Chapter 2: The Solace of Hate and Envy (Daily Life #01)
Warning: This fic contains intense violence, lots of cursing, character death, gore and blood, sexual innuendos (thanks Maggie), 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!
In the course of time Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the Lord.
And Abel also brought an offering—fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock. The Lord looked with favor on Abel and his offering.
But on Cain and his offering he did not look with favor. So, Cain was very angry, and his face was downcast...
The crackling noise woke #66 up. He opened his eyes. It was that time of the day in this fine yet cold establishment he called home. His eyes looked tired but his light green eyes shimmered as he groggily woke up to the sound of Franz Liszt's Mephisto Waltz playing through the speakers.
The speakers were old and dying, making it sound like the music was coming from a degrading gramophone. Despite that, the piece was played beautifully. Elegantly. Hauntingly. Maybe even sorrowfully.
Narrowing his eyes, he heard the sound of footsteps approaching the room they were in. He glanced at the mess he had made in his room, which was fitted with nothing but a desk against the wall and a mattress on the floor. Cockroaches and other pesky critters scattered along the floor.
Somehow, he felt as if he got the bad end of the stick when it came to the rooms he was assigned in because this mess he was in was not it.
#66 turned as he heard the lock to the door slide open. He stood his ground. #66 knew today was the day. The day that he would be allowed to venture the world as St. Esther's finest had promised them. The day of reckoning. The day of freedom.
Oh how #66 could taste the freedom.
The door opened, revealing a group of people wearing what seemed to be lab coats. Almost all of them wore glasses and almost all of them looked like the types of people with no sense of humor. The grim and serious looks on their faces. Oh how #66 felt glad to never see this troupe of circus performers ever again.
"#66," the leader of said group held out their little pen and notebook. "They're ready for you."
"...Finally…" was all #66 could say.
CHAPTER 2: THE SOLACE OF HATE AND ENVY (DAILY LIFE)
Abigail waded through the half-destroyed Prison Lounge, now stricken with a gray smoke-like fog. The area was in ruins. What did she expect? Just a day ago, a murder and a fire had begun right here in this very room. Now it was like something one would see in an ancient civilization lost in the Amazon Rainforests.
Not only that, but Abigail also felt like she wasn't in control of her legs. Like her legs had decided to wander aimlessly, dragging her upper body along for the ride. Her eyes glanced around the ruined Prison Lounge. Why exactly was she here?
That was the many questions Abigail wanted to answer. But maybe another time. She was more concerned with the fact that she couldn't feel her legs. That the only thing she could feel was that cold, tingling feeling you got when someone was watching you. Spine chill.
It was like she was in a graveyard. Like she was in the graveyard.
That was when that tingling feeling intensified as a croak caught her attention to a nearby pile of rubble. From her understanding, that pile of rubble was the chess table that had been knocked over. The little charred pebbles on the ground were probably the chess pieces…
And from there everything went to shit.
Next to that pile of rubble was Titus's decaying corpse, slowly decomposing and infested with bugs that called his body home. Beside Titus was the handless and headless body of Kane: the corpse that admittedly freaked her out more.
Not only were the bones so clean and so noticeable, but every time Abigail laid her eyes on Kane's corpse, a scream echoed in her head: Kane's scream. Then the scream started to blend. Flashes of both of their deaths flipped through her mind like pages of a book. Then the screaming started to sound less of Kane's and more of Abigail's…
…
She widened her eyes.
Titus and Kane were gone.
But what replaced them was a chair, knocked over to the floor, and a hanging body.
Abigail opened her eyes. She didn't dare jump out of her bed or turn or get up in general. She remained on her bed, frozen in fear. She felt her heart pounding. Her skin riddled with cold sweat.
Shit.
Abigail was surprised that it took her this long to have a nightmare, considering the events that had transpired throughout these past few days. The loss of Titus and Kane definitely sparked something.
A memory she couldn't forget.
A memory she wouldn't allow herself to forget…
Abigail exited her room after tiredly getting ready for the day. Was there a meeting today? She wasn't sure. She only went to two of those and all she knew was that they were way too early for her liking.
She wasn't even sure what time it was now but after that nightmare she just had, there was no way she was going back to sleep. She also felt a little slow today. There was little to no energy functioning in her body, almost like the events that transpired yesterday took a whole lot out of her.
Ugh.
When were they ever going to leave this place? It was like wherever she went, a prison followed. A cruel, cruel prison encasing her in a never-ending labyrinth she couldn't escape from. Only this prison was perhaps worse than the one she was used to...
"Yuumi, please come out," Mimi had been leaning against the door that led to Yuumi's door. "I'm sorry for lying. Please don't hate me."
From the sound of her tone, it sounded like she had been there for well over an hour or two. That was hardcore dedication.
"Yuumi, please come out," Mimi repeated, banging the back of her head against the Sailor's door silently. "I'm sorry for lying. Please don't hate me. Yuumi, please come out. I'm sorry for lying. Please don't hate me."
"...You know she's not coming out right?" Abigail sighed. Guess she had to be the one to break it to her. Mimi looked at Abigail, pausing slightly before resuming what she was doing before. Abigail let out a bigger sigh. "...Look. Mimi. Isadora. Whatever. Just give it up. She's not coming out."
Mimi didn't stop. Instead, she just continued, pathetically. As tiring as it was, all that banging and monotonous plea was starting to annoy her a bit. The banging of the door. A reminder of a noise she often heard:
Bang.
Bang.
Bang.
"Hey, seriously, knock it-" Abigail started to raise her voice a bit before another voice interjected.
"Mimi," Maggie walked over to her. "I'm pretty sure Yuumi headed to the Cafeteria. If you want to talk to her, try going there instead."
"W-What?" Mimi widened her eyes, finally stopping and turning to Maggie and Abigail. "B-But… we always go to the Cafeteria together."
Mimi looked troubled by this. Then without another word, she stood up and dashed toward the Cafeteria, leaving Maggie and Abigail by themselves. Abigail was relieved that Maggie had come to save the day.
"...Finally," Abigail sighed, yawning slightly. "Thanks for the save. I was starting to get really-"
"Try being more patient next time," Maggie folded her arms, giving Abigail a judgmental stare. "You're lucky I was here, or you would've ended up making a scene. And typically, someone who yells at someone who's really not feeling it doesn't normally get on one another's good side."
"...Gee, sorry Mom," Abigail looked at Maggie with a raised eyebrow, putting a slight distasteful emphasis on Mom.
"I'm just saying it how it is," Maggie shrugged with a frown. "But if you want to be the second Cassandra, then by all means, who am I to stop you?"
Maggie prepared to leave but stopped.
"...Just watch yourself is what I'm saying," Maggie said before heading to the Cafeteria.
Abigail was left with nothing more than a simple berate from one of her peers. Somehow it felt more lenient than what she was used to. Somehow it felt…
…refreshing.
Maggie walked through Cell Block A, passing by the two Ultimate Cells as if they were like a set of shops she would glance at and pay no mind at the mall. Though, what was interesting and a thing to note was how the Ultimate Revolutionary's Cell was now blocked up with nothing but wooden boards, police tape, and a crudely drawn sign stating the words: 'Out of Order'.
Maggie raised an eyebrow.
The fire from yesterday did end up destroying pretty much the entire cell. But would that also mean that…
…
Maggie's intuition was correct.
When she arrived at the intersection, the Prison Lounge was also blocked off with wooden boards, police tape, and an Out of Order sign. Perhaps White Collar planned to renovate these areas.
That was all she thought.
For now, what is most important is getting to the Cafeteria…
(Cafeteria)
The Cafeteria was quiet, awkward, and relatively empty.
The only people in the Cafeteria were Abigail, Barracuda, Jared, Maggie, Mayu, Mimi, and Yuumi, and none of them really wanted to say anything to one another. Well, except Mimi, who tried to approach Yuumi but was met by an unwanted silence. That silence drifted throughout the room, with the only sound in the room being only that eerie ambience of having lost two people in one day.
"...So, what do you think the weather's like?" Barracuda asked as he scratched his head. He made his attempt at breaking the silence which seemed to work for a while.
"...Cold," Yuumi looked away.
