Chapter 5: Saviour of the Damned (Daily Life #3)
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!
"Stanczyk says!
Stanczyk does!
Stanczyk plays…
With all of us-"
Mimi felt her phone get snatched away.
It has been two months since her summer school began. Two months since Griffin Dorter played that cruel prank on her and throughout it all, there was nothing but torment all eight hours of her school life. Eight hours per five days per week.
The creepy stalker girl.
The freak.
The loser.
Mimi was on the brink. Today was like no other day and yet, somehow, she felt as if she were on the edge of breaking. An edge that she never thought she would ever cross. An edge of hatred. A grudge so powerful that it was ready to unleash the demon that she never realized she had.
…Why?
She had gotten used to it before.
In fact, today, she quite expected that she would be bullied an hour later. Not now. She was to eat her food in solitude. She was to watch an old rerun of that canceled cartoon, Stanczyk Says. (Specifically, Stanczyk Meets the Witch, the one where Stanczyk visits the witch's gingerbread house. That was her favorite episode after all).
But he ruined it.
Who else but the one who took advantage of Griffin's baseless accusations to enjoy his own sense of disgusting pleasure: Ronaldo Herrera de Sota.
Griffin may have started the rumors, but Ronaldo took them too far. As the school's best soccer player, Ronaldo had the power to rally up a bunch of students to watch him make fun of Mimi. Today was no different.
Although she kept her head down to avoid showing how annoyed she was that her phone was so rudely snatched away, she noticed other students beginning to watch.
Griffin Dorter was there, indifferent as usual.
But then there was Erin Sliv, Raven Claw, and even Humphrey Puffles.
All of them, eager to watch their long-anticipated moment in their long grueling day of school: Bully the silly little witch girl.
"Hey, I wonder what you're watching," Ronaldo mockingly taunted her. "Oh? Stanczyk Says? Isn't that show for babies? Bwahahaha! What a riot!"
"Give me back my phone," Mimi ordered, slightly hissing.
"Or what?" Ronaldo waved the phone in her face in glee. "You'll cast a spell on me? Oooh! I'm so scared!"
"Give it back!" Mimi started to yell as she tried to reach for it.
But like typical bullies, the more she did, the more Ronaldo enjoyed it. He slowly raised the phone up higher, allowing the episode to play on her phone as he did so.
"Why don't you try and get it?!" Ronaldo started to laugh.
"Seriously!" Mimi looked much more frustrated than usual. "Give it back! Give it back!"
With how short she was, she tried to jump to grab her phone. But the more she got closer, the more Ronaldo raised it higher. And all the while, Mimi could hear the snickering and chuckles from her peers.
Ugh.
Why?
Why does this happen to her? Why can't everyone just leave her alone?!
She began to shake.
She closed her eyes, allowing the only things she would hear were Ronaldo's loud taunts and the laughter coming from the rest of these bystanders. Allowing the only thing she could feel was the atmosphere getting hotter and hotter by the minute. Allowing the only thing she could imagine was the people that surrounded them getting closer and closer and closer until finally…
…She opened her eyes, grabbed her chair and–
WHACK!
Suddenly, the laughing stopped.
The look of amusement on their faces shifted to shock and fear. Everyone had either backed away from Mimi or had huddled around Ronaldo. There was blood slowly seeping on the side of his head and that blood just so happened to have stained the leg of the chair. The very part she used to strike her bully.
Mimi slowly dropped her chair in shock as she walked closer to Ronaldo.
"R-Ronaldo–" she asked but before she could even move closer, she was pushed away.
"Stay away from him," Griffin, who was unsurprisingly the one who took the initiative to check on him, coldly glared at her. "The guy just wanted to have fun and look at what you did to him…"
"N-No, no I…" Mimi tried to explain.
"Someone call 911," Erin ordered. "Raven! Go do it!"
"Holy fuck," Humphrey widened his eyes. "The bitch actually did it."
"N-No… I just wanted my phone back," Mimi tried to explain. "He… He…"
"You want your phone back?" Griffin grimaced as he picked up Mimi's phone from Ronaldo's unconscious hands. "Fine. Take it and leave."
Then, with no hesitation, he tossed it right back toward Mimi. In fact, it was so fast that the witch girl had nearly let the phone connect to her face. She could only look at Griffin's gaze of disdain as she glanced back down at her phone. Stanczyk had long gone into the witch's house and seemed distraught.
"Aww man, I sure made a mistake, didn't I?" Stanczyk muttered in the episode.
Mimi held onto the phone tightly, grabbed her bag, and quickly hurried out of the classroom. She could feel the heated looks on everyone's face as she walked past staff members and administrators heading toward her classroom to see what all the commotion was about.
And as she continued to hurry away from what was effectively her crime scene, she closed her eyes.
And she prayed.
Prayed that all of this was just a dream.
A nightmare.
That she would wake up to see that everything was okay. Everything was going to be okay. Everything had to be okay.
It had to be!
Right?
(Cafeteria)
"Alright, what is our plan?"
"I say we tie her up. Leave her at my Ultimate Cell. I have tons of rope there."
"Whoa whoa, let's not get too carried away here, alright? Look. I'd say, we just hear her out."
"Oh, so you want to let her kill Arthur and leave?! Think with your head Haruto! Despite how much of an asshole he is, sacrificing him is just as bad as killing him yourself!... No offense, by the way."
"No no. No offense has been made."
As expected, today's Cafeteria scene was nothing but a mess.
Abigail, Arthur, Haruto, Holland, Ina, and Mimi had all gathered together to talk about what had been revealed to them yesterday. Although a lot of it had been lies, there were some truths to what Monohebi had dumped onto their frantic minds.
For starters, Cassandra truly was looking to kill Arthur. No matter whether they believed Monohebi or not, that was an absolute highlight the six needed to go over. And currently, that was the highlight that the group was currently debating on. Surprisingly however, even though Arthur was the one on the chopping block, it was Abigail who was firing point after point.
Especially, since those points were being directed toward Haruto.
"I'm not saying we should offer up Arthur's head like he's the fucking main course, Abby!" Haruto argued. "I'm just saying we should maybe give Cassandra a chance to explain herself! You can't seriously expect what Monohebi said to be the absolute truth, right?"
"And you expect that Cassandra isn't also lying through her fucking teeth when she dumped her side of the story to you?" Abigail looked irritated. "Quit thinking with your dick and think with your head!"
"W-What the fuck are you talking about?" Haruto blinked before frowning. "My dick has nothing to do with this!"
Clearly, her irritation stemmed from something else.
"…Whether your dick is important to the conversation or not, doesn't matter," Holland sighed. "What matters is that there isn't really a way to confirm which sides are telling the truth."
"Holland is correct," Ina nodded her head. "Both sides will tell a story, yet none are able to provide explicit evidence to prove themselves innocent. But what we do know is that both Monohebi and Cassandra are enemies we should be looking out against."
"...Exactly," Holland nodded his head. "We shouldn't be fighting amongst ourselves over whether we should trust Cassandra or not. Regardless of if we can, she crossed too many lines already."
"She killed Big Sis Maggie," Mimi specified with a frown on her face. "And she made a deal with Monohebi!"
"Right, you are Mimi," Ina folded her arms, ignoring the fact that Mimi had avoided even looking toward her. "Therefore, let us instead figure out our next order of business here."
"Well, we were!" Abigail frowned. "I suggested we tie Cassandra up and–"
"Yeah, but you forget that Cassandra is on the chopping block as well," Haruto pointed out. "If we tie her up, that makes it easy for one of us here to kill her!"
"Yet if she runs around the facility freely, she's going to kill Arthur and leave us for dead," Abigail pointed out as well.
Two really great points.
And yet, the one person in the room that was of interest here had yet to contribute much of anything to this conversation. In fact, while everyone else had huddled together at one table, Arthur Kingston folded his arms uneasily, keeping his distance as he sat on a whole different table.
It just took a bit before finally someone noticed…
"Arthur," Mimi called out. "Why are you over there? You're part of this too!"
