Danganronpa: Corrupted Hope (SYOC)

by SilverMark16

Sixteen people wake up and find themselves in a large, abandoned prison facility with no answers as to why they're there. Instead, they're forced to play a dangerous game of Life and Death. A game known only as a Killing Game, hosted by a sinister man calling himself White Collar and his pet snake, Monohebi.

17. The Solace of Hate and Envy (Part 7)

Chapter 2: The Solace of Hate and Envy (Deadly 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 end, it's your choice what you want to do. But for the love of God, you could at the very least just talk to her. You don't have to trust anyone just to talk."

Abigail's words repeated themselves over and over again as Yuumi rested on her bed. It was Yuumi's choice on what she wanted to do? She didn't have to trust anyone just to talk? Yuumi bit her lip. She didn't have to trust anyone just to talk? She didn't have to push Mimi away like that? But she thought it was the right thing for her at the time! If it meant she could live… If it meant she could survive this game of backstabs and betrayals waiting around every corner… Wasn't just talking not enough to potentially get her killed?

What was Abigail talking about? She didn't know anything about her! Yuumi wasn't going to trust anyone so easily! Not after being betrayed so ruthlessly by everyone prior. Or was that really her thoughts at the truest form? Yuumi wasn't sure anymore. At this point of time, her adamant exclamation of not trusting anyone just sounded like excuses to avoid talking to Mimi.

The sailor pursed her lips. Was that really it? Was that really what this was about all this time? Was everything that she had believed in all because of Mimi? Or rather, this Isadora De La Vega character?

Yuumi clutched her head. The conflicting thoughts in her head were messing with her. She hated it. She wanted them gone. Why did Abigail have to conflict with her so much? Why did Mimi have to be the bane of her troubles?!

Because she's your best friend…

Hidden in that tornado of conflicting thoughts and beliefs was one pure phrase that stood out amongst all the rest. Yes. That's right. Mimi was her best friend. No. She… She still is… Yuumi closed her eyes, remembering the way they had hit it off the first few days of their imprisonment. Yes. That's right. Mimi casted a spell.

Yuumi couldn't help but chuckle at her exact words:

---

"Friends?" Mimi blinked, looking at Yuumi before looking happy. "Yay! Friends! I will now cast the magical protection spell!"

Mimi took out her pencil and aimed it at Yuumi like a wand.

"Magicus, spellus, protecticus!" Mimi chanted.

---

She smiled softly to herself before the negativity flowed back into her mind. Her slapping Mimi across the face. Her ignoring the times Mimi got hurt or got in trouble. She was the one who left Mimi all alone. And what did Mimi do? She tried hard to get back with her. To… continue being friends with her.

It was all her fault. It was all her fault that Mimi was in pain. It was never Mimi's fault that she had to keep something a secret. It was never Mimi's fault. It was all her. She should've never struck her.

Yuumi hugged herself.

"I'm sorry Mimi," she mumbled under her breath. "I'll make it up to you. I promise. I… I pinky promise…"

Yuumi buried her face onto her kneecaps. She felt herself tearing up. But truth be told, she didn't deserve to cry. She didn't deserve to be sad and broody and depressed. Not after everything. In fact, that wasn't even the Yuumi that Mimi was friends with.

The Yuumi that Mimi was friends with was happy. Optimistic. Someone willing to throw a party for everyone to get along. That was Yuumi.

She clenched her fist.

That was it. She was going to talk to Mimi. She had to apologize for everything! She just had to!

Standing up with a jolt, Yuumi reached for the door before suddenly a note slipped through her door. She blinked. What was this? She squatted down, picked it up, read it, and stared blankly at the note.

Was this from…?

---

CHAPTER 2: THE SOLACE OF HATE AND ENVY (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 announcement of a body discovery made what they had believed to be a fantasy to be a reality. Yuumi's corpse was floating peacefully in the water. But the blood-stained water surrounding her contradicted her peaceful position. Like art. Like there was still beauty in shark-infested waters, or in this case, a blood-stained pool. Jared, Carter, Ina, Zuri, Maggie, and Abigail remained frozen as they stared helplessly at the water dancing over the corpse. She wasn't moving, she wasn't breathing, and she lost a lot of blood.

What could convince them more that Yuumi was dead?

Carter collapsed to the ground, scurrying away from the Pool with horror in eyes. His mouth opened to let out an awful, trembling noise as he made damn sure he was away from the corpse.

"U-Urgggh- Aghhhhh!" Carter tried to scream.

Maggie similarly collapsed as well but only onto her knees. She hugged herself, haunted by the image she was forced to disclose into her mind. Her body shook and suddenly she felt foolish for having made a resounding speech minutes before the revelation. She felt disturbed. Absolutely crestfallen that this had happened again.

"W-Why?" Maggie muttered to herself. "W-Why now? Why did– I just– I just wanted to have one day to relax. W-Why is that so hard to ask for?"

"We're going to need to get everyone here at the Swimming Pool," Jared turned to his allies after examining Yuumi's body from afar. He remained serious. It was times like this that he had to keep a straight face. "Abigail, Zuri. Think you can do that?"

"H-Huh?" Abigail blinked before nodding with uncertainty. "Er, yeah. Of course."

"Y-Yeah," Zuri had placed her hand over her heart. Needless to say, the shock of the body put her in a heightened sense of paranoia and fear. Someone had struck and started the Game once again. And instantly, her mind raced back to Holland. No… He couldn't have. Could he? He was locked in that Cell so there was no way for him to– "C-Can I have the key to Cell #66, Jared? I have to get Holland out."

"Yeah, that's fine," Jared nodded, tossing Zuri the key to Cell #66. "While you girls gather everyone here, Ina and I will try to fish Yuumi's out of the water. Can't leave any evidence to get destroyed by chlorinated water."

"Right," Ina consented with Jared before rushing to help pull the corpse out of the water.

That was the cue for Abigail and Zuri to race off and alert whoever they could. Jared and Ina began to use pool noodles and other pool accessories to try to fish out the body. When that didn't work, Jared had to jump in the Pool to at least drag the body to the edge for Ina to bring out. Carter and Maggie? They were on the sidelines, stressing out over everything.

Who could blame them? The shock of finding a body underneath the pool covering was enough to ruin any day someone was trying to have fun in…

...

"So, she was the next one to fall. Can't say I didn't see this coming."

The first one to arrive at the scene of the crime was none other than Arthur, who barely anyone was really that excited to see, especially after that comment. Yuumi had been fished out of the pool and now rested on the edge for everyone to see. Along with the body was the wooden plank that had been floating alongside her corpse.

Once Arthur stepped in, a few others started gathering as well, each with their own retrospective response to the gruesome sight that awaited them.

"A-Aghhhh!" Mayu yelped in surprise.

"Y-Yuumi?!" Barracuda gasped in shock.

"Th-The fuck happened here?" Haruto growled, having limped his way to the Pool.

Holland grimaced and remained silent. He had come in at the same time as Zuri, who had set him free from Cell #66 to examine the body.

"So, the Sailor Bitch was the one who died," Cassandra muttered under her breath, folding her arms. "Fucking idiots."

"Y-Yuumi?"

The last voice belonged to a cracking soft-spoken young girl dressed as a witch. Mimi Kazoo, who had been absent for two chapters, has made another appearance and at the worst possible moment in time too. She slowly walked up to Yuumi's corpse, her eyes shaking in trepidation. That face. That body. She didn't want to believe it. No. She refused to believe it. This had to be a sick dream. A nightmare.

But it wasn't.

It was all too real. If just looking at the body didn't confirm it for her, then Maggie's reaction when she noticed Mimi was the big giveaway. Racing toward the little witch, Maggie extended her arms in an attempt to comfort her and to block her view of the body.

"M-Mimi, look away!" Maggie exclaimed. "Th-This shouldn't be something you should see. Just come with me. We'll just–"

"Y-Yuumi…" Mimi collapsed down to her knees; her eyes frozen over her worst fears coming to light. "Y-Yuumi…"

Tears started to envelope in her eyes. She gritted her teeth together. She had no strength to get up. Everything Maggie was saying was becoming muffled. Her ears refused to pick up anything but the sound of her own voice breaking like shattered glass. No matter what Maggie did, it was too late. She saw it. She saw Yuumi laying on the ground. Unmoving. Dead.

"Y-YUUUUUUMIIIIIII!" Mimi screamed as tears began to escape and trail down her cheeks. At this point in time, Mimi started to crawl toward Yuumi's body, but the closer she got, the more horrified she became.

Yuumi didn't look like she died peacefully. Blood was dripping from her head. Her eyes were shot wide open. And her right hand. Oh God. Her right hand. It was gone. Her right hand had been perfectly detached from the joints that connected to her wrist. Her right hand… cut clean off.

"Y-Yuumi, n-no, n-no, N-NO!" Mimi sobbed uncontrollably as she reached out to touch her deceased best friend.

"Mimi, please calm down," it was Jared's turn to intervene as he held her back, making sure she didn't disrupt the crime scene. "I know how much Yuumi meant to you, but for her sake, you have to calm down."