"...Gross," Mayu stated, matter-of-factly, imagining herself eating a sandwich.
"...So, this is really all of us today, is it?" Jared didn't even answer the bloody question. He looked at the group with a rather solemn look as he tipped his hat down to cover his eyes. "How could this have happened?"
"Simple," Abigail frowned, giving a tired sigh. "We blindly trusted each other. And for that reason, two people are dead and another is now considered to be an attempted murderer."
There was a pause and a cold silence in the room. What Abigail had said sounded oddly familiar, yet no one was willing to outwardly speak out about it.
"Cassandra 2.0," Maggie mouthed toward Abigail before shaking her head and speaking up, "Don't think like that. Remember, it was the circumstances that forced Holland to act and ultimately gave… Kane a chance to act. Circumstances that White Collar himself provided."
"But she's got a point, doesn't she?" Yuumi clutched Sailor Penguin, holding him like she was holding a single textbook by her hip. "Everything happened because we just blindly trusted everyone to be our friend and to not give in to this stupid game. Now look at what happened."
"Yuumi," Maggie sternly frowned at Yuumi.
"What?" Yuumi frowned back at Maggie. If her eyes were anything to go by, Maggie could pretty much notice just how dead and broken she was. "I'm just saying it how it is. We can't trust anyone here. We think we know people but really, we just met each other like five days ago and there's still so many things we don't know about each other."
"Yuumi, don't talk like that," Mimi looked a little saddened seeing her best friend so depressed.
"Coming from the person who lied to me?" Yuumi gave Mimi a slightly hurt and slightly offended glare. Just hearing that and seeing her face forced Mimi to shrink back and look down in shame. Then the sailor shook her head. "Cassandra was right all along. We should've never trusted each other…"
"Yuumi, stop it," Jared frowned at Yuumi's depressive phase. "Look. It's true that we only just knew each other and it's true that there have been people who broke our trust. But we know how the game works now. And ultimately, we know what'll happen if one of us does give in to this Killing Game. It doesn't benefit any of us. So, at the very least, I think we can tru- No. Sorry. I think we should trust each other, no matter how much we don't want to... If we don't want to that is."
"Jared is right," Maggie nodded in agreement. "It's times like this where we have to band together. For Titus and… Kane."
"Y-Yeah!" Barracuda joined in, unsure what was going on but still relatively ready to agree to the terms and conditions of trust. "For Titus and Kane!"
"...Then that's up to you guys," Yuumi clutched the sides of her arms with an empty look. "I've learned from my mistake. You should learn yours too before it's too late."
"Y-Yuumi," Mimi tried to hold out her hand, but Yuumi merely turned away from it.
"Jeez, and I thought I was the depressing one here," Abigail retorted. "Losing my pride and identity to a sailor. Go figure."
"Sh-She's just going through a tough time right now," Mimi assured her, but to be honest, the person she was trying to reassure the most was herself. "Y-Yeah that's it! That's why she's acting like… this…"
Everyone snuck a glance at Yuumi, who had turned herself away from the group. It was clear that the once bubbly and cheerful sailor that they had known was now gone, or at least missing-in-action. Mimi certainly hoped it was the latter. Because the person she was looking like, the person who shared Yuumi's appearance… that was not Yuumi.
"Either case, if it's just us seven here, I guess I can share some findings I found last night," Jared rubbed his chin before sharing a report.
"Last night?" Maggie raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"
"Well…" Jared repositioned his police's hat. "...During the Investigation, I held onto Titus's eHandbook for safekeeping. Last night, I ended up watching Titus's video. Here, I brought it with me to submit as evidence. Take a look for yourselves."
As Jared held out Titus's eHandbook, Mayu jumped in with a rather disgusted look on her face.
"Ew, you watched a dead man's video?" Mayu looked a little grossed out. Looks like she'll be puking out her imaginary sandwich soon.
"What?" Jared blinked before shaking his head. "No. Wait. Yes. Yes I did but that's not the point. Just watch this."
Jared shoved Titus's eHandbook toward the other six, though Yuumi only peeked over the shoulders out of curiosity, not of interest.
Then, Jared pressed play.
White Collar came on. He evaporated into a static screen. Zensyth and Flora Erskine. Titus's grave. And then Titus's disadvantage.
That was the basic summary of the video from the last chapter. For Jared, it was like watching something he had seen twenty times. As a matter of fact, he did in fact see the video twenty times! But for the others, it was like watching the eeriest horror movie for the first time ever. And just like Jared, they all had questions of their own…
"T-Titus is… dead?" Mimi widened her eyes. "Again? Wait. So, he died... twice?"
"That doesn't make sense," Abigail glanced at the video, seriously. "No one can die twice. This has to be a fake. Probably manipulated somehow by White Collar no doubt."
"...Nope, this is real," Yuumi hugged Sailor Penguin with a slight frown on her face. "...It's just like my video. Even the disadvantages and everything…"
"You had a grave of your own Yuumi?" Maggie widened her eyes.
"...No, it just showed… Who I really care about," Yuumi looked away as she clarified what she meant. "And just like mine, Titus's video showed two people he cared about too."
"...Yeah, his mom and grandma," Barracuda nodded.
"But why would they think he's dead?" Jared rubbed his chin. "He was alive until yesterday. And if I'm not mistaken… well… What was the year in which you guys were all taken? Or at least, let me rephrase, what year do you think it is now?"
"My last memory dates back to 2015," Abigail stated. "Which should be this year."
"My memory too!" Mimi raised her hand.
"Same here," Mayu nodded.
"Then does that mean this video is a fake?" Barracuda blinked, confused. "Because the grave said he died in 2010. But he was still alive in 2015. Ah! What if… What if Titus is a time-traveler?! And he went back to the future to date his mom!"
Everyone looked at Barracuda with a relatively deadpan expression. Though Maggie, not as much since she still has the horny horn for him.
"...I-It was just a suggestion," Barracuda looked down, twiddling his fingers.
"...Yeah, well still, it's not that," Abigail shook her head in disagreement.
"Could it be possible that maybe his family thinks he's dead and he's just been… missing or something?" Mayu asked, perking her head to the side as a suggestion.
"Possible, but a person has to be missing for seven years in order to be legally declared dead," Jared pointed out. "It's only been five years."
"Maybe the law is different where he's from," Maggie suggested.
"Or maybe the family wanted him declared dead for some sort of closure," Abigail suggested as well. "Five years is still a long time after all."
Jared rubbed his chin. Everyone had some good points here. But ultimately, there was still numerous questions that remained. What did this all mean? What happened to Titus? Is he actually dead… or was he actually missing? And what were the circumstances behind everything?
Before anyone else could theorize anymore, Monohebi's voice rang out through the intercoms:
"Good morning prisoners," Monohebi announced. "Please. Come to the Auditorium within the next five minutes for a very special announcement from yours truly, White Collar. Attendance is mandatory. That is all."
The Cafeteria returned back into its state of silence. Now all of that cogs and gears turning within those brains stopped as everyone in the Cafeteria glanced at each other. What did White Collar have planned this time?
Well, there was only one way to find out…
(Auditorium)
It took a while for everyone to show up to the Auditorium compared to the previous times they had to arrive. In other words, it took more than five minutes and White Collar and Monohebi seemed a bit displeased by this fact.
The folks in the Cafeteria had been the first to arrive. Then slowly and grudgingly came the others from behind who only arrived due to Monohebi's insistence that attendance was mandatory. The slow and reluctant prisoners were of course heavily frowned upon by White Collar and Monohebi, both of whom seemed unamused by just how everyone seemed to be feeling this fine morning.
"You've kept Monohebi and I waiting for at least seven minutes," White Collar stated, hands behind his back. "And to think that I noted just how much potential you all had…"
"Go to Hell," Ina glared at White Collar.
"Did you really just tell me, of all people, to go to Hell?" White Collar asked, his devil's mask now feeling a little amused by that comment.
"Take that back immediately, prisoner," Monohebi hissed at Ina, looking ready to slither toward Ina to give her a good ole strangling. However, White Collar placed down his cane, preventing Monohebi from making a move.