"Yeah, hang on a minute," Haruto grumbled. "If anyone should be pitching the tie up idea, it's supposed to be you! Your life is one of the ones on the line after all!"
Arthur folded his arms.
The snowboarder was noticeably troubled.
So troubled that the only time he even spoke during this entire exchange was to respond to Abigail's offense comment. Other than that, his mind had been swirling with confusion and anxiety of all kinds. In fact, even now, it didn't seem like he heard his peers calling out to him. All he really did was mumble questions underneath his breath…
"...Why me?" Arthur mumbled. "Why target me specifically…? W-What did I ever do wrong…? I… There has to be some mistake here…"
"Nevermind, he's having his existential crisis," Haruto grumbled, folding his arms.
"...Actually, he's asking the right questions," Holland flipped his hoodie over his head. "Throughout Monohebi's story, I was wondering the same thing…"
"I am afraid that won't be a wise decision, Master," Monohebi shook her head. "Cassandra Mura is in fact the traitor working with me to make sure the Killing Game runs smoothly."
"W-What?" White Collar was taken aback by what she was saying.
"W-What?!" Cassandra looked both shocked and pissed at what she was being accused of. She was a traitor but a traitor working with Monohebi?! Bitch, please!
"Miss Mura came to me at the end of the first Prison Trial for a proposition," Monohebi began. "A rather interesting deal. If she could find a way to kill Arthur Kingston, she gets to leave scot-free in a fixed Trial."
"W-What?" Arthur blinked.
"H-Huh?" Ina was surprised by this as well.
Why did his name come up?
"...Why Arthur Kingston specifically?" Holland rubbed his chin. "I would imagine traitors would typically go for anyone but it's interesting that Monohebi mentioned Arthur's name specifically…"
"What, you think Cassandra has some sort of grudge against Arthur?" Abigail frowned, crossing her arms with a huff.
Haruto opened his mouth to speak but before he could, a new voice entered the ring to join this conversation at hand.
"...No, I don't," the voice stated. "But I know someone who does. If you'll allow me to explain."
Everyone turned their heads toward the door to see who else?
Cassandra.
"Nuh-uh, absolutely not," Abigail immediately shook her head. "We don't have to listen to any shit you have to spew for us today!"
"H-Hey, I say we hear her out!" Haruto stood up, coming to the scam artist's defense immediately. "There might be useful information she'll end up sharing with us!"
"Of course you would say that!" Abigail rolled her eyes.
"H-Hey, I'm trying to give this bitch a fucking chance here!" Haruto frowned. "Give me a goddamn break!"
"Enough," Arthur stood up, snapping out of his entrapped mindset and instead marched over to Cassandra.
Noticeably, Ina reached out her hand to stop him but instantly retracted.
The group tensed up.
They weren't sure what was going to happen next.
But neither of them moved a muscle. Even if there was a chance one could visibly kill one or the other, none of them even tried to stop them. Why was that? Was it a sense of trust? Even though they had just…
Arthur stepped up far enough until he was towering over Cassandra.
Neither of them looked happy with one another.
Arthur's eyes were cold and dead.
Cassandra's, on the other hand, seemed… anxious yet still carried that dragon-like glare she had throughout this Killing Game.
The two continued their stare-off.
Then finally, Arthur let out a seething growl of disdain.
"...Explain…" Arthur coldly glared at her. "All of it. Now…"
Cassandra bit her lip and sighed.
…
The story was relatively the same thing that was told yesterday to Haruto.
That's why you're not getting her dumping her past Chapter misdeeds this time because you've all seen it already! But to summarize in case you're as forgetful as a sinful writer, Cassandra mentioned everything.
She started with Jared's involvement.
She mentioned her father.
She mentioned how she had a lovely chat with White Collar and her deal. Effectively, the real person she made a deal with. She also made sure to specify on why she knew killing him wasn't going to work and well, her theories over what this game truly was.
And what's more, she made a point to mention the most important thing for everything…
"White Collar hates me especially?" Arthur widened his eyes. "W-What did I ever do to him?!"
"Fuck if I know?" Cassandra scoffed. "He has an unhealthy obsession with wanting you dead. But then again, if Ina held a grudge against you for being a Kingston, then it has to be because of your heritage."
"Th-That's blasphemy!" Arthur looked angered. "I-If he has a problem with my family, why take me?! Why target me specifically?! I hate my family too! This just doesn't…"
"I'm just saying my thoughts," Cassandra sighed. "Doesn't mean it's the truth. If anyone really knows why they want you dead, it's White Collar."
"...And this is everything you've done with White Collar, right?" Holland raised an eyebrow.
Cassandra folded her arms and nodded, sighing to herself.
"Yeah," she said.
She tightened her grasp on her own arm.
She was lying.
That wasn't everything she's done with White Collar. There was still more. But at the very least, she hoped this was enough to get them to at least keep them at bay for a while. At least, this should be enough for her to…
"So, to summarize," Ina began to recap. "You made a deal with White Collar with the hopes of leaving this game in a fixed Trial. That deal consisted of you trying to kill my half-brother, who that demon, White Collar, seems to hate dearly. And now, you claim that after you told Haruto, Monohebi came along to reveal a lie that she concocted because she simply hates you…"
"As if!" Abigail yelled. "No one's going to believe that!"
"It sounds like something Monohebi would do…" Holland noted. "Especially since she is really loyal to White Collar…"
"W-What the fuck?!" Abigail turned to Holland surprised. "You're going to believe this lying bitch? After everything she's done?"
"...I don't believe it one hundred percent," Holland corrected. "There's still some things off between both perspectives, but I think there may be some truth in what she says…"
"Nope!" Abigail shook her head. "This bitch killed Maggie! Don't forget that! After that line she crossed, there's no way any of us should be allowed to trust her!"
"Look, as far as I'm concerned," Cassandra started to beg. "I am telling the truth here! Monohebi on the other hand is a lying piece of shit who's just fucking horny for some of that White Collar pussy!"
"Please do not say that again," Ina looked disgusted.
"If you are telling the truth…" Arthur folded his arms. "Then, obviously there is one thing you can do to help us believe you."
Cassandra instantly turned to Arthur, with slight hope in her eyes.
"Th-There is?" she blinked.
"...Prove it," Arthur narrowed his eyes.
"W-What?" Cassandra was confused. "P-Prove what?"
"Prove that you are telling the truth," Arthur ordered. "Give us evidence. Something that proves that your side of the story is the truth."
"H-Huh?!" Cassandra seemed surprised by this. "H-How the fuck am I supposed to do that?!"
"That's your problem, not ours," Arthur shook his head. "You were never someone we can consider trusting. You've crossed too many lines throughout the entirety of this Killing Game. Therefore, you need to make an effort to prove yourself."
"Ha, take that, bitch!" Abigail stuck her middle finger up toward the irritated Cassandra.
"P-Pot calling the kettle black much?!" Cassandra glared at Arthur. "You've done shit too!"
"I never cracked the skull of one of our peers wide open," Arthur leaned forward with a cold look. "Which as far as I'm concerned, is worse than what I've done."
Holland and Mimi said nothing regarding that.
As far as they were concerned, what he did could be considered just as bad, but at the same time, one person actually bloodied their hands purposefully so it was a tough call. Regardless of whether they wanted to call Arthur out on that, they lost that chance when Cassandra tightened her fist and yelled out her response to these conditions.
"Fine then!" Cassandra yelled. "I'll prove it to you! I'll prove that I'm telling the truth! But as far as I'm concerned, you should watch yourself, Arthur Kingston!"
Arthur raised an eyebrow.
"Take one bad step… and White Collar's going to strike, and you'll never see it coming," Cassandra warned.
Arthur felt his body tense and chill. With that warning in mind, Cassandra stormed off to do exactly what she agreed to do, allowing the Cafeteria to return back to its original numbers.
…
"I wonder what proof she'll dig up," Mimi sighed.
"I still think we should've tied her up," Abigail muttered. "I'll go get the rope just in case. I don't trust her wandering around all free like this."
"Abby, wait," Haruto tried to stop her but to his surprise, the equestrian stopped and turned back to him with an irritated glance on her face.
