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.

40. Saviour of the Damned (Part 1)

Chapter 5: Saviour of the Damned (Daily Life #1)

---

Warning: This fic contains intense violence, lots of cursing, character death, gore and blood, sexual innuendos (thanks Maggi- Wait. You're dead now. Meaning there are no sexual innuendos!... Maybe! Hooray!), 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!

---

Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and all that night the Lord drove the sea back with a strong east wind and turned it into dry land.

The waters were divided, and the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground, with a wall of water on their right and on their left.

The Egyptians pursued them, and all Pharaoh's horses and chariots and horsemen followed them into the sea...

---

...

"Hey dad, it's me! Terra! I'm finally meeting up with Dr. Noshino for that new opportunity I told you about! Trust me! You're going to be super proud of me! Tell mom I love her and wish me luck, okay? Love you!"

...

Terra Pisch hung up her phone and took a deep breath as she walked onto the Hope's Peak Academy campus, eyes lifting up toward the towering building she was walking closer to. She took a deep breath. She was nervous. One more step and she was finally stepping into new territory here.

New territory she wasn't physically allowed to be in. Not without the help of Dr. Zuno Noshino…

Terra Pisch was a relatively young girl. She was currently 16, an age where she was both young and hopeful. After all, that was what Hope's Peak Academy was about right? Hope!

She had long blonde hair with pink highlights at the end and thin eyes. At the moment, she was wearing her casual clothing, which was basically her pink floral-patterned pajamas, bunny slippers, and a lab coat slipped over it.

It may look unprofessional and strange to many, but to Terra, it was comfortable to a tee and especially during the approaching winter, it was surprisingly keeping her warm against the winter breeze.

She glanced around, noticing students of two kinds pass by her: Ultimates and Reserve Course Students, each coming from separate directions. Currently, they all met together at the central plaza, and holding a clipboard in one hand, she tried to remain calm.

Today was an exciting day for her.

It was a day of opportunity!

She admired the Ultimates that walked past and waved toward the Reserve Course students that she recognized. Of course, she received odd stares for her odd choice of clothing, but this was as casual as she could get.

Dr. Noshino requested that she wear something casual!

Speaking of…

"Terra!" came the jolly voice of Dr. Zuno Noshino.

He was a large burly man standing at 6'1. For a psychologist and scientist, he was well-built and strikingly handsome. He had dark blue hair with a part of it being dyed white that swung to his left. Sunglasses were placed neatly over his head, and his chest was bare enough to reveal his six-pack, possibly an effort to show off his love for exercising. He also wore a light blue Hawaiian shirt, yellow shorts, sandals and a lab coat over it. He also had a cleanly shaved face, but it also looked like he was on the verge of growing something across his chin.

He gave her a cocky grin as she stepped forward nervously.

"Oh, don't be shy," Zuno laughed. "If you're scared Juzo is gonna come along and tell you to scram, you got me to cover your back! Because today, I dub thee a special guest on Hope's Peak Academy's Main Campus!"

Terra took a deep breath to calm herself and bowed her head to Zuno.

"Thank you so much, Dr. Noshino!" Terra exclaimed, her face blushing. "You don't understand how much I've waited for an opportunity like this! I won't let you down!"

"Whoa whoa, there!" Zuno was taken aback by her gratitude. "Save the thanks, hugs, and hoo-hahs until after the meeting! Remember, you still gotta get the okay from the big man, himself!"

"R-Right!" Terra blushed, embarrassedly.

"B-By the way," Zuno examined her closely, rubbing his chin. "I know I said dress casually, but are you sure you wanna go in with your pajamas?"

"I… don't see why not, sir," Terra chuckled sheepishly, rubbing her clipboard on her back. "I mean, you're dressed in summer clothing and it's almost winter."

Zuno hummed in thought before laughing boisterously.

"Gahahahaha!" Zuno laughed, slapping his chest. "You have a point there! Alright! Let's head on in! The big leagues are waiting!"

"R-Right!" Terra nodded her head, clutching her clipboard close to her chest with bright eyes.

This was it.

This was what she was waiting for…

Opportunity…

---

"Kyoko, if you want to hang out with your friends today, there's no need to get my permission. Just be safe and have fun at the mall, alright?"

"Ah, of course, sorry."

"Haha, no need to apologize."

By the time Zuno opened the door abruptly with a boisterous grin, with Terra following behind in awe, Kyoko Kirigiri was already on her way out the door, with Headmaster Jin Kirigiri sitting by his desk and Koichi Kizakura, comfortably sitting against the office's couch. Kyoko blinked, pausing to look at Zuno and Terra before nodding her head without much expression on her face.

"Dr. Noshino," Kyoko greeted.

"Hey!" Zuno grinned. "Little Kirigiri! Have you grown since the last time I saw you?"

"You saw me yesterday…" Kyoko tucked a piece of her purple hair behind her ear. "You literally had a mahjong match with my father… and won by well… a whole pot."

"Hahaha!" Zuno laughed. "You got that right! Hear that, Jin?! Undefeated champion! And here you are, letting your daughter hang out with that one Ultimate Lucky Student all the time!"

"Zuno," Jin Kirigiri sighed as he leaned back against his chair. "Time already? I see you brought the guest of honor as expected. Alright then, Kyoko, have fun with your friends, alright? Call me when you get back."

"Of course," Kyoko nodded before leaving the four behind. "Good to see you as always, Dr. Noshino."

"See you tomorrow Little Kirigiri!" Zuno waved before grinning like a schoolboy toward Terra.

"O-Oh my God!" Terra gasped. "Was that the Ultimate Detective, Kyoko Kirigiri?! I heard such awesome things about her!"

Terra gasped again.

"W-Wait!" Terra's eyes trailed toward the nameplate on the desk. "Y-You're the Headmaster of Hope's Peak Academy?! We're meeting the Headmaster of Hope's Peak Academy?! Dr. Noshino, pinch me! I must be dreaming!"

"So, this is the one you claim shows natural Talent in what she does, huh?" Koichi took a sip from his flask. Whatever was inside was currently turning his face red and embarrassing Jin by a great margin.

"That's right!" Zuno grinned. "Allow me to introduce you to Terra Pisch! She's someone I'm hoping to call my protege for that internship I told you about!"

"Right," Jin Kirigiri clasped his hands together, glancing at Terra with intrigue. "...Well, Dr. Noshino has spoken highly of you. He says you have what it takes to be an Ultimate."

The way Jin glanced at her made Terra tense up. To be speaking to such high authority of Hope's Peak like this was… nerve-racking to say the least. She glanced at Zuno, who merely smiled at her in encouragement and assurance.

"Th-That's right, Mr. Kirigiri!" Terra stepped forward, bowing her head. "I'm part of the Foreign Exchange Group in the Reserve Course Department! My father has paid so much for me to enroll, and I have studied really really hard for this moment!"

"And what exactly do you think you're Talented at?" Jin raised an eyebrow.

"Therapy, of course!" Terra hugged her clipboard close to her chest with determination. "I wish to become the Ultimate Therapist! With your permission, I hope to attend Dr. Noshino's internship program and learn more about psychology! Hopefully by then, I'll be able to harness my Ultimate talent!"

Jin raised an eyebrow. He glanced at Zuno, who gave him two thumbs-up, before glancing toward Koichi.

"...I'm not going to lie, Miss Pisch," Jin folded his arms in thought. "I'm not too sure if you even have the potential to be an Ultimate. You are in the Reserve Course for a reason and no one from that Department has really let us know about this potential of yours."

He took out a file and placed it on his desk.

"I reviewed your file," Jin began. "Your grades are stellar but being an Ultimate student isn't just that. It has a whole different set of requirements. You can't just prove yourself with your studies, but you also need to prove that you have what it takes to be a master at your Ultimate talent."

"O-Of course!" Terra nodded. "I have what it takes! I know it!"

"...I brought my good friend and homeroom teacher, Koichi Kizakura, to see for himself," Jin gestured to Koichi, who merely tipped his hat down and sighed.

"Mr. Kizakura?" Terra blinked. "One of the homeroom teachers?"

"Ah, you heard of me," Koichi grinned to himself, almost flamboyantly. "I'm touched."

"No, not really," Terra admitted, embarrassedly. "I don't know many teachers in the Main Course Department..."

Koichi took a tiny sip from his flask and spit it out in shock.

"Mr. Kizakura is the Ultimate Talent Scout," Jin smiled. "He can sense a person's potential from a mile away. If there's anyone I can trust to see true potential in Talent, it's him."

"Geez, just because you're complimenting me doesn't mean I have to lend you the money you lost during last night's mahjong," Koichi scratched his cheek and wiped his mouth with his sleeve.

"J-Just do the thing," Jin looked embarrassed, covering one part of his face.

Koichi flicked his hat up and examined Terra closely. Terra blushed embarrassedly. She didn't expect to be so up-and-close with the friend of Hope Peak's Headmaster. Especially an Ultimate Talent Scout. He scratched his goatee and hummed silently. Then, backing away, he glanced toward Jin, who returned his gaze, expectantly.

He tipped his hat down and placed a hand in his pocket.

Then, he sighed.

"I don't really like saying this," Koichi sighed. "But, as far as talent goes, you're pretty ordinary."

Terra's heart sank when he said this.

"Granted, I can see that you're serious about wanting to be an Ultimate Therapist," Koichi leaned his back against Jin's desk. "No doubt, you've studied hard, played hard, and focused hard to achieve your goals. I can really see that. You have the will to do whatever it takes to be great. But frankly, being an Ultimate just isn't in the cards for you."

Terra hugged her clipboard tightly.

"Aw come on, Kizakura," Zuno looked disappointed. "You gotta be a pretty mean jerk to crush a little girl's dream like that. You sure it's not the alcohol talking?"

"I may be slightly tipsy," Koichi shrugged. "But my instincts and perception are still as keen as ever. Miss Pisch may be a great therapist one day, but she doesn't have what it takes to be an Ultimate Therapist. If Jin accepts her in, she won't make it past the first semester. Heck, maybe not even past the first month."

Terra looked disheartened upon hearing their conversation. She looked at Jin and Koichi, pleadingly.

"Th-Then… let me prove it to you!" Terra exclaimed. "Let me prove that I do have what it takes to be an Ultimate Therapist!"

"...And how exactly will you prove that?" Jin looked curious. "Mr. Kizakura already made his judgment."

"...Let me study under Dr. Noshino," Terra bargained. "Remove me from the Reserve Course and allow me to enroll in Dr. Noshino's internship program. I will do everything I can to learn all about psychology and therapy under Dr. Noshino's tutelage! After I complete the program, you can have Mr. Kizakura judge me one last time! If he truly still can't see that I have potential, then… I'll give up right then and there!"

Tears started to form from the sides of her eyes.

"Mr. Kirigiri!" Terra begged. "Being the Ultimate Therapist… means everything to me… So please… Please give me this chance!"

Jin and Koichi shared uneasy glances.

"Come on, Jin," Zuno placed his hands on Terra's shoulders. "The girl is literally giving you the puppy-eye treatment. You reject her now; you're basically committing animal cruelty."

"That's not how animal cruelty works, Noshino," Koichi took another sip from his flask. Wiping away some of those whiskey drops, Koichi glanced toward Jin. "So, what's it going to be, Jin? Do you think she deserves a chance? I personally don't want her to waste her time studying with Noshino if it's just going to end in nothing but you're the boss so…"

Jin considered this deeply. He clasped his hands together. Then, he glanced at Terra's teary eyes.

He sighed.

"...Very well," Jin gave in. "If you think you can prove yourself by attending Noshino's internship program, then I'll trust you'll do your absolute best."

Terra blinked.

He was seriously giving her a chance?! Soon, her tears of desperation became tears of joy.

"Ohhhh, th-thank you!" Terra bowed her head toward him. "Th-Thank you so much Mr. Kirigiri! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!"

Jin sighed before giving her a small smile.

