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.

21. Sums For Our Fallen Grace (Part 1)

Chapter 3: Sums For Our Fallen Grace (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!

---

Jacob replied, "First sell me your birthright."

"Look, I am about to die," Esau said. "What good is the birthright to me?"

But Jacob said, "Swear to me first."

So, he swore an oath to him, selling his birthright to Jacob...

---

"The first time I opened my eyes, I was in a room I failed to identify."

She didn't know where she was. She didn't know who she was. From the moment she opened her eyes, her entire mind was nothing but an empty pit. She was the smallest being in the room she was born in. Through her red-tinted lens, all she could see were numerous people glancing down at her. Glancing back at her with the same curious expression she herself had borne.

"I was confused. Frightened. Alone. Until my eyes rested upon him…"

The people stepped aside. The next thing she could see was a man walking towards her. She didn't recognize him in the slightest. It was the first she's ever seen the man in her current life of five minutes. He was relatively tall. Sophisticated. Yet, there was something about him. Something that attracted her to this stranger.

"My Master. When I first saw him, he was like me. Confused. Frightened. Alone. The face he made when he saw me for the first time… It hurt me to no end."

Pity. The stranger had stared back at her with pity. She could tell that what she was staring at was nothing more than a man beyond repair. A man who needed her. She watched the man's lips move. His presence of course, intimidating the other person trying to present her up to him as if she were a puppy up for adoption. The voices were muffled. But she could grasp at least what was happening.

"The people in the room gave me a name: Monohebi. But my Master…"

...

The glass case she was encased in was slowly lifted, allowing her to recognize what exactly was being said. And for the first time, she could hear. Her creator's voice. Her Master's voice. The humming sound of the brightly lit room she was in…

"–Made her from the same material," her creator explained. "State of the art, artificial intelligence. She'll follow your every command. And, as an added bonus. Monohebi."

Her creator turned to Monohebi.

"Speak," her creator ordered.

"...Greetings, my name is Monohebi," Monohebi greeted. "I live to serve. I live to obey every command. I live for my Master. Are you my Master?"

Monohebi turned to her Master. It was the first time he's ever heard her voice. And when she spoke aloud, she could see her Master's legs nearly give away. She couldn't identify the specific emotion he had felt. But what she knew for sure was that he definitely was not happy.

"W-What are you trying to pull here?" her Master turned to her creator with a growl. "W-Why did you–"

"Sir, we made you a servant," her creator explained, simply. "The voice was just an added bonus. I mean, just think of her more like an… emotional support animal."

"B-But–" her Master attempted to argue.

"Our job was to give you something you can use, not a replacement," her creator sighed. "I'm sorry, sir. But this was the best we could do. If anything, the animal we chose had some significant meaning for you, didn't it?"

Her Master didn't respond. Her creator looked a little solemn. And Monohebi didn't know what was going on. Not until her creator spoke up once more.

"We incorporated some special stuff with her actually," her creator said. "Wanna know what it is?"

Her Master glanced back at her creator.

"Monohebi," her creator turned back toward her. "Activate Command #106."

Monohebi blacked out.

…

But the moment she reopened her eyes, she saw her Master looming over with tears emanating from his eyes. His hand slowly caressed her head as she flicked her tongue toward him. The two locked eyes. Monohebi instantly knew that she was going to be needed to fulfill his every need. Her sweet sweet Master.

"I love you too…" she heard her Master whisper.

"...M-Master?" Monohebi blinked, surprised.

...

"The people in the room gave me the name Monohebi. But my Master gave me something more special. He gave me a purpose to live. He gave me a place to call home."

Her Master glanced back at her with a small frown over what she had said in surprise.

"I am Monohebi. My purpose is to serve. To obey every command. To live for my Master. I know who my Master is. And I will never leave his side until he has no more use for me..."

---

CHAPTER 3: SUMS FOR OUR FALLEN GRACE (DAILY LIFE)

---

(Cell #66)

If anything, Ina Hamamura understood the living conditions Holland was forced to stay in for three consecutive days. After all, she was living in it now. Shortly after last night's Trial, Ina found herself escorted to Cell #66 like a criminal being sent to death row. Well, she was a criminal. She was an attempted murderer. Just like Holland before her. Just like…

The cockroaches and rats scattered across the floor, pitter pattering their little feet back to whatever nests they hailed from. The dim light bulb continuously flickered. Flickered so much that it almost drove Ina nuts. She had to endure blinking lights, being surrounded by disease-infested creatures, and being suffocated by the freezing atmosphere. In other words, Cell #66 was hell for a God-fearing revolutionary like her.

Ina hadn't bothered to sleep. Not only that, but Holland had been freed as well, making this Cell an Ina-exclusive cell now. She supposed it was the fact that they really only had one cell to actually hold the more cautionary members of the prisoners left. In this case, that cautionary member was her. The one who had effectively nearly killed Yuumi until Mayu finished her off.

Ina remained silent.

Mayu… Mayu's blood was on her hands. So was Yuumi's. Part of her so desperately wanted to atone for that guilt eating away at her body. Atone for the loss of an innocent girl who did hardly little wrong… and her closest friend.

Ina stared at her eHandbook as she sat back against the wall, keeping her motive video paused onto the still image of Alexander Kingston, the man that she hated most in her life. She couldn't believe that the man she had hunted down for so long was none other than the same demon she tried hard to fight against. Not only that, but another offspring of that demon was here in this facility as well.

Funny how life can give you both lemons and take them away from you at the same time.

Ina turned her head toward the metallic door when she heard a small knock. She narrowed her eyes. She didn't need to think twice over who could be visiting her at this hour. Who else would bother visiting the fallen Ina Hamamura? Who else but her damn half-brother, Arthur Kingston?

"Go away," Ina ordered. "I have nothing to say to you."

"...Then don't," the softer voice of Arthur Kingston told the revolutionary. It was a voice that one had hardly heard from someone like Arthur. Once an Ice Prince who could only respond to others with his cold tongue now speaking warmly to someone who had tried to kill him prior. Only it wasn't just anyone…

It was his half-sister.

"I come bearing breakfast," Arthur slipped a simple sandwich through the slit of the metallic door for her to grab.

"Spare your charity," Ina spat. "I want nothing from you."

Arthur remained squatted beyond the metallic door. He watched the door somberly, wishing he could see Ina's face. Though, based on the events of last night, he wouldn't be too happy to see the look of hatred on his little half-sister's face. He pressed his hand against the door. If he had the key, he would totally have opened it by now, but unfortunately the key was in Jared's possession, and no way in hell would that cop ever allow him to release Ina back into the wild.

"Then, all I ask is that you listen to me," Arthur softly spoke to her.

Ina didn't respond.

Arthur took that to be his green light.

"I… I didn't know," Arthur insisted. "But if I had known, believe me, I would've gone to look for you."

Silence.

"I would've brought you back home," Arthur told Ina. "I would've given you a family. Brought you back to Father. Believe me, please."

…

"...I do not," Ina responded. "Would you like to know why?"

Arthur let out a breath.

"...The Kingston family is built on lies and empty promises," Ina explained. "Every single member in the Kingston ancestry is selfish, greedy, and prideful. Father exhibited so much of that when he wanted so desperately for you to take over the family. Your mother never cared. And your sweet, adopted sister is a wolf in sheep's clothing. Even you, walking out of the family for your own selfish desires."

"It wasn't like that," Arthur looked down.

"You're still lying even now," Ina grimaced. "Tell me dear half-brother. Would you really have brought me back to Father? Or do you already know why bringing me back to Father would only bring trouble to the Kingston family?"

She scoffed.

"Let me answer that for you," Ina gritted her teeth. "Father would have never claimed me as his own. He cared too much over his family name. Enough to adopt a girl who wasn't even his. Enough to abandon his own blood, sweat, and tears."

"Ina, please," Arthur pressed his hand against the metal door again. "Just listen–"

"What do you really want, Arthur Kingston?" Ina strengthened the tone of her voice. "Do you want forgiveness? Some way to cleanse the sins of your entire family? Mark my words, as long as I am alive, your entire family is cursed to fall as another tainted symbol of hope."

Arthur pressed his forehead against the metallic door.

"I just–" Arthur tried to say. "Ina, please…"

"Leave, now," Ina leaned back against the wall she was at. "I have nothing more to say to you."

"...I just…" Arthur frowned, somberly.

He clenched his fist.

"...I just wanted to make sure my half-sister is doing okay…" Arthur revealed, looking down.

Ina scoffed again. She never moved from her spot. She never exhibited any different emotions. Deep down, she still believed that Arthur was still lying to her.. Manipulating her into believing something false. Manipulating… something the Kingston family was so good at.

Something her cheating Father was so good at…

---

(Cafeteria)

"I-It's much quieter now, huh?" was the first thing Carter had said as he scanned the Cafeteria. The only ones who were in the Cafeteria this time were Abigail, Barracuda, Cassandra (surprisingly), Jared, Maggie, and Mimi. A nice selection of prisoners who all inhabited the same gloomy atmosphere after the events of last night. "R-Remember when M-Mayu would sit there and just eat sandwiches all morning? H-Heh… G-Good… G-Good times…"

"Or Yuumi, back when she tried hard to get everyone to think positively?" Maggie clasped her hands together as she glanced toward the ground.

"Yeah," Barracuda looked solemn as he was reminded of two people who had just been alive a day ago. "I can't believe they're gone."

"...Me neither," Jared looked visibly depressed. He had taken off his hat and pushed it to the side, as if he were a man drinking his life away at a bar. Fitting for his role as the law enforcer of the group… and yet he could do little to actually enforce any laws in this hellish place.

"You kept the attempted murderer locked up, right?" Cassandra raised an eyebrow toward Jared. The man looked like crap. Well, sure he dressed like crap but today he looked crappier than usual.

Jared didn't respond. His blank stare practically told her he was out of it today. But she had little patience for such inactivity.

"Hey, I'm talking to you," Cassandra rolled her eyes as she snapped her finger toward Jared's blank state.

Blinking, the cop turned to Cassandra with a small sigh.

"You mean Ina?" Jared asked, somberly. "The first thing I did when we got back from the Trial was lock her in Cell #66. So, she won't be a problem since I'm the only one who can get her out."

"Okay, so that's one problem out of the way," Abigail narrowed her eyes, tiredly. "What about the second problem?"

"Second problem?" Barracuda blinked.

"Arthur, obviously," Abigail sighed. "He's as guilty as Ina is in terms of sending Yuumi to her death. You're not going to lock him up with Ina in Cell #66?"

"Are you kidding?" Jared frowned, turning back to Abigail. "You saw what Ina had tried to do to Arthur. Locking her up with Arthur is just asking for trouble."

"Hey, at least we'd have one hell of an easy Trial," Cassandra pointed out.

"I– I really don't want more dead bodies in this damn Killing Game," Jared exhaled a bitter tense breath. He clutched his head, laying it down onto the table. "Locking up Ina was the best thing I could do. We don't have an alternative cell to put Arthur in anyway."

Mimi perked up.