"Monohebi…" White Collar sternly called out before turning to the prisoners. He cleared his throat behind his mask as his mask gave them that signature sinister grin. "Ahem. Now then, you may all be wondering why we called you here. Well, after the successful events from yesterday, we're both very excited to invite you to explore other parts of the facility to your absolute liking."
"S-Successful?" Carter looked at White Collar with a rather angry expression. "Y-You're sick. D-Demented! Y-You really get off on us k-killing one another?!"
"...Whether or not I enjoy you all resorting your basic instincts is not the point," White Collar shook his head with a sigh. "You are in a Killing Game… are you not? Such a game basks in the satisfaction that you are all playing the game. If there are no players, then there is no game. But as long as you're here mucking around, planning your next course of hopeless actions, just being here until you finally and inevitably break... you are playing the game. That is why I consider the events of yesterday highly successful. Mr. Amao and Mr. Delaney all played the game. Same goes for Mr. Erskine, an unfortunate loss as it were..."
A collective number of the prisoners clenched their fists when White Collar mentioned Kane and Titus. No one really cared about Holland since he was still alive and was trying to pretend that he wasn't here.
"And just how long do you intend to keep us here to play your game?" Arthur folded his arms with a frown.
"Y-Yeah, sooner or later you'll run out of people to play the game!" Barracuda declared.
"...Dude, that just means everyone dies," Abigail turned to Barracuda, tiredly.
"Oh, but still, that means you'll get bored if we all die!" Barracuda fixed his declaration and grinned. "So take that!"
"...Funny thing about Killing Games is that while one may end, their legacy continues on," White Collar stated with an amused, sinister chuckle. "So, if everyone dies, no I won't get bored. I'll just simply make another one. New group of young men and women such as yourselves. Maybe much more obedient than the rest of you dirty sinners."
Jared perked his head at White Collar with a rather heated glare. Was this a confirmation that he had done this before? Was this a confirmation that he was perhaps responsible for the disappearance of the Class of 78?
"Y-You're psychotic," Carter shivered, hugging himself in fear.
"Psychotic?" White Collar asked before shaking his head. "Fortunately, I am not. I just adhere to the rules of the game in place. And I have so kindly given you all a chance to live life to the fullest and enjoy the company of others. A true psychopath would've taken all of that away and subjected you all to unending torment."
"So what?" Mayu frowned. "Should we be thanking you for letting us live?"
"Precisely," White Collar raised out his arms, placed a hand over his heart, and gave a bow. "And you are very welcome."
The devilish man was met with angry and fearful glances, both of which he seriously did not mind at all. Then facing the cast, White Collar's mask grinned.
"Now to answer Mr. Kingston's question," White Collar began. "The game will end when either everyone dies or until one person remains. Think of it as like… Battle Royale. The winner is the last man or woman standing. Doesn't that sound fun? It should. That's the way the Killing Game works after all..."
A shiver trailed down everyone's spine. If only one could survive the Killing Game in the end then… was everything for naught? Could they really trust each other at this point if only one could leave this god forsaken place?
No. By one person remains, surely, he meant killing. But that was just an invitation for everyone to kill someone and leave. This was a trick.
It had to be…
"Now then, where was I?" White Collar cleared his throat with that sinister look of glee. "Ah yes. Exploring other parts of the facility. Take a look."
White Collar gestured to the right side of the Auditorium, which was pretty much the right side of the stage. On the wall of that side was an opening that definitely was not there before which looked as if someone had blown it wide-open. And from within that wall was a passageway leading to a large set of stairs that led both up and down.
"What the-" Barracuda blinked.
"W-Was that always there?" Carter asked, confused by the opening's sudden appearance. '
"The opening?" White Collar asked before shaking his head with a grim chuckle. "Not at all. Monohebi merely paved a way for you all to access the basement and the second floor of this facility. And I think you will find these next rooms much more entertaining, especially with the destruction of the Prison Lounge and Miss Hamamura's Ultimate Cell, which mind you, I pray never happens again…"
Memories of the events of yesterday flooded back to the prisoners, especially for those who really cared about Kane and Titus. In other words, Cassandra didn't give much of a damn and neither did Arthur from the looks of his anticipation to go check out what the next areas held.
"Now then, with that said, enjoy the next level of this Killing Game to your heart's content!" White Collar pointed the sharp end of his cane toward the prisoners, as if he were Uncle Sam telling them to go to war.
Then White Collar stepped back and walked away. Next thing they knew, he disappeared along with Monohebi. How the hell do they keep doing that?
Well White Collar's the Devil. He can do whatever the fuck he wants. And Monohebi is a snake so she can do whatever the fuck she wants too.
...
Everyone's eHandbooks pinged, notifying them of an update, but before anyone bothered to check, the prisoners turned to the blown up opening and walked closer to it curiously. Then when they got a good look at the inside, they could definitively confirm that the passageway separated into two stairs, one leading up and the other leading down.
"...So do we go up or down?" Mimi perked her head curiously.
"Well, according to the Map…" Maggie had opened up her eHandbook to check out what the ping was for. "There have been some updates to it. Looks like going downstairs leads to Cell Block S…"
"Cell Block S?" Haruto looked at Maggie with a deadpan expression. "They fucking skipped 17 letters. What the fuck."
"It's what it says," Maggie gave Haruto a slight shrug and a smile.
"Where does the upstairs lead?" Jared asked Maggie.
"It leads to Cell Block B," Maggie tapped her chin as she checked the map. "Meaning, both stairs should take us to some Ultimate Cells."
"Then I suppose I shall go downstairs," Arthur stated as he left the group without another word.
"W-Wait, shouldn't we split up evenly?" Carter suggested as he watched Arthur just leave the group. "O-Or or not…"
"Like that guy's style," Cassandra gave the group a smug smile before joining Arthur in heading downstairs. Whatever she wanted to find, she wasn't going to let Arthur go at it alone. Who knows what that shady motherfucker might get up to.
"I would rather not be with both Cassandra and Arthur in the same part of the facility," Ina folded her arms before glancing upstairs. "I cannot help but feel that together, they will make for an opposable threat."
"So does that mean everyone else is going upstairs?" Mimi asked.
"It would seem like it," Abigail shrugged, looking a little tired of just standing around and waiting.
Without much hesitation, the rest of the prisoners headed upstairs… except one. Holland didn't move an inch. Instead, he had wavered in the background as nothing more than a ghost that everyone chose to ignore. Well, they didn't do it on purpose, but Holland had been much quieter than he normally had been. Who could blame him? He was a factor in Kane and Titus's death. Why should he try to feel wanted after what he did? And at the same time, only one person seemed to notice him not moving.
Didn't take a wizard to guess that it was Zuri, who had stopped to look at the game designer with a pained expression on her face.
The two shared what could only be described as an emotional stare off, with Zuri forced to remember how Holland had used her in order to get away with attempted murder. And Holland's eyes could only detail just how guilty he felt.
Without a word, Holland merely turned away and limped off back to his room.
Zuri bit her lip.
She wanted to call out his name.
But she just wasn't ready to speak to him…
…
Not yet.
When the group made it to the second floor, there was a door on each side. The door on the left seemed to be unlocked. The door on the right was not. In fact, Barracuda himself attempted to find a way to open the door on the right. He pulled, pried, tried to push but there was no way for the door to open. It was locked as hell.
"Nope, this door doesn't open," Barracuda shook his head.
"Then that door must lead to another part of the facility," Jared rubbed his chin. "Which means the door on the left leads to Cell Block B."
"Then what are we waiting for?" Mayu looked ready to head to Cell Block B. "Let's open it up. I'm hoping my Ultimate Cell is behind this door!"
Maggie walked up and as soon as she did the door opened up to a small hallway that led to what seemed to be a grassy area. Walking further down that hallway, and they would find themselves in Cell Block B…
(Cell Block B)
Cell Block B was a rather large room with both a grassy terrain and four different doors. One door was on the left, which looked like a large pair of double doors with a single eHandbook reader. Two other doors were on the right, but compared to the door on the left, they were single doors with eHandbook readers beside each door. These doors on the right seemed to be of a considerable distance from the doors on the left. And the last door was perhaps the first door anyone would see when they walked toward Cell Block B, sitting casually in the middle of the wall, a few feet away from each of the other doors. In fact, this door seemed to include an inactive eHandbook reader compared to the others.