"It's nothing," Jin sighed before giving Zuno a look. "Take good care of her, Zuno. I'll get the files all set. As of now, Terra Pisch is no longer a Reserve Course student. She's now your protege and intern. And maybe in a couple of years, she'll be Hope Peak's second Ultimate Therapist."

Terra beamed when he said this and bowed her head once again.

"Th-Thank you so much, Mr. Kirigiri!" Terra exclaimed, wiping away her tears. "I won't disappoint you! I won't disappoint you either, Mr. Kizakura!"

Koichi held out his flask in acknowledgement but looked slightly indifferent about this decision.

"Gahaha, turns out, Mr. Jin Kirigiri has a soft side for crying high school girls," Zuno laughed. "Who would've thought? Anyway, are we meeting up this Friday for another mahjong match?"

"Absolutely not," Jin instantly declined.

"Gahahaha!" Zuno laughed. "Guess you need a break to strengthen your luck! Fair! I'll give you that! So, we'll do it on Saturday instead!"

"Haha, very funny," Jin sighed. "You may go now."

With a cocky grin, Zuno started to leave the room with a clearly optimistic Terra Pisch. Together, the two left to embark on the next part of their story: the internship program. Jin sighed to himself as he noticed Koichi sneak a glance toward him.

"What is it, Koichi?" Jin asked.

"Are you sure you made the right choice doing this?" Koichi asked. "You're only supplying a girl with dreams she has no way of achieving. They call that… false hope. Besides, I felt it for myself. She's way too ordinary to be an Ultimate. What happened to trusting my judgement?"

"...I'm sorry," Jin folded his arms. "But you know we both have been proven wrong before so, only time will tell."

"Tsk, if you say so," Koichi took another sip from his flask.

Jin glanced at him prematurely.

"Get your feet off my desk please," Jin ordered.

Koichi choked on his drink slightly as Jin smiled.

But he had to wonder for himself…

Did he really make the right choice here? Was granting Terra this opportunity really the right call? Jin didn't know.

All he knew that being the Headmaster was hard work…

---

CHAPTER 5: SAVIOUR OF THE DAMNED (DAILY LIFE)

---

(Arthur's Room)

In his dreams, Arthur saw a snake. And with that snake was a voice. And with that voice came familiar memories slowly seeping into his mind as he tried to grasp where exactly he was and what exactly he was experiencing. It may have been a dream, but it felt more like a hallucinogenic trip if anything. It may have been a nightmare, but he didn't feel like waking up. He didn't feel fear.

He felt a sense of… comfort. As if stress had yet to seep in, and all that was in his mind was Hope. He saw the snake getting larger and larger until it was the height of a human. Monohebi's image appeared as she flicked her tongue, forming into an actual figure and preparing to speak.

"You are Arthur Kingston, correct?" she spoke.

Arthur felt his own eyes widen.

…

Arthur woke up.

He clutched his head.

Headache.

Again.

He winced.

"What on Earth was that dream?" Arthur mumbled to himself. He glanced around his room. No one was with him. If he had a clock, he'd know what time it was but sadly, he didn't. He shook his head with a begruntled sigh. "Being around that snake and that Devil has definitely gotten the better of me."

Arthur folded his arms.

Though, every time he did look at White Collar whenever he made those announcements, he had always sensed that there was a loathing sensation coming from the man in the Devil's mask. Perhaps everyone else felt the same.

He yawned.

Well, whatever time it was, he clearly wasn't going back to sleep after whatever that vivid dream was. Ha! Vivid was sleeping after all! Ahem…

Arthur got up and prepared to get ready for the day…

---

(Cafeteria)

Arthur ended up being the fourth one to arrive at the Cafeteria today and noticeably, the room was much gloomier and much emptier too. He could feel it not only through the remaining people but also through the atmosphere generated by last night's events. Honestly, he couldn't blame that sorrowful mood.

He folded his arms and sighed as he glanced toward the people who were in the Cafeteria. These people were of course Ina, Haruto, and Abigail.

"Half-brother," Ina greeted with a nod.

"Sister," Arthur nodded as well with a sigh. He glanced around. "Is this all of us today?"

His eyebrows furrowed.

"I suppose since our two candidates for leadership are now… absent," Arthur looked away. "I believe this means we will need a new candidate now. Might I suggest myself–?"

"Really dude?" Haruto stood up from beside Abigail with an indifferent look on his face. "You really just gonna act that everything that happened last night was just something that happens? That we didn't just lose two really fucking good people..."

Haruto gritted his teeth and looked away.

"Abby was right from the get-go," Haruto grumbled. "When has having a goddamn leader been beneficial to any of us? Kane killed Titus. Jared died for us. And Zuri is…"

That's right.

Zuri broke the rules and was executed.

She broke the rules because of him. It was his fault. And no matter how much Abigail tried to comfort him, which she was doing at the moment as she stood up to place a hand on his shoulder, there was nothing he could do to fix his mistake. If only he hadn't acted like a pussy…

Haruto slowly sat back down, allowing Abigail to rub his back with a heavy look.

"I think what Haruto was getting at is that…" Abigail heavily sighed. "Look Arthur. You clearly have no regard for the lives of other people... So, if you really want to be the leader now, you can. But you also can't expect any of us to follow your lead or listen to you either."

Abigail narrowed her eyes and didn't even try to look at him.

"Especially since you're to blame for everything that happened to Jared," she folded her arms.

Arthur tensed up slightly.

She wasn't wrong there. It was true that he and Jared often didn't see eye to eye, and normally, he wouldn't care as much, but it was also him that kickstarted everything that led to Zuri's death… And he and her were pretty much on fine terms. Heck, she helped him with his sibling troubles so even he was a little saddened by what became of her in the end…

…But no one was more sad, more depressed, more heartbroken and anguished than…

…

Holland wandered into the room. His stoic expression was now replaced with a gloomy frown. No longer was he someone whose emotions were almost unreadable; he was someone who was hurting and everything in his current expression made that painfully obvious.

"Ah," Abigail stopped talking.

"H-Holland," Ina glanced down.

Arthur turned and said nothing.

"Y-Yo…" Haruto was the first to step up toward him. No one felt more guilt than the basketball player himself. "Holland. I'm…"

"...Save it," Holland merely said, his expression growing darker. "What happened, happened. I can blame you. I can blame myself. I can blame just about anyone here all I want. But in the end, it still won't bring…"

Holland trailed off.

Just speaking about this made him turn his gaze away. His voice cracked. He missed her. He missed her so much.

"...Besides, she wouldn't want me to blame people for what happened," Holland glanced away, his eyes feeling hazy. "So..."

"Still, I'm so fucking sorry," Haruto placed a hand on his shoulder. "I don't know what I can do to just... make things up to you."

"...You can't make things up to me," Holland stated. "That's just how this works..."

Holland brushed his shoulder aside, knocking Haruto's hand off of it. He flipped his hoodie over his head and went to the farthest corner of the Cafeteria. Clearly, he just wanted to be alone today.

Haruto clenched his fist, feeling frustrated with himself.

Abigail stood up and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Holland, are you sure you will be alright?" Ina questioned Holland. "It is okay if you wish to mourn. I... I understand how you feel."

Holland said nothing, glancing off toward the wall.

Ina blinked and looked away, awkwardly.

"P-Perhaps, we should talk about what we should do next... yes?" Ina glanced toward Arthur and then toward the rest of her peers.

"All we can really do is move forward," came another voice but two more people. The two who have yet to arrive:

Mimi and Cassandra.

"That's what Zuri and Jared both would've wanted," Mimi looked down.

The most notable thing about Mimi was the fact that she was wearing her normal school outfit. The outfit consisted of the white polo shirt, black long-sleeved vest, yellow tie, and traditional black shoes. To be wearing such an outfit… it made Mimi look… normal.

No witch's outfit.

No witch's hat.

"Mimi, are you wearing…?" Abigail blinked.

"This is my school uniform," Mimi said, looking down. "I… I don't think I can wear the outfit belonging to the Good Witch of the North anymore. The magic and memories of that outfit… It's forever ruined because of everything that happened..."

Mimi glanced at Abigail, miserably.

"There's no magic here…" she mumbled.

"You are here, too, Cassandra?" Ina blinked.

Cassandra folded her arms. The pain on her expression never went away. Even after showing her emotions to White Collar of all people, even after her talk with him, she was still in pain. Still in pain from losing someone she really cared about. And Cassandra Mura never really lost anyone until she lost Jared.

"Is that a problem?" Cassandra snapped suddenly before holding herself back.

"No," Ina blinked, taken aback. "It is just surprising. You never associate yourself with us, anyway."

"Y-Yeah well…" Cassandra bit her lip. "I just thought it'd be a nice change of pace today. Don't mistake this as me warming up to you fuckers..."

That was all she had to comment.

Because despite everything, there was still no way for her to just outright admit that her, Cassandra Mura, the selfish bitch who didn't give a damn about anyone here enough to kill someone actually cared about the cop who had just died. She clenched her fist. That just made her a hypocrite from her own fucking philosophy…

"Whatever the case is," Arthur folded his arms. "I am glad we are all here today. We have lost many people to get this far. Soon, I believe we are rearing to face off against the true enemy here…"

"...White Collar," Holland mumbled.

"That piece of shit," Haruto clenched his fist.

Abigail and Mimi both nodded in agreement, each with their own hateful looks at the thought of the man who had imprisoned them here.

"I agree, half-brother," Ina nodded her head, looking more determined than ever.

In fact, only Cassandra didn't seem to react to what Arthur had said. Of course, she wouldn't. She had a moment with White Collar and learned about his backstory after all! But the fact that she simply didn't share that same hatred as the others did, didn't go unnoticed by Haruto, who eyed her suspiciously.

"What is the plan with him, anyway?" Cassandra spoke up, curious, eyes looking just as somber as Holland's. "As far as I'm concerned, killing him is kind of off the table, isn't it?"

"I'm glad you asked," Arthur smirked. "Since we have just finished our Prison Trial, I believe that White Collar is getting ready to open new locations for us to explore. Probably even the last of the locations we have yet to explore."

"That has been the pattern so far," Ina nodded in agreement.

"Exactly, so all we simply have to do is wait for the announcement," Arthur deduced. "After that, we explore and after that, we regroup here and think of what to do next."

It was relatively straightforward.

Even if people didn't want Arthur to just take the leadership role like that, they couldn't disagree with the plan he made. It wasn't a bad plan, and it was the only plan that they could relatively rely on at this point.

The other option was to stay put, do nothing, and rot…

…

It didn't take much longer before the patience of the remaining seven prisoners was rewarded with Monohebi's announcement.

"Attention all prisoners," came the voice of one Monohebi. "Please report to the Auditorium for a special announcement from your warden and my master, White Collar. Attendance is mandatory. That is all. See you soon."

"Right on time," Arthur nodded with a smirk.

He glanced at everyone else, who all seemed either determined or just sick of this process that just kept cycling and cycling. As far as Arthur knew, they were all in the next round of the game.

But if this was the last round of the game, he wasn't sure…

---

(Auditorium)

When the remaining seven prisoners arrived at the Auditorium, no one was even happy to see White Collar and Monohebi stand on that grand stage of theirs. All they saw were the faces of their tormentors. Faces of a man and a snake that has done nothing but give them grief over their imprisonment.

Even Cassandra, who had gotten to know a bit about White Collar, couldn't even look him in the eye.

"Quiet are we, today?" White Collar noted. "Not a word to be said. And yet, you all should be grateful. You all lasted longer than most."

White Collar extended his arms out as if he were nailed to the cross.

"You should be grateful!" White Collar exclaimed. "Congratulations! You're the final 7 of our little game!"

"Just get on with the announcement," Haruto grumbled.

"I agree," Arthur folded his arms. "We wish to see what new areas you have conjured up for us."

"...No…" Holland spoke up suddenly.

Everyone turned to Holland. They were surprised that he spoke up against what they had all agreed on earlier. He stepped forward as his gaze turned hateful toward both White Collar and Monohebi. His fist tightened. He flipped his hoodie over his head as he grimaced.