"Sh-She's gone!" Mimi continued to weep. "Y-Yuumi's gone! W-Who did this?! W-Why Y-Yuumi?! Sh-She… Sh-She did nothing wrong!"

"Really now?" Arthur raised an eyebrow. "Didn't she betray you during the last Minigame? If that isn't 'doing something wrong', then I do not know what is…"

"Do not even start, Kingston," Jared looked up to glare at the snowboarder.

"Hate to say it, but he has a point," Cassandra jumped in, concurring with Arthur's words. "The sailor bitch has been nothing but a little shit these past few days. Frankly, I'm not even surprised she was the one who bit it after everything."

"C-Cassandra?" Jared looked at Cassandra in surprise. "Y-You too?"

"Just stating things logically," Cassandra rolled her eyes. "Besides, we don't have time to cry over a dead body. What we need to do is figure out who did this."

"Your lack of compassion for other people here is seriously inspiring," Abigail retorted with a small yawn.

"Oh, bite me Abbygail," Cassandra bit back toward the equestrian. "Forgive me for wanting to survive this hellhole."

Jared could only put into account what Cassandra was saying. In a way, she was right. They did have to figure out who killed Yuumi. He glanced toward Mimi, who was still attempting to reach out to Yuumi but was only helped back by a comforting attempt at a hug from Maggie. No amount of hugs was going to heal this girl from emotional trauma. They needed to find out who did this. This time, not just for them, but for Mimi and for Yuumi.

The police officer clenched his fist tightly.

"Cassandra is right," Jared nodded. "About the part where we need to figure out who did this."

"W-Wait!" Mayu started to bite her fingers, nervously. She bit them in a way a typical cartoon character would eat corn on a cob. Go through one side, cash register noise, repeat. "Y-You don't think it was one of us again?! D-Do you?"

"Well, who else could it be dumbfuck?" Haruto grumbled, unamused at the heiress.

"Th-The snake obviously!" Mayu exclaimed. "She killed Yuumi! Or maybe it was White Collar! It had to be anyone but us!"

"On the contrary…" right on cue, Monohebi arrived, slithering through the bloodstained pool water. "The killer is once again amongst you. Accusing Master White Collar is an incorrect and unwise decision and only for those who wish to lose the Killing Game."

"The snake…" Haruto pointed an unhappy glance toward Monohebi. Perhaps he wasn't really looking forward to seeing after the work she had done on his broken leg. Who wouldn't be honestly?

"So, does that mean, someone among us really did… do this to one of our own?" Zuri looked mortified to hear that piece of information, before adding, "Again?"

"Of course," Monohebi tipped her head down. "Just as Mr. Delaney stabbed Mr. Erskine in the chest. Just as Mr. Amao had finished him off."

"Holland, what did you do this time?" Mayu pointed a stern look toward the video game designer.

"I… didn't do anything," Holland raised his hands up in the air. His face remained stoic as he felt a little more confident with his defense this time around. "I was locked in Cell #66…"

"And can anyone prove you were locked in Cell #66?" Mayu pressed further, narrowing her eyes.

"H-He… was locked in Cell #66," Zuri looked at Mayu confused.

"He was locked in Cell #66," Jared confirmed.

"Yeah, he was locked in Cell #66," Cassandra nodded as well. "Fucking idiot."

"Oh, well, crap," Mayu pouted, stomping her foot on the ground in defeat. "I really thought he tried to pull another fast one on us again… Oh! And don't call me an idiot, you average-looking peasant!"

"Well, at least we can say for a fact that Holland wasn't involved in this crime," Barracuda crossed his arms, looking serious. Then his face softened up to that more innocent looking side of him everyone knew and loved. "I think…"

"Perhaps, you all need something to get you started on your Investigation before you start discounting suspects?" Monohebi slithered out of the Pool, flicking her tongue back and forth as everyone's eHandbooks started to ping and vibrate. Once everyone began to open up their tablets, a notable red one hung on the corner of their Autopsy Report application.

"Ah, the Autopsy Report," Zuri murmured.

"Th-This is really happening," Carter quietly mumbled to himself.

He was terrified. Who wouldn't be? Another incident has happened. Another round of them to investigate and figure out who amongst them was a stone-cold killer. Monohebi shook her head when she saw the state that Yuumi's corpse was in.

Clicking her tongue, the snake's eyes flashed to alert the prisoners of one important comment before she inevitably left:

"Let the Investigation commence. Good luck Prisoners."

---

[INVESTIGATION BEGIN]

---

(Swimming Pool)

The first thing that Jared did to get started with the Investigation was look through his eHandbook. Tapping into the icon that would direct him to the Autopsy Reports, Jared found himself staring at Titus Erskine's Autopsy Report. Blinking, Jared scrolled past and found the latest Report, updated in all of its glory.

Victim: Yuumi Kizuchi

Cause of Death: There are two head injuries on her head. One injury is located on the back of her head while the other injury is located directly on the top. There is an abnormal amount of water in her lungs. Her right hand has also been cut off.

Time of Death: Unknown

Jared grimaced. Whatever happened to Yuumi was worse than what had happened to Titus. Not only did he get stabbed, but part of his body was burnt up, and that aspect only happened after he had passed on. What happened to Yuumi however… She was hit on the head not once, but twice. Her hand was sliced clean off and she also most likely drowned.

But there were two problems with this Autopsy Report…

"Another unknown time of death?" Jared raised an eyebrow. "What conditions would've caused that this time?"

"Maybe the water?" Zuri suggested. "It is pretty cold so maybe the temperature of the water would've caused the body to freeze up a bit."

"Yuumi's body is cold…" Jared hummed in thought.

"Or perhaps it is simply a way for Monohebi and White Collar to confuse us," Ina suggested, rubbing her chin.

"What do you mean?" Zuri blinked.

"In the last case, not knowing when Titus was killed threw us off to nearly convict Holland of the crime when he had in fact died later," Ina stated. "Perhaps it is the same this time as well. An added mystery we will have to solve regarding when Yuumi was killed."

"You… might have a point," Jared said as he moved on to the second strangest thing about the Autopsy Report. "There's no clear cause of death either. Did she drown? Was it blunt force trauma? Loss of blood from her hand? Yuumi could've died to any number of these injuries."

"So, the question is, what actually killed her," Zuri looked a little crestfallen. "This… This case might actually be a lot more difficult than the last one."

"Assuming the last one was simple in the slightest," Ina folded her arms and closed her eyes.

"For now, since she was found in the Swimming Pool, I think our best bet might be that she drowned," Jared guessed. "But that's just a working theory and due to change."

"The safest guess, yes," Ina nodded in agreement toward Jared's working theory.

"Poor Yuumi," Zuri looked down, solemnly.

...

The next thing that was on Jared's 'must examine immediately list' was Yuumi's body. Since the corpse was just recently fished out of the Swimming Pool, Yuumi's body was still covered in chlorinated pool water. Her eyes remained shot wide open, but Ina took the liberty of closing them for her.

"I cannot believe this happened to her, of all people," Ina murmured.

"All the more reason on why we have to find the one who did this," Jared rubbed his chin. He squatted down, his eyes fixated on her missing right hand. He grimaced. Such a horrid sight. Such a horrid thing to happen to someone like her. "...Because whoever did this is one sick son of a bitch…"

Ina didn't say anything in response to that. She merely nodded in agreement. Zuri on the other hand looked a little skeptical about a certain detail.

"Actually, now that I think about it…" Zuri trailed off, trying hard not to puke at the sight of a clean-cut hand. "Um, do we actually know where the hand is? Did you maybe forget to fish it out of the pool Jared?"

"Zuri has a point," Ina said with a nod. "Yuumi is missing a hand and yet we have not seen where the hand could be."

"Ah, well, don't look at me," Jared lowered his hat, just as confused. "When I went to fish out the body, the only notable thing that I could fish out was the body and the wooden plank floating beside her. I didn't find anything like a hand so maybe…"

"The killer… took it with them?" Zuri widened her eyes. She covered her mouth, ashamed that a suggestion so grotesque could escape her mouth like that. "Who here would do something like that?"

"Anyone of us apparently," Ina sighed as she began to trail her hand around Yuumi's corpse. "I hope you do not mind if I check her clothing for anything of note."

"No no, it's understandable," Jared glumly looked away. "Best you be the one to do it anyway."

"Then please forgive me Yuumi for desecrating your body like this…" With a sigh, Ina merely nodded in return as she tried to feel for a clue or anything of note that could help them. Once she reached her hand into Yuumi's pockets, she took out two items. "Hm…?"

The two items were of course Yuumi's eHandbook and a note, both of which were soaked in Pool water.

"Shit, the eHandbook!" Jared widened his eyes, as Ina tapped the screen. When the screen lit up, both the police officer and the revolutionary let out a small sigh. "Oh, thank God!"

"At the very least, the eHandbook seems to be waterproof," Ina sighed. "Perhaps there is something on here that may help us figure out why Yuumi had to die."

Without another word, Ina handed the eHandbook to Jared.