"Another door that won't open," Maggie pursed her lips as she stared at the middle door, having walked closer to try to scan her eHandbook.
"But the other doors seem to be active," Zuri gave a nod. "Does this mean we have to use our eHandbooks or…?"
"Nah, just leave it to Abigail, Ina and me," Haruto scratched the back of his neck as he held out his eHandbook. "We got that advantage from that Minigame. Remember?"
Haruto then walked up to the double doors on the left, stepping through uneven patches of grass. It was a bit of a walk away from the hallway they were at, but once he reached it, Haruto scanned his eHandbook over the eHandbook reader. The red light turned green. And slowly the double doors opened up to bring out a large farm-like smell.
"Ugh, smells like shit," Haruto waved his hand away with a slight cough.
"Shit, it's my Ultimate Cell," Abigail looked a little nervous at what her cell might include. From afar, she could see that there were horse stables here and there.
"So that's the Ultimate Eque- Equ- My Little Pony Cell!" Barracuda declared.
"It's Equestrian," Abigail gave Barracuda a very unamused and cold look. "Get it right."
While this occurred, Ina had no shame in taking part in opening up the other doors on the right, taking the time to walk through this long patch of area that could very well be a nice track and field training center. Once she scanned her eHandbook on each of the two eHandbook readers, both doors opened up to reveal different areas inside.
When you look at the right side of Cell Block B, it would seem that the door on the left led to what seemed to be a basketball court with a coolish breeze and the door on the right led to what seemed to be a gym of some sort.
"...It would seem that I may have found more Ultimate Cells," Ina noted. "Particularly for Haruto and Barracuda."
"Oh boy!" Barracuda quickly ran to Ina. "A gym! How I missed it!"
"Fuck yeah?" Haruto gave a hearty grin. "Are you telling me there's a basketball court or are you just fucking with me?"
"...I would not joke about something like this," Ina looked at Haruto with a raised eyebrow. "Take a look."
"Well good," Haruto grinned. Just seeing the basketball court sparked something not anyone had really seen of the first few days they've met him. He was actually excited? Happy? Upbeat? "Because if you were then I would've been pretty pissed, not gonna lie."
"...I see," Ina stated without much of a care in the world.
"I suppose we should be able to split off here then," Jared noted as he rubbed his chin. "I imagine everyone knows where they want to go check out right?"
Jared turned to the group, all of whom were looking at different directions in what exactly they wanted to check out or explore. Then they answered, one by one, each with similar responses.
"Yep," Maggie smiled, a little deviously. Whatever she had in mind was probably not that appropriate.
"I have an option," Ina nodded as a confirmation.
"Should be obvious which one I'll choose," Abigail pointed out, tiredly.
"Great," Jared smiled at how cooperative this group was. "In that case, I say once we finish, we should meet back at the Cafeteria for a report on what we find."
Everyone agreed with those terms. Once settled, everyone divided themselves into separate groups to explore the three doors. Mimi followed behind Yuumi to the Ultimate Personal Trainer's Cell along with Barracuda and Maggie. Haruto, Ina, Jared, and Zuri checked out the Ultimate Basketball Player's Cell. Which left Abigail, Mayu, and Carter with the shoddier Ultimate Equestrian's Cell. Though, shoddy was a term used only by Mayu given that it had that farm-like interior.
(Ultimate Equestrian's Cell)
The Ultimate Equestrian's Cell was rather large on the inside, with the cell doors leading any passerby straight into a barn filled with at least four different stables on each side, each housing a horse of different color and size, a feeding trough, and a hell's worth of hay. In the middle of the second and third stable of the left side was a ladder that led up to the top of the horses' stables. In the middle of the second and third stable of the other side however led to a set of stairs that traversed downwards.
"Ugh, yep, smells like a barn alright," Mayu pinched her nose to remove the smell of horses from her olfactory receptors.
"H-Has W-White C-Collar seriously kept all th-these horses here th-this entire time?" Carter looked bewildered at this fact.
"...Didn't take him to be so caring to animals," Abigail folded her arms, examining each horse in the stables. None of the horses seemed to be dying or hungry. In fact, they seemed to be calm and living their best life behind the stables.
"S-So d-does he just come here to l-like, feed these g-guys or…" Carter continued to theorize. The thoughts began to scare him.
"Well, they all seem to be well-fed," Mayu shrugged, taking her fingers off her nose. She got tired of breathing through her mouth it seemed.
Abigail trailed around the Cell. She had practically circled around each stable three times, eyeing each horse as she bit her lip. She glanced up toward the ceiling, focusing on the ceiling girder intently before looking away. This may have been the first time she has ever stepped foot in this place, but somehow it still brought back memories she would've liked to forget.
"H-Hey look," Carter pointed to what seemed to be a nameplate on the side of each stable.
Abigail turned. That snapped her out of her daze down memory path. She glanced at what Carter had been pointing at.
"Th-This horse's name is Bartholomew," Carter noted, turning back to the other girls. "D-Do they all have names?"
Mayu turned to the closest stable she was at.
"Yes actually," Mayu beamed, looking a little interested at the name she saw. "This horse's name is Simon."
"James here," Abigail eyed the stable she was at before glancing at another. "And this one is John."
"P-Peter," Carter checked another name.
"Thaddeus and… Thomas," Mayu blinked at Thomas. Thomas was a donkey. Not a horse. "What about the last name?"
"Judas," Abigail stopped after reading the name of the last horse. Then she listed the names she heard: "Bartholomew, Simon, James, John, Peter, Thaddeus, Thomas, and Judas. These are the names of Jesus's disciples in the Bible."
"But that's only eight disciples," Mayu pointed out. "Jesus had 12."
"M-Maybe Wh-White Collar ran out of horses?" Carter suggested with a light chuckle.
"...White Collar has an unhealthy obsession with these biblical allusions," Abigail frowned, folding her arms. "He wouldn't just name these horses after the twelve disciples and forget four."
"One of them is a donkey as well," Mayu nodded in agreement. "If he did run out of horses, he probably would've like… added a mule or something."
"Nonsensical," a snake dropped down from the ceiling.
"WAH!" Carter screamed, the sudden appearance of Monohebi, who may or may not have been listening to their conversation about the horses. "Y-You! W-Why are you here?!"
"Am I not allowed to watch the dear prisoners of Master White Collar?" Monohebi asked, perking her head curiously before flicking her tongue. "Actually. That was a rhetorical question. It is my duty to serve Master's commands."
"Something we already knew," Abigail rolled her eyes. "Anyway, more important things here. Why the hell are there horses here, in a prison of all things?"
"...It is your own cell after all," Monohebi stated. "As I said before, these Ultimate Cells are a 'get-to-know-your-roots' ordeal. And we can't have an Ultimate Equestrian Cell without horses."
"But why eight horses?" Mayu asked Monohebi. "Obviously they were named after Jesus's disciples, and he had twelve. What happened to the other four?"
"Oh…" Monohebi flicked her tongue. She looked around before shaking her head. "Well, they took up too much space, so Master White Collar ordered me to get rid of some… So…"
"D-Did you eat them?!" Carter thought of the time when Monohebi nearly crushed Haruto to death. Only instead of Haruto, it was a horse. And instead of crushing a horse, Monohebi was just gobbling them up, one by one, just as a snake of her size could probably do.
"Heavens, no," Monohebi shook her head. Pause. "...I crushed them. Mercifully. May Andrew, Phillip, the other Simon, and Matthew rest peacefully within these prison grounds."
Monohebi tipped her head down as if she were praying. But that only freaked Carter out even more. Hell, Carter looked close to leaving the Cell, far away from this monster of a snake.
"I… That's not really… ethical," Abigail looked disturbed the more she tried to imagine Monohebi killing a bunch of horses.
"Ethical or not…" Monohebi began. "I am a snake, and they are horses. A predator against prey. Common in the animal kingdom, so it really should not be an issue for you all to imagine."
"I really don't want to imagine anything like that," Mayu looked sick to her stomach. Ate too much of… whatever imaginary thing she ate today.