"Don't even try to stop me, Haruto!" Abigail frowned. "You might have some sort of damn soft spot for her, but I don't trust her one bit!"
When that was said, she stormed off similarly to how Cassandra did and left the Cafeteria. Haruto stood still for a few moments, blinking wildly.
"W-What the fuck is she talking about?!" Haruto exclaimed.
"...Hey, she's your girl," Holland sighed, closing his eyes. "Figure it out."
"Fuck!" Haruto cursed before leaving the Cafeteria to catch up with the equestrian.
Now, with four people left behind, they all looked amongst themselves… It didn't take long before they all dispersed amongst themselves to head to other places in the facility to hang out.
(Ultimate Equestrian's Cell)
Cursing obscenities was all Abigail could think of doing as she gathered up every last coil and inch of rope she could find in her Cell. Currently, she had way too much rope flung over her shoulder and she still thought it definitely wasn't enough to keep Cassandra restrained. The more she continued to dig around her Cell, the more she muttered underneath her breath in annoyance.
"Stupid bitch. Stupid Cassandra. Stupid Haruto…" she grumbled.
"Abby?"
Abigail tensed up for a moment before instantly going back to what she was originally doing. Her eyes narrowed as she grimaced slightly.
Oh! So now you want to talk to me!
That was what she wanted to say. But instead, she simply kept it inside and refused to even acknowledge the presence of an exceedingly concerned Haruto. She wasn't subtle about it either, especially with how violent her expression was. So violent that she didn't even bother to hide it either.
"W-Whoa, uh look, I just wanted to ask," Haruto tried to reach out his hand. "But did I do something wrong? Er, wait. Let me rephrase that. Did I do something wrong… after my shenanigans with Jared? I mean, you seem pretty pissed at me for some reason so I just wanted to know–"
"Men!" Abigail rolled her eyes, roughly shoving the coils of rope into his arms. "Typical men."
"W-What the fuck do you mean by that?" Haruto blinked before frowning. "Look, if I did something wrong, just tell me. I'll fix it. Nothing's ever gonna get better if you're just gonna insult me."
"Nothing," Abigail huffed. "You did absolutely nothing!"
Haruto blankly stared at the equestrian.
"...What?" he questioned. He scratched the back of his neck with a slight grumble. "Jesus. We're gonna seriously do this now? Women."
Abigail had turned her back toward him, folding her arms.
And Haruto, of course, had every right to just leave her alone right now. But seriously, we're in the endgame, we need to resolve plots, so instead, Haruto clenched his fist and let out a sigh in annoyance.
"Look, whatever it is, I'm sorry alright?" Haruto grumbled. "Happy?"
"You call that an apology?" Abigail swiftly turned, slightly offended.
"Well, hey, it got you to turn around and actually look at me," Haruto mumbled to himself. Abigail slapped his arm. "O-Ow! What the fuck was that for?!"
"For being an idiot," Abigail started to poke him in the chest. "You're a stupid idiot. Idiot. Idiot. Idiot."
"Alright, listen Abigail," Haruto glared at her. "If anyone's the idiot here, it's you for not giving a straight answer! You've been like this ever since I went off to go check out the Laboratory with Holland and Cass–"
He paused.
Almost all too quickly, it hit him like a truck. No, not an ice cream truck, that's a different story, and not Isekai. Truck-kun doesn't exist in my universe. Just a regular metaphorical truck meant to represent his slow realization to what this was really about.
Soon, his glare and frustration shifted into a toothy grin and a smirk.
"Oh, I see what's going on here…" Haruto folded his arms before bursting out laughing. "Bwahahahahaha!"
"W-Why are you laughing?!" Abigail took a step back, folding her arms and looking much more irritated than usual. She paused to allow Haruto stop but instead he just continued to laugh boisterously. "Q-Quit laughing! It's not funn–"
"You're jealous," Haruto immediately spoke as he grinned at her teasingly.
"H-Huh?" Abigail's face flushed.
Her face shifted into a new shade of frustration. She bit her lip as she felt a warm rush of blood bustle up to her face. At this point, it was impossible to tell whether her face was red out of anger or out of embarrassment.
"That's why you've been so pissy more than usual!" Haruto laughed. "You're fucking jealous!"
"S-Shut up!" Abigail stomped her boots on the ground. "T-That's not true!"
"Oh yes it is!" Haruto laughed. "You're fucking jealous that I've been hanging out with Cassandra lately instead of you! Gee! I didn't know you cared about me that much! Bwahahaha!"
"S-Shut up, Haruto!" Abigail flailed her arms and slapped him across the arm. But with how strong Haruto was, it felt more like how a kitty cat would paw a toy mouse than actual pain. In fact, it was so cute it made Haruto laugh a little louder. "Th-That's just– Th-That's– Ugh!"
Abigail stopped slapping Haruto on the arm and turned away, folding her arms with a stern frown.
"F-Forget it," Abigail huffed, her face still red out of embarrassment. "Make fun of me for it if you're want. I'm still fucking pissed at you."
"Yeah well, now that I finally know what's been going on with you," Haruto smirked as he walked closer to her. "I can finally apologize a little more appropriately now."
Abigail's tense posture slowly relaxed when he said that.
"Look, I'm sorry," Haruto told her, genuinely. "The reason I've been hanging out with Cassandra was because I wanted to look into the shit Monohebi revealed yesterday."
Abigail said nothing, allowing Haruto to continue.
"Before Jared… died," Haruto stuttered uncomfortably. "He mentioned something about it. Ever since then, I've been meaning to confront her about it. Which was why I stuck by her and kept a close eye on her and shit. But now that everything's out in the open anyway…"
Abigail turned to Haruto, the corner of her eyes slowly starting to form tears.
This naturally took Haruto by surprise.
"A-Abby?" Haruto blinked before rubbing his neck. "Oh come on. My apology wasn't that good, was it?"
"You fucking idiot," Abigail looked down, trying to hide her face. "That's not the reason why I'm fucking crying… You absolute dumbass."
Haruto blinked again before allowing her to explain.
"Do you remember after Zuri was… killed…" Abigail mumbled. "When I slapped you."
By the time Haruto returned to his door, he noticed Abigail leaning against the wall, standing right outside of his room. She had been waiting for a while it seemed. He paused. God. She was angry, wasn't she? Angry about what he did. Haruto didn't need to ask. He took one look at her face.
And the moment she saw him, she stormed up to him, her face filled with frustration and anger.
"...A-Abby, I'm–"
SLAP!
Haruto felt his cheek. He widened his eyes, noting just how much that stung. He glanced at Abigail's eyes, noticing that tears were almost forming from her eyes.
"I… I deserved that," Haruto looked down, ashamed.
"How could I forget?" Haruto rubbed his cheek, instinctively. "It hurt… a lot."
"Do you know why I even slapped you?" Abigail rubbed her arms.
"Because… I screwed up," Haruto clenched his fist. "I made a mistake. I resulted in… Zuri's death. I…"
"That's not the only reason," Abigail hugged herself, interrupting him slightly, her face looking quite upset. "In fact, that wasn't even the main reason. Yes, you kinda did cause her to die. But here's the other thing that really… really…"
Abigail's mouth started to quiver.
"...You almost got yourself killed…" she hugged herself.
Realization slowly sank in for Haruto…
"O-Oh, Abby I…" Haruto began but Abigail slowly raised her head. Tears had been exiting her eyes for a while now. "A-Abby…"
"You did some shit behind the scenes and almost died for it," Abigail weeped. "Just put yourself in that moment and think. Imagine what would've happened if Jared didn't go and save you. It would've been your body we would've stumbled on. It would've been you whose murder we'd have to solve…"
"Abby…" Haruto slowly held her close to him. There's no doubt about it, there was guilt clouding his mind now. "I'm sorry…"
"D-Do you see now why I got so pissed at you?" Abigail whimpered. "Somehow, I fucking knew you were doing your stupid shit again. I somehow figured that whatever you were doing with Cassandra... was just going to get you killed…"
Abigail buried her face in his chest.