She had remained quiet, silently hugging Sailor Penguin as tightly as she could. The mere mention of Arthur and Ina only made her feel a deep resentment for the two people who had been directly responsible for the death of Yuumi. Or rather, indirectly in Ina's case, but still. Mayu got her just desserts. Ina's locked up. But what about Arthur? Did he seriously get to roam this facility free after what he did?

Mimi shook her head, reminding herself what exactly had come to her mind…

"So, if Ina is in Cell #66…" Mimi hugged Sailor Penguin. "Does that mean she's alone with…"

"No, she's in Cell #66 alone," Jared muttered.

"Wait, you mean, you just let–" Cassandra jumped out of her seat.

"Ah, did…" a familiar voice forced everyone to slowly turn their heads toward a pair that had just arrived at the Cafeteria. "D-Did we come at a bad time? S-Sorry we didn't get here earlier, but Holland insisted on wearing something nicer."

It was Zuri and Holland. Zuri sheepishly chuckled. Holland wore the exact same thing he always wore so that comment made no sense. But naturally, there was an eerie awkward silence as all eyes were on Holland.

"Why is he out?" Cassandra clenched her fist before turning her head toward Jared. "Are you out of your goddamn mind? You lock up Ina but in return you let this bastard out?! Let them share the same Cell damn it!"

"Hey, hey, don't yell at Jared about it," Zuri jumped in front of Holland as she tried to lower the hostility in the room. "It was my idea! I thought that maybe after everything, he deserved his freedom…"

"Are you serious?!" Cassandra glared at Zuri. "Have you forgotten what this little prick did? Have you forgotten how he used you to try to get away with murder or how he's, y'know, the reason Kane and Titus died in the first place?!"

"I… I know that!" Zuri frowned. "But I already made my point about giving Holland a second chance. And I think he deserves it, more than ever!"

"And why does this attempted murderer deserve anything from us?!" Cassandra turned her venomous stare toward Holland.

"Because he helped us figure out who the culprits were in the last Trial!" Zuri adamantly declared.

Cassandra blinked. She narrowed her eyes, biting back the urge to come up with a lame excuse as to how wrong Zuri was. Definition? She couldn't formulate shit. Zuri was right. Holland had been a big help in the last Trial. Had he not spoken up numerous times, they probably would've lost to Ina and Mayu's game of cat and mouse.

"Come on guys," Zuri turned toward the rest of the members in the Cafeteria. "Even you guys can't deny that he redeemed himself by saving us from nearly convicting the wrong person! So, if that's not an invitation to give him a second chance then…"

She looked around. Almost everyone had little to say on the matter and judging by the looks on their faces, it seemed a lot of them would have felt more comfortable if he was locked up with Ina. Even Maggie and Barracuda, who had agreed with Zuri's adamant declaration for #SecondChanceforHolland said nothing, but perhaps it had more to do with the fact that they were still on awkward terms with each other.

Zuri looked dumbstruck by everyone's insistence to shun Holland out. She glanced back at the game designer who could only give her a stoic expression.

"...It's alright Zuri…" Holland blankly stated. "...Thanks for trying though…"

Holland turned back to the door. But before he could even take a step, a small voice forced him to stop. He recognized it. She was a big part of the last case after all. Swallowing, he turned to see Mimi, who had stepped out with Sailor Penguin with a rather serious glance.

"...M-Mimi…" Holland voiced. In a way, it was kind of his fault that she and Yuumi's relationship got tainted. Of all the eHandbooks he had to switch, it just had to be hers, didn't it?

"...Do you really want to be forgiven for everything you did?" Mimi eyed him suspiciously.

Holland gathered his thoughts together.

"...I…Yes…" Holland slowly nodded toward the young witch girl.

"Then say you're sorry," Mimi frowned toward the game designer. "All you've done is let Zuri do the talking and try to get her to say good things about you! Even after all this time to think about what you've done, you're still using her for your own benefit! Have you really changed enough for us to believe you won't go attacking someone else again?"

"Mimi…" Maggie breathed.

"Please Holland, tell us why we should forgive you for everything you did," Mimi hugged Sailor Penguin tightly. "Because all you've done is sit in the background all quiet like Eeyore from Winnie the Pooh's stupid adventures!"

Holland blinked. Had he… Had he really been using Zuri again? He bit his lip.

"I lost my best friend to people who did what you did," Mimi looked at Sailor Penguin and his missing eye somberly. "So, give me reasons why I should forgive you."

Holland's hands instinctively trailed toward his hoodie in an attempt to hide his face, but before he could even flip his hoodie, Mimi grabbed ahold of his hands.

"And no cheating," Mimi pouted. "You're not allowed to hide your face when apologizing!"

Holland glanced toward Zuri. A shoddy attempt to ask for help but to his surprise, she was smiling slightly. She gestured for him to say something. After all, it was the only chance he was ever going to get…

"...I… I…" Holland looked down. His heartbeat fast. His stoic expression and voice both started to crack over the pressure of being asked to apologize in front of so many people. "..I… I…"

He held it for six consecutive days. Held it all in for three days in a crummy cell and kept everything to himself since the day he found himself imprisoned in this crummy game. Held it all in since the day he found out who he was. Held…

Holland's face twitched in a look of surprise. He felt a tear trail down his eye. Slowly, he touched the single teardrop and eyed it precariously. His lips quivered silently before he glanced toward his fellow peers. With another tear falling from his heterochromatic eyes, Holland bowed his head, apologetically.

"I… I'm sorry…" Holland truthfully stated. "...For causing everyone so much trouble. Everyone is right. It's my fault that the Killing Game started. It's my fault Mimi and Yuumi's relationship turned sour. It's my fault Kane and Titus died. I… I'm sorry for everything. And especially to Zuri…"

Zuri looked at him quizzically when he called out her name.

"...I was selfish…" Holland revealed. "...Lazy… I let you do all of the hard work of trying to get me this second chance and yet all I could do was sit back and sulk. You tried so hard for me, and I was never appreciative of it. I… I'm sorry Zuri…"

"Holland…" Zuri breathed.

"...And to everyone else…" Holland let another teardrop fall to the ground. "...I know what I did was wrong. I know I acted erratically. But all I ask is that you all forgive me. Because I promise you all that it will never happen again, and I'll do everything I can to prove it… So please, forgive me…"

Suddenly, the silence was no longer awkward. It became a silence of surprise formed from the heartfelt apology that no one really expected from Holland. Mimi was of course the first to speak up, though her serious expression hadn't changed.

She cupped Holland by his cheeks so that the taller boy could face the smaller girl. She noticed the stray tears that were flowing down his cheek and carefully wiped them off with her sleeves.

"There, didn't that feel so much better?" Mimi perked her head. "Now, give me your hand."

Confused, Holland did as he was told and instantly felt the small fingers of Mimi trace against the palm of his hands. After a careful amount of tracing, Mimi began to mutter something under her breath, as if she were casting a spell… No wait. She was casting a spell! Only nothing really happened but–

"There," Mimi gave Holland a small smile as she let go of his hand. "I have casted a Redemption spell on you. Your redemption arc starts now. Listen closely. The Redemption spell will last for the entirety of our time in this game. Meaning, once we get out without you doing anything bad, you will be redeemed for your past crimes! But if you do anything bad from now on, my Redemption spell will break and you will forever be cursed with loneliness. Do you understand?"

Holland breathlessly stared at his hands, as if this man built on facts and logic would take a young girl's imaginations so seriously. He nodded. In other words, this man built on facts and logic took a young girl's imaginations seriously.

"Good," Mimi slightly beamed as she hugged Sailor Penguin in contentment. "I have forgiven you."

"Yeah, same here!" Barracuda raised his hand. "So good to have you back, Holland!"

"W-Well, if th-that magic spell is for real then, I'll forgive you too," Carter chuckled sheepishly.

"If Mimi forgives you, then I'll do too," Maggie gave Holland a supportive smile.

"You're still an attempted murderer in my eyes," Jared told Holland with a serious look before sighing. "But if everyone is willing to give you another chance, then I will too. I need to hold on to a hope that you won't attack anyone again, after all."

"Who am I to be the odd girl out," Abigail shrugged, tiredly. "Sure, I'll forgive you too."

Holland couldn't believe it. Almost like magic, the awkward silence in the room shifted into a room of hopeful beginnings. Two of them had passed on, but someone they had also lost had come back to them. He couldn't believe that they were willing to give him a second chance. And of course, he had…

He turned to Zuri, but this time, she was tearing up in joy.

"You really didn't have to apologize to me Holland," Zuri giggled to herself. "We're friends. Supporting each other is what we do."

"I… I just thought it was right to… apologize to you too…" Holland looked down, returning back to his stoic expression. "I… I haven't exactly been the best friend you've wanted…"

"Are you kidding?" Zuri pouted slightly. "We've had our ups and downs but starting forward, I'm making sure you're getting redeemed for what you did in the past."

Holland glanced at how serious she was about this and nodded silently.

"...Yeah, I'd like the help…" Holland seemed to feel rather content behind that emotionless iron mask he wore.

…

"I cannot believe these morons would seriously give someone a second chance over some dumb fake spell," Cassandra grumbled to herself in the corner. If she bothered to speak up now about this, no doubt she'd probably get ostracized for ruining a good moment. "God, these people are idiots."

By the time she finished her rambling complaints, a familiar voice interrupted the elated atmosphere in the room. Who else but the one and only:

"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."

"W-Well, here we go again," Carter sighed to himself.

"Party's gotta end at some point," Jared sighed, twirling the key to Cell #66 around. "Anyway. Guess I gotta let Ina out, huh?"

Everyone knew what this announcement was going to consist of. More taunts from White Collar and the announcements of some newly opened rooms.

But with the optimism that Holland would uphold his promise on keeping that Redemption Spell intact, perhaps this time around, things will be different…

---

(Auditorium)

When the remaining 12 prisoners gathered together, White Collar extended his arms with that same sinister grin his mask always bore. Watching the diminishing number of prisoners left, he took high notice of Ina who had been escorted to the Auditorium, waiting patiently to see her response to Arthur's appearance in the room.

But to his dismay, it didn't seem like Ina was in any mood to outright attack the rich snowboarder at the moment. The half-sister only kept her distance from her own half-brother, who could only look at her with a much different expression than he initially expected– somberness. He clutched onto his cane tightly before he slammed it down onto the ground to elevate his intimidating presence.

"Four down, twelve to go," White Collar mused, rubbing his tie gleefully. "Who will fall next I wonder?"

"Perhaps Mister Franklin?" Monohebi chipped in as she turned her head toward Carter. "A little mouse like you can only go so far in this Killing Game."

"M-Me?!" Carter squeaked.

"Or perhaps Miss Auraline," White Collar sinisterly chuckled behind his mask. "Supposed nice people often finish last."

"What do you mean by 'supposed'?" Zuri frowned slightly.

"So, what, you're now placing bets on who's gonna die next?" Haruto grumbled, leaning against his makeshift crutch. "Just tell us about the new rooms so we can go along with our day you fucking psychos."

"Ah, growing accustomed to the formula I see," White Collar leaned against his cane. "By the way, Mister Walker. How is that leg of yours treating you? Hopefully Monohebi did some fine work on fixing that nasty bone injury…"

"I did what I could…" Monohebi tipped her head down obediently. "...as an unlicensed doctor that is."