"You prisoners are so soft," Monohebi sighed, shaking her head. "Either case, I do hope this solves your horse conundrum."
"What about the donk-" Abigail began but never got to finish as Monohebi slithered off and disappeared. "Damn snake."
...
With the sudden disappearance of Monohebi, Abigail, Carter, and Mayu found themselves yet again alone in the Equestrian Cell with the horses and the single donkey. There were still areas to explore so the trio got straight to checking around.
First things first, the ladder that led to the top of the stables.
"Well, guess we got an answer to the horses… albeit, not a very satisfying one but still," Abigail sighed as she began to climb the ladder. As soon as she did however, she felt the ladder move slightly. "Shit. Careful with this ladder guys. It might fall over so…"
"M-Maybe Mayu should hold down the ladder?" Carter suggested.
"Um, why me?" Mayu looked at Carter with a scoff.
"W-Well…" Carter was about to explain his reasoning but he realized what exactly he was about to say that would probably turn him into the Chapter 2 victim. He shook his head with a sheepish smile. "N-Nothing. I just th-think you're more capable of doing it since…"
Carter gestured to his weaker arms.
"I don't understand what you're trying to say…" Mayu deadpanned. She had an inkling feeling on where this was going, and she was not happy. If Carter was close to being the Chapter 2 victim, she might end up being his Chapter 2 killer.
"W-Well I just m-mean-" Carter stammered a little more before glancing right back at Abigail for assistance. However, the equestrian didn't give much of a damn, having already made her way onto the top of stables.
She sighed at whatever Carter and Mayu were doing or rather, what they were talking about.
"If you guys aren't going to come up then let me check what's up here," Abigail sighed. "Meanwhile you guys go and, I don't check what's at the bottom of those stairs."
Then Abigail turned to what she would find at the top of stables: More hay, sets of rope, saddles, a broom and a dustpan, presumably for the horses' droppings. Though uniquely, the top of the stables allowed access to walking on the ceiling girders to the other side of the stables… which we don't know why someone would do when they could just go around…
"More equestrian shit," Abigail sighed before frowning. "Boy would Mom love this place."
...
Carter and Mayu decided to stop their ranting (or at least save it for later in Mayu's case, who still hasn't forgotten the fact that Carter accused her of murder just yesterday) and head down the stairs. When they did, they stopped, their faces changing into a look of astonishment.
Going down the stairs would lead them to what seemed to be an indoor stadium of sorts with its main design being a horse racing track. The stadium was smaller than any typical stadium but nevertheless, it was pretty much a horse racing stadium with sand and dirt scattered across the floor.
"Th-This is a-" Carter looked around in shock.
"A horse racetrack!" Mayu finished Carter's sentence in equal shock before rubbing her chin. "Abigail's Cell has everything! Horses and a whole stadium to herself!"
Mayu looked down.
"I wish I could have something like that," Mayu felt some drool seep from her lips.
"W-Wait," Carter turned to Mayu, confused. "B-But aren't y-you like… rich? Y-You can probably afford l-like five of each."
Mayu glanced at Carter with a slight frown, as if living life as an heiress was the most obvious thing in the whole world. She sighed and shook her head to reject Carter's initial opinion.
"That's the perks of being the daughter of a very wealthy family," Mayu shook her head. "But in order to be a heiress is more than just being a daughter. You still have to work and fight for it. Prove yourself worthy of being an heir to my family's entire assets."
"A-Ah, g-geez," Carter looked away, a little regretful for his initial opinion. Clearly it was an entire field he wasn't too familiar with. "Th-That's… I'm sorry to hear that."
"Becoming the Ultimate Heiress was already a big step to gaining access to all my family's assets," Mayu explained. "But there is still one task left…"
Mayu didn't continue. Instead, she looked down and folded her arms. Carter noted that it wasn't something she was too comfortable talking about… especially to him. He didn't press. Instead, he changed the topic.
"W-Well, y-your family life sounds a lot harder than m-mine," Carter chuckled sheepishly.
"Your family life must be a boring, normal lifestyle with no pressure built upon you," Mayu concluded.
"Uh, o-ouch," Carter winced. That was a quick conclusion too. "N-No. F-Far from it. K-Kind of not allowed to live with my own p-parents and s-sister."
Carter chuckled sheepishly when he revealed that fact about himself. Mayu glanced at him, curious.
"Oh, why is that?" Mayu blinked.
"...W-Well, l-let's just s-say th-that I m-made a… m-mistake d-doing wh-what I l-love most…" Carter looked down. He stopped. He wasn't going to carry on with that conversation and instead fixed his glasses as he looked back at the heiress. "B-But th-that d-doesn't matter here. H-How about we go and ch-check out if th-there's an exit b-beyond th-this stadium?"
Mayu didn't say anything else. Instead, she silently agreed with Carter and began to head down to the track itself. Then the two would search the Equestrian Cell in silence but with a slight mutual understanding of one another and what they each might have been through…
(Ultimate Basketball Player's Cell)
The Ultimate Basketball Player's Cell was very unique in the fact that it was a cell that had no ceiling whatsoever. In fact, what Haruto, Ina, Jared, and Zuri would find, and smell was nothing more than sweet fresh air and a beautifully colored blue sky with nary a cloud in sight! A slight breeze brushed against their skins as the three looked visibly surprised to see the open sky out and about.
"Is that really the blue sky or are my eyes deceiving me?" Ina glanced at the blue sky, her eyes trailing closer and closer to the s-
Ina blinked away. Flew too close to the sun there. She was lucky that she didn't get permanently blinded from staring at the blazing bright star looming over them.
"Well, given the breeze and how natural this sky looks and feels…" Jared rubbed his chin before looking up with a suspicious glance. "It could be real or it could be some sort of illusion."
"Whatever the case is," Haruto scratched the back of his neck before looking hella pumped than he normally would. "This is the best fucking Ultimate Cell in this entire goddamn facility!"
"...You're not just saying that because of well," Jared gestured to the Ultimate Basketball Player's Cell, paying more attention to the rest of the important details of this cell.
In fact, the entire cell was nothing more than a basketball court one would expect from a prison setting, which included a concrete covered floor, a bunch of different posters on the wall with pictures of famous basketball players, and a large basket filled with orange and black basketballs. On the left side of the entry was a large wall with barbed wires trailing the top of the wall, most likely to keep anyone from escaping. At the end of the basketball was another door. This door was where Zuri was at.
"Hey, I'm going to-" Zuri was about to say before hearing Haruto respond to Jared.
"Of course, I am!" Haruto gave a pointed look to Jared. "We get fresh air, it's a basketball court… What the hell is there not to like about this Ultimate Cell?!"
"...I don't think I even want to argue about whose Ultimate Cell is better," Jared tipped his hat down.
"Speak for yourself," Ina sighed, looking away. "At least you have an Ultimate Cell."
"I-Ina, not you too," Jared looked at Ina in exasperation.
"...Nevermind," Zuri stated. She felt like a background character. Not like that was a bad thing. As the Ultimate Bassist, being in the background is equally as important as being the lead. Keeps the rhythm steady.
She sighed.
Zuri opened the door and went in, with neither of three noticing.
And as the other three's conversation went on for a bit, Haruto took the liberty to fish out an orange basketball from the large basketball. Once he acquired one, he dribbled it a few times, testing the ball to see just how comfortable it would be to play with a ball like this.
"You can't be serious," Jared glanced at Haruto with equal exasperation. "You're thinking of playing a game? Now of all time?"
"Oi, calm your fucking jets," Haruto growled at Jared. "I haven't touched a basketball in a hot while. Let me have this. Besides, it's not a game. It's just a couple of practice shots for when we ever do decide to play a game."
"Play a basketball game against the Ultimate Basketball Player?" Jared raised an eyebrow at Haruto before realizing just how unfun that might be. "You'll destroy us for sure."
"Not unless I get paired up with a bunch of fucking beginners!" Haruto jabbed a finger toward Jared with an annoyed look. "Grab a basketball and do some practice shots with me so that we're ready for the big game!"
"...I… I don't think now's the best ti-" Jared was about to say before Haruto interjected once more.