"S-So stop Haruto," Abigail sobbed. "S-Stop doing things by yourself. W-We're a team. We're supposed to do things together. I just…"
Abigail looked at him after staining his shirt with her tears.
"...I just can't lose someone else…" Abigail sniffled. "Especially if I know for a fact I could've stopped it…"
Haruto looked at her intently before sighing and enveloping her in a tight hug.
"Fuck…" he muttered quietly and genuinely. "I'm fucking sorry Abby. Really, I am."
"...I'm sorry too," Abigail hugged him back. "I should've… I should've said something sooner… I should've been more honest..."
So, that was the true reason why Abigail was so mad at him. It was this and the jealousy part. But at the moment, Haruto couldn't bring himself to bring up her cute moment of jealousy. Right now, Abigail needed comforting, and Haruto was going to give it to her.
…
Abigail and Haruto sat next to each other on the ground, ignoring the fact that their pants were going to get covered with stray strands of hay and straw.
Abigail's eyes had since dried up, but her eyeliner was definitely runny at the moment. She had allowed herself to rest her head on Haruto's shoulder as the two sat in silence. Abigail pursed her lips as Haruto thought about everything that Abigail had said.
He had kept his arm around her, allowing her to rest her body closer.
Honestly, both of them were practically vulnerable at the moment, to the point that they just didn't care if they were this close to each other. Or at the very least, the blushes and the pinkish tints on their faces were very faint.
Clearing his throat, Haruto glanced down toward her.
"How do you feel now?" he asked.
"A little bit better," Abigail bashfully responded.
"That's good to hear," Haruto nodded his head with a chuckle before glancing away.
It was at this moment that he noticed what he was doing. He was wrapping his arms around her and not only that, her body was super close to his. His face started to flush slightly as he felt his heart beat louder.
He cleared his throat.
"Hey, by the way, I know I said this already, but I'm really sorry," Haruto apologized again, rubbing the back of his neck. "About you know, worrying you. It's just…"
Abigail glanced at him curiously, her face also flushing slightly.
"...I'm used to doing things my way," Haruto revealed. "Just lone wolfing it through everything. I guess seeing you start crying about it made me realize…"
Haruto sighed.
"...Just how much of a dumbass I've been throughout this entire game," Haruto grimaced.
"Look, it's alright," Abigail slowly cupped his chin. "At the very least, I'm glad you're still here. I'm glad that you're…"
Abigail glanced away. Her face turned redder than normal.
"...That you're alive," Abigail bit her lip.
Haruto glanced away as well, his face starting to turn redder than before. The two hormonal prisoners sat next to each other in a few moments of silence. Their minds shared similar thoughts but neither of them could say anything about it. Or at least, not until Abigail spoke up:
"I don't think we've been entirely subtle about this, have we?" she chuckled to herself.
"By 'this', you mean… Us, right?" Haruto caught on to that quick.
Abigail pursed her lips.
Haruto's face flushed.
"Look Haruto," Abigail closed her eyes and turned back to him. "I might as well just say it! I… I… I…"
Her eyes met Haruto's.
"I… really like… you…" Abigail whispered that last word.
God, this was so embarrassing. Abigail may have been brash enough to go out drunk driving and deck it out in a Killing Game, but to confess her feelings to someone. That was definitely a difficult task. But thankfully– Haruto began to chuckle.
"Yeah, me too," Haruto brought her closer to his body with a small smile. Abigail heart melted at what she had suspected. Her face reddened as she covered her face. "I really like you too."
"S-So, what happens now?" Abigail asked.
"What happens now is pretty much what you said before," Haruto stated, glancing down at her. "We're in this together. And we're going to survive and get out together."
Abigail wrapped her fingers around his with a firm nod.
"...I… like that idea," Abigail gave him a small smile.
"Good, cause I made it," Haruto boasted.
"Actually, I want to add on to that idea," Abigail started to hug her knees as she cuddled up to the former basketball player. "How about we make a pact?"
"A pact?" Haruto blinked.
"Yes," Abigail smiled, placing her head on his shoulder. "Once we get out together… I want our first kiss to happen right at that moment."
Haruto's face reddened.
"A-Abby," Haruto covered his mouth.
"Yeah?" Abigail turned to him with a small smile.
"...That's cheesy as fuck," Haruto started to laugh.
"S-Shut up!" Abigail slapped his arm with a playful glare. "I… I just thought it'd be really nice to do it as like a celebratory thing and–"
"Yeah, let's do it," Haruto raised her hand as he clasped his hands around hers with a grin. "So don't you fucking die on me. I'm looking forward to that kiss."
Abigail noticed just how determined and serious he was about what he said and slowly looked back down, abashed.
"I-Idiot…" she pouted.
Her heart beated faster. She was sure that his heart beated faster too. But with this pact, agreement, and final admittance of feelings, Abigail suddenly felt like this was the start of a new beginning between her and Haruto.
A new reason to live.
And she was sharing it with… the guy she really liked.
And the two sat closer together, holding each other's hands tightly for a few more moments.
(Laboratory)
"Are you sure you can trust her?"
That was the first thing Ina asked Arthur as the Kingston siblings made their way into the Laboratory.
Ina had to admit that she was rather impressed with Arthur's maturity and how he handled Cassandra's sudden appearance and lore dump. But at the same time, she was also contemplating whether or not Arthur had also lost his marbles to give her a chance like this. In fact, she didn't even think he would be the type to give second chances like that. Especially since it's… y'know, Arthur Kingston.
"Dear sister," Arthur feigned a smirk toward her. "You should know me by now. I am Arthur Kingston. The only person I trust is you."
"Eh?" well, there goes that contemplation out the window. Ina blankly stared at him. He seemed a little off. "Then, what about that deal you gave her? To bring back proof that she's telling the truth…"
"With Cassandra Mura, you never know if she'll give you proof and still hide something from everyone," Arthur shook his head. "That's what I've learned when playing against her. But what I also do know is that whatever proof she'll give us, will be sufficient ammunition to go against our true enemy here…"
"...White Collar," Ina nodded in understanding.
"Precisely," Arthur smirked. "Nevertheless, she has been plotting to end my life for some time now. So of course, there was no way I would've trusted her."
Ina had to hand it to him.
This was the Arthur Kingston she expected to see at the Cafeteria. Petty. Cold. Someone who would even bother to give someone a chance unless it benefitted him in the long run. Which, in actuality, was pretty much what she had seen. At least now she could agree that her half-brother was still sane, if not a little troubled at the moment…
But speaking of sane, Ina took a look around.
"Hm, speaking of which, I was curious," Ina perked her head. "But why exactly are we here in the Laboratory?"
"Have you already forgotten?" Arthur blinked. "I exhibited some interest in checking this place out yesterday. I just never had the time to thanks to some… uncertainties."
He was referring to those dreams he kept getting but Ina didn't know anything about them, therefore, there was nothing she could contribute to that topic.
So instead, Ina simply nodded.
"Well, what about it intrigues you?" Ina questioned. "Or rather, did you come here to see if you could get into the Testing Grounds? Haruto mentioned it was locked with a different reader of some kind."
"If the door was locked with a different reader of some kind, it may be because we have yet to unlock it," Arthur pointed out.
"You think the only way this door will open is if more people die?" Ina asked with a suppressed look of pain on her face.
Arthur most clearly noticed it.
"That is not my conclusive thought on the matter," Arthur shook his head. "But I do imagine that if anyone is able to open this door, it would be White Collar himself."
Ina couldn't argue with that.
But just the thought that two more needed to die in order for them to finally check what was inside the Testing Grounds honestly made her shake. She hoped that things wouldn't come to that point, but with the amount of Hope that ended in naught, the odds were growing bigger and bigger.
Arthur moved away from the door to look specifically at the computer. Of course, this action piqued Ina's interest as she huddled beside him to see what he was examining.
"What are you looking at?" Ina questioned.
"To answer your earlier question, I wanted to see what Haruto, Holland, and Cassandra had meant by this so-called Kamukura Project," Arthur began.