"E-Eh, you're giving it to me?" Jared blinked.

"Scanning through the victim's eHandbook sounds like your type of ordeal," Ina explained. "I'd rather keep looking through the body at hand."

"Hey Ina, what's that piece of paper you got along with the eHandbook?" Zuri asked, slightly confused by the equally soaked note in Ina's hand.

"Ah yes, I am not sure," Ina raised an eyebrow.

The note itself had been folded neatly but unfolding it now that it was drenched might be a harder task than she would've given a simple note credit for. Moving her fingers as slowly as possible, Ina managed to unfold the note to reveal a set of words on the note. Or rather, what was supposed to be a set of words on the note. Since the paper was drenched in water, whatever ink was used to write the note had bled into something illegible except for one word in the middle of the deformed sentence:

'CELL'

"Unfortunately, the water caused whatever was written into the note to be illegible," Ina sighed bitterly. "I can only make out one word: 'CELL'."

"Cell?" Jared blinked. "That can mean anything. I mean, like a cellphone, or cellular respiration or…"

"Or the Ultimate Cells!" Zuri gasped in realization.

"That was my third answer, but yes," Jared chuckled sheepishly. It definitely was not. Regaining that serious and confident look on his face, Jared rubbed his chin. "But if that note really had something to say about Ultimate Cells then… what does it all mean? And... which Ultimate Cell would it have been referring to?"

"I suppose that is a mystery we will have to solve in the Prison Trial," Ina answered, folding her arms as she handed the note to Zuri.

"E-Eh, you're giving this to me?" Zuri blinked.

"You seem to have more pocket space for a wet note," was all Ina said.

"E-Er, thanks, I guess?" Zuri just looked lost over Ina's explanation.

"Do not mention it," Ina responded as she continued to scan her hands throughout Yuumi's clothing. However, it would seem the only thing noteworthy was the eHandbook and the note found in her pockets. "Hm, nothing else in her pockets…"

Jared on the other hand examined her left hand; the hand that was still attached to her wrist. There was one thing that struck him as odd aside from the fact that the other hand was missing and that was how clenched it Yuumi's left hand was.

"Sorry about this Yuumi," Jared apologized before grabbing Yuumi's hand and prying her fingers away from her palm. Since her fingers had gotten a little stiff, Jared had to carefully pry open the fingers one at a time before two more pieces of evidence fell from her hand. "What the…"

As Jared set Yuumi's hand down gently, Zuri was the one who picked up the two new pieces of evidence. The first evidence she picked up was another pool water drenched note folded similarly to how the first note was found.

"I-It's another note!" Zuri exclaimed.

"Can you read what it says?" Ina sternly asked. Could this be a breakthrough for the case?

"I…" Zuri opened up the note carefully only to see… nothing. "Huh? There's… There's nothing written on it!"

"Nothing written on it- So it's just a blank note?" Jared looked a little taken aback by this. A note with nothing written on it. Then… how exactly did it relate to the note whose only word they could understand was the word 'CELL'.

"Yeah, no ink or anything like that," Zuri looked down. She almost looked defeated, but it wasn't over. The Prison Trial has yet to start after all!

"How… peculiar," Ina rubbed her chin. "You have a note with a clear indication of being written on and then a note that is just blank. What could this all mean?"

Jared tried to come up with some sort of theory to get started with. Only the best thing he could come up with was that the note probably belonged to Yuumi, and she just didn't have time to write anything on it before she died. At least, that was what he thought.

"I… I'm not sure," was all Jared could say at this point in time.

"Do you think this has anything to do with the note?" Zuri held up the second piece of evidence that was found in Yuumi's clenched hand.

The second piece of evidence was what seemed to be a torn piece of rope. Nothing much was to be noted of it besides the fact that it was wet due to the water, and it was found in the spot as the note.

"Looks like a piece of rope," Jared rubbed his chin. "And that was found in Yuumi's hand as well, right? Why was this there anyway?"

"I don't know, she just happened to have it with her," Zuri looked down.

"A torn piece of rope and a note that is blank," Ina summarized. "Truly, this does not make our case any simpler."

What could the pieces that they have found mean? A note with a sentence but the only thing legible was the word, "CELL". Another note that was blank this time. And a torn piece of rope.

This case was not going to be easy…

...

As Ina, Jared, and Zuri continued to look through the body, Mayu took the initiative of actually checking out the other random thing that was at the scene of the crime: the wooden plank that had been floating alongside the corpse almost peacefully. Of course, it didn't come without an assistant to help her check it out.

"A wooden plank, huh?" Maggie questioned, her voice a little soft. "Could this have been the murder weapon?"

"Maybe…" Mayu hummed thoughtfully, staring at the wooden plank. She turned to the supermodel. "Erm, how are you feeling? And how is…"

Mayu gestured to Mimi, who clearly wasn't doing fine. She could only watch her peers investigate the crime scene knowing full well she couldn't approach Yuumi's body to hug her deceased best friend. Maggie's face answered the question as she shook her head.

"Ah, I see," Mayu looked down before holding up the wooden plank. "B-But hey! At least I found a clue!"

"A clue that I have no idea on how it could tie into the case," Maggie sighed as she examined the wooden plank closely.

The wooden plank itself was just like any other wooden plank. Only difference was there was rope tied at the end of it. The rope itself was looped around one end of the plank and the ropework itself was also relatively short. Double that with the fact that there also seemed to be small traces of blood on it.

"Hey, this blood… is it…?" Maggie blinked.

"C-Could it be?!" Mayu gasped. "The murder weapon?!"

"...It… can't be," Maggie looked uncertain. "There is far too little blood on it for it to be used to hit Yuumi on the head."

"Oh, then maybe the blood might've belonged to someone else," Mayu crossed her arms, glancing around in thought. "Like… Like the murderer!"

"That could be possible," Maggie said as she took the plank from the heiress and examined every nook and cranny. "But then, what about this rope? Could this be of anything important?"

"Rope?" the sudden voice appearance of Zuri popped into Maggie and Mayu's little investigative moment. Unsurprising since they were literally investigating separate things only a few feet from one another. "Where'd you guys find rope?"

"It's tied to the wooden plank, see?" Maggie presented Zuri with the wooden plank that she had been examining. When she held out the wooden plank, a part of the rope that was tied to it dangled. "Why do you ask?"

Maggie's answer came in the form of Zuri holding up the torn piece of rope she had picked up from Yuumi's hand. The bassist held the rope against the rope tied to the plank in an attempt to see if they matched, ala jigsaw puzzle piece style. Unfortunately, that was not how rope physics worked and thus, it was unclear whether the rope could've come from the rope on the plank.

"Darn, I can't exactly tell but the rope material used for the plank does look similar to the rope we found in Yuumi's hand," Zuri snapped her finger in slight defeat. "So maybe this piece of rope could have come from the wooden plank."

"Oh, and by Yuumi's hand, you mean the hand that isn't missing, right?" Mayu asked, blinking. "Because I was about to say, if you were messing with a sliced off hand… yuck! Don't touch me for like a week, please!"

"No no, it's just the other hand that's still attached to Yuumi," Zuri assured Mayu. "We… still haven't found the decapitated hand. And we don't have the faintest clue on where it could be."

"Did you check the Swimming Pool?" Maggie asked.

"We're going to after we finish checking out Yuumi's body," Zuri told Maggie. "Just give us a moment maybe?"

"Of course," Maggie nodded toward Zuri with a smile of understanding.

Once the plan had been set, Zuri returned to her respective station to examine Yuumi's corpse. Maggie and Mayu took one last look at the wooden plank… then at each other. Clearly, the wooden plank was yet another piece of evidence that doesn't seem to fit anything… or at least, cultivated a smaller puzzle within a larger puzzle.

...

Once the investigation of Yuumi's corpse wrapped up, Jared, Zuri, and Ina stepped away from the body. At the same time, Maggie and Mayu had long wrapped up their investigation of the wooden plank, allowing Mimi to stare at Yuumi's corpse freely. Jared took his police hat off and looked at Mimi somberly.

"You… can say your goodbyes now Mimi," Jared told Mimi, avoiding her gaze. "We're done checking out her body."

Mimi didn't say anything. But given how red her eyes were, it was clear she had been sobbing throughout the entire investigation. She slowly walked up to the body. The moment she loomed over Yuumi's unmoving corpse however, her legs gave away, dropping to her knees as she slowly let her hand touch Yuumi's chest. Deep down she hoped she could feel Yuumi's heartbeat. She hoped she could feel the warmth radiating from her chest. She hoped she could feel Yuumi's happiness.

But all she felt was the cold, unforgiving feeling of death.

It was enough to get her to cry again. Her voice quivered as she buried her face into Yuumi's chest. Jared, Ina, Mayu, Maggie, and Zuri stepped back, letting her grieve in peace over the loss of her closest friend. They all knew how much Yuumi meant to Mimi. So, whoever did this… Whoever did this…

Zuri felt her own eyes water up with tears. It was as if hearing Mimi's sobs was contagious enough to get her to start sobbing as well.