"Basketball first!" Haruto declared. "Escape later!"
"I…" Jared gave up trying to argue and sighed.
This guy's passion for this sport was unreal.
And as Jared found himself taking a basketball from the large basket, Ina had already taken the initiative to look toward the wall and cup her hands over her mouth.
"Anyone out there?!" Ina called out. "Hello?! Please help!"
Ina stopped. Then she rubbed her chin in silence, completely ignoring Jared getting dragged into basketball practice.
"...No, White Collar would be much more prepared to make sure no one hears us," Ina muttered to herself. "So shouting would do equally nothing. If only…"
Ina looked ahead to the barbed wire.
If only she could be given a chance to peek over the wiring. That would be an idea she'll keep to herself for the time being.
(Ultimate Personal Trainer's Cell)
The Ultimate Personal Trainer's Cell was a room filled with gym equipment of every kind. There was the weight on the right side of the room along with the treadmills at the farther corner, as well as a cuppy hole with duffelbags inside each of them. There was a section for dumbbells on the left side of the room along with a punching bag hanging at that farther corner. In the middle of the room were yoga mats neatly placed on the floor. Following those yoga mats would lead them to a door, like the Basketball Player's Cell, leading to the unknown.
But for Barracuda, he didn't give a damn about no door. Instead-
"Fuck yeah!" Barracuda exclaimed. "It's a gym! Guys! It's a gym! A gym! We can do all the exercising we want here! We're saved!"
"Whoa there, calm down big guy," Maggie couldn't but feel amused at how excited Barracuda was over his Ultimate Cell being revealed. "I don't deny just how great this is but we still need to find a way out of here."
"I… I don't know which to start with first!" Barracuda grinned. "Maybe dumbbells! No wait! Cardiovascular endurance! No! Weightlifting!"
Yuumi watched Barracuda geek out over exercising material and instead headed into the door at the end of the Cell. She didn't really want any part in exercising or being forced into whatever fitness program Barracuda was thinking of, so best she leaves and check out a different place.
"I'll be checking what's beyond this door," Yuumi told Barracuda, Maggie, and Mimi.
"I'll come with you!" Mimi exclaimed as she rushed toward Yuumi's side. Yuumi didn't give much of a remark. Instead, she just held Sailor Penguin closer to herself as she moved through the door that led to a new area.
Once Yuumi and Mimi had left, Maggie fluttered her eyes toward Barracuda.
"Ah I see," Maggie gave a sly look as she bit her lip. "Alone at last…"
"Exercise with me Maggie!" Barracuda exclaimed with a grin.
"Oooh," Maggie licked her lips. "Getting straight to the point. I like that…"
"Judging from your body type, maybe adding a little extra muscle to those arms isn't going to be that bad of an idea," Barracuda declared after rubbing his chin and examining her body.
"Oh, I'll add a little extra muscle alright," Maggie winked toward Barracuda.
"Great!" Barracuda grinned. "Grab a 15 pounder and we'll start with that!"
Once again, Maggie's attempts at hinting her intentions flew way past the cuckoo's head. It was time Maggie noticed that. Only she didn't. She couldn't. And she wouldn't. It was like its own Circle of Hell where she was doomed to lust over a guy who was clearly uninterested.
And so pretty much the entire investigation in the Ultimate Personal Trainer's Cell was nothing but a long exercise session.
When Yuumi and Mimi went through the door in the Ultimate Personal Trainer's Cell, they would meet up with Zuri, whose door had led her to a branching pathway that interconnected itself to one more door.
Yuumi didn't say anything about the matter. She didn't want to say anything, in fact. But Mimi felt it nice to exchange a greeting with Zuri.
"Hi Zuri!" Mimi smiled. "How was Haruto's Cell?"
"Oh, uh, pretty nice," Zuri was taken aback by Mimi acknowledging her presence. "How was Barracuda's?"
"He's very excited to see his own cell," Mimi answered Zuri before gesturing toward the door that was now in front of them. "What do you think is behind here?"
"Well, there is really only one way to find out," Zuri shrugged. As she turned to open the door, she saw that Yuumi had already done so when the two exchanged greetings. And this door led straight to...
...
(Swimming Pool)
The swimming pool was a large room with… what else? A big-ass Olympic swimming pool measuring about 50 meters in length and 21.4 meters in width, with lane markers, starting blocks, and backstroke flags as well. Everything needed for a professional Olympic swimming pool. There was also a set of bleachers on each side of the swimming pool as well as a diving board that was pretty high up. In fact, maybe even higher than your usual diving board.
A lifeguard post was stationed on the right of the swimming pool. And on the left of the door that would lead to this swimming pool would be a basket filled with different pool items such as pool noodles, a lifesaver, and a couple of volleyballs for water polo and a net. Also at the other side of the pool was a door with an inactive eHandbook reader. Though, one could easily tell what that door may consist of thanks to the large fishing boat sticking out of the wall, connecting itself to the left bleachers. There was also a machine of some sorts attached to the edge of the pool near the door.
"A swimming pool, Sailor Penguin!" Yuumi declared as she raised Sailor Penguin high in the air for him to examine everything in this location. "Our roots to the sea have been restored!"
"Why is there a boat sticking out of the wall?" Zuri asked, perking her head in confusion.
"This pool is really deep," Mimi patted the water before tasting it. Her face shriveled. "And salty."
"Swimming pools are filled with chlorine so of course there would be salt in the water," Yuumi explained, sharing a less enthusiastic look as she talked to Mimi. "So, I guess it's not as close to our roots as we thought."
"O-Okay, but seriously, why is there a boat sticking out of the wall?" Zuri gestured to the boat with a sheepish smile.
"Ooh ooh, look!" Mimi pointed toward the basket filled with pool items. "There is a pool noodle! I love playing with those!"
Mimi rushed toward the basket but as soon as she started sprinting, she felt her boots slide against the wet side of the pool, as if she had slipped on a banana peel. The worst part of that feeling was the feeling that came afterwards. The nerves of her back bouncing back and forth from one spot to the other to enact a slight sting thanks to her fall. Mimi had tumbled backwards and was lucky she didn't land in the pool.
She didn't know how to swim. And the pool was 7 inches too deep.
"Ah… Oooh," Mimi rubbed her back. "Th-That… That really hurt."
"Mimi!" Zuri rushed to Mimi's side but utilizing a little more care through her speed when it came to the edge of the pool. "A-Are you alright?!"
Once Zuri had made it to Mimi's side, Zuri helped Mimi up and tried to clean off any dust or dirt she may have gotten from the ground.
"I'm… I'm okay," Mimi groaned. "Th-That was just really scary..."
"Well, you have to be more careful, okay?" Zuri looked at Mimi with a sympathetic look. "There is a reason why we don't run near the pool."
"O-Oh yeah, I forgot," Mimi rubbed her head. To forget such a simple rule… Though Mimi was surprised and frankly a little hurt about something else. Yuumi wasn't the one who helped her up. Zuri was. In fact, Yuumi was a little farther than her than she initially was, staying closer to the door that led to the boat sticking out of the wall.
"So… why is there a boat sticking out of the wall?" Yuumi asked, repeating exactly what Zuri had been asking before.
Mimi frowned as she headed straight for the door they had entered from.
"Huh?" Zuri blinked. "Hey Mimi. Didn't you want to check out the items in the basket?"
"N-No, I think I might just take a break," Mimi looked down, lowering her witch's hat. "I… That fall was… very scary."
"O-Oh, I see," Zuri looked down. Mimi did look like she was in pain, but she didn't realize that what pained her more was just how much Yuumi was willing to go to avoid her. She never had many problems when it came to her and her friends, so this was new territory that she had yet to understand. As of now, all she could do was glance back at the other person in this area with her: Yuumi, who seemed to be more interested in speaking with her penguin plush toy than her.
Fair enough.
"...I know Sailor Penguin," Yuumi looked down. "I know. But… I just… I just can't trust anyone here."
Yuumi placed her eHandbook on the inactive eHandbook reader. Nothing happened. As she expected but worth a shot. Perhaps this would only be unlocked later on in the future.
"Can't trust anyone here anymore," Yuumi repeated as she glanced at Zuri, who only gave her a sheepish wave.