Clicking around, or rather, just the one file in the computer, he thoroughly examined the document that declared the postponement of the Kamukura Project, rereading its contents over and over again. Honestly, he wasn't sure what he was hoping to find but…
…He sighed in defeat, before glancing back at his half-sister, who was holding the picture frame that was stationed right next to the computer.
"What is that?" Arthur asked.
"A picture frame," Ina noted, examining the only two visible faces of Zuno Noshino and Terra Pisch. Though, because she didn't even look at the back of the frame, there was no way for her to tell who these people were.
At least, not till Arthur went ahead and raised an eyebrow, hovering over her shoulder to see the picture for himself.
"That's him," Arthur pointed to the large man in the picture. "Zuno Noshino."
"The one who paved the way for Hope's Peak to be opened all around the world," Ina nodded her head before noting the visible female in the picture. "And this is…"
Arthur narrowed his eyes as he stared at the picture of Terra Pisch.
He rubbed his chin.
He had to wonder why her face wasn't scratched off like the other three of the five in the picture. Perhaps she was someone of importance… Though, Arthur wasn't sure, exactly. At least, not until Ina actually flipped the frame over and blinked.
"Ah, the girl is Terra Pisch," Ina remarked. "She looked quite young too."
"Terra Pisch?" Arthur blinked. "The therapist in charge of #66?"
Why would she be in this picture?
Again, Arthur wasn't sure what the significance entirely was with these two people, but he also had some theories on his mind. He glanced over to the computer, which still had the Kamukura Project Postponement Announcement plastered on the screen. Then, he sighed.
"Let's go," Arthur sighed.
"Was that all you wished to see?" Ina blinked.
"In the scheme of things, yes," Arthur nodded. "I suppose I simply wished I could've seen a little more however."
Pocketing his hands, Arthur prepared to leave the Laboratory. As he did so, Ina took one last look at the framed picture of Zuno Noshino, Terra Pisch, and scratched off friends before setting it back down where she found it and followed behind Arthur…
(Ultimate Sailor's Cell)
"...Mimi."
Mimi opened her eyes.
It was tradition at this point. Mimi would come to the Ultimate Sailor's Cell every so often to pay her respects to Yuumi's legacy. She would walk in, feed Brucey, who has become a lot more bloated than he originally was when she first met him, and finally sit back and watch him swim around his tank for hours on end or so.
It was a relatively repetitive and lonesome process.
But Mimi usually wouldn't have it any other way… especially today, as her mind recalled the conversation, she had with Ina yesterday. As her mind recalled the feeling, she felt… that demon that was inside her.
Unfortunately, like most of her moments in Yuumi's Cell, interruption was inevitable. This time, it was from someone she didn't expect to interrupt her…
"...Holland?" Mimi blinked, having turned to the game designer.
Holland was about to open his mouth to say something to her but noticed the shark swimming around the tank. It didn't take a genius to note that a shark like Brucey shouldn't be as plump as he was at the moment. Raising an eyebrow, he spoke.
"...He wasn't always like this, was he?" Holland remarked. Thinking about it now, he's actually never been to the Ultimate Sailor Cell to have a genuine talk with Mimi now, has he? "...Personally, I think you might be taking it too far with the feeding bit?"
"Holland, why are you here?" Mimi asked Holland, curiously. She pouted slightly. "Because I know you're not here to talk about the shark."
Holland glanced at her stoically but gave a stifled chuckle.
"...Yeah, you're right," Holland sat next to her.
Pause.
Then, turning to her, Holland gave her a small sigh.
"...I just wanted to thank you for yesterday," Holland told her.
The former witch girl could only blink at him in response.
"What?" Mimi perked her head.
"...I thought long and hard about what we talked about yesterday," Holland stated. "Thought about what Zuri would want. Thought about…"
Mimi remembered what exactly they had been talking about…
"Can you believe that?" Mimi frowned. "Even after Titus and Kane, even after Yuumi, even after Maggie and Barracuda… I still had Hope. Optimism…"
Holland said nothing as Mimi placed her elbow over her forehead.
"...I really am a child," Mimi noted. "Despite me saying otherwise I'm such a… weirdo…"
"...I don't think it's weird to remain optimistic," Holland said. "Remember, Zuri was optimistic too. She hoped that we would all escape someday."
Holland looked away.
"...She remained optimistic till the bitter end," Holland noted, remembering her last words to him.
"Optimism," Mimi breathlessly stated. "What about it?"
"...I said that having optimism is nice to have in a hopeless place like we're in right now," Holland stated as he watched Brucey swim around the tank. "But even then, I still didn't think much about it until our conversation got me thinking about what Zuri would've truly wanted from me."
"That Zuri wanted you to be optimistic?" Mimi questioned.
"...More than likely, she wouldn't have wanted me to give up and remain mournful over what happened to her," Holland stated.
Mimi blinked.
Noticing it now, she could tell that there was just something different about Holland today compared to yesterday. Yesterday, she saw Holland was mourning and hurting. The fire inside his heart had been extinguished and put out, with no apparent way of reigniting it. Today, the fire was lit back up and Mimi just couldn't believe it.
Holland was…
"Holland, are you…?" Mimi blinked.
"...Fine?" Holland raised an eyebrow toward Mimi before shaking his head. "Far from it… But, Zuri would've wanted me to live on and escape. The only thing I can do is just mourn her after we escape…"
Mimi was surprised by his answer.
She'd expected Holland to keep to himself for a few extra days but…
"...I know we're close to beating White Collar and Monohebi…" Holland stated. "...Which means we can't give up now. The only thing left to do now is to escape for everyone that left before us. That's the only way to continue in a game like this…"
Mimi bit her lip.
"...So, that's why I'm here," Holland nodded toward her. "I wanted to thank you for helping me reach this conclusion… So let's escape together, okay, Mimi?"
Holland stood up and gave Mimi a small smile.
But Mimi never returned it.
Her face was shrouded in a veil of gloom as she began to shake. It didn't take long for Holland to notice that Mimi was visibly saddened by everything that he had said. But it was certainly going to take Holland a while to figure out why lest he go ahead and ask. Squatting back down, Holland slowly placed a hand on Mimi's shoulder.
That's when Mimi started to slowly cry.
"M-Mimi?" Holland blinked. "...I– I'm sorry, did I do something wrong…?"
"N-No…" Mimi wiped her tears, feeling absolutely pathetic. "I'm just…"
Mimi let more tears stream out of her eyes.
"...How?" she asked.
"W-What?" Holland blinked.
"H-How can you be so motivated right now…?" Mimi asked, shaking. "H-How can you…?"
Holland was confused. Was it wrong for him to–
"Z-Zuri died!" Mimi yelled. "Z-Zuri died because of Arthur! Because of Haruto! Everything that happened to her was all their fault! H-How can you say something like that and still hope that everyone still gets a chance to escape?! D-Don't you even feel angry at them for everything they did?! D-Don't you still feel that the way Zuri died was so… unfair?!"
Mimi started to bawl.
"I… I don't get it Holland!" Mimi bawled. "H-How can you be so motivated…?!"
Blinking, Holland slowly started to understand.
Mimi and him's approach to the consequences of the games were vastly different. Holland, while he did mourn and consider giving up several times, realized that the only way to honor the death of the one I was the closest to throughout this entire game was to fulfill their wish and remain strong enough to get to the end. Mimi, on the other hand, spent her time in the game living with hate and pettiness.
And even though he couldn't blame her, he gave a sigh and placed both hands on her shoulders, forcing her to look up toward him.
"...Because I understand that Zuri would've never wanted me to sit back, waste time mourning her or hating others for the cause of her death," Holland told her.
Mimi widened her eyes.
"...Am I still angry at Arthur or Haruto or even Jared…?" Holland asked. "Sure, yes I am. But what good would come from that if I just continued to hate them for everything…?"
Mimi bit her lip.
"...Zuri didn't deserve to die," Holland stated. "But the only thing any of us can do about it now is honor their memory and live for them…"
Mimi felt more tears forming from the sides of her eyes.
"Don't you blame yourself for what happened to Zuri as well…?" she asked.