How could this have happened again? Who did this? And why? Jared closed his eyes, ashamed that someone else has lost their life in this game. Ina and Mayu only shared sentimental looks. And Maggie walked up to Mimi, patting the young witch girl on the back as she hugged her gently.

"W-Where's Sailor Penguin?" Mimi sniffled. "S-Sailor Penguin isn't here…"

"S-Sailor Penguin?" Maggie blinked.

That's right. The plush penguin toy that Yuumi always carried. Oddly enough, she wasn't carrying it like she normally was. Biting her lip, Maggie gave Mimi an answer.

"Maybe she left Sailor Penguin in her room-" Maggie said before Mimi interrupted.

"N-No!" Mimi felt more tears stream out of her eyes. "Y-Yuumi never goes anywhere without Sailor Penguin! N-Never! S-Something must have happened to him too! F-First Yuumi. N-Now Sailor Penguin…"

"If that is the case, not only do we have a missing hand, but we have a missing penguin as well," Ina muttered to herself.

"Now that you mention it Mimi," Jared squatted down. "I'm sorry I have to ask this but believe me, it's just police officer protocol. Where exactly were you throughout the entirety of this morning?"

"Jared, you can't be serious," Maggie looked at Jared, sternly.

"It's just police officer protocol," Jared raised his hands up in defense. "I want to cover my bases."

"...I-It's okay Maggie," Mimi looked away. "I… I was in my room. I didn't feel like coming out until I heard the snake say a body was discovered…"

"What about you, Mayu?" Jared turned to Mayu.

"E-Eh, me?!" Mayu blinked, surprised that Jared would narrow her out of the other three he could've asked.

"Ina, Maggie, and Zuri were all getting ready for a pool get-together," Jared told Mayu. "I know that cause I was too. What about you? Where were you throughout the morning?"

"Ah, um, exercising in the Ultimate Personal Trainer Cell," Mayu answered before pouting. "And if you don't believe me, you can ask Barracuda! He is a witness to my alibi!"

"...I see," Jared sighed, rubbing his chin in thought. "Sorry for asking. I just… I just wanted to cover my bases."

"Then help find Sailor Penguin," Mimi frowned toward Jared. "Sailor Penguin… He needs to see what happened to his Mama."

"We'll find him," Jared gave a nod toward Mimi. "Along with Yuumi's missing hand and… well. What else is missing that we know of…?"

"Oh, Yuumi's hat is also missing too," Mimi pointed out, glancing toward her head wound.

"Y-Yuumi's hat?" Zuri blinked.

"She always wears a sailor hat," Mimi looked down, sadly. "But it's not on her head like it should be…"

"So, we're missing a hand, a penguin, and a hat," Zuri listed before looking down. "Where could those items be?"

"Thank you for telling us, Mimi," Ina looked at Mimi appreciatively. "Please. Take as long as you need to with Yuumi. The rest of us will find the demon who did this."

"I… I want to help," Mimi suddenly exclaimed.

"It's okay Mimi, there's no need for you to do that," Maggie assured the little witch. "You've helped enough by giving us information about a missing penguin and a missing hat. So please, don't push yourself and stay with Yuumi. She… She needs you right now."

Mimi glanced toward Yuumi's corpse and hugged it gently. It seemed to do the trick. But unfortunately, now they have more stuff to juggle around this time. Two confusing notes. Rope. A wooden plank. A missing hand. A missing penguin. And a missing hat. Why were so many things missing?!

...

As Mimi was given more time to grieve, the other five in the Swimming Pool area scoured the pool from above in hopes that they would find a decapitated hand floating about somewhere. Unfortunately, they did not find it. All that was left in the water was nothing but a cloud of Yuumi's blood slowly mixing itself with the chlorinated liquid. Jared scratched his head.

"Where could that hand be if it's not here?" Jared frowned.

"The killer probably took it with them," Maggie looked sick upon hearing herself suggest that theory.

"Along with Sailor Penguin and the hat?" Zuri blinked. "But why?"

"Maybe for some really twisted thing where the killer is into fashion designing and is using the three missing items to recreate Yuumi!" Mayu loudly and incorrectly suggested. She gasped. "Maggie! Is the killer you?!"

"I'm a supermodel, not a fashion designer," Maggie deadpanned, crossing her arms. "Also, don't joke about stuff like this! This is serious business."

"I have to agree with Maggie here, Mayu," Ina glanced at Mayu with a soft shake of her head. "We should not be joking during this time."

"B-But it was a valid suggestion…" Mayu pouted.

"In either case, I think there is one more thing I wanted to check in terms of the pool," Jared said as he walked over to the machine that controlled the pool covering. At first, everyone looked a little confused on what the police officer was doing. But the moment he switched the machine from 'OFF' to 'ON' was when everyone realized what he was talking about.

"Ah, that's right!" Zuri covered her mouth. "The bloodstain on the pool covering!"

The pool covering slowly slid across the pool. Once the covering reached the other side of the machine, the noise the machine made stopped, leaving the top of the Pool to be walked on freely. Of course, the bloodstain that Zuri referred to was the bloodstain found on the side of the pool covering, right at the other side of the machine.

"So, in other words, this bloodstain was not Zuri's but could very well have been Yuumi's?" Ina asked Jared.

"That's what I think, yes," Jared nodded toward Ina. "The only question is, which of Yuumi's injuries did this bloodstain come from?"

"Assuming the blood does belong to Yuumi," Ina folded her arms in thought.

Did the bloodstain truly belong to Yuumi? And if it did, then how exactly did the bloodstain relate to the crime? That was the big question at hand when it came to the blood on the pool covering…

...

"Well, I think that's all that is really left to check from the Pool," Jared sighed. With so much evidence they had just found, Jared still felt as if they were nowhere near to solving this strange mystery. "Are you guys going to go investigate elsewhere?"

"Ina and I were thinking of heading off toward Yuumi's room to see if maybe she left something behind," Mayu pointed out. "Anyone wanna join us?"

"Not me," Maggie shook her head. "I'll stay here with Mimi. Someone has to watch over her after all. You girls have good luck with what you might find, alright?"

"Sweet!" Mayu beamed, looking excited. "Guess it's just you and me Ina!"

"So, it would seem," the revolutionary nonchalantly added as the two girls left the Swimming Pool.

"And I take it you're staying here as well Zuri?" Jared turned to the last of the group who had yet to voice their opinion. The bassist merely gave the officer a nod.

"I want to double-check this area," Zuri told Jared. "Just to see if we missed anything…"

"Then I'll leave you to it," Jared tipped his police hat down before taking out Yuumi's eHandbook. "While you do that, I'll be checking out what's in Yuumi's eHandbook."

"You… really like looking inside dead people's eHandbooks don't you?" Zuri perked her head. She looked a little concerned.

"I-It's a necessary requirement for the investigation!" Jared stuttered as he opened up Yuumi's eHandbook. And even though it was still a little wet from the water, the screen opened up just fine to reveal Yuumi's name and personal information:

Name: Yuumi Kizuchi

Gender: Female

Ultimate Talent: Ultimate Sailor

Birth Date: January 23

Height: 5'2

Weight: 110 lbs

Blood Type: A-

(January 23? Birthday was only about a month and a quarter ago! Damnnn)

Jared narrowed his eyes as the screen switched to Yuumi's main applications. If there was one good reason as to why he wanted to check Yuumi's eHandbook, it was to confirm one simple fact. He tapped on the icon that would lead him to the Advantages page. Then he read what the message Yuumi got would've said:

…

'Congratulations on receiving this Advantage in the Killing Game. There is no expiration for its usage, meaning you will be allowed to use it for the duration of the Killing Game. You can now explore the facility during the Nighttime curfew. Any punishments enforced by Rule #7 will be null and void against the user of this Advantage.'

…

Jared didn't know why he felt his body tense up before but after reading this message, Jared felt somewhat relieved. He wasn't sure why but just knowing the fact Yuumi got the same Advantage Haruto did, provided the police officer a relief that this case was probably not as complicated as he thought.

Then came the next question at hand…

Could this Advantage have anything to do with the case?

Jared didn't know. After all, the Advantage required it to be Nighttime right? Jared rubbed his chin. He considered the possibility of Yuumi dying at night. Only two people had the Advantage this time and that was Yuumi and Haruto. But Haruto was getting patched up by Monohebi due to his broken leg throughout the entire night and everyone else would've been in their rooms.

Jared shook his head. No. There was no way Yuumi died at night. She died in the morning. Which means the culprit could still be anyone. Jared sighed.

The culprit could be her. It could be him. It could even be…

Jared turned off Yuumi's eHandbook. Then he glanced at Zuri, who was nearby checking every nook and cranny. With a shrug, Jared decided to help her out.

One last dig of any clues before he went off to investigate elsewhere…

---

(Ultimate Basketball Cell)

Arthur raised an eyebrow as he wandered into the Ultimate Basketball Cell to do his fair share of investigating.