"S-So what did you find out about the boat?" Zuri asked, sheepishly.
"...Nothing," Yuumi merely stated before walking off, Sailor Penguin under her arms.
"Ah, I see…" Zuri blinked.
These people were strange today. Perhaps the events of yesterday really did a number on Mimi and Yuumi. Zuri couldn't blame them if that was the case. She knew how effective the events were to lower everyone's mood and hope. This gave Zuri a moment to check out the last thing that had yet to be acknowledged: the machine by the edge of the pool.
"Huh, what is this?" Zuri asked no one in particular before examining the machine closer. On the machine were two buttons, simply labeled: On and Off. Currently, the only lit option was Off. Zuri pursed her lips and pressed Off.
A large rumbling noise instantly alerted Zuri's attention toward the pool, where a metal plate started moving from the machine's end to the other end, albeit quite slowly. The metal plate overlapped the pool, acting as a pool covering that one could actually walk on.
After a few grueling minutes of nothing but pure noise from the machine, the covering was finally applied, and any sign of pool water have disappeared. Instead, all laid there was just a metal floor anyone could walk on.
Squatting down, Zuri knocked on the metal covering.
Clank.
Clank.
"Well, this is a high-tech pool if I've ever seen one," Zuri said to herself. She glanced around. She was the only one in this room now. Then standing up, she came to a decision. Best to keep it closed. Less of a chance for someone else to fall into the pool with this metal covering.
Then she left.
What a swimming pool!
(Cell Block S)
Heading downstairs similarly led to a branching path between two doors: one on the left and one on the right. However, both doors seemed to be inactive at the moment, which left Arthur and Cassandra, two of the biggest dickheads in this game so far, a little peeved that they ended up wasting their time heading downstairs.
"You're kidding," Cassandra deadpanned.
"Bah, what a waste of my time," Arthur looked a little steamed. He glanced around, as if he were looking for something. "Where is that accursed snake? I want to ask her what the meaning of this is."
As if on cue, Monohebi slithered out from the corner and flicked her tongue toward the two. What she was doing in the corner, no one knows, but let's not bother asking or prying too much into that.
"Hello prisoner," Monohebi greeted before noticing Cassandra. "Prisoners…"
"You left me out on purpose, you little shi-" Cassandra glared at Monohebi but was hastily interrupted by a demanding Arthur.
"Monohebi, what is the bloody meaning of this?" Arthur frowned. "Cell Block S should be behind this door right there."
Arthur pointed toward the door on the left.
"Yet…" Arthur continued, his irritated look never wavering. "...The door is inactive. Why?"
Monohebi blinked before sidewinding toward the door that should lead to Cell Block S. Then she nodded as if she had remembered just exactly why it hadn't opened yet.
"Ah yes," Monohebi stated. "Master White Collar told me to open this door tomorrow. Apparently there has been a gas leak within the entire Cell Block so we need time to remove the toxic fumes."
"A gas leak?" Cassandra deadpanned. "Seriously? How did that even happen?"
"...I am not at liberty to disclose that information just yet," Monohebi merely stated. "For now, if you wish to investigate Cell Block S, come back tomorrow."
Then immediately, Monohebi slithered away, as if she was in a hurry. A hurry for what exactly? Probably something to do with Master White Collar. But Cassandra wasn't going to let this topic of conversation die this quickly.
"Hey, wait a minute," Cassandra glared at Monohebi. "We want a better answer than that!"
Monohebi didn't heed. Instead, she headed back into her corner…
"Wait!" Cassandra yelled.
…And Monohebi disappeared.
"Shit!" Cassandra glared at the corner where Monohebi had disappeared off to. "Son of a bitch!"
Cassandra slapped the wall with the palm of her hand. Damn that snake. Damn White Collar. Fucking gas leak. Why couldn't she believe something like that? There had to be a reason why they closed the door off today, right?
"...You're rather displeased on this fine day," Arthur folded his arms with a frown. He couldn't exactly blame her. He was displeased too, he just didn't really show too much of it as Cassandra did.
"Oh shut up," Cassandra looked back at Arthur with a venomous stare. "I just learned that I wasted my time here and not only that, I wasted my time being here with you standing right next to me."
"...That's hurtful," Arthur merely responded. He gestured to the stairs. "If you did not want to be here with me, you can always just leave. The stairs are quite literally right there."
"Don't fucking patronize me," Cassandra pointed her finger up Arthur's chin.
"Whether I am or not doesn't matter in this argument you've created," Arthur told Cassandra, calmly. "In fact, wasn't it you who wanted to join me down here?"
"And what about it?" It was Cassandra's turn to fold her arms together. "That's not a crime."
"True," Arthur stifled a chuckle and bore a smirk as he shook his head. "But I suppose I am confused on what is getting you so distraught. The fact that this door is closed today? Or the fact that you're down here with me?"
"And as I said, it's both," Cassandra stared at Arthur, heatedly.
Arthur examined Cassandra closely. If there were any types of signs in terms of body language and the likes, Arthur was unable to notice anything about it. What he was able to notice was just who Cassandra is. She was as much a hothead as Haruto and as much as a rebellious loner as Abigail. It was intriguing. And there had to be a reason why she decided to join him down here.
Why?
"Why exactly did you want to join me down here?" Arthur asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Why are you asking?" Cassandra retorted.
"...Such a hard wall to break," Arthur mused before turning to the stairs. "It really isn't a crime to ask, is it?"
Using her own words against her? Cassandra had to admit that she had some slight respect for that. But this was Arthur. Some rich kid with a talent that had little to do with his wealth. Was that even his real talent? Or was he just lying? Heh. Cassandra didn't exactly like to compare, but she had to admit that Arthur and her had something in common. She didn't know what yet. But while she's more brutally honest, Arthur was more of a fox, sneaking about and going mostly undetected until it's too late.
Someone like that could be dangerous in a Killing Game…
Cassandra admittedly knew the answer to Arthur's question. She had a reason. But the thought she just had… perhaps that was an alternate reason.
Cassandra moved first and headed up the stairs, sharing a smirk toward Arthur.
"Not a crime at all," Cassandra merely stated.
(Cafeteria)
It was that time again. Everyone had reconvened back in the Cafeteria after a long while of investigating the new areas. Now it was time for a report of what everyone had found. As of now, the only people who have not arrived in the Cafeteria were Holland and Cassandra, both for obvious reasons.
Jared cleared his throat and tidied up his shirt, having gotten it scuffled during his intense practice throw which somehow turned into a basketball match against Haruto. 43-2. Best no one knows he got his butt handed to him by the Ultimate Basketball Player… even though anyone would've pretty much expected it from Haruto.
"So, now that we're all here, would anyone like to share what they found?" Jared asked, taking the leadership role with a serious expression and a prideful stance. "Or should I start with myself?"
"I have an Ultimate Cell!" Barracuda raised his hand, grinning whole-heartedly.
"Yeah, we know," Abigail deadpanned. "I unlocked it for you. Remember?"
"Hey hey, let's not get passive-aggressive here," Jared told Abigail with a stern look before looking at Barracuda with a calmer expression. "What was in your Ultimate Cell?"
"Lots of exercising equipment!" Barracuda grinned. "Maggie and I used some of them! Spent the whole day working out!"
"You… spent the whole day working out?" Arthur gave an exasperated look toward Barracuda and Maggie. "I'm sorry. I thought we were supposed to look for a way out. Not… engage in physical activity of every sort."
Arthur eyed Maggie for that.
"Hey hey, so Barracuda and I had a little alone time together," Maggie frowned at Arthur, though fighting the urge to drool at the thought of their physical activity together. "And all we did was just play with a couple of dumbbells and weights. That was it."
"That… That's not my point," Arthur stammered a bit before giving up and sighing bitterly. He pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration before Jared spoke up.
"Hate to say it, but Arthur is right," Jared frowned. "You guys were supposed to be looking for a way out. Not engage in exercise."
"Oh, I am sorry," Barracuda looked down, ashamed. "And don't blame Maggie. I pushed her to exercise. So everything is my fault."