"Shut the fuck up, both of you!" Haruto barked. He didn't want any reminders about what the hell happened to his broken leg.

"Now, now, mind your elders some respect, boy," White Collar pointed the sharp tip of his cane toward the former basketball player with a hideous sneer. "Especially since I had every chance to leave you bleeding alone in your Ultimate Cell. But the saint in me of course thought it best to try to at least patch you up. Where's the gratitude for that Mister Walker?"

"Quit bullying Haruto and tell us about your announcement," Abigail frowned. She slightly yawned. "We want to go see what new rooms you opened up for us."

"I suppose an old devil like me can't have my twisted fun once in a while," White Collar shrugged slightly before extending his arms back out again. "But yes! New rooms have opened up for you all to explore to your heart's content! They will be updated on your Maps application as we speak!"

Through perfect timing, everyone's eHandbooks let out a ping to signify that something had been updated. Of course, that something being the Maps application itself. Jared was the first to look through his eHandbook, noting several exclamation marks, most of which were contained in a new specific area:

"Cell Block C," Jared mumbled.

"Not only that, but it looks like the Ultimate Cell at Cell Block B's Swimming Pool seems to be accessible as well," Maggie noted.

Mimi looked down, knowing what exactly that meant.

"The next level of the Killing Game has begun!" White Collar exclaimed, chuckling sinisterly as he extended his arms again like the cross. "Enjoy these new rooms to your hearts' content! Should you have any questions though, Monohebi will be sure to assist."

"Of course," Monohebi nodded to affirm White Collar's statement.

"Is that it?" Ina finally spoke up after a moment of patience to let the two say what they had to say about the next step in the Killing Game. "Is that all that was needed to be announced?"

White Collar and Monohebi turned to the Ultimate Revolutionary. Well, not just them, everyone else turned to her as well. After all, the last thing they had heard from her was the fact that she was Arthur's half-sister and then she was locked up, so what important thing did she have to say now–

"If that is so then I would like to return to my Cell," Ina firmly requested. "I have little interest in participating in the exploration of your new demonic temptations."

Ina pointed a stare toward Jared, who could only tip his hat down. White Collar's mask looked slightly disappointed that Ina would be so willing to remain locked up in her Cell but nevertheless, shook his head.

"Yes, yes, I have nothing else to say," White Collar stated. "Though, I am disappointed, Miss Hamamura. Or rather, Miss Kingston. I would've thought you had more to say about your long-lost half-brother over there."

Ina pointed a dangerous cold look toward Arthur before turning her head away.

"I have nothing else to say to my demon half-brother," she insisted. "Take me away."

Jared said nothing in that regard but almost everyone noticed how dumbstruck Arthur felt over being rejected by his own family. He expressed a different emotion that not everyone was used to seeing. The cop on the other hand turned back to his peers.

"I'll catch up with you guys after I lock her up, so move on without me," Jared assured the group.

"W-Will you be okay by yourself?" Carter asked, slightly worried over the fact that Jared was going to escort Ina back alone.

"Yeah, I will be," Jared nodded. "Let's go."

Jared slightly pushed Ina from behind before leading her away from the Auditorium back down into Cell Block S. This left nine people to go look amongst themselves and head the opposite floor of where Jared was headed.

---

The moment the group of nine headed up to the second floor past the broken wall, they instantly noticed the door on the right, which had been previously inaccessible, was now unlocked. Abigail scanned through the map tiredly before letting out a sigh.

"Well, it looks like Cell Block C is beyond that door," Abigail noted, lazily. "What should we expect?"

"More Ultimate Cells undoubtedly," Arthur stated, though his mind seemed to be wandering around.

"Um, speaking of Ultimate Cells," Mimi looked down, hugging Sailor Penguin slightly. "I would like to go check out the Ultimate Cell at the Swimming Pool. I think that Cell belongs to Yuumi so…"

"Need someone to go with you?" Barracuda asked curiously.

"I'll go with her," Maggie stepped up before glancing toward Mimi. "You have Yuumi's eHandbook though, right?"

Mimi sheepishly nodded her head. Truth be told, she was afraid. Afraid over what she might find inside Yuumi's Ultimate Cell and afraid of how exactly she would react as soon as she stepped foot inside the Cell.

"Alright, then meet back with us at the Cafeteria so we can share what we find," Abigail played with her hair. "Other than that, we'll be heading inside Cell Block C."

Maggie and Mimi nodded in understanding before heading toward Cell Block B, making their way toward the unlocked Cell at the Swimming Pool. This left 7 people remaining, all of whom turned to the door to the right.

The door to Cell Block C.

What lies beyond it?

They would soon find out once Abigail took the initiative to open the door to Cell Block C…

---

(Cell Block C)

Similar to Cell Block B, Cell Block C opened up to a hallway, only it was much longer than Cell Block B's. And however, instead of leading up to a large grassy terrain like Cell Block B did, the end of Cell Block C's hallway led to a single door with no eHandbook reader. In fact, this entire hallway was practically a part of Cell Block C, as on the left side of the hallway was a door with a plaque on the side that read: 'Therapy Room'. There seemed to be an eHandbook reader on the side but the door itself was currently already opened. Also on the left side was a branching hallway that piqued their curiosity but even more so was what could be openly seen on the right: a door with a large window at its side that showed what exactly was in the room. And judging based on their view from the outside, they could easily tell that this room was none other than an Infirmary.

"Therapy and an Infirmary?" Cassandra mumbled. "What is this part of the facility?"

"St. Esther's Therapeutic Block of the facility," a familiar voice forced everyone to turn to see a slithering snake make her way toward the front of the group. "In the original blueprints, Cell Block C was supposed to be a whole other containment center for the truly criminally insane. An asylum if you will. But of course, low funding could only do so much, and they had to scrap the idea. But the eerie feeling of the psychotically crazy is still something you can feel to this day, wouldn't you say?"

"Y-You're telling me," Carter shuddered slightly.

"So, if this part of the facility served as a rehabilitation center for prisoners what purpose did Cell Block B serve?" Arthur narrowed his eyes. "I mean, honestly. Horses? A swimming pool? A basketball cell and gym?"

"Mister Kingston, surely it's obvious that Cell Block B was the recreational block for prisoners," Monohebi explained. "Cell Block B was where criminals would be led to hang out and breathe fresh air once in a while. But here is where the analyses and treatments began."

"Creepy," Zuri shivered. "But, of course, no one crazy still resides here, right?"

"...Sure," Monohebi merely stated. "If you count #66, who may or may not be still roaming around these parts."

"Oh yeah, that stupid story you told us about that revolutionary prisoner or something," Cassandra rolled her eyes.

"W-Was this where he was treated?" Carter asked, shivering slightly.

"...Cell Block C?" Monohebi perked her head curiously before shaking her head. "Not at all. Perhaps you'll learn more once you actually investigate this block. If you truly wish to know more about Prisoner #66 however, I suggest you check in the Therapy Room. There might be some information you may be interested in somewhere."

Arthur knew exactly where he was going to investigate.

"Okay, then, how are we separating ourselves this time?" Abigail turned to her peers with groggy eyes.

Monohebi merely slithered off to who knows where. That was practically the go-to signal for everyone else to separate accordingly without much of a response to Abigail. With a deadpan expression, she leaned back against the cold concrete wall.

"Okay, fine, whatever I guess," Abigail mumbled before noticing that Haruto was the only one who had to separate. "...I suppose we're investigating together again, huh?"

"Don't get your panties wet all over the idea, aight?" Haruto grumbled as he limped toward the Infirmary.

"Pft, whatever," Abigail rolled her eyes, following behind the former basketball player.

---

(Infirmary)

When Haruto and Abigail walked into the Infirmary, they would see what exactly anyone could see through the Infirmary's window but with more clearer details. For starters, the Infirmary had a lineup of six beds in total, three beds on each side located right where the window showcasing Cell Block C's hallway ended. Between each bed was a white curtain to separate them accordingly, just like one would see in a typical hospital room.

Keeping in mind that the long window was on the left, on the right, in front of the beds on the right, was a medicine cabinet located above a sink attached to a set of drawers. Right beside this sink was a mini fridge tightly sitting in the corner. Pictures of X-rays and anatomies of the human body were strung against the wall, and it seemed like on one of the beds on the left was a…

…a presence.

"Where was this when I broke my fucking leg?" Haruto's eye twitched at the absurdity of having been treated in his own damn Ultimate Cell rather than a room that had literally been right across the Cell Block he was in. Clearly, this was more pressing on his mind than the clear importance hiding behind one of the curtains of the bed.

"Well, this place wasn't accessible until today so…" Abigail pointed out as a matter-of-factly.

"Yeah, well, I could've at least been– Grrrr, fucking White Collar and his fucking snake!" Haruto cursed.

"Don't see what you're complaining about," Abigail tiredly raised an eyebrow. "A snake was the one who did a whole medical procedure with you. I doubt doing it in this room would've changed anything."

"Yeah well, she could've given me better bandages!" Haruto grumbled, limping with his makeshift crutch toward one of the drawers.

As soon as he opened one of the drawers, he was met with a wide assortment of medical instruments. This included syringes tucked neatly in a glass box, scalpels of varying sizes, and a sewing kit for stitching up open wounds. Oh, and yes, there were rolls of bandages tucked neatly in the left corner of the drawer.

With a grunt, Haruto took a roll.

"Finally, some good fucking bandages," he grumbled to himself as he slowly removed the bandages around his broken leg. He winced in pain, feeling some of the fabric sticking to the dried-up blood of his leg.

"...You know, you're hopeless," Abigail sighed to herself.

"Yeah well, was that before or after I broke my fucking legs?" Haruto grumbled as he tossed his old bandages to the side, revealing the state that his broken leg was in. Abigail took one glance at it and looked away. "Can't really tell."

It looked grotesque. Almost like a snake trying to medically heal his leg would make it look like a mess. There was a mess of stitches on his leg, and it was completely coated in dried blood from that day. Haruto could curse when he saw the state his leg was in.

"Both," Abigail rolled her eyes as she kept a steady distance away from Haruto's leg. "From day one, you've done nothing but act like you were the toughest shit here and every time, you almost die because of it."

"Yeah?" Haruto growled as he struggled to put the new batch of bandages on his own leg. "Well, you're no fucking different. You keep acting like you don't give a damn about anything but here you are, getting up in my business about who I am as a fucking person. Two can play that game. Make up your mind about who you want to be."

"Who do I want to be?" Abigail turned back to the former basketball player and noticed how pathetic he was at applying bandages to himself. With a heavy sigh, she stormed up to and opened up the medicine cabinet. Finding some rubbing alcohol and some cotton, she began pouring some of the substance onto the cotton. Then, she stormed back up to Haruto's leg and wiped the substance onto his wound, forcing the young man to hiss in pain. "I'll tell you who I didn't want to be. An Ultimate fucking Equestrian."

"Fuck, take it easy!" Haruto tried to move his leg, but Abigail held it down tightly.