For starters, he didn't expect the pair of Holland and Carter to investigate together. Second, he didn't expect Holland to pair up with anyone that wasn't Zuri. Third, he also didn't expect Carter to pair up with someone he definitely wouldn't be too comfortable around. Something was up. And if they were plotting something to get them far in this game… Well, they had another thing coming.

"Gentleman, what brings you to the dreaded Ultimate Basketball Cell?" Arthur asked, remembering all too well what had happened here just last night.

"A-Ah, A-Arthur," Carter blinked. "W-Well I just came here to investigate and then…"

"...I was here first since I noticed something on my way to the crime scene," Holland answered Arthur. It was probably his most honest answer but after his deeds in the first case and his unmoving expressions, it was very hard for the snowboarder to tell.

"And what exactly did you notice?" Arthur folded his arms.

Holland and Carter stepped to the side to show Arthur a pool of dry blood on the ground. The snowboarder blinked more a moment before shaking his head slightly.

"And you think this may have something to do with the crime?" Arthur asked Holland.

"...It's blood," Holland reasoned. "And it is near the Swimming Pool. So, I just thought… I'm sorry, is there something I don't know…?"

"You," Arthur turned to Carter. "Have you told him?"

"A-Ah, I was going to- U-Until you came th-that is…" Carter stammered, trailing off and tapping his index fingers together nervously.

"That blood belongs to Haruto," Arthur shook his head. He had little patience for Carter's incapability to formulate a sentence, so he decided to take it upon himself to explain what had happened. "Last night, he tried to initiate a prison break. That pool of blood you spotted is the aftermath of his little escapade."

"...I see," Holland glanced back at the pool of blood. "That… would explain why the blood has long dried up. Is he… okay?"

"Alive, yes," Arthur folded his arms. "But his leg... You saw him earlier at the crime scene, did you not?"

"H-He c-can't…" Carter tried to say but couldn't bring himself to finish. How could he? He didn't want to remember the horrid sight of Haruto's leg bone popping out from his flesh. It was enough to make him feel queasy.

"Yes, Haruto will no longer be able to play basketball," Arthur shook his head. "Such a sad turn of events for the Former Ultimate Basketball Player."

So that was what he missed when he was locked up in Cell #66? Holland couldn't believe what he was hearing at first but the more he thought about it, the more it made sense. He saw Haruto with those crutches. And not only that, but Haruto was also definitely a lot crabbier than he usually was. No doubt, he was upset over the loss of his ability to play basketball.

"...How did he…?" Holland asked.

"We formed a human ladder to get him over the wall," Arthur answered honestly, pointing up at the high-scale prison wall that they had tried to climb over the day before. "Unfortunately, we didn't take into account of White Collar's security measures for anyone who was able to make it to the top."

"S-Some electrical current that c-caused Haruto to f-fall back d-down to the ground," Carter shuddered, his mind replaying Haruto's scream.

"...Right down here," Holland gestured to the dry bloodstain on the floor. Carter only nodded to confirm the video game designer's grasp of the events at hand. That left another question for him to ask. "How did Haruto get treated…?"

"M-Monohebi fixed him up right here throughout the entire night," Carter answered Holland.

That made sense. They didn't have an infirmary or any medical rooms at the moment. But he failed to grasp the concept of a snake being a good doctor. Perhaps that's why the crutches and the work done to Haruto's leg didn't look as professional as he would've thought. Shaking his mind away from Dr. Monohebi, Holland rubbed his chin.

"...So that means Haruto was here the entire night…" Holland murmured to himself. "And I assume he must've left in the morning as well."

"What are you muttering to yourself about?" Arthur flatly stared at the game designer.

"...I was wondering if it could be possible that Haruto may have committed this crime somehow," Holland answered honestly.

"I-If he did, it probably would've been hard," Carter looked down. "I mean, h-he literally broke his leg."

"...That's the main factor why I don't really think he did it…" Holland sighed to himself.

He stepped forward to get a better look at the pile of dry blood. His eyes wandered, questioning whether this did have something to do with the case. All could have been said and done had the game designer decided to move on elsewhere but there was something off. Something to note that was staring right back at him.

Eventually, his eyes wandered true. Amidst the blood pile were small droplets of blood that led directly to the entrance of the Ultimate Basketball Cell. Not only that, but these same small droplets of blood led to the entrance to the intersection between the Swimming Pool and the Ultimate Personal Trainer's Cell. He squatted down, attempting to get an insight check to how recent this blood was.

Unfortunately, it was almost as dry as Haruto's blood pile.

"...There is a blood trail leading from the entrance to this Cell to the entrance to the intersection…" Holland revealed. "Could this have been Haruto's blood as well?"

"I-It's possible," Carter rubbed the back of his neck. "I imagine his l-leg injury probably w-would've b-bled through when l-leaving."

"And when going to the Swimming Pool as well?" Arthur raised an eyebrow. "Are we so sure this blood really belongs to Haruto?"

"...Hard to say…" Holland stated. "...There's no indication of how recent this blood could be. Maybe it could be Haruto's but just in case, I think this is something we should take note of…"

Arthur eyed Holland closely. The way he was examining evidence and investigating… It was certainly unlike his contribution to Titus's case. Granted, Holland was the main instigator and did try to dispose of evidence but here, Holland seemed more like… a legitimate detective. Could he really be someone he had to look out for in this Killing Game?

Arthur didn't know. But what he did know was that he was going to have to keep an eye on him…

---

(Ultimate Personal Trainer's Cell)

If Cassandra had a choice between who out of everyone left in this facility she would investigate with, it one hundred percent would not have been Barracuda.

The large personal fitness trainer sat down by the dumbbell rack with the gloomiest expression on his face. He couldn't believe it. After a whole five-day streak of nothing bad happening, minus Maggie's sudden confession, the Minigame, and Haruto breaking his leg which he did not know about, Barracuda thought that perhaps everyone would get through this game unscathed. Now Yuumi was dead, and he was forced to participate in another investigation. The large male sighed.

"Look, if you're not going to help investigate, leave," Cassandra turned toward the fitness trainer with a sour look on her face. "I have enough shit to deal with than to make you feel better."

"I'm sorry," Barracuda looked down. He only came into his Cell because it was his Cell. It was the place he felt the safest and most comfortable in. He didn't ask for Cassandra to come in and start inspecting the place. "It's just that, I can't believe it. Y-Yuumi… Sh-She… I can't believe she's…"

"Dead?" Cassandra rolled her eyes, finishing the fish's sentence. "Why can't you believe it? It was obvious she was going to bite the dust sooner or later."

"H-How could you say something like that?" Barracuda frowned at Cassandra, disapprovingly.

"Easily," Cassandra muttered. "Now, if you're just going to bitch and moan about her death, go somewhere else and do it. I hear Cell #66 is currently vacant."

"But it's not fair that she has to die!" Barracuda exclaimed. "I… I mean! I just talked to her yesterday! And I even saw her today alive and well! I just can't believe she would die so… so…"

"Whoa whoa, you saw her today?" Cassandra raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah!" Barracuda nodded adamantly. "She was heading over to the Ultimate Pony Cell! That's Abigail's Cell if you didn't–"

"Of course, I know that's Abbygail's Cell," Cassandra glared at the fish-for-brains. "I'm not stupid. I just want to know what the hell she was doing over at that Equestrian bitch's place."

"Oh, I think she was returning a horse," Barracuda tapped his chin.

"Returning a horse?" Cassandra began to think about the possible scenario thoughtfully. "What was she doing with a fucking horse…? Or actually, could that have been the reason she got killed…?"

"I dunno," Barracuda gave an innocent shrug. He had no idea what was on the Ultimate Bitch's mind but to her, the idea of implicating Abbygail as the killer was certainly a temptation she was trying not to give into…

Oh, what the hell.

She's Cassandra for God's sake. She couldn't give two shits if Abbygail died or not. That meant that the Equestrian bitch was going right up there as suspect numero uno on her suspect list.

…

Moving away from Barracuda, Cassandra checked a different part of the Personal Trainer's Cell for clues. This led her directly toward the cubbyhole filled with duffel bags in each storage space. As it served as somewhat of a shelf, Cassandra was not looking forward to examining each and every bag for any clues. Fortunately, she didn't have to.

One of the cubbyholes was empty.

"Hey, fish-for-brains," Cassandra turned to the depressed looking Barracuda. "These little cubbyholes had duffel bags in every storage space. Right?"

"Uh, yeah, they should all be in there," Barracuda blinked, confused over Cassandra's questioning. "Why?"

"One of these cubbyholes is empty," Cassandra crossed her arms. "What happened to that one?"

Barracuda got up from the dumbbell rack and headed toward the cubbyhole to see what Cassandra was talking about. Sure enough, one empty slot, vacant for someone to push a bag into it should they need.

"Huh, that's weird," Barracuda rubbed his chin. "I could've sworn it was in there when I last checked– Oh! Oh! That's right!"

"Something you forgot to tell me?" Cassandra deadpanned. The fact that her investigation relied on the memory of a fish-named idiot was enough to annoy her.