It was Holland's turn to pause in response to that question. Then, after careful consideration and a heavy sigh, Holland stoically glanced to the side.
"...All the time," he stated. "But again, what good comes from that…?"
Holland turned back to Mimi.
"Zuri would've told me that I shouldn't blame myself for what happened to her…" Holland frowned. "I mean, again, what good comes from any of that if you just waste your time, blaming yourself or others for what happened…?"
Holland let go of Mimi's shoulders and stood up.
"...That's why I'm done crying…" Holland stated. "At least, for now…"
Holland glanced at Mimi who did nothing but sit on the ground with a saddened expression on her face as she took in what the game designer was saying.
"And Mimi… I think it's time for you to stop crying too…" Holland closed his eyes. "Because what good would that do to honoring Yuumi, Maggie, or Barracuda?"
Mimi glanced up toward Holland, slowly standing up. Then, almost instantly, she gave him a hug, taking the game designer by surprise.
"M-Mimi?" Holland let his eyes shoot wide open. "W-What is this for…?"
"...It's my turn to say thank you," Mimi buried her face into his chest.
"...For?" Holland blinked, slightly confused.
"For a long time, I didn't know what to do about any of this," Mimi revealed. "I've done nothing but blame Ina for her part in what happened to Yuumi. Forgiveness was never an option for me. And I've spent my entire time in this game, crying and being angry at others for what they did…"
Mimi glanced up toward Holland.
"...I'm not nearly as strong as you Holland," Mimi slightly sniffled. "You were able to do what I wasn't able to do in just two days…"
Mimi felt a tear trail down her cheek.
"...Move on," Mimi grimaced.
Holland blinked before stifling another chuckle.
"...I wouldn't say I've moved on," Holland closed his eyes. "Maybe it's more accurate to say that I've put the mourning process on hold…"
Holland returned her hug.
"...So until then, no more crying for the both of us," Holland told her. "No more getting angry. Together, let's remain strong, alright?"
Both prisoners glanced at each other and nodded.
No more crying.
No more getting angry.
They both understood this now.
They were both at the endgame.
They couldn't afford to break. Not until they could let themselves freely break down. Not until they escaped. Not until they were back home, safe and sound. That was the promise between two prisoners who have already lost people they truly cared about…
To Holland, that was the Sweet Hope that Zuri would've wanted for all of them…
(Ultimate Fairytale Writer's Cell)
Cassandra allowed herself to rest on the picnic blanket as he bathed in the cool shade of the Ultimate Fairytale Writer's Cell.
If there was anything White Collar had gotten right, it was the fact that this Cell was definitely one of the more comforting Cells. She sighed in relief as she felt her stress and troubles dissipate. Her mind soothed as she tried to calm her nerves. Speaking of nerves…
Arthur Kingston had some nerve to go and declare that she share proof that her side of the story was the truth! Not like she was going to care. White Collar had given her ample time to kill that prick, and yet, it all felt like time was running out.
The time to act was now, but how?
How exactly could she get on with the plan?
She grimaced to herself as she struggled to think of a method. It didn't take long for her to finally admit that she was coming up short. She was losing ideas. The the more she struggled to think, the more she started to blame the one thing responsible for her current predicament.
"Troubled are we, Miss Mura?"
Speak of the Devil.
Or rather…
…the snake.
Monohebi had slithered over to her with a sniveling look on her scaly and annoying expression. Flicking her tongue out tauntingly and winding across the grassy terrain mockingly, it was clear that Monohebi felt good today. After all, after everything that was revealed yesterday, it was clear.
Cassandra Mura's time in this game was not going to last long.
"Why the hell are you here?" Cassandra glared. "Come to laugh?"
"You could certainly assume that," Monohebi coiled herself up on top of the picnic basket that kept the picnic blanket in place. Then, with the end of her tail, she picked an apple from a lower branch and gestured it to her. "Apple?"
"From you?" Cassandra scoffed. "Fuck off."
"Aww, is poor Miss Mura sad that she lost?" Monohebi teased, taking a bite out of the apple, spitting it out and chucking the fruit to the side. "Sad that her time is running out? If there's anything I know…"
Monohebi slithered up to Cassandra's ear with a mocking hiss.
"...You should've killed Arthur Kingston much sooner," Monohebi stated. "Perhaps then, you wouldn't have a target on your back. Oh… but instead, you just had to do it. You just had to fall in love, didn't you?"
"Say another word, and I'll shove that apple you tossed right down your fucking throat," Cassandra threatened, darkly.
"Do that, and I'll be glad to kill you myself," Monohebi flicked her tongue out.
The amount of tension between both the snake and the scam artist was unreal. In fact, the normally bright and sunny Ultimate Fairytale Writer's Cell could easily grow dark and gloomy if the two remained as stagnant yet filled with hatred as they did now. In other words, the hate and jealousy was skyrocketing at the moment.
Then, slowly, Monohebi tipped her head and bared her fangs.
"Anyway, I simply came to taunt you," Monohebi stated. "Say your prayers, Miss Mura. You will need it."
Monohebi prepared to slither off but before she could leave with her head held up high in content, Cassandra scoffed. The snake paused to hear what the Ultimate Skank had to say this time.
"You know what?" Cassandra started to smirk. "I think I finally understand what your problem is with me."
"Oh?" Monohebi turned back and tilted her head. "Now this I need to hear."
"You were afraid…" Cassandra slowly stood up and walked over to Monohebi, glowering over her. "Afraid that White Collar was going to replace your sorry, miserable, useless, scaly ass. You were afraid of it so much, that you kicked things into overdrive, to the point where you kind of also screwed yourself over…"
Monohebi remained quiet as Cassandra swept the stage from right under her belly.
"You were afraid that I was going to take your place," Cassandra laughed. "That would've been insulting to you, wouldn't it? To know that if you didn't pull what you pulled, you were going to get replaced by a bitchier bitch like myself."
Monohebi's jagged red eyes slowly started to glow in anger.
That was how Cassandra knew when she was on the right track. Not only that, but it also felt so good to call the snake out for her obscene bullshit these last few days.
"And now just think about you did," Cassandra smirked. "You went ahead and announced to everyone that I made a deal with you. Just so you can what? Prove that you're better than me?"
Monohebi started to hiss.
Bingo.
"If White Collar has his own rules he has to follow, then I imagine you have rules that you have to follow yourself, too," Cassandra leaned closer to the snake. "And I'm pretty sure you've just announced that you've broken rules by making that deal with me…"
"Of course I did!" Monohebi hissed. "I did it to save my Master from your skanky hands!"
"And what do you think will happen next?" Cassandra smirked.
"W-What?" Monohebi blinked.
"You broke the rules, which probably means that you'll get trashed or something…" Cassandra began. "And then what happens after that? White Collar just doesn't have an assistant anymore? Or maybe, your precious Master White Collar might just go ahead… and open a new slot for a new pet snake… While you rot in the garbage heap."
"Miss Mura!" Monohebi bared her fangs and hissed angrily. "Your attempts at provoking me are futile! Give it up!"
"If they're so futile, then why are you so damn angry?" Cassandra rolled her eyes.
Monohebi tried to calm herself done. But goddamn it, she's never met someone who was this aggravating to go against. Hissing and flicking out her tongue, Monohebi took a few deep breaths to make sure her blood… or oil… whatever was inside her machinery… didn't boil too much.
"Does this make you feel better then?" Monohebi slowly exhaled. "You are treading on your last life so you decide to go out by insulting me. Hmph, frankly, I am unaffected by your vile tricks, skank."
"Oh really?" Cassandra perked her head before smirking. "Then how about we put that to the test… and ask your precious, Master White Collar himself?"
"...What do you mean?" Monohebi's eyes glinted.
"One last supper," Cassandra smirked. "One last meeting with White Collar and you in private. And then we'll see who he'll prefer more."
"...I assure you," Monohebi's eyes started to glow. "Master White Collar will choose me over you. That is the way things have always been."
"Hmph, but when I actually give him what he wants and deliver Arthur Kingston's head on a plate," Cassandra smirked. "He'll want me instead… Enough to save me from execution..."