"...Are you really happy to see us suffer like this?" Holland frowned.

"You better back off from my Master, prisoner," Monohebi hissed.

"Tut, tut Monohebi," White Collar leaned close to Holland. "Let the young man speak. I imagine he feels quite terrible over what had occurred yesterday."

White Collar's mask twisted into a grin as he placed a finger on it, signaling Holland to be quiet.

"Let me tell you something, Mister Delaney," White Collar began. "If you're feeling vengeful for her demise…"

White Collar set his finger down and his jagged red eye glinted.

"...Just know that she deserved her fate," White Collar warned. "As did Mister Caertas. As do you and every remaining person here. Every remaining... sinner... here."

Holland gritted his teeth and clenched his fist.

He raised it.

Monohebi tensed up as her jagged red eyes hissed.

White Collar didn't budge.

In fact, it was like he was taunting him. Mocking him. Baiting him to strike and inevitably get punished.

All the while, Holland couldn't help but shake and think.

Was this what anger felt like? Was this really how emotions felt…? He'd kept them pent up for so long he had honestly forgotten. His heartbeat faster. His mind rushed to think about Zuri. About what he had lost to this Devil-mask wearing freak!

He felt his face boil... He imagined swinging a powerful blow, strong enough to break that fucking mask of his. He hated him. He wanted him dead. Huh. Was this how Jared felt when he pointed that damn gun at White Collar? Every passing thought and now he regretted ever stopping Jared from doing the deed. He wanted revenge. He wanted to...

Holland felt tears start to form from the corner of his eyes.

Slowly, he lowered his fist.

"...Burn in Hell, you fucker..." Holland muttered quietly, his eyes filled with scorn.

Everyone else watching was surprised. They had never seen Holland this angry before. This scornful... this hateful... In fact, it scared them. The normally so stoic... so emotionless Holland Delaney, exhibiting emotions he had kept pent up inside...

White Collar on the other hand, shook his head.

"Hm, you still hold yourself back after everything that has happened," White Collar nodded. Strangely, it seemed like he approved of this. "Your will is quite strong, Mister Delaney. Vengeance has yet to consume you... I wonder how long you will continue to hold back..."

"Enough of your taunts, demon," Ina folded her arms. "You were going to announce the new locations, were you not?"

"Hm, right back to business, then," White Collar placed both hands on his cane. "Very well. Monohebi, if you please…"

Monohebi turned to White Collar before nodding her head.

Not a moment longer, the eHandbooks pinged, notifying them of the new locations they could check out. And once most of them had the Maps out in order, White Collar gave a bow.

"Now then, I do hope you find the new locations to your liking," White Collar graciously declared. "And of course, once again, congratulations on making it to the next round…"

White Collar's jagged eye glinted before disappearing off with Monohebi.

Next round, huh?

Arthur took a glance at the map before turning to his peers. With a smirk, he gave a firm nod at what locations were revealed.

"Well then, it seems we get to explore a new Cell Block today," he stated. "And one new Ultimate Cell back on Cell Block B."

"Ooh!" Mimi gasped, noting just whose Ultimate Cell that belonged to. "Big Bro Haruto! Big Sis Abigail! Will you be coming with me to check that out?"

"Of course," Abigail gave her a small smile.

Haruto glanced toward Mimi and Abigail for a moment before glancing back at the two lone wolves of the group: Cassandra and Holland. Both of them seemed to prefer being alone at this point. He couldn't blame them, truthfully. But at the same time…

"You two go on ahead," Haruto rubbed the back of his neck. "I'll go and team up with Cassandra and Holland."

"Huh?" Cassandra gave a two-second disgusted reaction before looking confused.

Holland said nothing.

"Uh?" Abigail blinked. That wasn't what she was expecting. "O-Oh. Okay… Um, if that's what you want, I guess…"

Abigail seemed disappointed and Mimi saw this clear as day.

"Are you sure, Big Bro Haruto?" Mimi asked Haruto. "Big Sis would be very disappointed if–"

"We have no time for such trivial matters," Arthur sighed as he already found a pair with Ina. "If Haruto wishes to team up with Cassandra and Holland, then he will do so. Let us be off. We are wasting valuable time."

Ina said nothing and merely followed behind Arthur.

"Let's go guys," Haruto glanced toward Cassandra and Holland. "We go wherever you guys want to go."

"...Um, sure," Cassandra raised an eyebrow. Why the hell would he want to team up with her at all? She didn't want something else to think about during the investigation of these new locations.

Holland, meanwhile, followed behind. Normally, he'd stay in his room and shut himself in but that would also mean that Zuri would've… He sighed. That name…

Haruto meanwhile kept his eye strictly on Cassandra, slightly narrowing them.

Arthur, Ina, Holland, Cassandra, and Haruto all went downstairs to where Cell Block S would be, leaving behind Abigail and Mimi who were planning to head upstairs.

Abigail folded her arms uncomfortably.

"I… Haruto… Why the hell would you… Hm…" Abigail mumbled to herself.

"Aw, don't worry Big Sis," Mimi assured her. "I'm sure Big Bro has his reasons for what he's doing."

"Yeah, that's what I'm worried about," Abigail bit her lip.

The last time 'Big Bro' had his reasons for what he was doing, he was found guilty of trying to cover up a murder he didn't even commit. A suicide. She supposed she was nervous of what idiotic thing he might do… And that was seriously stressing her out…

---

The walk to the entrance of the new Cell Block was a simple one.

After all, the new Cell Block was located right across from Cell Block S.

That was what could be easily determined as Arthur led the group starring Ina, Haruto, Holland, and Cassandra downstairs. He noticed that the door leading to the new Cell Block, that was previously inaccessible, was now unlocked and ready for anyone to enter through.

Arthur turned to his peers with a smirk.

"Well then," Arthur began. "Shall we head in?"

"There is no need to ask such trivial questions," Ina shook her head, moving ahead of him. "Let us go in and check out this new Cell Block…"

Haruto, Holland, and Cassandra moved behind her, wordlessly, leaving Arthur alone to fold his arms and frown disappointedly.

"But the dramatic effect…" he mused.

Clearly, he cared about something others cared little about.

---

(Cell Block E)

When the door opened up, the group of five walked into the newly discovered Cell Block E, which at the moment was literally a long hallway leading to three separate paths. To the left of the group was already a new room for some group to explore. According to the nameplate, it read 'Laboratory', and unlike its Therapy Room counterpart, it did not have an eHandbook reader of any kind. But aside from the new room and the three separate paths, there wasn't much to be expected.

But it was to note that the air here was much pure and not-as-suffocating than that of the cold/hot air of that toxic pit known as Cell Block S.

"Cell Block E?" Haruto blinked. "We're really just skipping letters, are we? What does the E even stand for this time?"

"Isn't it obvious?"

"Jesus!" Haruto jumped.

Monohebi had been coiled up near the entrance of the Laboratory. Using the tip of her tail, she gestured to the nameplate above the room she was coiled by.

"H-How long were you there?!" Haruto exclaimed.

"You are in the final Cell Block to note throughout the Killing Game," Monohebi declared, ignoring Haruto's question. "You've been through the general prison block, the recreational block, the asylum, the solitary zone and now you've finally reached. All the blood you have shed to get this far…"

"Get on with it," Cassandra impatiently said.

That blood they shed? That was Jared. She grimaced over the thought of him.

"...Yeah," Holland solemnly agreed.

That blood they shed? That was Zuri. He grimaced over the thought of her.

"...Welcome to St. Esther's Experimental Block," Monohebi greeted, slightly annoyed that her little speech had been so rudely interrupted. "While everything else you've seen so far was the basic history of St. Esther… this block here is especially special… Can you guess why?"

Given all the history Monohebi had told them over the past few days or weeks or even months, it wasn't hard to figure out what made the Experimental Block so special. Ina folded her arms with a frown.

"#66," she simply said.

"That is correct," Monohebi nodded. "This is the very part of the facility where the story and history of #66 was born. Where…"

She trailed off, her jagged eyes looking sad.

"What's wrong?" Arthur asked, curiously.

"It's nothing," Monohebi shook her head. "Cell Block E is open for you all to explore. See for yourself. The history and truth behind #66 hidden behind this Block…"

…

After saying this, Monohebi slithered off toward the stairs that led upstairs instead of slowly disappearing like she used to. With a shrug, Arthur glanced toward the Laboratory. It was definitely a room that piqued his interest the most…

"Very well, let us begin this investigation," Arthur nodded. "Ina and I will–"

"A-Actually, half-brother," Ina tugged on her elbow sleeve, having been looking through the map to Cell Block E.

Arthur blinked.

"Er, what is it dear sister?" Arthur asked.

"Half," Ina corrected. "I… I wish to see the room up ahead if you do not mind…"

"Oh?" Arthur blinked. He peeked at his own eHandbook and immediately understood why. "Ohh… Er. Change of plans. I will accompany my sister to the room straight ahead. Will you do the honors of checking out this Laboratory?"

Holland flipped his hoodie over his head.

Cassandra glanced away.

"Yeah, I gotcha," Haruto nodded.

Thank God he chose to go with these two otherwise who knew how cooperative they would be with the Investigation of these new areas.

"Come on, half-brother," Ina ordered Arthur.

The Kingston siblings walked on forward as Haruto, Holland, and Cassandra glanced toward the open door leading into the Laboratory.

"Well, you heard the ice geezer," Haruto sighed. "Let's go check this place out…"

And without a response, the three walked into the Laboratory…

---

(Laboratory)

The Laboratory was a large wide room with an almost even bigger room right inside. Like any science lab, the room, specifically the left side, had a bunch of common science-y equipment. This included a periodic table, a plastic skeleton, a couple of chemicals here or there, flasks, and of course, a chart of the brain.

Aside from the basic common science-y stuff disorganized on the left side, the right side of the room was much more organized. It included a desk stacked with psychology textbooks and a large computer. Besides the computer was a framed photo.

However, the most interesting aspect of this room was the room that was beyond the Laboratory. Sealed off with a metal door and a door with a much different reader of some kind, was a larger room. The nameplate on the top of it read 'Testing Ground', and through the large windows located on both sides of the door, Haruto and Cassandra could see a large human-sized pod with wires and tubes attached at the top that led to who knows where. But the most eerie thing about this pod was the fact that it glowed light green.

It practically looked as if it were something out of an alien invasion movie.

However, besides those machines were tables and other science equipment like microscopes and more computers. Plus, there also seemed to be a nice array of files on those tables too, which looked really important.

Unfortunately, there was no way in, oopsies!

"...So, this is the Lab where #66 was experimented in," Holland looked through the window. "Where… this new kind of Hope was created…"

He looked down at the word 'Hope'. He thought back to that song that Zuri had made for him. He frowned bitterly. Whatever Hope it was, it wasn't Sweet Hope…

BANG!

Cassandra smashed a nearby stool against the window. Even the window was pretty damn sturdy.

"What the fuck are you doing?" Haruto was taken aback by this.

"Trying to find a way in, duh," Cassandra rolled her eyes.

"There's a fucking eHandbook reader," Haruto glared at her. "Use your eHandbook."

"If you don't remember," Cassandra frowned. "I don't have that fucking Advantage. You do. So, use your eHandbook."

"Bitch…" Haruto mumbled to himself as he walked over to the reader for the Testing Ground. Of course, the reader wasn't lit, nor did it seem like it actually was an eHandbook reader. At least, not one that they've actually seen before. This one was bigger, the model was older, and it didn't seem like it read eHandbooks. He sighed and shook his head. "It's not even an eHandbook reader…"

"Wow, you finally noticed," Cassandra scoffed. "Fucking dumbass…"

Haruto glanced toward Holland and Cassandra. Both of them didn't seem too ecstatic that they were sharing the same room with him. He didn't blame them for that. They both had a reason to hate him for what he did last Trial. But that was exactly why he wanted to pair up with them…

To make it up to Holland.

And for Cassandra? It was something else entirely…

…

Holland moved to the left side of the room as Haruto and Cassandra followed behind him. He eyed the basic science equipment that was disorganized and examined each of them carefully. Eventually, he looked up and sighed.