"Yeah!" Barracuda chuckled sheepishly. The fact that he couldn't even tell that Cassandra was annoyed, annoyed the unknown talent even further. "So, you see, I think Mayu took it!"

"Mayu?" Cassandra looked at the personal trainer, exasperating a breath. "The fuck was she doing here?"

"Exercising!" Barracuda answered innocently.

"Exercising?" Cassandra almost let out a laugh when the personal trainer answered her question all too quickly. "Mayu? Exercising? Yeah right! What was she really doing here?"

"Er, exercising?" Barracuda answered again, perplexed.

"No fucking way," Cassandra stifled a chuckle. "You're obviously joking. There's no way someone like her would bother exercising here in the first place."

"H-Hey, knock it off Cassandra!" Barracuda said, disapprovingly. "This isn't something you can laugh about. I mean, I know Mayu doesn't have the most fit body but she's really trying, and she's been coming here when I'm not here!"

"And why would that be?" Cassandra tested with a sly smirk over her face.

"Because she doesn't want me giving her protein bars or subjecting her to a really intense workout regimen!" Barracuda honestly answered. "She's serious about this! And she wants to go at her own pace! So, show a little respect, alright?"

Cassandra raised an eyebrow. Barracuda certainly was very passionate when it came to Mayu's goals. Not just passionate, supportive too. Perhaps she should back off from the jokes and just get back to what she was doing: investigating.

"I saw her this morning, too," Barracuda recounted the events of the morning. "We got into a conversation and then she left. And I think she also took that duffel bag with her when she left too. That's all it is."

"Took the duffel bag and forgot to return it?" Cassandra eyed the cubbyhole suspiciously. Perhaps a little too hung up on the idea that there was no way Mayu could be that serious about exercising. So much for Abbygail being numero uno. Mayu was a big contender against that.

"H-Hey, she might have her gym clothes in there!" Barracuda frowned toward Cassandra. "I wouldn't leave my gym clothes in a duffel bag and then this cubbyhole… unless I forget but you get the point!"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever you say," Cassandra rolled her eyes. The more Barracuda spoke, the more irritated she was about the fact that he could've been investigating this with someone more competent.

…

"Speaking of forget, I might have to ask Mayu to return that duffel bag," Barracuda rubbed his chin. "It's the Personal Trainer's Cell property so I can't have anything like that leaving my gym!"

"Does that mean you're going to leave me to investigate alone in peace?" Cassandra asked hopefully.

"Great idea!" Barracuda grinned toward Cassandra. "I'm gonna go head off and find Mayu! Investigate alone and peacefully!"

Then without much else to say, the large male dashed off to find Mayu. The instant he left; a breath of relief escaped Cassandra's lips as she shook her head.

"Finally," she exhaled, relieved. "Thought he would never fucking leave…"

Barracuda was a bumbling idiot and having to spend another second with him in the same room was going to drive her batshit crazy. She ventured around, taking in all of the alone time she needed before someone would inevitably interrupt her. She knew the motions. This was how it always went.

Wandering around for a moment longer, there was only one place she had yet to check: the place where Barracuda had been blocking his large ass body moping over Yuumi's death. The dumbbell rack. Not like she would find anything. After all, what could possibly stand out in a dumbbell rack–

Cassandra raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, well hello there," her look of surprise slowly shifted into a smirk.

---

(Ultimate Equestrian Cell)

When Abigail walked into her Ultimate Cell, she couldn't believe what she stumbled onto. After all, compared to everywhere else in this godforsaken facility, the Ultimate Equestrian Cell was the closest to home she could ever feel. She came in whenever she could… except for the one day she just didn't. The moment she didn't come yesterday just had to be the moment she would find her Cell in complete disarray.

One of the gates to the horses was practically broken, with pieces of its wooden components scattered across the floor. The ladder that led to the top of the horse stables was left square in the middle of the ground. And one of the horses was completely covered in rope as it brayed and reared as soon as it saw Abigail.

"W-What the hell–" was the only thing the equestrian could say before the horse started to thrash around.

Thrash around, that is, a little too close to her.

"Fucking look out!" a not-so-valiant voice declared and soon Abigail found herself tackled to the ground as the voice let out a yelp in pain. "Agh! Motherfucker!"

"W-What…?" Abigail blinked. The last few seconds of her life had just flashed, and she had no idea what had just happened. But from what she had gathered as she watched her horse gallop around the Cell, she was just saved. But by who?

The Equestrian turned and saw him.

"H-Haruto?" Abigail looked surprised to see him of all people in her Cell.

"Yeah yeah, who fucking else?" Haruto struggled to get up. He had tossed his crutches aside when he pounced toward Abigail. Had he not done that, the equestrian would've gotten bodied by a 1200-pound animal. "Agh… Fucking hell. My leg…"

"W-Why did you do that?" Abigail frowned toward the basketball player. "You could've damaged your leg even further."

"Bitch, I just saved your fucking life–" Haruto stopped himself before shaking his head. He clutched his leg. "A-Agh… Nevermind. Just go do something about the fucking horse. It's fucking trashing the place."

Abigail's head was so wrapped up over her near-death experience that she had forgotten that the cause of such experience was still thrashing about. Turning back to the horse, she got up and ran over, distancing herself from the rampaging animal.

"Hey hey hey," Abigail called out, thrusting her hand out in an effort to calm the animal. "Calm down. Calm–"

Screw this.

Abigail dashed toward the horse, grabbing the animal by the neck and the stomach, attempting to keep the animal from braying. With one hand, she rubbed the horse on its stomach and caressed the neck.

"Shhhh," she shushed. "It's okay. It'll be okay. Just calm down alright?"

As soon as Abigail touched the horse, it recognized her and relished in the bond of trust between the two. The horse slowly whinnied, calming down its messy tantrum. Then after a moment of silence between the two, the horse remained calm and stationary, giving Abigail the time she needed to breathe in relief.

"He's calmed down now," Abigail sighed in relief.

"What are you, a fucking Disney princess?" Haruto grumbled.

"Can you– Shut up," Abigail flatly stared at the former basketball player. "What are you doing here?"

"Investigating, dumbass," Haruto growled. "There's only so many places I can investigate, so I chose this Cell. It's the largest Cell as far as I can tell so no doubt, there has to be a clue in here somewhere. But all I found is a fucking mess and someone who had a death wish by posing as a deer in headlights."

"Man, you are so crabby today," Abigail tiredly glanced at the former basketball player. "I'm the one who gets little to no sleep at night."

"Yeah well, I lost my fucking talent, so who has it worse?" Haruto grumbled. Abigail held back a remark. Guess she could see where this anger was directed towards. The former basketball player still remained on the floor, having done nothing but crawl to get the crutches he had tossed aside to save her.

"...Need help?" Abigail raised an eyebrow at the crawling Haruto.

"Pfft, no," Haruto muttered.

Haruto looked away. Abigail yawned slightly before shaking her head.

"...Fine, I might need help getting up," Haruto glanced away.

"Thought so," Abigail seemed a little more satisfied with that answer.

…

As soon as Haruto regained his crutches and his ability to stand, the first order of business the former basketball player did was ask a simple question for Abigail to answer.

"So, what the hell was up with the horse?" Haruto asked. "It went batshit crazy in here. Like, look at this place."

"I'm not sure," Abigail sighed as she eyed the horse carefully. She glanced around the room and checked the horse stables in an attempt to identify which horse she was dealing with. Once her eyes landed upon an empty open stable, she glanced toward the horse that was stationery. "So, this was where you previously belonged, Bartholomew."

"The horse's name is Bartholomew?" Haruto deadpanned. "What kind of dumbass name is that?"

"I didn't name him," Abigail tiredly glanced at the crabby boy. "White Collar did. And the name doesn't matter. What matters is that I'm missing a horse."

"The one from this other empty one, right?" Haruto asked before reading the nameplate. "With the broken gate thing? The one belonging to... Judas?"

"Shit, Judas is missing?" Abigail didn't look so happy about that. "God. Where could he be?"

"Well, not at the crime scene," Haruto rubbed the back of his neck. "That's for sure. Nor anywhere near the crime scene or downstairs since any number of us could've reported seeing a horse wandering around."

"Which means Judas is–" Abigail instantly realized where Judas could be before darting her eyes toward the stairs to the horse stadium. "Stay here!"

"Not like I'm going anywhere," Haruto rolled his eyes, watching Abigail run down to the horse stadium area. As soon as she left, the former basketball player shook his head before limping toward where Bartholomew was. "Ugh, whatever. So, what's your deal, you big ass bitch? Why'd you go and trash the fucking place, huh?"

Bartholomew didn't understand foal language. Hehe. Either case, the horse did nothing, but it did seem to back away from its own stables. Raising an eyebrow at this action, Haruto traced the horse's eyesight towards the floor, where a scattered array of rope lay on the floor.

"Scared of a little bondage?" Haruto rolled his eyes before sighing to himself. "Jesus Christ. Look at me. Making conversation with a goddamn horse."

Haruto used his crutches to get him closer to the pile of rope. Then using the tip of his crutch to toss the rope in the air, the former basketball player grabbed it and showed it to the horse.