"...You skank…" Monohebi started to hiss again.
"...It's really up to you," Cassandra folded her arms. "But it's as you said, my time is nearly up. Or, who knows? Maybe a miracle will happen for me, and everything will come crashing down for you. Because don't you forget what I keep telling the rest of these idiots I've been stuck with for days on end…"
Cassandra leaned forward and whispered into the snake's nonexistent ears. So, the side of her head?
"I'm a survivor," Cassandra smirked. "I'll do whatever it takes to survive. Even if it means to kill. Even if it means to replace a stupid snake like yourself."
Cassandra could see a flame-crusted aura slowly emanate from the snake. Smirking, she walked off to leave the Ultimate Fairytale Writer's Cell. She's definitely won this argument. And feeling quite petty herself, she stopped, and glanced back to give one last comment.
"By the way," she smirked. "That's how you successfully taunt someone."
Then, she left, leaving behind a very heated snake. Her head started to twitch. And she knew that deep inside her head, a wire must've definitely snapped. She hissed to herself as she watched where Cassandra had left.
"...Cassandra Mura…" Monohebi muttered. "...Cassandra Mura… You skank… You rotten, lying, self-indulgent bitch…"
Monohebi wasn't going to let her get away this.
Not one bit…
(Ultimate Opinion Columnist's Cell)
When the Kingston siblings walked into the Ultimate Opinion Columnist's Cell, Ina was notably curious as to why they were even in here.
Lately, Ina had noted that her own half-brother had purposes for quite a few things here and there. First, it was his declaration that he was taking the leadership position. Then, it was his desire to check out the Laboratory. And now?
"Er, half-brother," Ina raised an eyebrow. "Why are we back in Carter's Cell?"
"Evidence," Arthur merely responded as he scanned the walls of the room for any of those English newspaper clippings. Then, finding the two regarding the information about the Tragedy and the information about the possible Survivor written in English, he detached them from the wall and nodded to himself.
"I do not understand, half-brother," Ina sighed, shaking her head. "All of this seems rather meaningless. After all, the evidence is right here for anyone to find. There is simply no reason for you to take these clippings off of the wall."
"I believe you've forgotten something," Arthur shook his head in slight amusement. Holding the newspaper clippings in his hand, he turned to Ina with a sigh. "I'm a target. Next in line to be killed. This is just me being thorough."
"Collecting newspaper clippings is you being thorough?" Ina deadpanned.
"Dear sister, when I'm dead on the floor with no way to communicate to you or anyone for that matter, it's best to leave behind a will and testament of sorts," Arthur explained. "A dying message. Something to leave people with before it's too late. You understand, right?"
Ina paused and glanced at Arthur, incredulously.
Then, she smiled to herself.
"Do not tell me," Ina couldn't help but shake her head. "Are you, Arthur Kingston, fearful that you are about to die?"
Arthur stopped what he was doing and turned back to Ina. She hit it right on the mark. Scoffing, he turned back, pretending as if he didn't hear that.
"I don't know what you're talking about," Arthur shook his head. "I am simply preparing myself for the worst possible outcome. That is all!"
"Hmph, that was the most unconvincing lie I have ever heard from you, half-brother," Ina folded her arms, dubiously.
Arthur continued to scan the walls for any other newspaper clippings he may have missed but Ina could tell all too well that her own half-brother was starting to get nervous. She never thought she would see nervousness come from someone who was naturally cold and distant from everyone else, yet, here he was.
Trying to play the 'Nuh-uh, no I'm not' game with his own insightful half-sister.
Clearing her throat and forcing Arthur to face her again, the older half-brother sighed, relenting his frantic antics to explain further.
"W-Well can you blame me, dear sister?" Arthur frowned. "If you were told that you were a prime candidate for someone's murder plot thanks to a deal you struck with a serpent behind our current predicament, the game suddenly changes for the worse. And after what Cassandra had said..."
"Fine then!" Cassandra yelled. "I'll prove it to you! I'll prove that I'm telling the truth! But as far as I'm concerned, you should watch yourself, Arthur Kingston!"
Arthur raised an eyebrow.
"Take one bad step… and White Collar's going to strike, and you'll never see it coming," Cassandra warned.
Arthur felt his body tense and chill. With that warning in mind, Cassandra stormed off to do exactly what she agreed to do, allowing the Cafeteria to return back to its original numbers.
He cursed to himself.
"And to think I even warned her to not ruin this bloody game for me," Arthur grumbled. "Typical…"
He began to go back to what he was doing but was immediately pulled to the side by Ina, who had placed her hands over his arms with a heavy sigh.
"Half-brother, please!" Ina frowned toward him. "You do not have to worry!"
Arthur blinked.
"You are not going to die," Ina told him. "You may have been a target but you have survived plenty of attempts on your life before! This will be no different!"
Arthur glanced at Ina and sighed to himself.
"Perhaps you are correct," Arthur stated. "But, things feel different now..."
Arthur tightened his fist.
"...I wonder if I had been targeted from the very beginning," Arthur frowned.
Ina couldn't blame him.
She'd be scared too if she were in his shoes. It led back to the questions that had been asked earlier in the Cafeteria… Why Arthur? Why him? What exactly did he do that warranted being targeted like this? She had suspicions about all of this for different reasons but…
"Half-brother," Ina sighed. "Listen to me when I say this… You, Arthur Kingston, are a cockroach."
"W-What?" Arthur raised an eyebrow.
"No matter how many times someone tries to kill you," Ina explained. "No matter how many ways they try to exterminate you… You, Arthur Kingston, are a cockroach who cannot be destroyed no matter how hard anyone tries to hurt you."
"Th-That was an interesting analogy," Arthur blinked.
"Am I wrong?" Ina folded her arms. "Again, you have survived so much worse. You survived my attempt to murder you. You have done everything you could to escape your family. You, Arthur Kingston, are like a cockroach. You survive no matter what…"
Ina placed a hand on her taller and older half-brother's shoulders.
"...And I will make sure of that," Ina nodded.
Arthur seemed to feel slightly better upon hearing that.
"Thank you Ina," Arthur gave her a small smile. Though, there was something troubling him. "But couldn't you have used a much better creature to compare me to?"
"No, no, I believe cockroach is the right creature to call you," Ina cheekily nodded to herself.
"...Hilarious," Arthur folded his arms, slightly unimpressed but also slightly amused.
To hear that his own sister, who had hated him and wanted him dead, had developed into someone that he could care for and return the favor… It gave him a sense of relief from everything.
…
It didn't take long before Arthur raised an eyebrow and noticed something sitting on the ground right next to the green screen. He had been so caught up with these newspaper clippings and his possibly inevitable demise that he didn't realize that it had been sitting there this entire time.
"H-Half-brother?" Ina blinked, confused.
Brushing her aside, Arthur ran to pick it up.
He grimaced.
Cassandra jolted awake.
She placed her hand over her neck instinctively with a wince, feeling two puncture marks on it. Once she did, her eyes immediately shot to glance at her surroundings. Red and dark. A nice dining table with food that smelled great. Slowly, her mouth curved into a smirk.
She was here.
She was with…
…
"One last supper with me, was it?" came the chilling voice of a man in the Devil's mask, making his way to the other end of the table, allowing his cane to help get there without issue. "Interesting choice of words. But I wonder, Miss Mura, who will be the traitor sitting at the dining table? And who will be the forsaken?"
White Collar took his seat, gesturing for her to take a look at today's meal.
"A classic spaghetti bolognese with meatballs tonight," White Collar introduced. "For an added touch, it's sprinkled with bread crumbs and a little wine reduction. Truly, Monohebi is a fantastic cook."
"Only for you, my Master," Monohebi stated as Cassandra noticed that she had been coiled up beside White Collar's chair. The snake flicked her tongue toward her. She was definitely still mad about what she had said back at the Ultimate Fairytale Writer's Cell.