"...These are your basic, run-of-the-mill science equipment," Holland said.

"Yeah, no shit," Haruto mumbled as he glanced at the plastic skeleton. It was just an ordinary skeleton. Not even real or life-like like the decorations used in last Chapter's Trial Grounds.

Cassandra eyed the periodic table.

It was just an ordinary periodic table.

Then, she eyed the picture of the brain, raising an eyebrow at its contents.

It was a chart detailing every part of the brain.

Yeah, all in all, the left side didn't have anything too interesting. Cassandra folded her arms as she leaned on the side.

"Well, this side is a bust," Cassandra sighed. "Want to check the other side now?"

Haruto and Holland couldn't have agreed more.

…

Anyway, the right side of the room contained the more interesting things. Holland instantly moved toward the computer and attempted to turn it on… It turned on with no problem and even more luckily, there didn't seem to be a need for a password or username or anything like that. The computer opened up to an empty page with one single application: a folder.

"...Well, we lucked out in the fact that this isn't one of those typical computers that hide information behind some username and password we have to find," Holland noted.

"Which means that White Collar bastard wanted us to find it," Haruto cracked his knuckles.

"Well, what's on it?" Cassandra asked.

"...A folder," Holland blankly said.

"And what's in the folder?" Cassandra frowned.

Holland clicked on the folder.

"...A file," Holland said.

"Are you trying to piss me off here?" Cassandra sighed bitterly. "I'm not in the fucking mood for games. So, click on the file and–"

"...Here we go," Holland blankly stared at the screen with little to no emotion at all. Perhaps he was just messing with her because he was petty. Or perhaps he just didn't care anymore. Once he opened the file, the computer showcased three simple words:

'KAMUKURA PROJECT: POSTPONED'

And underneath these large red bolded words were more words:

'Due to the light of unforeseen circumstances, the Kamukura Project has been postponed. Continued experimentations and research will have to be conducted at a later date until renovation and relocation to the sister location is complete.'

"The Kamukura Project?" Cassandra questioned. "What the hell is that?"

"No fucking clue," Haruto shook his head. "Whatever it is though, White Collar wanted us to know about it. You don't happen to know anything about that, do ya?"

Haruto made sure to look at Cassandra expectantly instead of Holland. Cassandra only gave him a confused look.

"Um, no?" Cassandra frowned. "I don't. That's why I asked first."

"...Perhaps this was the experiment that #66 was put through," Holland rubbed his chin.

"You really think so?" Haruto asked, blinking.

"...Because if information about the Project was moved here, then that has to mean the Kamukura Project was involved with the experimentation on #66 and the other prisoners that Arthur mentioned once…" Holland deduced, recalling what Arthur and Carter had uncovered from the story Monohebi had told them two Chapters ago.

---

"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.

---

"So, this was the experiment that made that White Room all bloodied and shit, right?" Haruto rubbed the back of his neck. "Jesus…"

"If this really is the experiment, we still don't know what it was supposed to do, but hey, at least we got a name for the project," Cassandra folded her arms. She was definitely going to have to ask White Collar about it tonight.

"...And that's pretty much it on the computer," Holland nodded, removing himself from the screen and noticing the framed picture beside it.

He picked it up and examined it.

"...This is…" Holland noted.

In the picture frame were five people. However, three of the people's faces were cut out from the picture, with only two faces intact. One belonged to a large burly man with sunglasses placed on top of his dark blue hair with a white patch. The other belongs to a young girl right in front of him, smiling brightly with blonde hair and pink highlights.

"...Was this the team that worked on the project?" Holland questioned.

"Why are three of their faces cut out?" Haruto asked. He definitely couldn't tell what genders the other three were.

"Maybe take the picture out of the frame," Cassandra suggested. "Usually, there might be something written on the back."

Holland nodded in return and did as he was told.

Sure enough, there was something written on the back: names.

Zuno Noshino.

Terra Pisch.

"Those names," Haruto blankly stared at the photo. "Why do they sound so familiar…?"

"Ah, wait, this Terra bitch is the one…" Cassandra grimaced, recalling a memory she would have shared with Jared.

---

"This is Dr. Terra Pisch. The date is November 25, 2010. Time: 6:05 PM. Setting: St. Esther's Institution. I was originally ordered to stay home today because of an incident at that school. They're not telling me anything, but my work cannot go unfinished. Today, I'm with Patient #66, again."

---

"...She's the one who was treating #66," Cassandra noted.

"And Zuno Noshino was…" Holland had his own moment to remember certain details.

---

"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.

---

"The guy who helped get Hope's Peak Academies to be opened all around the fucking world," Haruto recalled. "Meaning, these two fuckers had something to do with the project…"

"...Maybe…" Holland rubbed his chin.

Cassandra kept quiet.

If anyone knew more about this, it was White Collar. She was for sure going to have to meet with him tonight. She was for sure going to need to get some answers here. Who the hell were Zuno Noshino and Terra Pisch really? And what the hell was the Kamukura Project…?

"Is this everything here?" Cassandra narrowed her eyes.

"...Aside from these psychology textbooks, yeah," Holland nodded, flipping through each book.

None of them seemed to be worth the read.

"Then I guess we're going to have to look elsewhere," Haruto folded his arms. "Cause until we figure out how to unlock that damn door over there, we got nothing."

"...Agreed," Holland flipped his hoodie over his head. "I know a place that really caught my interest, so let's go there…"

Without waiting for a simple agreement, Holland walked off, leaving the two behind. Cassandra prepared to follow behind, but Haruto held onto her wrist.

"Hold on," Haruto stopped her.

"H-Hey, what the–" Cassandra turned and glared at Haruto, swiping her wrist away. "What do you want now?"

Haruto examined her closely. How exactly was he going to play this? Because now that Jared was gone, he didn't have any other way to approach this. Should he just ask outright? He thought back to what Jared had told him…

---

"What would you do if Abigail turned out to be working with White Collar and was lying to your face this entire time?" Jared asked.

"That's oddly specific," Haruto narrowed his eyes. "What the fuck are you trying to say?"

"I'm not suspecting her of anything, I'm just asking hypothetically," Jared said.

---

Haruto opened his mouth to ask something along the lines of: "Hey bitch. Are you working with White Collar?"

But then, he stopped himself. That was already a bad idea in so many ways. How the fuck was she going to react to that? Was she going to just kill him straight up? He'd be able to fight back but at the same time… that might also risk killing her meaning another Prison Trial meaning two more dead bodies on their hands…

He clenched his fist.

Then, he shoved past her.

"It's nothing," Haruto placed his hands in his pockets. He stopped for a moment. "...I'm watching you. Just know that…"

That was cryptic enough, right?

Haruto walked off, leaving behind a ticked off and slightly confused Cassandra.

"...What the fuck was that about?" she mumbled to herself. "Weirdo..."

---

(Cell Block E)

As the trio had just left the Laboratory, Arthur had walked with Ina straight to the room that was at the end of the hall. They passed straight through the intersection until they reached the red eHandbook reader. Ina slightly gulped. She was a little nervous to what she would see.

Or rather...

...Just how she would feel the moment she walked in. She took out her eHandbook and prepared to scan it over the reader... but she hesitated. It didn't take Arthur too long to notice her hesitating. He simply walked up to her and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Don't worry," he gave her a supportive smile. "You can do it..."

Ina took a deep breath and nodded toward Arthur.

She scanned her eHandbook, opening the door and allowing them to walk inside whatever awaited them...

---

(Ultimate Heiress's Cell)

The Ultimate Heiress's Cell was a medium-sized room that seemed to transport Arthur and Ina into a whole different era. Instead of the cold, dark slums that was St. Esther's abandoned prison facility, the Ultimate Heiress's Cell was a room that was enriched in Victorian-style culture and prestige.

It was essentially a large dining room, with glass paintings of Mayu Mashiro and the entire Mashiro family. Three suits of armors, each wielding respectively a mace, a sword, and a shield, stood to the left in an array as if to welcome their guests to this banquet. To the right were merely Mashiro labeled dishes and cups packed neatly inside of a glass fancy cabinet.

As for the dining table itself, it was aligned with food of every kind, drinks filled with wine, candlesticks with lit candles ready to shine and even included a large cake in the middle that looked just fine. (I'm a rhyming master! Give me Nicolas!) And given the fact that the food looked too clean and even shiny…

Arthur touched the cake's frosting, noting how hard and crusted it was…

"Hmph, the cake is a lie," Arthur merely stated. "The food here is fake."

The dining table was also assorted with fancy chairs with comfortable red cushions. At the end of the dining table was a throne, with a golden frame and behind that throne was a red curtain. Hanging over the dining table was a golden chandelier, chained to the ceiling. So, all in all, the Ultimate Heiress Cell was basically a really fancy dining room.

Arthur glanced toward his sister, who could only stare at the Cell with pure regret on her face.

"Are you okay, Ina?" Arthur asked, softly.

Ina looked down.

There was nothing that she wanted to say to Arthur. Nothing she felt that was worthy was a response. The guilt that she burdened herself with was getting too much. Perhaps Arthur was right…

…

The first thing the two investigated were the three suits of armor that were pretty much watching over this royal banquet. Arthur walked over to the first of the three, who wielded a mace. He grabbed the mace and noted just how easy it was to just take it away from the suit of armor. He placed the mace back in the suit of armor's hands. Then, he did the same with the next two, taking away their sword and shield, noting their weight and then placing them back where they were originally.

Folding his arms, he looked toward Ina to report his conclusions.

"I can verbally conclude that these are in fact real weapons," Arthur nodded his head.

Thanks–

"If Jared were here, he would have considered locking them in the Evidence Room," Ina pointed out.

"Even if he was here and did so, someone would find a way to take it anyway," Arthur shook his head. "Best we leave them here for now, sister."

"...Sure," Ina nodded as she glanced at the suits of armor themselves. "But now that we are on the topic of… old friends that have long gone… Mayu would have perhaps enjoyed this Cell…"

"Perhaps," Arthur shrugged. "Or she would be very disappointed to find that the cake on the table is not real…"

It was one or the other.

Regardless, Ina was at least grateful she now came across a room that definitely honored Mayu, despite it being made and decorated by the same person that killed her. She sighed to herself as the Kingston siblings moved on to something else.

…

The next thing the Kingston siblings moved on to be the fancy cabinet located right underneath the large painting showcasing the Mashiro family. Arthur and Ina weren't exactly sure who painted it, but based on the signature, they could only make out the initials as Y… O… C…. huh. Whoever could that be?

Anyway, Ina couldn't help but feel a little grim seeing the Mashiro family pictured. Of course, she didn't recognize the people in the painting except two: Mayu and her grandfather, Junichi Mashiro. All of them were smiling and yet… Junichi Mashiro… to be that kind of prick…

"You're tense, sister," Arthur pointed out. "You are angry at Junichi Mashiro, yes?"

"...It was he who was supposed to be thrown into this Killing Game, not Mayu," Ina declared. "This is not fair."

"The Devil often isn't," Arthur shook his head. "Besides, I believe that when you escape, you'll be able to serve some due justice to that scum…"

Ina said nothing to that regard.

Arthur took it as a sign that it was definitely something she had been contemplating for a while. He folded his arms.

"Though, I must also note that the Mashiro cutlery is far superior to that of the Kingstons," Arthur mused. "So, if you ever step foot inside the Kingston household, I guarantee you the cutlery is nowhere near as fancy as whatever pawnshop Father got his set of forks and knives from…"

"...Hm, I see even Alexander Kingston has his cheapest moments," Ina joked, slightly.

"Oh, you know it," Arthur smirked, amused.

…

The main interest at hand was the dining table with the fake food. After all, for an Ultimate Cell, this was definitely the key highlight. Unfortunately, with the gorgeous looking decorative food being fake, the key highlight felt a lot more underwhelming than what was promised. Tch, no one said it was a great key highlight!