"No, you take it easy," Abigail narrowed her eyes toward him. "You have no right to tell me to choose who I want to be when I've never had the choice to be who I wanted to be. I… I wasn't even supposed to be one of you guys and I never gave a damn about being one of you guys in the first place."

Abigail wrestled the bandage away from Haruto's hands before sighing and slowly wrapping the bandage around Haruto's leg.

"You want the truth?" Abigail continued wrapping the bandage. "I don't even know who the fuck I am. So sorry that the fact I can't make up my mind about who I want to be pisses you off so much."

"The f– What do you mean?" Haruto asked, his expression softening.

"...I meant what I said," Abigail glumly stated as she secured the bandage wrapping. "I don't know who I was meant to be. My entire status was just given to me without much debate. My entire life's purpose was just pushed onto me like it was nothing. Like it wasn't even my choice. I don't even think I deserve the title of Ultimate Equestrian. Not like you, who's entire life purpose is basketball."

Haruto listened to what Abigail said and remained silent for the first time, not even bothering to argue with her. But he was curious enough to say something that he could probably figure out based on her statements.

"...Let me guess, you have a parent that's forcing you to do something you don't want to do?" Haruto asked.

"You say it like you know it from experience," Abigail stopped doing what she was doing and looked back up toward Haruto.

"Course I fucking do," Haruto muttered. "Dad was a mean son of a bitch trying to get me into business shit. Trying to groom me to be the guy to take over the family business."

"Rich dad prick, huh?" Abigail perked her head before giving him a sly smirk, jerking a thumb to herself. "Rich mom prick."

"Oh?" Haruto looked down at Abigail, curiously. "Your mom's the one who's forcing you to do all this Equestrian shit?"

"Right on the nail," Abigail looked back down toward Haruto's bandages without much of a care in the world. "Damn prissy bitch she is."

"Parents, tell me about it," Haruto grumbled.

Abigail finished tending to his leg and lightly smacked it to test its durability. She looked content with her handiwork, especially since it was tended more carefully than Monohebi could ever do.

"Yeah," Abigail smiled to herself. "Tell me about it."

Haruto glanced down at Abigail, noticing her smile with slight intrigue before glancing at his leg. His wound was tucked in much more comfortably than it had been originally. For someone who looked so tired all the time, she put in some good work with his leg.

"Er, thanks for the leg," Haruto rubbed the side of his cheek.

"Yeah, don't mention it," Abigail stopped smiling and looked away with little care.

There was a small silence between the two of them. They started out arguing and suddenly had a heart-to-heart conversation. How the hell are any of them supposed to move past that?

Abigail cleared her throat.

"Let's just go investigate this room some more," Abigail stated.

"Yeah, agreed," Haruto consented, getting up from the infirmary bed he had been sitting on and reclaiming his makeshift crutch.

…

The first thing they decided to check out was what was inside the mini fridge. They already took note of what was in the drawer and the medical cabinets, so there was little need to recheck those again. But the mini-fridge, they had to wonder if there was any nice–

Blood packets.

The mini fridge had nothing but blood packets of every blood type labeled onto the packets. Haruto scoffed, visibly disappointed that this was the only thing the fridge contained.

"Who do they think we are?" Haruto grumbled. "Vampires?"

"You really think they're keeping ice cream in the infirmary?" Abigail deadpanned.

"Or at least a couple of popsicles," Haruto grumbled. "What happened to giving out candy in the damn nurse's office?"

"Yeah, giving gummy worms to prisoners coming to the infirmary after getting shanked," Abigail rolled her eyes. "That makes sense."

"Hey, they were at least the best part of getting fucked up in kindergarten," Haruto pointed out. "Could at least uphold tradition, goddamnit."

"So childish," Abigail shook her head, but this time in slight amusement. She dug even further into the mini-fridge noting the freezer component installed inside the fridge:

Ice packs.

As a mini-fridge's freezer component would usually have. So, nothing suspicious here!

…

And finally, the moment they were supposed to check first was of course, the strange… presence in the room. Or rather, hiding behind the curtain of one of the infirmary beds. Though, it took a really long time for one of the two to bother to notice an unmoving shadow from beyond the infirmary bed at the end.

"Hey, wait, do you see that or am I hallucinating?" Abigail tiredly blinked her eyes, pointing toward where the shadow was.

"No, I see it too," Haruto stepped forward before stepping back. "Shit! Did someone hear the conversation we were fucking having?"

He stepped forward once again.

"Oi, asshole!" Haruto growled. "It's fucking rude to eavesdrop damn it! Come out of there with your hands in the fucking air! I got a crutch and I'm not fucking scared to use it!"

"And I got… virtually nothing," Abigail dropped her arms in defeat. "It's all on you dude."

"Course it is," Haruto grumbled.

He stepped a little closer with Abigail following closely behind. Needless to say, the two of them were nervous. This someone could be someone dangerous. They weren't even moving at all but this could be one big trap for a potential ambush that could very well result in their deaths. But Haruto was brave. So was Abigail, even though she hid behind Haruto's lean body.

Slowly and slowly, the two of them moved closely to the bed where the shadow resided toward. Still, the shadow didn't move. The two glanced toward each other before nodding. No time like the present to see who was stalking them…

Haruto placed one hand on the curtain.

Then… he dragged it away to reveal…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…A mannequin.

An unmoving mannequin that was just placed there as some cruel, sick joke. Abigail sighed in relief. Haruto on the other hand swung his crutch, knocking the mannequin to the ground with a displeased look.

"They're really trying to fuck with us even more this time, huh?" Haruto grumbled.

"Yeah, no shit," Abigail sighed before frowning and glancing up toward the nearest security cameras pointing toward them. "Haha, real funny White Collar, putting this here."

The Equestrian who did not want to be an Equestrian kicked the mannequin on the ground before turning back toward the entrance of the Infirmary.

"Anyway, I think we're pretty much done here," Abigail yawned.

"Agreed," Haruto consented.

Limping behind, the former basketball player followed the Ultimate Equestrian out of the Infirmary with clear knowledge on what the place included. And of course, a newfound realization over the fact that perhaps… Abigail and Haruto weren't as different as they had thought they were…

---

(Therapy Room)

The Therapy Room was not like what Arthur, Barracuda, or Carter would've thought it to be like. For starters, the room itself was made up of two different sides each varying vibe-wise. The vibe they would stumble into when they walked through that door felt more like something out of a library or walking into a very old antique-like room.

That's because this left side of the room looked a lot like a therapist's office, with a bookshelf filled with many different philosophical and psychological textbooks written by familiar names such as Sigmund Freud, Erwin Schrodinger, and Ivan Pavlov. Of the more noticeable and unfamiliar names, at least to Barracuda and Carter, was the name Zuno Noshino which Arthur precariously took from the bookshelf in curiosity.

Along with the bookshelf was a cabinet directly underneath it. When Carter pulled it out, it contained different folders but almost all of them contained nothing. Almost. One of the folders had a file which Carter decided to take out for all of them to check out and read.

Glancing around the room, this side of the room also had a painting of a man with a straw-hat fishing. Surely this was a painting that not anyone would give away so soon… unless they were blackmailed or something but that's beside the point.

And finally, right in the middle of the room sat a brown sofa, usually for counseling patients to lie down and talk about certain topics. Truely, a pinnacle definition of a therapist's office. But what lay behind the right was when things got shifty.

For starters, when glancing toward their right, there was a door that was wide-open, allowing them to walk inside to see a dimly lit and gloomy room with one thing inside: a seat attached to a machine making a strange humming noise.

"Uh, what's that?" Barracuda asked.

Arthur looked up from his book and promptly closed it. As soon as he walked closer to it, he recognized it.

"This… is an ECT machine," Arthur explained. "Often used for electroconvulsive therapy or what we commonly refer to as: shock therapy."

"A sh-shock therapy machine?" Carter mumbled, looking creeped out by what an old mechanism was doing in a dimly lit room like that. "M-Man as if this place couldn't get any worse. N-Now we have a history of shock therapy being used."

"For it to be hidden beyond the office-looking room we were just in, I imagine it was used as a last resort," Arthur noted.

"It's making a weird noise though," Barracuda noted as he listened closely to the humming. Of course, the humming came directly from the machine that would initiate the electrical currents to zap someone's mind clean. "Does it mean that it's on?"

"If it is, turn it off," Arthur glanced back into his book. Clearly, the machine used to give shock therapy wasn't as interesting as whatever he found in the book written by Zuno Noshino.

"Uh, how?" Barracuda chuckled sheepishly.

"Ugh, Carter, you go help the brainless dolt," Arthur grumbled to himself, trying hard to concentrate on reading the book.

Without much of a word, Carter examined the machine closely, feeling the heat and the electrical currency intensify the closer he got to the part that should've been attached to the head. His eyes rested on the electrical dials in which he slowly turned down, slowly reducing the humming noise until there was no noise in the room.

"Whew, now it sounds less like a bomb!" Barracuda grinned, laughing.

"...H-Huh, now that you mention it, w-why was it even on in the first place?" Carter asked. "W-Was it used recently?"

"If it was used recently, who on Earth would it have been used on?" Arthur looked up from his book.

"O-Okay, um, w-what is that book you're holding that you're so interested in?" Carter stepped forward to take a closer look at the book. Arthur made no attempt to hide what he was reading, because clearly his indifference to the machine in favor of this book had to be of some importance.

"Okuz Ripon?" Barracuda squinted his eyes through his glasses.

"Zuno Noshino," Arthur narrowed his eyes toward Barracuda before leaning against the wall. "How did you get… whatever you just said from that? And how have any of you not been educated on this man? He was a psychologist who worked for the original Hope's Peak Academy at one point to study Ultimate Talents. He worked alongside Headmaster Jin Kirigiri and the Steering Committee to study the capabilities of human talent from a psychological standpoint."

"O-Okay, but if he's so important, why haven't we heard about him?" Carter raised an eyebrow.

"Because you two are uneducated," Arthur spitefully declared. "This man was practically one of the founders of Hope's Peak current regiment. The man who allowed Hope's Peak Academy to be opened and stationed all across the world to expand the population with Ultimate talented students to establish the New World Order."

"Nope, don't ring a bell," Barracuda chuckled sheepishly.

"Seriously?" Arthur looked visibly disappointed. "Am I the only one here with any sort of brain around here?"

"W-Why listen to some crackpot obsessed with H-Hope when you have the c-classic Sigmund Freund and Erwin Schrodinger right here?" Carter slightly smiled as he gestured to the bookshelf with the file he had been carrying in his hand.

"Have some respect for–" Arthur pressed the bridge of his nose in slight frustration. No amount of respect for his guy, Zuno Noshino for sure. "What is that in your hand?"

"O-Oh, this file?" Carter blinked. "I f-found it in the drawer. I-It was the only file inside."

"Give me that," Arthur snapped, taking the file from Carter's hand before opening it and reading it out loud. "'Confidential File: #66.'"

"#66," Carter widened his eyes. "Th-This must be what M-Monohebi meant about the important thing in this room!"

"Yeah uh… who was he again exactly?" Barracuda asked, curiously.

