could what Cassandra found be related to…
Yes. There was a computer log, wasn't there?
Abigail turned her head back to the computer sitting casually on the desk. Then with a hurried shuffle of her feet, she went to check the computer and glanced at the screen.
Then her eyes widened.
"Wait… Of course…" she muttered under her breath.
On the screen displayed three things. The first, she wasn't surprised with:
...
ACCESS GRANTED: JARED CAERTAS
...
Jared of course had access. This was his Ultimate Cell after all. In fact, he was the only one who had access to this cell. That's where the issue arises from. He was supposed to be the only one who had access.
The next two things that were displayed relayed the same message:
...
ACCESS GRANTED: ARTHUR KINGSTON
...
ACCESS GRANTED: ARTHUR KINGSTON
…
"Attention all prisoners," came Monohebi's voice. Abigail cursed. No. Is it time already? "It is time for the Prison Trial. Please cease all investigations and report to the Auditorium immediately. Attendance is mandatory. That is all."
"...Fuck," Abigail cursed under her breath. It was time already.
She was going to have to figure out what this meant later, but deep inside, she probably already knew the answer. More importantly, this must have been what intrigued Cassandra. In other words, this would be her trump card for the case…
Without another thought, Abigail quickly left the Ultimate Police Officer's Cell and headed straight for the Auditorium.
(Auditorium)
Abigail was still deep in thought about what she had found that she just so happened to be the last person to arrive at the Auditorium. Monohebi didn't seem too bothered that someone was late, but someone else had to speak up about it.
"...Of course," Cassandra rolled her eyes. "Abbygail is the last one to show up. Hope you found what you were looking for."
"...As a matter of fact," Abigail returned a glare toward her. "I did find exactly what I was looking for."
The two exchanged negative glances for a while before Monohebi took the stage and brought everyone's attention to her.
"Thank you all for making it," Monohebi stated. "The Prison Trial is certainly the moment everyone looks forward to. So, for you to make such an occasion, Master White Collar and I cannot thank you enough-"
"Who's everyone?" Jared gave a serious glance at Monohebi.
"And don't go thanking us for coming here!" Haruto glared at Monohebi. "You're the one who was all, 'Attendance is mandatory'!"
"...So I did say," Monohebi flicked her tongue before slithering to the side of the stage. "Please. Turn your direction over to the Voting Chambers and use your eHandbooks to access them."
"Why the Voting Chambers?" Ina raised an eyebrow at Monohebi.
"...The Voting Chambers also serve as elevators that will give you access to the Trial Grounds," Monohebi explained.
"These things are elevators?" Kane widened his eyes.
"Sounds familiar," Mimi tapped her chin.
"Yes yes, please, by all means," Monohebi gestured to the Voting Chambers with the end of her tail. "They are elevators. Use your eHandbook and head inside. We do not have all day. I wish to see Master White Collar… Er, I wish to begin the Prison Trial as soon as possible."
Mimi raised her hand, cautiously.
"Um… I… seem to have misplaced mine," Mimi tapped the ends of her index fingers together.
"You… lost your eHandbook?" Monohebi stared at Mimi, incredulously.
"N-No, I misplaced mine!" Mimi exclaimed with a rather cute pout. "I think I left it in my room when you told us to go here…"
"Well, we certainly can't just wait here for you to go back and get your eHandbook," Monohebi sighed. Typically, she'd be in more of a patient mood but even snakes can get impatient and Monohebi was feeling exactly that. "Who knows how long that will take? Just head into a Voting Chamber with a friend and travel down with them. That should solve the issue."
Mimi held her head down and gave a small nod before joining Yuumi at her Voting Chamber.
"Now, is there anything else I should know before we descend?" Monohebi asked. No one had anything else to say. With a much more satisfied flick of her tongue, Monohebi nodded. "Very well then. Please head into the Voting Chambers and wait until the Chambers reopen."
And so everyone did as they were told. Arthur on the other hand merely gave Mimi an odd look before he entered his Voting Chamber…
The descent down to the Trial Grounds was a slow and quiet ride. Perhaps it was because everyone, besides Mimi and Yuumi, had been separated and rode by themselves. Or perhaps they had nothing to say to themselves…
Either case, by the time they had reached the Trial Grounds, the doors to everyone's respective Voting Chambers opened up and out they were allowed to go.
…
The Trial Grounds was a grand courtroom with sixteen podiums arranged in a circle. Although there were sixteen podiums, between two podiums was a throne, presumably for where White Collar would sit and watch the proceedings. On one of the podiums was a portrait of some kind but they were a little too far to see what it was.
The walls itself were bland as they were nothing but dark gray concrete walls that made this entire area seem more like a dungeon than a courtroom. However, there was a nice array of graffiti of crude White Collar drawings… no wait. Nothing about the graffiti of crude White Collar drawings can be considered nice or presentable in this case.
Ina herself looked slightly disturbed by this of course. She wasn't the only one, however. They all were a little disturbed.
"Welcome to the Trial Grounds," Monohebi declared. "As you can see, I did not have time for decorating but I assure you, it will look much prettier when I am finished."
"Were you trying to draw White Collar or just pornography starring White Collar?" Abigail deadpanned at the crude White Collar graffitis.