"What a shame," Arthur sighed. "All of this food looks absolutely gorgeous and yet all it really is just decoration…"

To prove his point, Arthur held up the roasted chicken with one hand. The chicken itself was pretty much attached to the plate and acted as one object. It truly was a disappointing piece of chicken.

"Well, the food may be fake but from the looks of it," Ina picked up one of the wine glasses with wine already inside. She swirled it around and sniffed it. "The wine is real. A little stronger than I recognize but it is real..."

"I suppose that is the only thing White Collar could afford instead of a big feast awaiting us," Arthur shook his head. "How interesting though. Why would the wine be real yet everything else be fake?"

"I do hear that if left out long enough, wine can be very delicious," Ina pointed out.

"Yes, but like any other beverage, wine can also spoil," Arthur folded his arms.

He glanced at the glasses of wine and even the corked-up wine bottles themselves. It really did seem strange for glasses of wine to be out but perhaps that was just a preference thing for White Collar. Perhaps White Collar just really liked his wine…

(Oh, these prisoners have no idea…)

…

Aside from the fanciness, the suits of armors, the painting, and the dining table, there was one more thing Arthur wished to check. Of course, Ina wasn't sure what that was or rather, didn't really pay attention to what he was so intrigued by. Instead, Ina felt the cushions and eyed the golden chandelier on the ceiling, which swung ever so slightly.

"That cannot be stable, can it?" Ina murmured to herself.

She turned to Arthur.

"Half-brother, I believe we have checked everything here," Ina sighed before raising an eyebrow. "Er, what are you doing?"

Arthur was staring at the red curtain right behind the great dining table and the throne. He tapped his chin in thought before turning to Ina.

"This curtain here seems… suspicious, don't you think?" Arthur questioned.

"It is merely a curtain," Ina shook her head. "I see nothing suspicious about it. Sure, it may be redder than it should be but…"

"And red curtains are usually very suspicious because…" Arthur gripped onto the curtain and pulled it aside. "Usually, they hide something of note…"

…Except when it didn't.

Behind the curtain was a wall. It wasn't a brick wall like the other walls would be. Instead, it was a little more metallic, similar to that of the back wall of the Ultimate Scam Artist's Cell. The snowboarder could only hum in thought.

Ina blankly stared at her idiot half-brother.

"Yes, it is hiding a wall," Ina deadpanned. "Very astute observation half-brother."

"...You may patronize me now, but this wall is strange, isn't it?" Arthur asked, pompously.

"...It is merely a metal wall," Ina sighed, shaking her head. "For a prison facility, I doubt it can be considered that strange…"

Arthur folded his arms.

His sister wasn't even convinced. The wall felt strange. He just knew it did. He knocked on it, noting the sound. He frowned. It was thin. Could that be why it felt off? Why it felt… strange?

"Let us move on elsewhere, half-brother," Ina closed her eyes and nodded. "I… I think I have made my peace here."

Arthur eyed the wall one more time before putting the curtain back where it was originally. He sighed. Perhaps it was nothing. Perhaps it was him being crazy. Perhaps it was just him being Arthur… He shook his head.

"Very well, I suppose we can leave this room, yes," he nodded. "Where to, sister?"

"Half," Ina corrected as she took out her eHandbook. She tapped her chin before pointing to the next location that was of interest. "How about… this room?"

She showed Arthur where she pointed.

All the snowboarder could do was nod in acknowledgement and agreement, before following behind her. But that didn't mean he didn't take one last look at the Ultimate Heiress's Cell. It may be some fancy place with fake food and real wine, but there was something off about this Cell.

Something… eerie.

---

(Cell Block B)

While everyone did their Investigations at Cell Block E, Mimi and Abigail spent their time hustling toward the new Cell at Cell Block B. Mimi was noticeably much more excited than Abigail was, especially since the equestrian had other things on her mind.

That other thing went by the name of Haruto.

"I can't wait to see what my Cell is like!" Mimi looked happy.

"Wow, excited, are we?" Abigail snapped out of her thoughts and raised an eyebrow at Mimi's enthusiasm.

"Well, I didn't think I would feel like this after everything that happened but..." Mimi trailed off and took out her eHandbook, expectantly walking toward the red eHandbook reader. "I... I think I'm just hopeful for what we might find inside! Aren't you?"

Abigail folded her arms and thought about this slightly.

"Well, scan your eHandbook and we'll see," Abigail told Mimi.

Mimi didn't need to be told twice.

She scanned her eHandbook, opening up the door for them to enter.

(It is also to note that the door was in fact locked before they scanned the eHandbook, evidenced by the mention of the eHandbook reader being red. Meaning, White Collar had locked it right after his moment with Cassandra last night)

Anyway, that was a tidbit for y'all to remember. As for Mimi and Abigail, they walked into Mimi's Ultimate Cell, unsure on what to expect, and not knowing that the readers already know what this Cell looks like.

---

(Ultimate Fairytale Writer's Cell)

Mimi and Abigail widened their eyes.

Neither of them could've ever figured that the Ultimate Fairytale Writer's Cell would be this big and yet, here it was. Now, although y'all got the description to this Cell last time, you're getting it again, so you know what exactly Mimi and Abigail are going to be investigating. Also, just in case you forget or didn't read it fully... Cough, Sin.

Sorry, not sorry.

The Ultimate Fairytale Writer's Cell was a large dome-like area. Fitting the recreational themes of the Cell Block B, it was an entirely grassy terrain with flower beds, a small makeshift river stream that circled around a smaller area within the middle of the room. To get over the river stream were four bridges situated in four different directions: One on the North, one on the South, one on the West, and one on the East. Currently, Mimi and Abigail were facing the one on the South.

Within the smaller area that was surrounded by this clean river-like moat, was a large tree, filled with fruits of every kind. This tree had a door, windows, and a picnic blanket set up neatly underneath the tree's shade. And just like the Ultimate Basketball Cell, it was also an open area with no ceiling, but barbed wires attached on top of the walls that surrounded them, allowing them to breathe in fresh air from the beautiful blue sky, but also preventing them from even climbing out to escape.

Yadda yadda, Haruto… Yadda yadda, leg.

Surrounding the outer rim by the flower beds were yellow bricks on the ground that circled around and was heavily decorated by flowers of every color: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet.

Under each bridge, was a riverstream that circled around in an endless loop but was home to koi fish that swam diligently.

…

Either case, Mimi and Abigail were astounded by how beautiful this Cell was. If White Collar or Monohebi were here, they would certainly let them know that this Cell was dubbed as St. Esther's Garden of Eden.

"Wow, this is my Ultimate Cell?" Mimi gasped. "It's so… big!"

That's what Maggie said.

"Yeah, is that like an actual Tree of Life or something?" Abigail looked absolutely bewildered. True to what it was called, every step she took, it felt like she was in some sort of fairytale wonderland type place.

Abigail and Mimi crossed over the South bridge to reach the large tree with the picnic blanket. Just looking at this place now… It certainly made them forget that they were ever in a prison facility in the first place.

"Wow, this tree even has a door and everything!" Mimi noted the windows in the tree and the door.

She twisted the doorknob on the tree.

It didn't open.

And from the looks of it, the windows and doors were just added as decorations. Nothing hidden behind those windows or doors… right? Regardless, an apple had fallen to the ground, allowing Abigail to pick it up.

The Equestrian glanced at it carefully. She had to wonder what it would taste like… Perhaps it was better than whatever they've been eating ever since they were imprisoned. But before she could even put her mouth on the apple, Mimi smacked the apple out of her hand.

"A-Ah!" Abigail blinked, surprised. "H-Hey! Mimi! What was that for?!"

"Don't you read fairytales, Big Sis Abby?!" Mimi pouted. "Everyone knows that fruit in fairytales isn't safe to eat! That apple could've been poisoned, y'know!"

"As if apples can just grow out of trees already poisoned," Abigail tried to comment but Mimi kicked the apple farther away.

"Nope!" Mimi exclaimed. "Bad! Bad apples! Bad!"

"...Or maybe I'll just forget about it and move on," Abigail watched Mimi play soccer with a supposed poisoned apple.

She fiddled with her hair a bit as she checked the picnic basket, sitting on the picnic blanket precariously.

"Still, it's really crazy to see how big this Ultimate Cell really is," Abigail noted. "It's both big and a little confined if that makes sense."

"Yeah, but those flowers are so beautiful!" Mimi gasped. "I really think I might be dreaming!"

Abigail rested her back against the tree as she glanced at the flowers that Mimi was talking about. Honestly, aside from all of the decor, there really wasn't much to investigate. In fact, all Abigail could do was admire the Cell's beauty…

She sighed.

"I wonder if Haruto would like it here," she muttered to herself.

"Eh, thinking about Haruto, are you?" Mimi popped out next to Abigail with a cheeky grin.

Abigail was slightly taken aback by how fast Mimi moved around but could only puff her cheek and blush slightly.

"M-Me, think about that idiot?" Abigail huffed, crossing her arms. "A-As if!"

Mimi blankly stared at her.

"You know you're not fooling me," Mimi pointed out.

"O-Okay, so what if I am?" Abigail broke instantly. "I'm just… really worried about him. After everything yesterday, I'm just worried that the idiot is going to get himself into a lot of trouble and… ugh!"

She felt the desire to strangle that man's neck.

"...Why did he decide to hang out with Cassandra of all people today?" Abigail frowned. "He said it so quickly like… is there something I don't know about? Something that might be brewing between them?!"

"...Uh, Holland is there too," Mimi pointed out with a sheepish grin.

"I mean, seriously," Abigail frowned. "He could've hung out with us, but he hung out with Cassandra like…"

Mimi stared at Abigail. She was noticeably frustrated. Frustrated over… nothing. She giggled. She knew exactly what was going on.

"Big Sis Abby," Mimi cheekily began. "Are you jealous?"

"J-Jealous?!" Abigail turned to Mimi, her face pink. "N-No. That idiot can… hang out with her all… he… likes…"

Mimi cleared her throat.

"Again, you're not fooling me," Mimi pointed out.

Abigail realized that too. When it came to stuff like this, she broke easily. She never really had someone to care about like that after all…

"I… I just don't get it Mimi," Abigail sighed, frustrated. "Why did he choose to go with Cassandra today? Was… he too ashamed about yesterday to even hang out with us?"

"Again, Holland is there too," Mimi sheepishly pointed out again. Nevertheless, she still shook her head. "But I don't think that's it. I think Big Bro Haruto might have his own reasons for doing what he does. That's just Big Bro Haruto! So don't worry too much about him and just… y'know, put a little trust in him."

"...You say that, but the last time I wanted to trust him, he was found guilty of tampering with a dead body," Abigail grimaced.

"Oh… right," Mimi had forgotten.

It did just happen yesterday, but this was stuff Mimi really didn't want to remember.

Abigail sighed.

"I don't know," Abigail frowned. "I almost lost him yesterday. I just… I don't want to lose someone else again…"

Mimi blinked at Abigail.

Normally, it was her who would be comforted but today, it was an interesting change of pace. She seated herself next to Abigail and gave her a small smile.

"You won't," Mimi assured her. "I… know that feeling. It's a scary feeling but the only thing we can do is… Hope…"

"Hope," Abigail repeated. "That was what Zuri had mentioned when…"

Together, the two looked slightly saddened at the thought. Hope. It was a nice word. But the only problem was wondering whether or not they could even maintain that feeling… that word… in a place like this.

"...Maybe we should go down to the new Cell Block?" Mimi suggested.

"No, I think… I think it'll be better if we stayed here and looked at everything," Abigail noted. "It's really beautiful. And it helps clear my head."

Mimi looked at Abigail who was genuinely admiring everything. She seemed to be at peace. Perhaps the only few times she's ever been in peace.

She nodded.

"If that's what you want, Big Sis Abby!" Mimi slightly giggled as she started to explore the Cell to check out the premises.

All the while, Abigail thought about that word: Hope.

…

Once again, could Hope really exist in a place like this?