"I would tell you, but this file is practically useless," Arthur narrowed his eyes. The entire file consisted of nothing but hidden texts concealed behind black ink. The most prominent thing about the file was the personal information of #66, which looked a lot like this:

Name: xxxxxx

Gender: Male

Birth Date: xxxxxx

Height: xxxxxx

Weight: xxxxxx

Blood Type: xxxxxx

"H-Hey at least we know #66 is a guy," Carter tried to look on the bright side but literally, he had to admit. There was nothing from this he could garner regarding #66's identity. "I-Is there any more things beyond this page?"

Arthur began to flip through the files, flipping past hidden details after hidden details. Whoever wrote this file was serious about it being confidential… That is until he reached the last page, which consisted of a handwritten message in pen:

...

"Subject #66 exhibited promising results! He's changed quite a bit since he was first brought in and every day he continues to improve through our therapeutic sessions together. I just had a wonderful conversation regarding the importance of classical music in our modern-day society. It was very sophisticated to say the least. I have to say, this might be looking like the start of good things to come!"

- Dr. Terra Pisch

...

"I-If this was written by this Dr. Terra Pisch person, then this entire office must belong to them," Carter gulped slightly, eyes directed back toward the room with the ECT machine. "I-Including th-that machine."

"This file has to be what Monohebi was referring to regarding more information about #66," Arthur mumbled before sighing. "But all we have is the word of someone who most likely doesn't work here anymore and blacked out information. Some use this is."

"H-Hey, but at least we know for sure that #66 is a guy," Carter used the same attempt to look at the bright side… again.

"I think we're done here," Arthur grumbled before walking off. "If there's a room I want to check, it's the room at the end of the hallway. Let's go."

And Arthur walked off, leaving the two behind.

Course, leaving the two boys behind meant that they were now free to sort of talk behind his back over how off Arthur seemed today. Showed little care for a machine that was practically dangerous? A little too into the investigation on this facility? Even Barracuda could tell something was off.

"Hey, didn't Arthur seem kind of… different?" Barracuda asked. "Like, he feels more serious than he usually is!"

"Th-The guy just found out that his long-lost half-sister t-tried to kill him," Carter sighed. "G-Guess this is how he copes."

And Carter could tell what exactly was on Arthur's mind throughout their entire adventure here in the Therapy Room.

Once they ended this small conversation, Barracuda and Carter headed out of the Therapy Room to catch up with Arthur.

---

(Swimming Pool)

Moving toward Cell Block B, the supposed Ultimate Sailor's Cell rested within the boat that had been sticking out of the wall by the Swimming Pool. Mimi took the main initiative of leading the investigation of this Cell. After all, it made sense that she had to be the one to open it. But it was so hard. Just being in the Swimming Pool– which no longer had evidence of Yuumi ever being brought here –gave her nothing but harsh reminders of what she had to go through.

Yuumi was dead. And it happened in this room.

Mimi felt her small hands shake as she struggled to muster the strength to scan Yuumi's eHandbook against the reader. She took a deep breath but no matter how much she tried, she couldn't bring herself to do it. The little witch bit her lips. She was still as weak as she had initially started out.

Maggie placed her hands on Mimi's shoulder with an encouraging look.

"Hey, Mimi, you can do this," Maggie assured her. "Do it for Yuumi."

Mimi's mouth quivered. She was close to breaking, but she didn't let herself go through that again. She had enough time to cry. Now was the time for her to grow up. She silently nodded toward Maggie before quickly scanning Yuumi's eHandbook onto the reader.

With a knowledgeable shade of green, the door opened up, allowing the two girls to access whatever rested beyond the Ultimate Sailor's Cell…

---

(Ultimate Sailor's Cell)

The Ultimate Sailor's Cell took Mimi and Maggie from the gloomy abandoned feeling of their prison facility into the good ol day and age of the pirate seas. The Cell was directly located inside of the large boat that had been sticking out through the walls.

On the left was a large map of the different oceans and islands that could be explored in the world. Diagrams of the Bermuda Triangle and different types of boats of every kind to sail the world. In other words, the left side of the room had everything an Ultimate Sailor would need to help navigate through the perilous waters of the Seven Seas. To complete the look was a blue sail that hung over the side of the room as a makeshift banner.

On the right side of the room was an entire wall dedicated to fish plaques and trophies. Fish of every color and every kind were hung against the wall in all their glory for Mimi and Maggie to witness. Above it was a large fishing net hung to the ceiling to complete the look. In the middle of this large gallery of fish plaques was a speargun comfortably placed against the wall and ready to be used for catching large ocean predators… which didn't exist in a prison facility–

Hey! A large ocean predator!

In front of the girls against the back line of the room was none other than an aquarium. Inside the aquarium were fishes swimming among the decorative sea coral but what was more intriguing was a large shark floating about the exhibit like it was another Monday morning for it. Any fish that swam past it, it ignored… thinking to itself that it will certainly catch its prey next Saturday instead. There were also a unique assortment of mannequins floating about, posing as humans having a fun time scuba-diving in the ocean.

And finally, by the far right corner of the aquarium's glass display was a ladder as well as a barrel filled with fishing equipment inside, neatly set for anyone to grab. The ladder led to the top of the aquarium's glass lid, allowing access for anyone to practically enter the water through the glass opening at the top of the aquarium.

"W-Wow…" Mimi breathed speechlessly.

"This… For a prison to have an aquarium as well," Maggie widened her eyes. "St. Esther's really is one-of-a-kind."

"Is that a real shark?" Mimi asked, hugging Sailor Penguin tightly.

"If it is, that has to be the laziest shark I've ever seen," Maggie noted. "It doesn't swim around like any shark I see in a typical aquarium."

"Maybe it's tired," Mimi blinked as she stepped forward to watch the aquarium. The shark paid little mind to the visitor it received and instead, continued to float about in its watery imprisonment. Mimi looked down, feeling the gloomy aura sneak back into the room. "If Yuumi were here, she'd know what to do."

"Hey, we're checking this area out for her sake, remember?" Maggie glanced toward Mimi. "This is still her Cell meaning it's your job to take care of this place. Am I right?"

Mimi glanced toward Sailor Penguin before nodding toward Maggie with a small smile.

…

The first thing that the two girls checked out was the left side of the room. Or rather, the side of the room heavily dedicated to charting navigational points of sailing the oceans. Most of the maps were hung on the wall but there was a table dedicated to carrying some of the blueprints that hardly made the cut to be shown on the "wall of map-like fame".

"Is this a map of the oceans?" Mimi blinked. "So this is what the journey of a mermaid looks like."

"Can't say I understand any of it," Maggie laughed sheepishly. To her, the maps looked nothing more than a blue canvas with the occasional light brown shapes to represent islands as well as thin arrows to represent the ocean currents and a couple of latitude and longitude coordinates here or there. "But if this was what Yuumi was into, she was definitely smarter than she let on."

"Yeah," Mimi smiled to herself before holding up Sailor Penguin for the toy to see. "Look Sailor Penguin. This was your Mama's legacy and soon it'll be yours as well!"

As she turned, she spotted numerous designs for different types of sailboats that could be used to traverse the seas. Pointing Sailor Penguin's gaze toward the blueprints of the different boats, she continued with a small smile.

"Look, these must be your Mama's old ships," Mimi said. "Or maybe, her dreamboats. Something like that. But one day, you can be captain of one of these boats! From Sailor Penguin to Captain Penguin! How does that sound?"

Sailor Penguin said nothing. Mimi hugged him tightly nevertheless.

…

As Mimi had fun with the chart-side of the room, Maggie directed her attention to the gallery of fish plaques and the single speargun that was practically begging her to hold it and give it a test run. The supermodel only shook her head.

"An obvious attempt at baiting someone to use this to kill someone," Maggie muttered to herself before she attempted to hold the weapon, testing its weight and trying to understand how exactly it worked. "AGH!"

As soon as she held it, her finger clicked onto the trigger, allowing the gun to blast out a sharp spear that lodged itself onto the ceiling of the Cell. The spear itself was attached to a chain that connected itself to the gun, which could easily reel the spear back into the gun.

"W-What was that?!" Mimi hugged Sailor Penguin tightly.

Maggie had to calm herself over her careless misuse of the weapon. It was clear to her. This weapon was dangerous. No shit Maggie.

"Don't worry about it," Maggie sighed in relief that no one got hurt from her finger slip. "Just something dangerous that should not be touched."

Maggie gently placed it back onto the wall where it had been originally propped. This was something she was going to have to make sure got locked up in the Evidence Room. In other words, tell Jared about this and have him lock it away.

…

The last thing that was on the girls' curiosity list was the ladder leading directly toward the top of the aquarium tank. Of course, no one was more curiouser than Mimi, who wanted so desperately to see how it would feel to be directly on top of the lazy shark exhibition.

"I bet Sailor Penguin wants to see what's up here!" Mimi declared.

"Are you sure it's not just you who wants to check it up?" Maggie glanced at her amusedly.

"Well, Sailor Penguin has more of an interest than I do!" Mimi insisted before preparing to climb the ladder.

Unlike the Ultimate Equestrian's Cell, this ladder was perfectly stable as it was both metallic and practically attached to the glass display of the aquarium, so climbing up with Sailor Penguin was no problem at all!

"B-Be careful up there Mimi!" Maggie told Mimi.

"Don't worry, I'll be fine–" Mimi trailed when she saw what exactly was on top of the aquarium.

Of course, on the right was nothing more but three sets of scuba-diving gear resting on hooks for anyone who wanted to go swim with a shark. But beside the sets of scuba-diving gear was what seemed to be a bucket of chum, probably used to feed the shark of course. Finally, aside from where Mimi stood and where the scuba gear and chum bucket rested, there was a complete opening for anyone to just jump in and enter the aquarium to swim (and potentially sleep) with the fishes.

"What do you see up there?" Maggie asked, slightly concerned.

Mimi didn't say anything. She eyed the bucket of chum curiously, setting Sailor Penguin down carefully. Then holding up the bucket of chum, she glanced down toward the opening of the aquarium and dumped the food inside.

"H-Hey what are you–" Maggie didn't finish her sentence. Because soon her eyes trailed toward the lazy shark starting to move its speed over the scent of chum filling the aquarium's water. In fact, it was getting hella crazy over the taste of delicious chum.

"Awww, I see!" Mimi giggled. "It was just hungry! That's why it was so tired!"

"I– I don't mind you playing with a plush penguin but you're not seriously thinking about making friends with a shark right?" Maggie asked, a little concerned over how excited Mimi was at practically being this shark's caretaker.

Mimi didn't say anything, but from what Maggie could see from her angle, it was clear Mimi was enjoying witnessing the shark enjoy its meal from above. Sighing to herself, the supermodel could only lightly smile to herself. Mimi certainly seemed to enjoy being in this Cell in general.

"I guess I can't blame you if you do," Maggie amusedly said to herself before looking slightly serious. "Just be careful alright?"

"You got it Big Sis Maggie!" Mimi exclaimed.

"B-Big Sis?" Maggie blinked, surprised before smiling to herself. "Ah. If only Yuumi was here to see this."