"Th-They are a caricature of White Collar as the statue of David!" Monohebi insisted.
"...That's still equally creepy," Abigail responded with a rather disgusted look.
"As I said, I am not finished," Monohebi hissed. She looked deeply offended. "Master White Collar will appreciate it when it is done and perfected!"
"Enough with this jabber," Arthur sighed. "What are we to do here now? Tell us, snake."
"Of course," Monohebi tipped her head before getting right to the explanation. "Please. Head over to your designated podiums. They are in alphabetical order so it should not be hard to get this correct."
Immediately, everyone headed to their designated podium. The podium arrangement went like this: Abigail, Arthur, Barracuda, Carter, Cassandra, Haruto, Holland, Ina, Jared, Kane, Maggie, Mayu, Mimi, a portrait of Titus, Yuumi, and the throne standing between Yuumi and Abigail that was now being seated by Monohebi, surprisingly.
"I suppose you are all comfortable with where you are standing?" Monohebi asked, looking around as she rested on the throne, coiled up and relaxed. No one said anything during this time. "Perfect. Then I suppose we can start."
Everyone stood their ground.
Whether they were nervous or determined, it was clear that there was no going back now.
Each of them had a different expression or reaction to what was to come.
...
Abigail looked slightly bored. The anticipation was killing her. In fact, she didn't even want to do this but too bad. She was forced to. Especially since her own life was on the line here.
Arthur folded his arms and looked in one direction with the coldest expression on his face.
Barracuda was flexing and getting pumped to figure out what the hell was going on.
Carter fixed his glasses and tried to look confident.
Cassandra glared and avoided the gazes of everyone who may have happened to lay their eyes on her.
Haruto looked dangerously focused, as if he was getting ready to make the greatest slam dunk in NBA history.
Holland just shared that same neutral expression he had always shared ever since he was first introduced. Heck, even for a guy with a wounded leg, he just seemed so nonchalant about it.
Ina looked as if she was getting ready to lead a rebellion to uncover the truth.
Jared tipping his police hat down, looking serious and ready to arrest whoever committed this heinous act.
Kane looked as if he was annoyed at a bunch of young delinquents messing with his lawn. We don't talk about his expression.
Maggie looked to be horny as fuck. The anticipation of the trial was probably getting her turned on but no doubt she was going to be on her best behavior during the proceedings… I hope.
Mayu looked hungry. Her mouth was slowly dripping with drool, and she looked like she would rather eat a hamburger than do this.
Mimi looked scared, covering half of her face underneath her witch's hat as her mouth quivered.
Titus was too dead to even be here, so he doesn't get a cool mugshot of being ready.
Yuumi hugged Sailor Penguin tightly, as if the two of them were getting ready to sail over the Bermuda Triangle.
And finally, Zuri looked as if she was trying a little too hard to be serious, but she was serious, nonetheless.
She was ready.
They were all ready.
Ready...
...
"Let the Prison Trial commence..." Monohebi flicked her tongue.
DANGANRONPA: CORRUPTED HOPE
And thus, the Investigation has ended and so begins the Trials!
I do have to say as an update that while I have completed the Trials, they are still in the final stages of tweaking, but you can expect Trial Part 1 to be out and about within a week or so once I get everything settled in. Trial Part 2 might take a little longer since there is still some stuff I have to fix and hash out 3: Relatively am nervous for how this case might turn out but I'm also proud of the work I've done thus far, and I hope you all enjoy how this case ends up :D
As of now though, hope you all enjoyed the Investigation chapter! Handed out plenty of Truth Bullets here and there so by all means, get to theorizing and let me know who you think did it/how it happened and whatnot! Either you're right on the money or you're way off. Whatever the case is, I'm always interested to hear what you guys have to say :)
One more thing, however. It has come to my realization that I might need a little more information from your characters :0 So please PM me the following information of your characters if you have not already mentioned it in their applications: Birth Date, Height, Weight, and Blood Type. It's just a minor thing but I realized I might need it just in case ;D
As always, let me know how I'm doing and look forward to the commencement of the Prison Trial! :D
Prisoners Remaining: 15
Abigail Ellsworth - The Ultimate Equestrian (oddlyillregular)
Arthur Kingston - The Ultimate Snowboarder (SinWriter7)
Barracuda - The Ultimate Personal Trainer (Weekaro)
Carter Franklin - The Ultimate Opinion Columnist (armadas)
Cassandra Mura - The Ultimate ? (ExtraMeme)
Haruto Walker - The Ultimate Basketball Player (theotakureader101)
Holland Delaney - The Ultimate Game Designer (Sempi)
Ina Hamamura - The Ultimate Revolutionary (VividIsSleeping)
Jared Ceartas - The Ultimate Police Officer (Otterplay)
Kanenoshin Amao - The Ultimate Pawnbroker (benkj6)
Maggie LaDroubi - The Ultimate Supermodel (Project Drama)
Mayu Mashiro - The Ultimate Heiress (zetsunaflame)
Mimi Kazoo - The Ultimate Fairytale Writer (Idraegan)
Yuumi Kizuchi - The Ultimate Sailor (Shamelles410)
Zuri Auraline - The Ultimate Bassist (CandleFire45)