---

(Cell Block E)

Haruto had followed behind Cassandra who followed behind Holland in order to see what exactly caught the game designer's interest. Though, it really should've been obvious what that was if they had just decided to take one solid look at the map. Once Holland had reached that intersecting path, he went to the left and headed straight down. From there, the only path left to take was right, which would lead the three right toward...

...

A door with an eHandbook reader to the side.

Holland took out his eHandbook and wordlessly opened up the room. Nonchalantly, he simply walked in, allowing Haruto and Cassandra to follow behind.

---

(Ultimate Game Designer's Cell)

The Ultimate Game Designer's Cell was a large white glowing room with what seemed to be a single large floating white 3x3 cube in the middle.

The room seemed to be noticeably empty aside from that. The only other thing of note was a red button on the side of the left side of the inside's entrance that said "GO" and another red button on the side of the right side of the inside's entrance that said "STOP".

In the back was a metal door but there was no eHandbook reader or anything like that. It was just a door and from the looks of it, it was a locked door as well.

"...So, this is my Ultimate Cell…" Holland grimaced slightly.

To think that all it took for him to finally get one was losing her…

"Wow, it's really impressive," Cassandra sarcastically retorted. "There's no color and the only thing interesting here is a floating cube. I'm pretty sure this room is whiter than that damn White Room."

"Lay off him," Haruto grumbled to himself. "The guy's a game designer. So obviously, this room is supposed to fit that game designing aesthetic…"

"What," Cassandra scoffed. "You're going to say that this room is just incomplete or something?"

"W-Well… probably," Haruto blinked, rubbing the back of his neck. "Maybe this room is a game that just hasn't been designed yet."

"That's a stupid theory," Cassandra folded her arms.

As Haruto and Cassandra argued amongst themselves about how vacant this room was, Holland took the initiative to actually do what they were supposed to do and examine the room thoroughly. He glanced at the floating cube, noting just how impossible this was and tried to see what was keeping it floating like that.

He waved his hand underneath the cube.

The cube slowly lowered itself, but the moment Holland removed his hand, the cube shot back up. If Holland had to guess, there was high air pressure pushing the cube both up and down. That was interesting.

Then, he tried to remove the cube.

…Surprisingly, it was easy to remove. Peculiar… He would've thought it would have been much trickier. Holland glanced all around the cube, noting just how white and boring it was. He sighed. Maybe Cassandra was right.

Maybe his Ultimate Cell wasn't as interesting as he thought it would be…

…

"Hey, let's just quit arguing and go see what this button does," Haruto smacked his fist onto the 'GO' button.

"D-Don't just press random–" Cassandra warned him a little too late.

SLAM!

The door to the Cell closed as Haruto got a serious sense of deja vu.

"F-Fuck, not again," Haruto clenched his fist.

"Idiot!" Cassandra turned to Haruto with a glare.

Together, they braced themselves for breathing in toxic gas. In fact, it seemed like they were the only two actively bracing themselves. Holland just stood around, holding a cube and accepted his fate. But instead of the room being gassed, the room actually changed from being pure white to a pure black room. Then, slowly some color began to seep into the room.

"W-What the fuck is going on?" Haruto blinked.

"...Ah, I see..." Holland nodded to himself. "I recognize this..."

"What the fuck are you talking about?!" Cassandra glared at Holland.

Holland turned away as he watched the floor turn green and the walls turn light blue. Currently, the cube he was holding in his hands was completely red. Images of eight flowers also began to sprout from the walls. It almost seemed as if they were in a simulation of some kind…

"It's TreasureHunter: Quest for the Monolith," Holland explained.

"What?" Cassandra was still very fucking confused.

"It was supposed to be the first installment in the TreasureHunter series," Holland trailed off, rubbing his chin. "...But I don't remember ever completing it…"

"W-Wait a fucking minute," Haruto could only think about how surreal this damn place was. "You're telling me that this room is simulating a game that you designed?"

"...Yeah," Holland nodded. "I designed TreasureHunter. And judging by the looks, this is definitely a replication of the game."

"H-How are you the least bit unfazed by– Nope, nevermind," Cassandra realized who she was talking to and shook her head. "What the fuck is TreasureHunter anyway? And why do we have to be the ones to essentially beta-test it?!"

"...TreasureHunter is based on a popular movie franchise I really liked watching with my mom," Holland explained.

"I thought you liked that Robo Justice thing…" Haruto deadpanned.

"...Who watches anime with their mom?" Holland glanced at Haruto, slightly coldly. He closed his eyes and shook his head. "But essentially, the game has a really simple premise. You play as the TreasureHunter, an adventurer whose main goal is finding treasure. There are 6 Levels, and each Level is nothing more than a series of puzzles."

"Puzzles?" Cassandra blinked. "W-What kind of puzzles?"

She gestured to the cube Holland had in his hands.

"Because if it's like a Rubix Cube, what the fuck are we supposed to do with an entirely red cube?" Cassandra glared.

"...Well, if this simulation is true to what I designed, this cube is supposed to represent a piece of the Monolith," Holland explained. "In the original game, the piece of the Monolith is all white and every time you complete a Level, the Monolith changes color."

"So, if we beat this level, we not only move on to the next level…" Haruto tried to understand. "But the cube should also change color, right?"

"...That's right," Holland nodded. "As for the puzzles themselves, the solutions are usually simple, but the fun part is figuring out what the question the game is trying to ask you to solve. It can literally be anything. Since we're in… a flower field… maybe the goal is to simply pick flowers or maybe you have to roll on the ground. Whatever you can think of doing according to the level's environment could be the right answer…"

"Y-You mean we're supposed to sit here and do stupid shit in order to figure out what the hell we have to do to leave?" Cassandra's eyes twitched. "I mean this with very much offense… your game sounds like shit."

"...Maybe to someone who's impatient," Holland defended. "But to people who want something challenging and easy at the same time, TreasureHunter is the best game for them. Of course, there is a bunch of stuff I have yet to incorporate in the main games, but designing that aspect of the game... Got easier...?"

Cassandra looked ready to strangle this man. She didn't care if he lost someone like she did, being in a room with surreal colors and little patience was going to drive her nuts. Haruto especially saw that as clear as day as he shook his head and marched over to the button, 'STOP'.

"Look, if you're getting pissed off, lucky for you, there's this fucking button here," Haruto grumbled, slamming his fist onto the button.

Instantly, the color faded back into white, and everything was back in its usual color. The door that had previously been shut suddenly opened back up, allowing Cassandra to sigh in relief. This room was one big migraine waiting to happen.

"Thank Christ," Cassandra folded her arms. "Let's never do this shit again…"

"Yeah, it makes my head hurt," Haruto had to agree.

"...That's why the design is meant for Windows platforms only," Holland shrugged. "If this kind of game ever turned into VR, the bright colors and whatnot would definitely hurt some people…"

"Okay, but what the fuck is the point of this room?" Cassandra glared. "Is it literally just to mindfuck people or…"

"...Every game has a reward if you have the patience and will to beat it," Holland rubbed his chin. "And I think the reward has something to do with…"

Holland's eyes trailed to the metal door in the back.

"...That door," he pointed a finger toward it.

Haruto and Cassandra walked over to it. They knocked on it. Together, they even tried to look for ways to open it.

Unfortunately, there was no way they could open it.

With a sigh, Haruto turned to Holland.

"So, you're saying that if we beat the game, this door will open up?" Haruto summarized.

"...It's just a game theory," Holland nodded.

"Yeah, well, you boys can have fun here," Cassandra shook her head. "I'm not spending another second here. I have better things to do than play games…"

"Yeah, I'll bet," Haruto grumbled to himself.

"What was that?" Cassandra harshly looked at Haruto.

"...Nothing," Haruto shook his head.

Cassandra eyed Haruto suspiciously before turning to leave. Holland on the other hand rubbed the back of his neck as he looked at Haruto.

"While being here and playing the game would be pretty fun… I'm just not in the mood for it," Holland sighed… placing the cube back where it was, allowing it to float in the air. "So, I'm with Cassandra on this one. I think I'm going to head back to the Cafeteria…"

"Alright, if that's what you guys want…" Haruto noted, glancing at the two of them.

The Ultimate Game Designer's Cell was definitely an interesting Cell. It had some cool features that he could definitely share with the group once everyone returned to the Cafeteria. Though, he stayed behind for a moment to watch Cassandra and Holland leave.

He frowned.

He still needed to make it up to Holland.

And as for Cassandra…

…What the hell was he going to do with her?

---

(Cell Block E)

Once Arthur and Ina had left the Ultimate Heiress Cell, they immediately turned left to head to the right side of the Cell Block E's intersection. This led them down another hallway before finally it turned left to reach another locked room. Once they reached this red eHandbook reader, Ina didn't need to waste any breath on hesitating to open it. She took out her eHandbook and pressed it against the reader.

Once she did so, the door opened.

Then, wordlessly, the Kingston siblings stepped inside to see what awaited this room...

---

(Ultimate Opinion Columnist's Cell)

The Ultimate Opinion Columnist's Cell was a rather big cell and the first instinct anything would have when walking in was that the room was a goddamn mess. It looked as bad as Jared's room… in fact, if Cassandra were here, it would bring back memories of what Jared's room was like to her…

Newspaper clippings were lined up on the wall with red string pinned at every corner of the room. Filing cabinets were assorted around and some were even knocked on the ground. There was also a computer in the far right. The computer was also hooked up to a video camera right next to it, that was pointed directly at a green screen.

As for the newspaper clippings, the most notable one read…

…

'TRAGEDY OF HOPE'S PEAK ACADEMY: CLASS OF 78 STILL MISSING'

"Now this is peculiar," Arthur gave an intrigued smirk. "Information about that Tragedy I see."

"Eh?" Ina blinked. "Y-You can read this?"

Arthur blinked.

Oh. That's right. The newspaper clipping was in Japanese. At least, this specific newspaper clipping that Arthur noticed. There were other newspapers all in different languages, but Arthur couldn't help but be attracted to this specific one.

"Of course," Arthur nodded. "I'm a Kingston. It was one of many of Father's… requirements."

He sighed bitterly at that as Ina walked toward a version of the same clipping she could actually read. Once she found the English version, she looked nervous.

"But what is this doing here?" Ina asked. "Especially in Carter's Cell. In fact, c-could that mean that–"

Arthur shook his head, slightly amused at how much Ina was overthinking about this.

"My dear sister," Arthur shrugged. "I fear you're thinking too hard about this. Carter is the Ultimate Opinion Columnist. That's a talent that has much to do with newspapers and as such, it only makes sense that White Collar chose this Cell to give us more information about this… Tragedy…"

He folded his arms. He really loved doing that, didn't he…?

"Nevertheless…" Arthur began.

He walked up to the newspaper clipping that had that big hook for a title and squinted his eyes to read the smaller words underneath.

"Now… let's see here," Arthur began to read:

'On November 25, 2010, the Class of 78 in the Main Course Department of the renowned elite school, Hope's Peak Academy, suddenly disappeared without a trace.

The Class of 78 were to be this year's new graduates of Hope's Peak Academy, a government-sanctioned private city-center high school dedicated to developing and researching talents of exceptional high school students. Founded by Izuru Kamukura, the school has since evolved from a private school in Japan to now a school open to all students exhibiting Ultimate Talents in different parts of the World. In fact, recently, Headmaster Jin Kirigiri and Dr. Zuno Noshino have announced plans to open Hope's Peak Academies in every country across every region, in hopes of developing Talents in foreign lands.