Maggie gave another glance toward the excited Mimi dumping more chum for the shark to enjoy. An excited Mimi. What a nice change of pace from a days-long arc of unresolved depression for the young girl…

---

Turning to the branching hallway led Cassandra, Holland, and Zuri to a large room similar to the large grassy terrain of Cell Block B, only it was more condensed so you can definitely expect no horse-moving body bullshit here! There were only two rooms in this area, both of which could be unlocked… if any of them had an eHandbook with the first Minigames Advantage that is or a respective eHandbook for whoever's Ultimate Cells these were.

Holland tried his luck with the Ultimate Cell on the left as Zuri tried hers with the Cell on the right. None of them worked. They looked toward Cassandra, who hadn't even bothered to try her luck with the doors.

"Are you not going to try to unlock one of these doors?" Zuri asked.

"And why would I do that?" Cassandra narrowed her eyes.

"...So we can get into these Cells?" Holland asked, raising a slight eyebrow.

"Nice try but I'm not going to give away my Ultimate talent like that so easily," Cassandra folded her arms together. "Guess we're just not going to check these out until we get someone with the Advantage–"

"You got it," came the voice of Jared, who had just gotten back after locking up Ina in Cell #66. He held up an eHandbook, but of course, it wasn't his.

"Last I checked, you didn't have the Advantage," Cassandra frowned toward Jared.

"I don't, but Ina does," Jared shrugged toward the Ultimate Nobody. He waved Ina's eHandbook around before stepping toward each of the Ultimate Cells and unlocking them with little problem. "I promised to return this back to her after our investigation. So who's taking which room?"

"...Left," Holland merely said before walking toward the Ultimate Cell on the left.

"I'll go with him," Zuri stepped forward, ready to follow Holland. Before she left however, she glanced toward Jared. "Will you be going with Cassandra to the other Cell?"

"Yeah," Jared nodded, noticing Cassandra's spiteful look. The Ultimate secret only scoffed to herself as she walked into the Ultimate Cell on the right.

Sharing a nod between each other, Jared and Zuri moved on to their respective paths, eager to find out what lay beyond these Ultimate Cells.

---

(Ultimate Pawnbroker's Cell)

"O-Oh, this is…" Zuri breathed silently, widening her eyes slightly.

The Cell they had walked into had that vintage antique-store vibe in it. The only thing missing was a couple of cobwebs and dust scattered here or there but the general aura of this Cell easily told Holland and Zuri whose Cell this belonged to.

"...Kane's Ultimate Cell…" Holland's voice grimaced, though his face hardly showed it. What a cruel joke. Just moments prior, he had apologized for being the cause of Kane's death. Now, he was standing in the Cell of someone who would have definitely survived up to Chapter 3.

The Ultimate Pawnbroker Cell had a lot of things for them to keep note of. For starters, there were mannequins scattered throughout the room, each utilizing a different pose than the next. There were displays exhibited like something you would see in an art museum or just… any museum in general, with the only difference being the fact that they did not have any glass containers over them.

This meant that they could easily get taken off of the stand they were proudly being exhibited on.

Such displays included a purple cracked urn with the words 'I AM' on it that sat by the right side of the Ultimate Cell's wall. In the middle display was a vintage camera with a Pretty Pudgy Princess theme on it. It was… very unique for a vintage camera to say the least but not as unique as the large anime-like suit of armor standing tall at the left side of the room. This suit of armor was labeled only as Robo Justice and seemed unsettling in ways that Holland and Zuri could not describe.

There was also a broken laptop closer to the entrance of the Cell which seemed to bear the emblem of Hope's Peak Academy itself. And next to it was an old black vintage rotary telephone from the 1930s. No doubt, if Kane was still alive, he'd probably love this place to a tee. But that wasn't all, because there was something more interesting in the further back of the room.

Unlike the other antiquities, these antiquities were hung strictly on the wall as if they were the star attraction of the entire Cell. They were none other than two large hammers. One hammer was adorned with a unique wrap that included the number 4. The other hammer was a typical wooden hammer. And right below these displays was a trolley as well.

"H-Holland, are you alright?" Zuri glanced toward the slightly frozen Holland.

"Th-This is Kane's Ultimate Cell," Holland shuddered slightly, though still stoically. "I-It's Kane's…"

"Hey hey, I know, I know," Zuri placed a hand on his shoulder. "Look, you don't have to be here if you don't want to. We can let Jared and Cassandra check this place out after they're done with their Ultimate Cell. Will you be okay with that?"

Holland had to take a moment to regain his composure. The guilt of being the reason Kane killed. It was starting to gnaw at him more aggressively than it had before. Was this part of Mimi's Redemption Spell?

He shook his head.

"N-No, let's, let's investigate," Holland pushed himself to venture deeper into the Cell to glance at all of the obscene objects in the room.

And all throughout this, Zuri could only watch him worriedly.

…

The first item they checked out was the purple cracked urn. Zuri was the first to comment, noting the words 'I AM'.

"'I AM'," Zuri rubbed her chin. "'I AM' what?"

"...It looks… familiar," Holland perked his head curiously.

"Really?" Zuri blinked toward Holland.

"...I don't think it's supposed to say 'I AM'," Holland deduced. He focused hard on the cracks of the urn. "See here? It's cracked. Meaning it was probably broken once before."

"Ohh, you're right!" Zuri beamed excitedly. "Then, it must not be 'I AM'! Maybe it's a name! Like… 'MIA'!"

"...Or 'AMI'," Holland rubbed his chin.

In the end, they settled down with the fact that this urn was the least important object in this room. Almost as if this object was an unshameful reference to something.

…

The next thing they decided to pay attention to was the large Robo Justice suit on display. It was definitely a well-crafted piece of art made only from cardboard but just the eeriness of having this thing in this Ultimate Cell was giving Zuri flashbacks to another similar being on display in a different Ultimate cell.

"Hoping we don't get another Lawson the Lamb situation here," Zuri shuddered slightly.

"...Not likely…" Holland looked away.

"Huh?" Zuri blinked.

"...You don't know who this is?" Holland asked Zuri. Her clueless look gave him the answer he needed to know to continue. "...This is Robo Justice, the fabled Galactic King. He's a feared space warrior who seeks only for three things: the truth, justice, and peace throughout the Milky Way."

"Ah… is this an anime I'm not aware of?" Zuri perked her head slightly with a sheepish smile.

"...It's an underrated classic…" Holland stared at Robo Justice in a much brighter expression than he normally would bear. "Only the truest of introverts know the greatness of Robo Justice, the fabled Galactic King. Protector of the truth, justice, and peace throughout the Milky Way…"

"Ah, you just said that," Zuri pointed out.

"...You don't understand Zuri," Holland stoically stared back at the armored suit. "This is definitely a one-of-a-kind suit. For the suit of Robo Justice, the fabled Galactic King, protector of the truth, justice and peace–"

"H-Holland, please, snap out of it," Zuri shook Holland aggressively. "I don't like how much this thing is trying to take you away from reality!"

Note to self: Don't get involved with Robo Justice when it comes to Holland.

…

Holland and Zuri moved toward the vintage anime-themed camera that was sitting in the middle of the room. Given how pink it was, it was certainly something that attracted Zuri's eyes for sure… even though she probably liked green more than pink.

"Wow, this is a very cute camera!" Zuri smiled. "Hey Holland! Say cheese!"

"...It's not just any camera…" Holland stated.

"Huh?" Zuri blinked.

"...You don't know where this camera comes from?" Holland asked. Her clueless look gave him the permission to continue on yet another ramble. "...The camera is themed after Demon Angel/Pretty Pudgy Princess. It's a fresh and intriguing take on the magical girl theme genre with the Pretty Pudgy Princess doing everything she can to fight against the demon within her, the Demon Angel…"

"Ah… is this another anime I'm not aware of?" Zuri asked.

"It's a popular piece and a work of art…" Holland mused. "Only the truest of introverts would know the greatness that is Demon Angel/Pretty Pudgy Princess. The fresh and intriguing take on the magical girl theme genre, with the Pretty Pudgy Princess doing everything she can to fight against the demon within her, the Demon Angel…"

"Ah… Holland, this isn't another Robo Justice thing, is it…?" Zuri looked slightly bashful.

"...You don't understand, Zuri," Holland insisted through his stoic gaze. "This is a one-of-a-kind camera. For the camera of Demon Angel/Pretty Pudgy Princess, the fresh and intriguing take on the magical girl theme–"

"H-Holland, please, I get it!" Zuri yelled, getting him to frantically stop.

Note to self: Just don't get Holland involved with anime in general.

…

The next thing the two decided to check out were the broken laptop and the old vintage telephone. Though with the broken laptop, it was practically wrecked, as if it were destroyed by a giant excavator. But holding it firmly to examine it closely, the two would notice that there was a Hope's Peak Academy insignia on the back of it.

"A Hope's Peak Academy symbol," Zuri noted. "So does this mean this originally belonged to the school?"

"...Perhaps, but why is it broken?" Holland rubbed his chin.

"Can you fix it?" Zuri blinked.

"...I'm a game designer, not a computer technician…" Holland responded. "I don't think this laptop will be of any use to us if it's badly broken."

"Oh," Zuri looked down, disappointed.

Had this laptop been functional, she figured there could be some way to contact the outside world with it. But given what Holland said, that plan was thrown straight out of the window. Her eyes trailed toward the vintage telephone sitting beside the broken laptop.

"What about this telephone?" Zuri asked. "Maybe it's connected to the outside!"

"...Do you even know how those work?" Holland raised an eyebrow.

"Of course I do, you just…" Zuri tried to dial 911 with the phone, but certainly found trouble in trying to get it to work. "...Uh… Hm. This phone is…"

"Not functional?" Holland perked his head.

"I… don't know how to dial 911 on this," Zuri handed Holland the phone. "I'm sorry but this phone is too old for me to understand."

"...Yeah, me too…" Holland nodded.

Somewhere, Kane was probably rolling in his grave over these whippersnappers' horrible ignorance in how these vintage phones worked. However, Holland noted some noise coming from the phone. Raising an eyebrow, he pressed his ear against it before hearing some familiar voices:

What's wrong?"

"Nothing…"

"No, it's clearly something. What is it?"

"What are you listening to, Holland?" Zuri blinked.

"...It's Jared and Cassandra," Holland answered, rubbing his chin in thought. "Though I don't know what the context is with their conversation, it does sound like this phone allows anyone to listen to whatever goes on in the other Ultimate Cell."

"Wow, that's… useful?" Zuri blinked.

"...Don't see the use for it if I'm being honest but it is a good detail to take note of…" Holland concluded.

A phone that can access whatever is going on in the other Ultimate Cell through sound. Quite interesting if he had to say so!

…

And finally came the star of the room themselves: the two hammers hung on the wall. One was adorned in the similar coloration of Robo Justice with the number '4' and the other, a blank normal hammer. But upon closer inspection, both of them had one thing in common besides the fact that they were both hammers:

There were faint dried traces of blood.

"A-Ah, is that blood?" Zuri covered her mouth. "D-Did these things… W-Were they used…?"

"...This hammer…" Holland reached out for the #4 hammer, grabbing it, and then examining it closely. "...I knew it…"

"What?" Zuri glanced at the game designer frantically. "What about it?!"