"It's just rope, nothing to get so scared–" Haruto instantly regretted his stupidity as he watched Bartholomew bray and whinny once more.

…

"You really wandered to the other side of the stadium all by yourself, huh Judas," Abigail sighed as she lured Judas to the stables. Seeing as the gate to Judas's stable was completely broken now, Abigail had no choice but to tie the lead she was using to the wall of the stable. Unfortunately, before Abigail could get started, something she saw dropped the lead, allowing Judas to wander outside of the Equestrian Cell.

The sight she bore witness to was none other than Haruto trying to replicate what he saw Abigail doing and completely failing.

"Calm the fuck down horse!" Haruto exclaimed. "If you don't, I'll fucking… I'll fucking shave your mane!"

Bartholomew understood that as a threat and kicked its front legs up into the air.

"What the hell are you doing?!" Abigail glared at Haruto. "I leave you here for five minutes and you're threatening my horse?!"

"It's not my fault your horse is big fucking pussy!" Haruto growled at Abigail. "It's fucking scared of rope! Rope! Can you believe that?!"

"Well of course it's going to get scared of rope!" Abigail glared at Haruto. "Ropes remind them of snakes, dumbass!"

"D-Did you just call me a dumbass, bitch?!" Haruto looked taken aback by Abigail's sudden insult.

"Did you just call me a bitch?!" Abigail glared at Haruto.

"Yes, I did, and I'll say it again!" Haruto growled.

"You are a stubborn bastard!" Abigail yelled back at the former basketball player. "Ugh! I can't believe that instead of investigating, I have to clean up my Cell and deal with you at the same time! Just because you lost your talent, doesn't mean you can go and mess with mine!"

"Weren't you the one who rejected your talent or some shit like that?" Haruto clenched his fist.

"Let me rephrase that to… Don't mess with my horses," Abigail pinched the bridge of her nose in frustration. "Anyway, Judas is now gone off in his own world and you've upset Bartholomew again. So, thanks for the added mess, piece of shit."

"Fuck you!" Haruto cursed.

"God, I just came here to investigate," Abigail tiredly stated. "I literally have no time to go and deal with you."

Her cell was just a mess overall. Bartholomew was freaking out over the rope scattered on the ground. The gate to Judas's stable was completely broken. Overall, not a great start to an investigation in Abigail's book.

…

Hoisting the rope over her shoulders, Abigail placed the ladder back in its usual spot and sighed to herself. Bartholomew and Haruto had long calmed down, giving the equestrian the peace and quiet she needed to investigate. Once she placed the ladder back, she began to climb it only to feel it wobble.

Sighing, she glanced over at Haruto. She needed someone to support the weight of the ladder but unfortunately, the only person who could do that was the one person causing trouble in her Cell. But what choice did she have? It was either asking him for help or her falling down to the ground.

"What's wrong?" Haruto sighed, bitterly. Even though he had long calmed down, he still wasn't happy with the back-to-back insults he had to participate in. It was a battle in which he'd like to think he won. "Scared of heights or something?"

"Scared of falling," Abigail frowned. "The ladder is too unstable without someone to support it from the ground. So, would you be so kind? I want to put this rope back."

"Only doing this just so that pussy of a horse can go back to his fucking Cell," Haruto muttered as he limped with his crutches toward the ladder. "Not for you."

"Oh wow, what a gentleman you are," Abigail rolled her eyes, tiredly. "Just go support the damn ladder."

"Don't tell me what to fucking do," Haruto growled.

Nevertheless, he did exactly what she told him to do and held the ladder from below as the equestrian began to climb. Part of him wanted to shake the ladder out of pettiness and to see her reaction. But the former basketball player recognized that he was above childish pranks like that. Besides, the sooner he gets this done, the sooner he can move on elsewhere.

As for Abigail, she moved quickly up the ladder, feeling the intent from Haruto to shake the ladder out of pettiness and to see her reaction. She was in no mood to want to deal with that right now. Unfortunately, as soon as she reached the top of the ladder, she was met with a wall of hay blocks, blocking her path.

"What the–" she narrowed her eyes, the bags underneath darkening.

"What now?" Haruto grumbled.

"This has to be a joke," Abigail grumbled back. "Did you put a wall of hay in front of this ladder?"

"Yeah, sure I did," Haruto rolled his eyes. "I flew up to the top of the stables to build a wall of hay to block you, because how else am I going to get up there with my fucking broken leg?"

"Ugh, then who the hell put this–" seriously not in the mood for this. Abigail pushed against the hay blocks, which was no easy feat when one was on a ladder. In fact, she gave up pushing and tried climbing over the hay blocks.

Still wasn't easy but soon she made it on top of the stables. And as soon as she did, she pushed the hay bales toward the side with the best of her strength in order to make an easier path for her to get back to the ladder.

"There, hay bales are gone," Abigail muttered before mumbling. "What is up with my Cell?"

Walking around the top of the stables, she tossed the coil of rope she had gathered near the ceiling girder before making her way back. But before she headed back, something instantly caught her exhausted vision.

"What the–" Abigail narrowed her eyes. She was in the middle section of the top of the stables. Moving forward to the edge, there was a clear pattern on the wooden stable that was rather odd. Normally, there would be sand scattered about, but on this specific edge, a rectangular imprint rested in between two extremely sandy areas, almost as if something rectangular had wiped this specific spot's sand right off. "That's… weird…"

"What is it this time?" Haruto grumbled from below.

"There's an imprint here at the edge of the stables," Abigail frowned. "Kind of odd since sand is always scattered up here and this spot doesn't have sand so…"

"What does the imprint look like?" Haruto raised an eyebrow.

"A rectangle," Abigail answered. "And before you suggest anything, a broom can't make a shape this clean."

"So, someone used a rectangular object to clean off sand," Haruto deadpanned. "That's fucking weird. As weird as those hay bales blocking anyone from coming up the ladder. Or even why the ladder was on the ground in the first place."

Abigail hummed to herself.

For the first time since she had to deal with Haruto in her own Cell, she had to agree with him. This was all so weird…

…

Climbing down the ladder, Abigail sighed as she thought carefully over the things she had just found. An imprint near the edge of the middle area of the top of the stables. A wall of hay. Not only that, but for some reason Bartholomew was free and freaking out and Judas's gate was broken. Rope lay on the ground. Just the overall mess of her Cell was strange.

But strangest of all, how did Bartholomew get free? After all, his gate wasn't the one that got destroyed…

"You know, I wasn't exactly honest about the reason why I came here to investigate," Haruto revealed, leaning against the wall.

"Oh yeah?" Abigail raised an eyebrow. "Why lie?"

"...Because Yuumi came in here," Haruto revealed.

"What?" Abigail widened her eyes at Haruto. Then she narrowed them, a little disappointed that something so serious was brought up so late. "Why didn't you say something sooner?"

"Bitch please, you almost got bodied with a horse and we started arguing," Haruto pointed a finger toward the equestrian. "When did I ever have the chance to go and say, 'by the way, I saw the fucking victim come into your Cell'?"

"Oh, I don't know, when you held the ladder?" Abigail glared at the former basketball player.

"Yeah well, I was still fucking miffed," Haruto stubbornly folded his arms with a scowl.

"Ugh, here we go again," Abigail rolled her eyes. They were at it again. Best to get some more information about Haruto's account rather than quarrel. "Forget it. When did you see her go to my Cell, exactly?"

"It was after the snake finished patching me up," Haruto revealed. "Which was super early in the morning. Don't remember the fucking time but I saw her riding a horse."

"R-Riding a horse," Abigail looked at Haruto in disbelief, almost as if she were hyperventilating. "R-Riding… R-Riding one of my horses?"

"Oi, what's with you?" Haruto grunted. "You sound like she wrecked your Barbie dollhouse collection."

"Why the hell would she ride my horse?" Abigail sighed bitterly. "And better yet, she should've asked for my permission. God! Is she the reason why this place is such a mess and why Bartholomew was freaking out?"

"That's what I think," Haruto rubbed his chin. "I didn't technically see her go to your Cell, but she had to have gotten your horse from somewhere. Am I right?"

"Where did she take my horse?" Abigail asked, a little exasperated as she feared the answer for the sake of her own sanity.

"Well, she rode the horse into the direction of my Cell…" Haruto recounted. "Other than that, I don't know what else happened. But that's kind of the reason why I wanted to check out the place. Maybe she left a clue or something."

"Instead, she left a mess," Abigail sighed bitterly as she walked over to Bartholomew. Caressing the horse on its nose and head, the equestrian gently led the horse back to his stable. "God. Bartholomew. Did she hurt you? Is that why you're so scared?"

"She's still the damn victim in this case, you know..." Haruto muttered.

Abigail didn't respond to the former basketball player as Bartholomew finally found himself in his own stable. With a sigh, she thought to herself. Why would Yuumi bother touching her horses like this? Why ride them? She was a Sailor. She had no connection to horses. It made no sense!