Today, the disappearance of the Class of 78 marks a tragic loss for the Hope that was to lead the future generation into the New World. These losses include:

Aoi Asahina - The Ultimate Swimmer

Byakuya Togami - The Ultimate Affluent Progeny

Chihiro Fujisaki - The Ultimate Programmer

Hifumi Yamada - The Ultimate Fanfic Creator

Kiyotaka Ishimaru - The Ultimate Moral Compass

Kyoko Kirigiri - The Ultimate Detective

Junko Enoshima - The Ultimate Fashionista

Leon Kuwata - The Ultimate Baseball Star

Makoto Naegi - The Ultimate Lucky Student

Mondo Owada - The Ultimate Biker Gang Leader

Mukuro Ikusaba - The Ultimate Soldier

Sakura Ogami - The Ultimate Martial Artist

Sayaka Maizono - The Ultimate Pop Sensation

Taeko Yasuhiro - The Ultimate Gambler

Toko Fukawa - The Ultimate Writing Prodigy

Yasuhiro Hagakure - The Ultimate Clairvoyant

According to testimony from Hope's Peak's Head Psychologist, Dr. Zuno Noshino, who worked closely with the administrators of Hope's Peak, the Class of 78 were set to embark on a government-funded field trip. However, they never returned, and no one has heard of them since. Headmaster Jin Kirigiri has yet to comment.

This is not the first time Hope's Peak Academy has undergone contro–'

The newspaper clipping was cut off right then and there.

Arthur sunk back. Ina looked uneasy. Not even five minutes in the room and Arthur and Ina were dumped with information regarding the Tragedy right from the get-go. Ina bit her lip.

"These names," Ina began. "They truly are… Each of those Evidence Boxes we found… The Class of 78 were all captured and put into a Killing Game. That…"

"...is an absolute certainty?" Arthur frowned before nodding his head. "Yes. It is."

"No doubt, just like each victim had their own Evidence Box, each victim was killed by their own classmate," Arthur deduced. "And each of their murderous classmates…"

"...were executed," Ina concluded.

This was truly Hell itself…

…

As Arthur and Ina took time to register what they had just read, Arthur noticed another newspaper clipping that caught his eye. This time, it was basic English, so Ina could follow along by reading the same clipping.

'CLASS OF 78 FOUND?!'

This was something new.

Before, all they received was information about the fact that these kids went missing. Now, they have an article declaring that they were… found? This was definitely something worth the read.

'On December 15, 2010, special law enforcement teams were spotted storming an abandoned facility. Although it is unclear what their purpose was, eyewitnesses believe that these special law enforcement teams have located the Class of 78 and have placed them under Witness Protection. A reliable source has testified to seeing law enforcement rescue a person from the facility. Whether this truly does relate to the Tragedy of Hope's Peak Academy remains unknown as no further comments have been made regarding this incident.'

What kind of newspaper clipping was this?

It was short.

It was brief.

But it seemed to give Ina some resemblance of Hope.

"I see," Ina blinked. "So, perhaps there truly was a survivor of the Killing Game…"

"Or maybe it's fake news," Arthur seemed unconvinced. "If there was a survivor of the Killing Game, they would've announced themselves to the world…"

"Or maybe they could not," Ina pointed out.

Arthur raised an eyebrow.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"...If they were the only ones who survived the Killing Game, then would that not mean that they…" Ina trailed off.

Arthur immediately understood where Ina was getting at. And honestly…?

"A-Ah… I see," Arthur seemed slightly disturbed. "If they won the Killing Game by getting away with murder…"

"...Then they could not very well have announced it to the world, now, could they?" Ina nodded.

"You make a fair point, sister," Arthur sighed.

And Ina didn't have it in her to correct him, this time.

…

The Kingston siblings continued to scout the room for more newspaper clippings, however, most of them were either the same just in different languages, or were newspaper clippings about topics completely unrelated to the Tragedy at hand. Then, after a few moments of scouring, the pair sighed.

"Well, I suppose that is all we get to learn about the Tragedy," Arthur noted. "Any more and White Collar would be too generous."

"Regardless, I believe we should now focus on the other aspects of the room at hand," Ina suggested.

"Right you are, my dear sister," Arthur smirked.

"Half," Ina corrected.

Sure enough, after a brief moment of discussing what to do next, the two began checking the other things in the room aside from just the newspaper clippings.

…

The first thing the Kingston siblings noted were the filing cabinets on the ground. Arthur was the first to squat down and open up each filing drawer.

Glancing inside, he looked back up to Ina and shook his head.

"Nothing," he said.

"How unfortunate," Ina sighed.

What a great start to the investigation at hand!

…

The only other thing of note was the video camera hooked up to the computer as well as the green screen that it was pointed toward. This was definitely something Arthur was curious about.

"Now, what do we have here," Arthur smirked.

"Ah, I recognize this type of equipment," Ina blinked.

"Oh?" Arthur raised an eyebrow. "Did you by chance work as a news reporter before becoming a revolutionary?"

"Eh?" Ina blinked. "I do not know where you got the news reporter assumption from but… this was the same thing my organization used when making strict demands against those demons."

"...I see," Arthur folded his arms and listened to Ina, attentively.

She had walked toward the video camera and examined the controls thoroughly. To note, there was an USB drive inserted into where a cartridge for a video camera would be.

"Judging by the type of video camera, this works precisely like any typical video camera," Ina declared. "You aim at what you wish to record, and you shoot the footage."

She turned the video camera on and moved to the computer.

The computer now had an image of the screen, but it didn't seem to be pointed at the green screen. Instead, it seemed to be pointed toward… the Auditorium? She moved the mouse around and noted that there were options to change the background. She clicked on another option, this time, showcasing the Ultimate Snowboarder's Cell.

"I see," she nodded her head. "Just as I thought. You can select what the green screen will show from the computer. From the looks of it, the options are pretty much every place available in this facility."

"So, to reiterate," Arthur began. "You stand in front of the video camera, and you select your background for the green screen on the computer."

"Yes," Ina nodded.

"Okay…" Arthur nodded in return before crossing his arms. "And then what?"

"Huh?" Ina blinked.

"What is supposed to happen next?" Arthur asked. "You hit the record button and then it saves to the video camera?"

"Oh," Ina understood what he meant. "Well…"

"I bet you mean to say that it will save on this USB drive here," Arthur helped her out, unplugging the USB drive from the video camera's makeshift USB cartridge. He waved it around for her to see.

"Ah, yes," Ina nodded. "I suppose it does save to the USB drive. And I believe that our eHandbooks have USB inputs…"

"Meaning whatever is recorded here can be viewed as a video file on our eHandbooks," Arthur smirked. "Heh. Who knew Carter would have such a fascinating room with both a fun activity and newspaper clippings about the Tragedy to read into…"

Ina had to agree with that.

Carter, although deceased, sure helped them out with some confirmation thanks to his Ultimate Cell…

…

With that being everything left to check, Ina sighed in relief before looking back toward Arthur with a small, satisfied smile.

"I think we have seen everything we can here, half-brother," Ina pointed out. "Shall we head on back to the Cafeteria to report our findings?"

"One moment," Arthur said, as he stared at the back wall of newspaper clippings in thought.

"What is the matter?" Ina blinked. "Find a newspaper clipping worth reading?"

Arthur didn't say anything for a moment before shaking his head.

"...Not particularly," he stepped forward and knocked on the wall.

Another thin wall.

The same type of suspicious metal wall from…

"Not this again," Ina sighed. "Why are you obsessed with the walls? They are not closing in, are they?"

Arthur pondered to himself. Why were these walls so strange to him? He didn't know the correct answer, nor did he have clues to them at the moment. Knowing his sister, she was probably weirded out by what he was thinking.

"It is nothing," Arthur sighed. "Let us go on back to report our findings indeed…"

Ina gave a nod toward Arthur and was the first to leave the room.

Arthur followed behind, but just like the Ultimate Heiress Cell, he took one last look at the Ultimate Opinion Columnist's Cell suspiciously…

…Then he left.

---

(Cafeteria)

Once all of the seven prisoners returned to the Cafeteria, everyone got ready to share their findings in the new areas that had opened up. Of course, taking the charge of leadership after stealing it from Jared and Zuri's dead corpse, Arthur stepped up with that glowing yet cold Kingston aura.

"Now that we have checked out every location… at least… I would hope," Arthur began. "I believe it is time we share what we all have found."

Abigail rolled her eyes at his attempt at leadership but stepped up anyway to report on what she and Mimi found.

"Mimi and I went to Mimi's Ultimate Cell," Abigail began. "It's… honestly the best Ultimate Cell throughout this entire facility."

"O-Oh, thank you Big Sis Abby!" Mimi gasped.

"Impossible," Arthur scoffed. "No one's Ultimate Cell can be better than mine!"

"My Ultimate Cell is actually pretty cool…" Holland trailed off.

Ina blankly stared at this conversation. Her Ultimate Cell was still ruined. She opened her mouth to speak but Haruto jumped to contribute to the conversation next.

"Oi, even better than mine?" Haruto blinked.

"Well, maybe if you joined up with me instead of Cassandra, then maybe you would've seen it for yourself," Abigail pouted slightly, blushing. Clearly, she was being petty about that, but she was doing too bad a job of looking like that.

Nevertheless, Haruto blankly glanced at her.

"...Um, I was there too," Holland pointed out.

"Yeah, and I was there with you too!" Mimi pouted slightly.

"Regardless, did you and Abigail find anything of use at the Ultimate Fairytale Writer's Cell?" Ina asked, glancing directly toward Mimi.

"E-Eh?!" Mimi frowned. "Why are you asking me?!"

"Well, it had a big tree with doors," Abigail rubbed her arms. "But the door was mostly for decoration. There are a bunch of trees and bridges and a river stream and like Haruto's Cell, it has open access to the sky."

"And there are those thin electrical wires like in my Cell, right?" Haruto grumbled to himself. "To prevent anyone from escaping?"

"You can't really see them, but yeah, my guess is that they should have them too," Abigail nodded.

"Very well then," Arthur nodded in return. "We have a Cell that is just beautiful to look at. That was the last of the Cells in the entire upper floor, correct? Then, I think we should move on to Cell Block E…"

"Cell Block E?" Mimi asked, perking her head. "What does that stand for?"

"The Experimental Facility," Cassandra responded, slightly frowning.

Mimi jumped slightly. Honestly, people had forgotten that Cassandra was still with them given the fact that she went a long moment without saying much to them. Truth was, she had been thinking about something for a long time. Whatever it was about, was for her and only her to know…

"...Yeah, the Experimental Facility," Holland nodded. "Cell Block E is the place where #66 was experimented on. Meaning, the fruits of everything that had happened here at St. Esther… cultivated from Cell Block E…"

"Yeah, there was a Laboratory," Haruto noted. "And inside this Laboratory was a locked room that probably leads into the very place #66 was experimented in called the Testing Grounds… My guess is that it may have something to do with a file we found on the computer at the Laboratory. Something called… the Kamukura Project."

Haruto rubbed his chin.

"That sound familiar to any of you?" he questioned.

"The Kamukura Project?" Arthur raised an eyebrow, surprised. "Now that is a name that seems quite… familiar."

"Of course, it does," Ina blinked, remembering what one of the newspaper clippings had mentioned…

---

The Class of 78 were to be this year's new graduates of Hope's Peak Academy, a government-sanctioned private city-center high school dedicated to developing and researching talents of exceptional high school students. Founded by Izuru Kamukura, the school has since evolved from a private school in Japan to now a school open to all students exhibiting Ultimate Talents in different parts of the World. In fact, recently, Headmaster Jin Kirigiri and Dr. Zuno Noshino have announced plans to open Hope's Peak Academies in every country across every region, in hopes of developing Talents in foreign lands.

---

"Is that not the name of the founder of Hope's Peak Academy?" Ina blinked.

"The founder of Hope's Peak Academy?" Mimi gasped.

"So, whatever this Kamukura Project is shares the last name of Hope's Peak's founder," Abigail narrowed her eyes. "That can't be a coincidence. And if that's the case, does that mean that St. Esther's is… connected to Hope's Peak somehow?"

St. Esther's being connected to Hope's Peak. But how? How would a school connect to a prison that once housed thousands of terrible criminals? It… didn't make any sense…

"Did the file happen to have anything else?" Arthur questioned.

"...Apparently…" Holland began. "The Project was postponed for an unknown duration. At least… until I guess the Project was moved to a new location."

"A new location, hm?" Ina blinked, thinking about this fact, closely.

Holland merely nodded with a sigh.