"...This is a Justice Hammer," Holland explained to Zuri. "It is one of Robo Justice's many weapons which includes but is not limited to the Blade of Truth, the Gun of Peace, the Flamethrower of Honesty, and the Knuckles of Faith."

"I-Is… Is this really the time for your fascination with Robo Justice?" Zuri looked at Holland with uncertainty.

"...It's always time for Robo Justice, the fabled Galactic King, protector of tru–" Holland was immediately interrupted.

"Holland, please, you are such a nerd!" Zuri declared.

Holland shook his head. Even behind his expressionless face, it was clear he was amused by her reaction to his interest in anime. But that was only strengthened by the blood on Justice Hammer #4 and plain murder hammer.

"...Anyway, the blood on these hammers though… I don't know what it could mean," Holland rubbed his chin. "But I do have a guess…"

"Maybe they were used on one of the previous victims in that Tragedy?" Zuri shivered.

"...Yeah…" Holland rubbed his chin. "Only problem is, there's usually a box of evidence telling us about it but…"

"Either case, we should let everyone know about our findings at the Cafeteria!" Zuri looked determined.

Holland only nodded in agreement with what Zuri declared.

They had investigated everything they really needed to in this room. All that was left was to hear back from what everyone else had found during their investigations…

---

(Ultimate Pawnbroker's Cell)

Unbeknownst to Jared and Cassandra… this Cell looked almost exactly the same as the cell that Holland and Zuri had been investigating. In fact, one could argue that this cell is practically a carbon copy of the Ultimate Pawnbroker's Cell in general!

A purple, cracked urn on display on the right. That Pudgy Princess camera in the middle. The Robo Justice suit on the left. A broken laptop with an old telephone on the left near the entrance of this Cell! They were all there but the only slight difference is the fact that each display had a price tag on them that ranged from 5000 to 10000 dollars in hard, cold cash.

Also different were the hammers hanging in the back of the room, against the metallic wall. For starters, instead of two hammers, there were three. And instead of one hammer being plain, all three hammers had the same look as Justice Hammer #4. Only these were respectively labeled as Justice Hammer #1, Justice Hammer #2, and Justice Hammer #3. Right below these displays was a lack of a trolley as well.

"Vintage, retro… this must be Kane's Ultimate Cell," Jared somberly noted. He bit his lip after being forced to remember not only the first blackened they had to convict but also the original leader of their group.

"Jesus Christ, the prices on these are out of this world," Cassandra whistled, noting the 10000 dollar tagged purple, cracked urn. She read what was written on the urn. "'MIA'? What? Does this contain Mia's ashes or something like that?"

"If it does, let's not disrespect the dead like that," Jared tipped his hat down. Last thing he would want is Mia's ghost haunting him for upsetting her home in that urn of possible ashes.

"Alright and what is this?" Cassandra looked and picked up the Pudgy Princess-themed camera.

"Looks like a camera for 12-year old girls," Jared answered honestly. "And it's… 4000 dollars?! For a cheap-looking camera like that?!"

Cassandra tossed the camera down onto the ground. As soon as she did, the camera, along with the girl this belonged to's dreams, shattered into pieces.

"Yep, cheap," Cassandra muttered. "What a ripoff."

"Ripoff?" Jared frowned. "More like a scam if I'm being honest."

"Hm, I wonder," Cassandra rubbed her chin curiously. She walked up to the Robo Justice suit and eyed it cautiously. At first glance, it looked pretty heavy. And not only that, the price tag suggested this be 10000 dollars.

Rolling her eyes, Cassandra pushed the Robo Justice in this Ultimate carbon copy Cell onto the side. Almost instantly, once it hit the ground, Robo Justice dismantled itself into nothing but cardboard and dried up glue.

"…10000 dollars my ass, they're all ripoffs," Cassandra narrowed her eyes.

"What does this even mean though?" Jared rubbed his chin, trying to grasp the information. "If this is Kane's Ultimate Cell, then why the overcharged price tags?"

"No clue," Cassandra looked elsewhere. "But you want to check how much of a ripoff those items are?"

She gestured to the broken laptop and telephone. Jared gave a small nod and headed over to the items at hand. First things first, he checked the broken laptop. Like the laptop from the other Pawnbroker Cell, it looked similarly damaged, with the only difference being the fact that the Hope's Peak insignia was not on the back of the lid.

In other words, it was a common laptop.

But Jared knew little of the laptop from the other Pawnbroker Cell, so he just set it to the side and tried the phone, attempting to dial 911. Only…

"…Er, how do you use this kind of phone?" Jared asked.

"You really don't know how to use an old vintage phone from the 1930s?" Cassandra deadpanned stepped up to the phone, hoisting it away from Jared's hands. She stared at the rotary device for a moment before glancing back at the police officer. "I don't either."

"Then let's not mess with it for now," Jared took back the phone from her grip before hearing voices from behind the line. "Wait. There are voices…"

Jared instantly set the phone to his ear to listen closely to what the voices were saying.

"...You don't understand Zuri. This is definitely a one-of-a-kind suit. For the suit of Robo Justice, the fabled Galactic King, protector of the truth, justice and peace–"

"H-Holland, please, snap out of it!"

"Well?" Cassandra pressed.

"It's Holland and Zuri," Jared blinked. "And Holland is talking about… Robo Justice?"

"Great, guy apologizes and suddenly thinks he can mess around like everything is normal," Cassandra rolled her eyes before moving over to the hammers out of interest. "Typical."

Justice Hammer #1.

Justice Hammer #2.

Justice Hammer #3.

What did they mean? Cassandra had no fucking clue. But what was interesting wasn't the price tags or anything like that. It was more so the dried up bloodstains that were on the hammers themselves.

"Well, that's something," Cassandra noted.

"What?" Jared asked, walking up toward the Ultimate no talent.

"These hammers have blood on them," Cassandra stated.

Jared widened his eyes slightly, fixing his hat as he walked closer to the hammers in question. Then reaching out to grab one, he held it to get a feel of the hammers.

"These couldn't be…" Jared mumbled to himself.

"…Another one of those weapons that killed some students in some previous Killing Game?" Cassandra asked. "I think so too but there's no evidence box or file for us to suggest otherwise."

"Yeah…" Jared rubbed his chin uneasily. He sighed to himself.

Cassandra raised an eyebrow.

She didn't dare lie to herself. Ever since this morning, Jared's been different. He's usually more direct and authoritative and determined to get out. Today, he was yet another gloomy bastard mixed in a crowd of gloomy bastards. She didn't usually care but…

"What's wrong?" she sighed.

Jared glanced back at Cassandra.

"Nothing…" he merely stated.

"No, it's clearly something," Cassandra frowned. "What is it?"

"It's nothing for you to worry about," Jared answered. "That's all."

Cassandra blinked before shaking her head. She does something she doesn't normally do and this is what she gets in return? Giving Jared a nasty look, she headed straight back out of this strange carbon copy cell.

"I suddenly act like I care and this is what I get in return," Cassandra mumbled. "Unbelievable."

Grumbling, the Ultimate Bitch left, leaving behind a somber looking Jared. The police officer could only tip his hat down in shame.

---

(White Room)

This… was definitely not what they expected.

The room at the end of the long hallway of Cell Block C that Arthur, Barracuda, and Carter had ventured into couldn't have taken them more by surprise. As soon as they opened that door, they were met with a very typical White Room. Or… at least what was supposed to be a very typical White Room.

The White Room itself was a completely padded white room usually seen to contain some of the more mentally unstable patients of your typical asylum. However, this White Room had one thing that most White Rooms in other asylums did not have:

…

Old dried up blood splatters staining the white floors and walls.

…

"W-What the hell happened here?!" Carter stumbled down to the ground.

"What a horrible paint job!" Barracuda looked disgusted.

"Th-That's not paint, th-that's–" Carter squeaked.

"Blood," Arthur finished the squeamish nerd's words. He didn't care, obviously. The sight of blood like this was a surprise to find behind this door but it certainly wasn't too much of a shock to throw him into a bumbling mess like Carter.

"Ah, well, point still stands," Barracuda rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "What a horrible paint job!"

"Typically, rooms like this don't get stained with blood," Arthur muttered as he closely examined each blood splatter. "And especially not in an unpredictable array like this. Almost as if each blood splatter belonged to different people."

"S-So w-what are you saying?" Carter shivered, not once bothering to step into the room. "Th-That prisoners fought inside this room? A-And the fight resulted in a bloodbath?"

"...A scenery like this does not look like it belonged to a fight," Arthur mused.

"And you would be correct," came the familiar voice of one dastardly Monohebi, who slithered up to the three boys. "There were no such fights in this White Room."

"Then… how did the blood get there?" Barracuda rubbed his chin, confused.

Monohebi was silent for a moment. Then sidewinding her way inside the room, she used her tail to scrape through one of the dried up blood puddles, resulting in nothing but red dust trickling back down onto the drying pile it came from.

"...Do you remember why #66 was so important in this facility?" Monohebi asked.

"Because he was… #66?" Barracuda guessed, having forgotten the story already.

"Because he was one-of-a-kind," Arthur answered. "He was a successful subject of some experiment that revolutionized treatment of prisoners in St. Esther's. A new Hope for mankind."

"Very good, Mister Kingston," Monohebi's eyes glinted red. "A gold star for you. Now with that in mind, what exactly do you think his number means?"

There was a small silence among the trio, but eventually, Carter became the one to speak up. Slowly getting up, he made his deduction.

"Th-That maybe… he was the 66th subject for the experiment?" Carter suggested.

"...Correct," Monohebi nodded. "#66 was the 66th subject for this secret revolutionary experiment. Now that you have that answer, we can finally get to the question you were asking. #66 was the 66th subject but ended up being the successful subject. What exactly does that mean about the prior subjects?"

"Huh?" Barracuda asked, confused.

"They were failed subjects," Arthur answered without much trouble. "And I assume that also meant that they perished in the experiment."

"Precisely so," Monohebi nodded, glancing toward the puddles of dried blood. "And what you see here, is the aftermath of all of those other subjects."

"W-What, you mean?" Carter widened his eyes. "Th-They all… died here?"

"Sadly so," Monohebi confirmed. "While #66 became a powerful legacy for the future, the previous 65 subjects were nothing more than a forgotten past. Lab rats utilized for a cause."

"And what exactly was this experiment?" Arthur narrowed his eyes.

Monohebi said nothing. Instead, she just turned to the room, glancing at each trace of blood in the room with what seemed to be a deep resentment in her eyes. Her eyes glinted with fiery hatred.

"A mistake," Monohebi answered. "I apologize but that is all I can say on the matter. But perhaps you will figure it out as the time comes… if you continue surviving these next upcoming rounds of the Killing Game that is."

Cryptically, the snake slithered off to who knows where, leaving the trio behind to stare at the blood-stained White Room that served as the grave to 65 prisoners.

"Is what the snake said really true?" Barracuda asked. "Did 65 people really die in this room?"

"...I don't know, and frankly, I don't understand how this relates to any of us," Arthur shook his head with a sigh. "Either case, I had enough of investigating this bloody Block. Excuse me gentlemen but I shall be heading back to the Cafeteria to report my findings."