Petting Bartholomew one last time, Abigail brushed past the horse in an attempt to get out of the stable… But in her attempt to move out, she knocked something over. Something that had been sitting there for a while. Something? No. Some things…

"W-What the– Is this?" Abigail widened her eyes.

"What?" Haruto limped over to the stable. That was when he widened his eyes as well. "H-Hey! That's–"

Abigail held up two objects:

"Y-Yuumi's hat," Abigail held up a sailor hat which was noticeably wet.

"A-And that damn toy she carried around too…" Haruto watched Abigail hold up Sailor Penguin, a little dirtied and covered in straws of hay and missing its eye.

"S-So… she did come in here…" Abigail voiced quietly.

As soon as Bartholomew laid his eyes on Yuumi's hat and Sailor Penguin, the horse started to bray once again. The sight of those objects certainly spooked the horse. A clear indication that what Haruto said was true.

Yuumi did come into the Equestrian Cell. And not only that, but she also rode her horse without her permission! The latter was obviously not an important detail, but she was still miffed about that!

…

"Attention all prisoners," came Monohebi's voice. "It is time for the Prison Trial. Please cease all investigations and report to the Auditorium immediately. Attendance is mandatory. That is all."

"Well, we sure found some shit in here," Haruto muttered.

"Now all that's left is…" Abigail pocketed both items in a nearby bag. "...The Prison Trial. God. Yuumi, what the hell were you doing?"

"Better yet, what the fuck is going on anymore?" Haruto asked, looking much more confused than he had been since the Investigation began.

---

(Auditorium)

Thirteen prisoners left.

The loss of Yuumi emanated a sorrowful aura from the prisoners that had gathered together in accordance with Monohebi's announcement. Mimi was currently leaning against Maggie's body as she held her close for comfort. Mayu and Ina stood near one another, both looking visibly downcasted at the events that had occurred. Jared had kept his hat tipped down. Those were mere examples of how everyone except a select few were doing.

"It is rather quiet here," the voice of Monohebi remarked, remaining coiled up on the stage. "This is unlike your typical rebellious selves, fellow prisoners. Or perhaps you understood what was expected of your place here in this humble facility provided to you by Master White Collar?"

"Not at all," Arthur stepped forward. He was one of the select few who felt little over the outcome of Yuumi's demise. "We were all silent because we wanted you to get us started as soon as possible. We have a blackened to catch, don't we?"

"Hey, Abigail, did you give one of your horses some fresh air?" Mayu randomly asked. She was of course referring to Judas, who Abigail have no time to actually bring back to his stable.

The question was ignored, anyway.

"How unlike you prisoners," Monohebi mused. "Normally, you'd be against anything I or Master White Collar would have to say. Now, you're all so obedient."

Monohebi tipped her head out of approval.

"I quite like that," Monohebi stated, flicking her tongue out. "Keep up this good behavior and perhaps we may hold some exceptions for certain prisoners."

"Like freedom?" Barracuda blurted out with hope in his eyes.

"Of course not!" Monohebi said, immediately. "Now then. If you do not remember, please head inside your Voting Chambers and use your eHandbooks to access them. I do hope that you all have your own respective eHandbooks and none of you misplaced, lost, or forgot them this time… yes?"

Her question was met with everyone opening their Voting Chambers with their respective eHandbooks and walking inside.

"Very good," Monohebi praised. "Perhaps there is hope for you all yet… Once inside, keep all hands and legs inside the Voting Chambers and wait patiently for the Chamber doors to reopen. That is all…"

---

The descent down to the Trial Grounds remained a quiet and peaceful ride. Each and every remaining prisoner thought long and hard about the evidence they had gathered, the interactions they had made, and the suspicions they considered long and hard.

This Trial was definitely going to be way more complicated than Titus's case. Or perhaps it would be a little simpler. Whatever the case was, they have the evidence. They have the ideas. And they were ready to partake in their second Prison Trial.

Once they reached the Trial Grounds, the doors opened up, allowing everyone to exit their Voting Chambers…

…

The Trial Grounds remained a grand courtroom with sixteen podiums and a throne. However, this time around, there were three portraits fixed in different podiums as compared to the one last time. Not only that, but the crude White Collar artworks were now replaced by a bluish-tinted coloration that made it look like the courtroom was fixated in the middle of a gloomy mining cave.

No longer did the courtroom look like a dungeon. Now it just looked like a cavern fixated with jewels of every kind. Rubies. Emerald. Copper. Silver (hey that's me!). Gold (hey that's also me!). But of course, it wasn't Monohebi's signature touch without a crystallized statue of White Collar behind the throne, consisting of rubies to form his signature mask and obsidian to form the suit he wore.

"Somehow, I feel like we're even deeper than before," Zuri noted, finding the jewels to be a little captivatingly beautiful. Compared to their last area, this courtroom was more seductive by sight rather than creepy and gloomy.

"Do you like my decor?" Monohebi boasted from the throne she coiled up on. "It took a lot of work to get the right minerals to form Master White Collar's great statue."

"It's better than that White Collar pornography you tried to create," Haruto mumbled.

"It was not por– Enough," Monohebi sighed, flicking her tongue toward the former basketball player. "Please. Head over to your designated podiums. They are still in alphabetical order so there is no reason as to why you should not be able to find your seats."

The podium arrangement remained the same. But this time, there were some added changes to the roster of characters in each podium. It went like this: Abigail, Arthur, Barracuda, Carter, Cassandra, Haruto, Holland, Ina, Jared, a portrait of Kane, Maggie, Mayu, Mimi, a portrait of Titus, a portrait of Yuumi, Zuri, and the throne seated by Monohebi between Zuri and Abigail.

"Looks like everyone is well-situated," Monohebi glanced around. "Very well, let us begin…"

Everyone took a deep breath.

It was only their second Prison Trial and yet somehow, the stakes felt higher.

Each of them had their own expression and reaction for what was to come.

…

Abigail looked tired. Endless nights of non-stop nightmares have not served her well to prepare for the second Prison Trial.

Arthur folded his arms, avoiding eye contact with his peers. He felt as if he found little to nothing during the investigation. But that's no matter. He was a Kingston, and Kingstons always win.

Barracuda looked practically gloomy. The events of the last few days took a toll on his emotional health. He didn't have the energy to flex his muscles this time around.

Carter looked downright nervous. He had no clues or ideas on what could've happened. Fixing his glasses, he tried his best to look as ready as he could be.

Cassandra on the other hand looked as if she was ready to get this over with. She seemed a little content with herself. Almost as if she had found some kickass evidence.

Haruto leaned against his crutch. He was lost in thought over everything. But most importantly, his eyes were fixated on his broken leg. His leg…

Holland stuffed his hands in his pockets as he flipped his hood over his head. He remained stoic as he quietly contemplated the only evidence he had discovered in his investigation.

Ina clenched her fist and stared at it. It looked as if she were getting ready to discover the truth… or was it just her looking at her fist with no other meaning at all? Who knew?

Jared kept his hat down to cover his eyes. If anything, he was ashamed that he let another incident occur. Ashamed that he let another one of their own perish.

Kane was too dead to react to anything.

Maggie rubbed her arms, glancing away. Similar to Barracuda, she too was also under some emotional duress. Emotional duress that this had just happened again.

Mayu shared glances with Ina and tried to look as confident as she did. Only Ina was staring at her fist so instead, she stared at her stomach. Maybe she was hungry.

Mimi looked unready to participate in yet another one of these. In fact, her eyes were red from all of that grieving. And her expression was slowly shifting into a darker glance.

Titus was too dead to give an expression.

Yuumi on other hand was currently lying flat on her back at the Swimming Pool. She was late to the Prison Trial, but because she was dead, Monohebi excused her for her transgressions.

And finally, Zuri looked uncertain about everything. If anything was enough to keep her from feeling anxious, it was the fact that Holland was no doubt innocent this time. Or at least… she hoped so…

She hoped they were.

They had to be ready.

They needed to be ready.

…

"Let the Prison Trial commence..." Monohebi flicked her tongue.

---

DANGANRONPA: CORRUPTED HOPE

---

So, the Investigation has ended. And now, for the Trials :D

First off, I would like to apologize for how late this chapter ended up being. I planned for this specific chapter to be finished last week but because of some busy performance stuff, I had to prioritize that over this fanfic D: Which meant my deadline has been pushed to the end of March! So, bare with me please on that retrospective DX

Trials are still in the stage of being tweaked. There are some stuffs here or there that I think could be explained or executed a lot better but overall, I think what I have is pretty good! But ultimately, your opinion on the work I've done matters more than my thoughts :D Hope you all enjoy how this case will end ;D

Hope you enjoyed this Investigation chapter! I might've rushed a bit in terms of the evidence gathering but there's plenty of evidence... much more than the last case! So, let me know who you think did it, how it may have been done and... why? You don't have to. I just like hearing the different theories people come up with XE

As always, let me know how I'm doing and thus commences the Trials! :D

---

Prisoners Remaining: 13

---

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 Former 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)

Zuri Auraline - The Ultimate Bassist (CandleFire45)