The file mentioned the Project had to be relocated, meaning there were two locations to look out for: an old location and a new location. Whichever those locations were, St. Esther had to be one of them. Not only that, but the Project only had to be postponed because of some… unforeseen circumstance.

What was that circumstance…?

…

"We also found Holland's Cell," Haruto pointed out. "It's basically a giant video-game simulation thing."

"Video-game simulation?" Mimi blinked. "That sounds… really cool actually!"

"A big headache is what it actually is," Cassandra scoffed.

"...It's based on my TreasureHunter game," Holland glanced away. "It's a bunch of brain teasers if anything. Anyone with patience can easily win it."

"Unless they realize how pointless that room is," Cassandra sighed, folding her arms. Well, looks like she was back in bitch mode.

"Pointless?" Arthur questioned.

"I don't think it's pointless," Haruto stepped forward, part of it to get in Holland's good graces again. "I mean, there's a clear reward for what you get if you beat the game…"

"A reward?" Ina blinked.

"You may speak, I'll allow it," Arthur closed his eyes and folded his arms.

"What?" Haruto blinked at whatever the hell Arthur was referencing. He shook his head. "Well, we don't know exactly what the reward is, but it has something to do with a locked door in Holland's Cell. I think if we beat the game, we can see what's behind it!"

"...Fascinating," Arthur rubbed his chin before nodding. "I suppose I will keep that in mind."

…

With Haruto, Cassandra, and Holland reporting the two rooms they had investigated, it was now time for the Kingstons siblings to make their report. Ina was first in line, her gaze pointed down as she thought of the Cell she was preparing to announce.

"As for my half-brother and I…" she began. "We found Mayu's Ultimate Cell."

"What was she… like the Ultimate Heiress or something?" Haruto blinked. "I'd imagine it'd be a lot of rich, upper-class shit inside, right?"

"...It was mostly a dining table," Ina explained. "But yes. There were a lot of high-class I expected demons in their prime to own. But… Mayu is…"

Ina glanced away.

Mimi stared at her and glanced away as well, indifferently.

Even though the little witch girl had suffered much over the course of this game, she was still no closer to accepting Ina's apology, but at the very least, she could see just how truly guilty she was…

"Yes, there was a dining table," Arthur nodded. "There is food on the table, but none you can actually eat. All of them, except the wine, are fake."

"Fake food on a dining table?" Abigail blinked. "Wow. White Collar really likes his decor."

"Anything else?" Cassandra sighed, leaning against the wall.

"...No, not that I can think of," Arthur stated.

He could actually think of plenty. This included the weapons that the suits of armor carried. The strange wall. The bunch of reminders of Mashiro's presence. But honestly, he couldn't be bothered to list out every single thing. Not when there were more pressing matters to be said about…

"...But there are a lot of things in Carter's Ultimate Cell that I think we should talk about," Arthur smirked.

"Really, like what?" Mimi blinked.

"For starters, information about the Tragedy," Arthur smirked. "There were newspaper clippings all throughout the walls of the Cell. One of which listed the names of those who disappeared."

"And I assume they were a match to the Evidence Boxes we've seen," Abigail raised an eyebrow.

"Yes, they were," Arthur nodded. "And I think it's safe to conclude that just like us, the Class of 78 that disappeared was thrown into a Killing Game of their own as well. The question of where is unknown but there may have been survivors or survivor to the game…"

"A survivor?" Mimi blinked.

"Yes, there was another newspaper clipping that mentioned that but…" Ina glanced away.

What did any of this even mean?

From the Kamukura Project… to the Tragedy… to the Killing Game they were in. All of it was still confusing despite the information they received today. Cassandra sighed as she placed her foot back down onto the ground after hearing all of this. She was definitely going to have to ask about this…

"Hey, were those newspaper clippings the only thing you've found in that Cell?" Cassandra asked.

"Well, there is a video camera," Ina began. "It is meant to record a video onto a USB drive that can then be shown on an eHandbook."

"It's also hooked up to a computer along with a green screen," Arthur added. "Like what they usually do in news stations."

Well, that didn't seem very helpful at all. At least, that was what Cassandra had thought to herself.

…

"And I believe that is all the rooms accounted for," Arthur noted. "Hmm, while we did receive some information, it seems there are still more questions than answers."

"That is usually the case when it comes to this facility," Ina sighed.

What did they even find throughout the day? Well, this included:

The Ultimate Fairytale Writer's Cell, which was a large Cell that was just really pretty to look at and visit from time to time.

The Ultimate Game Designer's Cell, which simulated a video-game Holland designed and could potentially give them access to a locked room when beaten.

The Ultimate Heiress's Cell, which was basically one big fancy dining room.

The Ultimate Opinion Columnist's Cell, which had a lot of lore to the Tragedy and a video camera as well.

And finally, the Laboratory, which gave them the Kamukura Project's name but still held a big secret in the form of a currently inaccessible area to the Laboratory: the Testing Grounds.

It was a lot but at the same time, it wasn't enough.

They still had so much to figure out… so much to solve…

"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. Fortunately, since it is your first day here, we'll give tonight a slide. Be sure to review the rules on the Rules App of your Handbook. That is all."

Arthur glanced at the ceiling where the intercom would've been announced and sighed.

"I guess that is our cue," Arthur noted.

"A lot of new rooms but…" Mimi frowned.

"I suppose some of us could explore the facility a little more given the fact that I believe plenty of us have Nighttime Advantages now," Arthur noted.

"Yeah, but the question is if it's even a good fucking idea to that," Haruto grumbled.

Arthur pondered this closely.

It would be Nighttime which was a whole other can of rules to follow, especially since there were plenty of Nighttime things to factor in. Generally, though…

"...I suppose you are correct," Arthur noted. "Very well. We will reconvene tomorrow about this."

"Yes, that sounds good," Ina nodded toward Arthur.

Then, slowly, the Kingston siblings left the Cafeteria first. As soon as they left, Abigail let out a frustrated sigh.

"That Arthur…" she mumbled to herself.

She was the next to leave. Haruto planned to follow behind Abigail, but Mimi stopped him slightly, allowing Holland to leave next.

"Mimi?" Haruto blinked. "W-What's wrong?"

"You know you disappointed Big Sis Abby today, right?" Mimi frowned slightly.

"H-Huh?" Haruto glanced at Mimi. "I… I did?"

"Yeah!" Mimi frowned. "She was really upset! So, you're making it up to her tomorrow!"

Immediately, Mimi grabbed Haruto by the elbow and pulled him away, but not before the basketball player shared a glance toward Cassandra, who merely stayed behind with nothing coldness in her eyes.

If Haruto didn't have this tiny girl dragging him along, he would totally follow her and see what she was up to…

…

And once Haruto and Mimi left… that left Cassandra all alone.

She frowned.

Then, she sighed to herself.

She turned and left the Cafeteria, but instead of heading back to her Prison Room like everyone else, she went elsewhere…

---

(Ultimate Fairytale Writer's Cell)

...

...

...

"So, you came to see me I presume."

When Cassandra walked into the Ultimate Fairytale Writer's Cell, White Collar was already waiting for her by the picnic blanket. It was the same spot they had shared their little conversation at. Cassandra made no hesitation to make her way over the bridge and sit next to him.

"How'd you know I'd be here?" White Collar asked, curiously.

"It's your favorite place in the entire facility," Cassandra answered. "You told me that last night."

White Collar chuckled behind his mask.

"And you remembered," the man in the Devil's amusedly responded.

Setting his cane to the side, he turned away from Cassandra and glanced toward the beautiful flowers. Cassandra figured he was reminiscing about happier times again, but she had no time for this geezer to think about such things. She had some important things to say after all…

"First thing's first," Cassandra eyed the open door. "You sure no one is going to overhear our conversation? Maybe it would be better if we moved to wherever your hideaway place is…"

"Unfortunately, we can't do that," White Collar shook his head. "Monohebi said she was going to do something, so without her, there's no way I can knock you out and transport you there. And besides, it's… refurbished, now…"

Cassandra raised an eyebrow toward him.

"What?" Cassandra scoffed. "Still don't trust me?"

White Collar remained quiet, briefly.

"...Have you given it any thought to what we talked about?" he asked. "Have you made up your mind?"

It was Cassandra's turn to glance toward the flowers. She grimaced slightly. Of course, he would get straight to the point. She tugged on the picnic blanket tightly. She had all day to figure out what she wanted to do. She had all day to figure out what she could do… What she needed to do… What…

She thought back to Jared's mangled corpse, her eyes growing dark.

"...Yeah, I did," she said. "I'll kill Arthur Kingston."

White Collar seemed unconvinced.

"Without hesitation?" he questioned.

"You were right," Cassandra tucked her knees closer and hugged them. "About last night. I really did like him. I liked him so much that I… It just felt so wrong to betray him."

"...But?" White Collar perked his head.

"...But he's dead now," Cassandra turned to White Collar, her eyes looking dead serious. "And that bastard, Arthur, killed him. So… I'll go and kill him too."

She hugged her knees tighter.

"I'll kill that bastard for what he did…" Cassandra gritted her teeth. "I'll kill him for taking the person I…"

She still couldn't admit it to herself.

"Oh…" White Collar was absolutely intrigued by Cassandra's hidden anger. "That's good to hear. The deal is still on then."

White Collar stood up but before he could fully stand, Cassandra continued.

"Wait," she began, turning to White Collar with a cold look. "But if I'm going to do this, I need your help."

White Collar's mask slowly grinned.

"I'm listening…" he mused.

"Killing him isn't going to be easy," Cassandra stated. "Ina tried and failed. You wanted him dead for a while and yet he's still latching on like a cockroach. If I'm going to kill him and make sure he stays dead, I need to know about everything that I can use to do the job. All the secrets to this facility. A way to kill him and avoid anyone else who might stop me…"

White Collar stared at the scam artist. Was she serious about this? Her resolve and will looked absolutely said so. He picked up his cane and pointed the sharp end of it toward Cassandra's chin.

"Fascinating," White Collar noted, his jagged red eye glinting. "Very well. I will help you, but be warned, I can only help you with so much. So don't let my generosity… go to waste."

White Collar's mask turned hideous and scary.

"Do you understand, Miss Mura?" he leaned forward as his mask exhibited a crazy grin.

Cassandra held her ground.

Together, the two stood up and glanced at each other.

Cassandra had made her decision.

She was going to do it.

She was going to kill Arthur Kingston.

"I do," she seriously stated. "So, let's start with one thing I want to know about."

White Collar perked his head.

"...What's the Kamukura Project?" she asked.

---

DANGANRONPA: CORRUPTED HOPE

---

And here we go! The first Daily Life part of Chapter 5: Saviour of the Damned!

And the only one you're going to get throughout this entire month cause now it's break time for me! I'm supposed to officially start my break on the 23rd, so you'll be getting a three-week hiatus until I get back from visiting my family. Or maybe you'll end up getting something anyway because I'm stubborn and crazy like that XE Either case, that is pretty much my thing to let you all know but hey, Chapter 5 is now underway, and we are so close to the end ;-;

I still have a lot to think about this Chapter, but generally, I think I have some good stuff planned. So excited for you all to see it :D ...Eventually!

That's all I really have to say on this chapter, so let me know what you guys think! Love it? Hate it? Let me know!

On a side note, the sequel is being planned as we speak so let me know if you're interested in that too!

---

Prisoners Remaining: 7

---

Abigail Ellsworth - The Ultimate Equestrian (oddlyillregular) [1,000,000]

Arthur Kingston - The Ultimate Snowboarder (SinWriter7) [0]

Cassandra Mura - The Ultimate Scam Artist (ExtraMeme) [500,000]

Haruto Walker - The Ultimate Former Basketball Player (theotakureader101) [0]

Holland Delaney - The Ultimate Game Designer (Sempi) [1,000,000]

Ina (Hamamura) Kingston - The Ultimate Revolutionary (VividIsSleeping) [0]

Mimi Kazoo - The Ultimate Fairytale Writer (Idraegan) [0]