Without any more things to add, the rich snowboarder clutched his head and stormed back down the hallway, leaving Cell Block C. Barracuda and Carter took one last look at the White Room, glanced at each other, shivered, and tried to follow behind Arthur…

---

(Cafeteria)

Once everyone had checked out the new areas within Cell Block C and the one new Ultimate Cell belonging to Yuumi, as promised, they all returned back to the Cafeteria to report their findings. As soon as Arthur, Barracuda, and Carter arrived after their eventful time in the White Room, the group initiated their little review meeting.

"Well, now that we're all here, I guess we can start," Zuri perked her head. "First things first, how was Yuumi's Ultimate Cell, Mimi?"

"It was good," Mimi answered honestly. There was a hint of sadness in her tone. Perhaps a longing for what could've been had Yuumi been still alive. "But I know Yuumi would've loved it for sure. It had everything. Maps! Boats! Fish statues! A shark!"

"Hold it right there, a shark?" Haruto deadpanned.

"Yeah, it's a nice shark too!" Mimi smiled at Haruto.

"You can relax Haruto," Maggie pointed out. "She's telling the truth. I was there to witness her feeding the shark."

"But was there a barracuda?" Barracuda asked, intrigued.

"Hmm, no not really, sorry," Mimi shrugged slightly. "But you might like the shark! Cause she could be part of your fishy brethren!"

"Sounds like my type of Cell!" Barracuda grinned at the idea.

"Be careful though," Maggie leaned against the table. "Yuumi's Cell is also a bit dangerous as well. White Collar planted a speargun that's easily accessible to anyone. Shoots a spear that can be reused thanks to the chain on it. Which is why I advocate for the speargun to get locked up immediately."

"Yeah, good idea," Jared tipped his hat down slightly. "I'll go get on that."

"Speargun and a shark," Abigail summarized. "Was that all that was important in Yuumi's Ultimate Cell?"

Mimi and Maggie glanced toward each other before nodding. If there was anything dangerous they needed to point out, they both pointed out the most dangerous things in that Cell. So naturally, with a little supervision, Yuumi's Cell shouldn't be too much of a problem, right?

"Abigail and I checked out the Infirmary in Cell Block C," Haruto grumbled. "Has six beds for any patient, a medicine cabinet, and a mini-fridge with blood for some reason. I guess if any of you needed blood donations, that mini-fridge is your best bet."

"Yeah, that's pretty much it for the Infirmary," Abigail noted.

"Anything dangerous?" Jared asked the equestrian who could only point out a select few.

"Ah, yeah, well," Abigail began, tiredly. "There are syringes, scalpels and other medical instruments in one of the drawers. But I'm not sure whether or not we should lock those up in the Evidence Room?"

"And why not, Abbygail?" Cassandra sneered.

"Well, what if we need those for, I don't know, when someone gets into some serious injury and needs a syringe to inject anesthetics or something like that?" Abigail pointed out. "Seems out of the question for anyone to just run to Jared's Ultimate Cell and then back up to Cell Block C just to retrieve medical equipment right?"

"She does have a point," Arthur pointed out. "At most, I would say that the medical equipment be kept strictly in the Infirmary. Although it has less security than the Evidence Room, I suppose we'll have to trust no one would use it for any… future incidents."

The idea of any more future incidents shook the group to their core. Before any of them could say anything about that however, Arthur decided to take the initiative to continue and speak of what he, Barracuda, and Carter had found in the two rooms they discovered.

"Either case, in the Therapy Room, we found a library of just psychological and philosophical books," Arthur explained.

"His personal favorite, Okuz Ripon!" Barracuda grinned.

"Zuno Noshino," Arthur narrowed his eyes.

"Oh, Zuno Noshino," Jared blinked. "The guy who pretty much established Hope's Peak Academy to be open worldwide right?"

"Yes, finally, someone who knows who he is," Arthur shot two cold looks toward Barracuda and Carter.

"A-Ah, well," Carter shuddered over how coldly the rich snowboarder was staring at them. So cold that he had to keep adding to what they had found. "The Therapy Room also had a connected room inside with an E-ECT machine. Y-Y'know, the machine used for sh-shock therapy?"

"In the Therapy Room?" Cassandra retorted. "...Hm. I guess I can see it."

"What I can't see is how exactly we can prevent someone from getting hurt on that," Jared furrowed his brow. He swore to himself. It was like each room had its own signature weapon and each were more dangerous and more incapable of being locked up than the last!

"Th-The only thing we ended up doing was turning it off, but even so, who's stopping someone from pushing them onto the machine and turning it on?" Carter shivered at the thought.

"Yeah, who's stopping someone?" Jared sighed to himself.

Truly, it was getting harder and harder to keep track of everyone's movements. Not only did their population just decrease, their entire world inside the facility was also increasing. Times like this were when Jared really wanted to just sit back and stare at security camera footage all day.

"Anything else you guys found?" Maggie asked the trio who investigated the Therapy Room.

"Well, we had the liberty to check out the room at the end of the hallway of Cell Block C," Arthur added. "Needless to say, we did receive some interesting information regarding Prisoner #66."

"#66?" Jared's head perked up. "Tell us."

"The room at the end of the hallway leads to the White Room," Arthur explained. "Except it's riddled with old blood from the corpses of previous prisoners. Basically Prisoners #65 and below."

"Jesus, there was a bloodbath hiding in one of the rooms?" Haruto looked disgusted at the mental image he got.

"M-Monohebi mentioned some kind of experiment and we still don't know what th-that experiment might've been," Carter said before glancing toward Arthur. "B-But we also did find a file relating to #66 in the Therapy Room."

"Unfortunately, there's hardly any information except for a footnote written by Dr. Terra Pisch," Arthur added. "Does that name ring any bells?"

"I think I knew a Terra who was into science or something but other than that, no…" Jared shook his head.

"In other words, more questions rather than answers," Abigail sighed to herself, tiredly.

"What about you Jared?" Maggie asked. "Did you find anything interesting wherever you investigated?"

"Yeah, Cassandra and I did," Jared rubbed his chin. "We found Kane's Ultimate Cell. It had all of these antiquities and stuff but absurd price tags for all of them. Not only that, but there were these–"

"Wait, hold on," Zuri glanced at Jared, confused. "I thought… We found Kane's Ultimate Cell…"

"What are you talking about?" Cassandra raised an eyebrow. "Did your room have a giant robot thing and a cutesy little anime camera thing? Didn't think–"

"Uh, yeah it did!" Zuri frowned. "It had all of those! But I don't know what price tags you're talking about. Ours didn't have anything like that!"

"Now I'm just confused," Haruto squinted his eyes. "Who here investigated Kane's Ultimate Cell?"

"We did," Cassandra and Zuri simultaneously spoke at the same time.

"...What the fuck?" Haruto's mind couldn't grasp how both people investigated the same Ultimate Cell and not know that the others were doing the same thing.

"...Could it be possible that Kane had two identical Ultimate Cells for some reason?" Holland asked.

"B-But why?" Carter added to the question. "It s-seems so weird that there would be two Cells with the same things…"

"...Hey, did your version of the Ultimate Cell have hammers with blood on them?" Jared asked Zuri and Holland.

"Um, yeah it did!" Zuri nodded enthusiastically. "We had two hammers, in fact!"

"...One dubbed Justice #4 and the other a boring plain hammer," Holland told Jared.

"That's different too," Cassandra rubbed her chin in confusion. "We had three hammers. But they were labeled #1, #2, and #3."

"And they all had blood on it?" Mimi asked, blinking in confusion.

"This is making my head hurt!" Barracuda exclaimed.

What was going on? Two Cells that looked nearly identical to each aside with a few differences. Two Cells that resembled Kane's Ultimate Cell and yet how could that even be possible? Jared didn't know what was going on. What he did know was that…

"...I think we will need to go check out these Cells for ourselves," Arthur voiced. "See with our own eyes on what cacophony is going on here."

"Now?" Mimi perked her head curiously.

Right on time, the wondrous voice of Monohebi alerted everyone to the intercoms. It was that time of day today, where there seemingly endless discourse over their review session would be interrupted by a snake announcing the following:

"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."

…

"No, tomorrow," Arthur looked toward Mimi. "Tomorrow we'll investigate this conundrum."

"Sounds good," Haruto sighed, leaning onto his crutch in order to get ready to leave. "Not like I have anything else better to do."

It was settled. Tomorrow would be the day they would reinvestigate the Ultimate Pawnbroker Cells and try to figure out what exactly was going on. But as far as they could tell, this was certainly an unusual move on White Collar's and Monohebi's part to create Ultimate Cells that are nearly identical.

The only question was why and what exactly does this all mean?

More and more people began to leave the Cafeteria. One by one, they would return to their rooms. But only two stayed behind for a small chat. One of them was Jared, who hadn't left his spot at his table as he stared deeply into his own badge. The split second imaginative thoughts of seeing his own badge covered in blood was starting to haunt him.

Caressing his badge deeply, he slowly got up from his seat before hearing the second person speak out to him.

"I can clearly see you're moping over something," Cassandra rolled her eyes. "You still not going to tell me what it is?"

Jared opened his mouth to speak. Then shaking his head, he slapped his hat over his eyes and sighed bitterly.

"It's nothing," Jared voiced before leaving the Cafeteria.

Cassandra could only watch the officer leave in pity before scoffing to herself. What was his problem anyway? And why did she even care at this point?

...

"Typical cops," she muttered under her breath before joining everyone to their respective dorms. Their one time giving each other a heart-to-heart, establishing a newfound respect for each other, and now its shattering to pieces.

Cassandra was better off on her own.

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DANGANRONPA: CORRUPTED HOPE

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Excellent! It feels like it's been a bit, but I gave myself a well-deserved break after the success that was Chapter 2! :D Now, we move on to Chapter 3 and nearing the halfway point of this story! Chapter 3: Sums For Our Fallen Grace is a go!

I don't really have much to say. After all, we're just starting out with Chapter 3 but all I can say that I'm kind of proud of this chapter. I would say it's a pretty strong start! All I gotta do though is keep it up and get right on plotting the Trial for this chapter. Either case, I'm excited for what's to come and hope y'all are as equally excited as I am as well! Chapter 3 is when things start to change. Chapter 1 and Chapter 2, helps you understand the characters we have thus far. Chapter 3 will wrap that up and soon dive deeper into the important lore-aspects of what's going on ;D

...Hopefully!

But whew! You know the drill! Let me know what you think about everything! If there's some changes I gotta make, I'll work on it! Criticisms? Shoot me up! Other than that, hope you look forward to what more I have planned because damn! This is the farthest I've gone for any story I've worked on ;-;

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Prisoners Remaining: 12

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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) Kingston - The Ultimate Revolutionary (VividIsSleeping)

Jared Ceartas - The Ultimate Police Officer (Otterplay)

Maggie LaDroubi - The Ultimate Supermodel (Project Drama)

Mimi Kazoo - The Ultimate Fairytale Writer (Idraegan)

Zuri Auraline - The Ultimate Bassist (CandleFire45)