"Well, since it was your own cell, I can imagine you were pretty excited about it," Zuri gave Barracuda a more supportive smile. "So… don't beat yourself over it too much."
"You're encouraging a man who should've been more serious about our situation to continue to be a brainless gorilla," Arthur gave a cold stare toward Zuri.
"Hey, don't call him that!" Maggie glared at Arthur.
"Yeah!" Barracuda exclaimed. "Barracuda is a fish! Not a monkey!"
"Well still… you shouldn't be so hard on-" Zuri was about to say before Arthur cut her off forcefully.
"Are you pulling on my leg right now?" Arthur stared at Zuri in disbelief. "Everyone else was looking for any means to escape and someone decided to stop and screw around? How could one not be too hard on someone who decided to do that. Even the bloody police officer did what he was supposed to and I expected something less from him-"
"The police officer played basketball with the basketball player," Ina pointed out, having tuned out the conversation to stare at the map until that specific moment.
"I-Ina!" Jared hid his eyes in shame with his police hat.
Arthur stared at Jared with that same cold stare he always bore. Then he folded his arms and relaxed the tension in his body.
"I was right to expect something less from him, I suppose," Arthur merely stated.
"Okay… but why were you playing basketball?" Abigail frowned at Jared. "God. Aren't you supposed to be the leader? Why the hell were you messing around?"
"I… I had no choice…" Jared quietly mumbled.
"You guys gotta stop pandering the dude with questions," Haruto folded his arms. "Can't you see?"
Haruto gestured to Jared, who snuck a glance at him in slight surprise. The dude was sticking up for him huh. That was nice to see-
"Dude's fucking embarrassed because he lost, 43-2!" Haruto laughed, patting Jared on the back.
Nope. Haruto made it worse.
"I hate you so much," Jared mumbled under his breath.
"Enough," Ina sighed, having gotten sick by how off-track this conversation ended up turning. She stood up and pocketed her eHandbook. "The Ultimate Basketball Player's Cell had access to the actual sky. Whether or not someone from the outside world can hear us or not, we do not know."
"A-Ah yeah, and there are barbed wires, so if we climb out, we'll probably end up seriously hurt," Jared tried to avoid any mentions of his unfortunate game with Haruto.
"An actual sky," Mayu blinked. "I would like to see that soon!"
"There are doors at the end of both Haruto's and Barracuda's cell that led to the Swimming Pool," Zuri pointed out. "Starts out as two separate hallways but come together as one to the pool."
"Wh-Whoa, there's a pool here too?" Carter widened his eyes. "Th-This prison has a bigger budget than I p-previously thought."
"Kind of confirms just how much thought White Collar put into imprisoning everyone here," Yuumi looked down, hugging Sailor Penguin.
"Anything about the Swimming Pool we should know about?" Arthur asked, closing his eyes in thought.
"Well, aside from the boat sticking out of the wall, which I'm pretty sure is an Ultimate Cell we haven't unlocked yet…" Zuri rubbed her chin. "I found a machine by the pool that covers the entire pool with a metal covering. So, I guess if we ever want to prevent anyone from drowning at some point, we can use that machine to cover it up."
"And the pool is slippery!" Mimi added with a serious look on her face… though it was more cute than serious. "So don't run next to the pool!"
"Good observation Mimi," Maggie gave a nod of approval toward the fairytale writer before turning to Zuri. "You too Zuri."
Zuri gave a smile of appreciation. In a way, she was glad she found the machine, otherwise she wouldn't have gotten such a nice compliment.
"I guess it's my turn," Abigail crossed her arms. "Carter, Mayu, and I found a bunch of horses named after Jesus's disciples. Other than that, nothing too important or remotely close to an exit."
"Y-Yeah, the Cell leads to a h-horse-racing track but no exit," Carter looked down.
"Additionally, you can climb up a ladder to check what's on top of the stables," Abigail added before sighing. "But nothing much but just your average horseback riding tools."
"Which now just leaves… Arthur," Jared turned to Arthur. "You went downstairs with Cassandra. What was down there?"
"...Cell Block S," Arthur sighed, looking away. "Unfortunately, neither of us got to visit the cell. Monohebi would not let us enter. Bloody snake stated that it will open tomorrow. Apparently, some sort of gas leak..."
"So, you also found nothing," Maggie pointed out with a slight smirk.
"A useful nothing compared to your nonexistent investigation," Arthur shot back.
Maggie stuck her tongue out at the snowboarder.
It was Ina's turn to speak, although she wasn't really receptive to how childish the banter between Maggie and Arthur seemed. It wasn't really in her best judgment to really give a damn about how Arthur would act. Instead, she sighed.
"From the sounds of everything, I suppose none of us found any sort of escape of any kind," Ina sighed. "All we can rely on is whatever lies beyond Cell Block S."
"Yeah, Ina's right," Jared nodded in agreement. "And a gas leak? Somehow the timing of it seems a little suspicious. As if there's some alternate reason why it was closed today."
"And whatever that reason may be, it might be an escape route," Zuri looked a bit hopeful.
"Exactly," Jared gave a nod toward Zuri.
"O-Or maybe it really was a gas leak," Carter suggested. "B-But then we would have to ask what caused the gas leak in the first place."
"Which Monohebi herself would not disclose," Arthur folded his arms with a sigh.
A gas leak in Cell Block S. Cell Block S to be opened tomorrow? What exactly lied behind Cell Block S?
…
"Attention all prisoners," Monohebi's voice announced. "It is now midnight. Curfew hour begins now. As such, all prisoners must report to their confinements. Anyone who is caught outside of their confinements will be punished accordingly. Be sure to review the rules on the Rules App of your Handbook. That is all."
"Well then, you heard the snake," Arthur stated after a moment's silence before heading toward the exit of the Cafeteria. "I suppose we can only try again tomorrow."
"Y-Yeah, at Cell Block S," Carter gave a small nod.
...
Cell Block S. The question repeats: what exactly lied behind Cell Block S? That was the biggest question on everyone's minds when they went to disperse for the night. And somehow, they felt like they weren't going to get the answers they desired by the time the morning would hit...
"Psst."
Abigail opened her eyes. It was the middle of the night. Sleeping was getting harder and harder for herself if she had to be completely honest. One moment she had passed out as soon as she hit her bed, the next she's staring into nothing but the darkness of her own prison cell. Someone had woken her up. Or something. She swore she heard something. But what was it?
Abigail stood up from her bed and glanced around. No one was there. Maybe her mind was just playing tricks on her... She sighed. The equestrian had no time to look around for what could've made that noise.
She fell back onto her pillow and wrapped her blanket over her body. She tossed and turned, trying to go to sleep quicker by closing her eyes. She turned again. Nothing worked. She opened her eyes again and-
"You should've listened to me," a pale-faced girl who looked to be a bit older than Abigail looked at her with big bloodshot eyes. "Why didn't you listen to me, Abby?"
Abigail gasped and shot back out of her bed. Heart pounding. Cold sweat. It was the same feeling as the morning. A familiar face roaming her dreams, no, nightmares. Abigail cradled herself, hugging her knees and keeping them close to her. She shivered. She hasn't felt this feeling in a long time.
Not since...
Abigail buried her face into her legs.
She wasn't going to get much sleep anymore. Not like this...
DANGANRONPA: CORRUPTED HOPE
Guess who's back back back, back again gain gain. Silver's back back back. Tell a friend friend friend. Guess who's back-
Ahem. It's been a while! A month even but here is the next chapter of Danganronpa: Corrupted Hope and just in time for Halloween too! Proud to present you the start of Chapter 2, where more things are introduced, and more stuff will be revealed!
Firstly, I would like to apologize for the wait. There have been some personal things in my life going on but I'm currently recovering from it. I also spent most of my time moreso figuring out the direction I want this Chapter to go in and I do have some interesting ideas that I can't wait to reveal now that I have everything all marked down :D So hopefully things should be smooth sailing moving forward!
As always, feel free to leave your thoughts about what you think about the chapter! Always helps me figure out what I need to change or keep and helps keep me motivated with writing!
Either case, Chapter 2 is a go and I really do hope you enjoyed the official start of Corrupted Hope's Chapter 2 :D
Prisoners Remaining: 14
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)
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)