Stifling a cruel chuckle, Cassandra quickly took a peek around the room. She noted the shelves. The fireplace. White Collar's desk. The gramophone that played that simple melody of Mephisto Waltz on repeat. She took a glance behind her, noting the two sliding doors. Eventually, the more she looked around, the more White Collar seemed curious.
"Did you leave something the last time you were here?" White Collar questioned.
"Huh?" Cassandra turned back, blinking, before shaking her head. "Actually, I was just looking around for anything in here that might be of use to me…"
"Hmph, so I hear you're finally going to kill Arthur Kingston," White Collar poured himself a glass of wine. "To think you've dragged it out long enough to the point Monohebi decided to make you the star of our newest motive."
Cassandra paused and turned back toward White Collar.
"Yeah, you're right," Cassandra nodded with a smirk. "I'm killing Arthur Kingston. So I hope our deal is still on."
She narrowed her eyes.
"Is it?" the scam artist pressed.
"Of course it's not!" Monohebi declared. "My Master White Collar knows better now than to trust you and your skankish way–"
"Indeed, it is," White Collar nodded his head, his mask twisting itself into his signature sinister grin. He held his wine glass, swirling it around and watching the alcoholic beverage bubble at the side.
"M-Master?!" Monohebi turned her head to her Master in shock. "But I thought–"
"Please, Monohebi," White Collar toasted his glass. "Remember what I said yesterday…"
"...What about Miss Mura?" Monohebi questioned.
"What about her?" White Collar replied.
"...You will not dabble with her and her silly deal again, will you?" she asked.
White Collar chuckled to himself as he caressed Monohebi underneath her chin.
"On the contrary," White Collar began. "I think she already has everything she needs from me. Based on her conversation with Mister Walker, she seems to have already told him and has resolved herself to doing the deed. Combined with the fact that you have backed her in the corner like an animal, and then I think all that is left for us to do is supply them with the necessary materials."
"I never did say that the deal was off, now did I?" White Collar's mask twisted into a grin. "After all, if Miss Mura can kill Mister Kingston, then that is good news for me. And as I've said before, I'm a man of my word. Do you not agree?"
"I…" Monohebi started to worry.
Was what Cassandra had said earlier true? Was this makeshift rivalry she created between her and that skank really not over?
"As for you Miss Mura," White Collar tilted his head, curiously. "If you do indeed pull this off, then truly…"
White Collar raised his glass.
"Good luck in the future," White Collar chuckled. "It was a pleasure doing business with you."
Cassandra stifled a chuckle, rolled her eyes, and raised her own glass. Though, her eyes finally landed on something on White Collar's desk. She bit her lip and continued to play along with their little last supper party.
"...Let's eat," White Collar's mask's grin widened.
Yet even with that toast, none of them touched their so-called glasses…
(Cafeteria)
Arthur slammed his hand onto the nearest Cafeteria table.
What he and Ina found in the Ultimate Opinion Columnist's Cell was none other than yet another Evidence Box. And Ina had preemptively gathered everyone, except Cassandra because she was having supper right now and no one likes her, to the Cafeteria. As expected, everyone was looking rather restless, fretful for what they might find in the box.
Also, just a reminder, when I say everyone, I mean:
Abigail, Arthur, Haruto, Holland, Ina, and Mimi.
That one goes out to my homie, SinWriter! You are very welcome my buddy! Smiling colon D face!
Anyway, the first thing that Arthur took out was a file:
Name: Mukuro Ikusaba
Gender: Female
Ultimate Talent: Ultimate Soldier
Birth Date: December 24
Height: 5'7
Weight: 97 lbs
Blood Type: A
Status: Deceased
"Mukuro Ikusaba," Haruto grumbled.
"That was one of the names on the list of students from the Tragedy," Ina pointed out. "So, she was the next one to fall, was she?"
"...What else is in the box?" Holland was next to speak as Arthur began to pull out what seemed to be…
...
"W-What the–" Haruto widened his eyes.
"A-Are those?" Abigail took a step back.
"W-What is it?" Mimi wasn't sure what people were freaking out about the moment Arthur pulled out five of them, the more she became aware what their next weapon of choice would've been. "W-Wait… A-Agh…"
…
Arthur had pulled out five small, yet very heavy-duty looking sticky bombs. Each bomb, although they looked exactly the same from each other in terms of their rectangular shape, had only one difference in the form of labels: #1, #2, #3, #4, and #5, respectively.
…
"H-Holy shit!" Haruto stepped back. "B-Bombs?! Wh-What the fuck is White Collar expecting us to do with these?!"
"Kill someone with them, obviously," Arthur grimaced.
"Yeah, but five sticky bombs is a little overkill, don't you think?" Abigail rubbed the back of her neck. "H-How do they even work?"
"...From the looks of it," Holland began, as he peeked inside the Evidence Box and took out the last object of note. "These aren't your normal type of sticky bombs. Most sticky bombs have a timer that one can set up to explode. These… seem to only blow up with…"
Holland held out a small device with five red buttons on it, each labeled with numbers in the middle of each button as well: #1, #2, #3, #4, and #5, respectively.
"...a trigger," Holland noted.
"And you know about bombs, how?" Haruto turned to Holland, flabbergasted.
"...I was partly responsible for designing that other shooter game, Team Towers 2," Holland explained. "Researched a lot about sticky bombs…"
"But from the looks of it…" Arthur noted. "The bombs do not seem to be activated at the moment. Nor the trigger…"
"Well, that's a relief," Abigail exhaled.
"But just in case," Ina narrowed her eyes. "How does one even activate a bomb like this? And is there a way to deactivate it after it gets activated?"
"...Based on what I know, this type of sticky bomb probably gets activated on its own as soon as it gets stuck onto something…" Holland shrugged. "...Meaning no one has to be a demolition expert to easily understand how these bombs work. Anyone can do it."
Gritting his teeth, Arthur shook his head and placed the five bombs back into the box.
"Then it's imperative that we keep these out of praying hands," Arthur narrowed his eyes. "Specifically, the hands of Cassandra."
"Agreed," Haruto folded his arms. "She has more motivation out of all us to want to kill someone here. Whether it be to kill Arthur and leave or to just protect herself, who the fuck knows…"
"Would the Evidence Room be a good place?" Ina suggested.
"After how many people have gone ahead and taken weapons from that place…" Mimi pouted. "I have no trust in that room."
"Then, I suppose I have no choice but to hide it in a place where Cassandra will never find it," Arthur frowned, snatching the trigger out of Holland's hands and dumping it directly into the Evidence Box. He also dumped the newspaper clippings he had gathered from Carter's Cell into the box and hoisted the box up with a slight 'umph'. But before he could move away, Haruto stopped him with a frown.
"Yeah, right," Haruto grumbled. "Don't think we haven't forgotten that you have just enough reason to want to kill someone here. You're Cassandra's prime target. Who's to say you aren't gonna go ahead and go on a bombing spree?"
"Um, me," Arthur narrowed his eyes. "I'm not an animal!"
"Sorry, but I think this box has to go to more trusting hands," Haruto grumbled, preparing to snatch the box away from Arthur. "Namely, me."
"Oh yes, sure," Arthur coldly stared at the former basketball player. "The one who tried to get away with covering up a suicide is certainly quite trustworthy!"
"Oi, you fucker!" Haruto grumbled.
"Enough," Ina stepped in-between the two's little quarrel. Then, snatching the box away from both of them, she frowned at the two. "Neither of you two get the responsibility of the box!"
"B-But sister!" Arthur frowned.
"My apologies, half-brother," Ina shook her head. "But Haruto is right. You cannot be trusted with the box. In fact, we can argue that no one here can be trusted with hiding the box…"
"...Well, what are you going to do with it, then?" Holland tilted his head.
"Hmph," Ina started to smirk. "Simple. I will dispose of everything inside of the box. I believe the Grinder should do the trick, yes?"
"Huh, that's not a bad idea," Abigail blinked. "Just go and destroy the bombs before anyone could use them."
"Of course," Ina nodded. "It is the most natural conclusion."
Hoisting up the box and noting everyone's pondering looks, it was clear that everyone, even Mimi, surprisingly, was fine with Ina handling the disposal of the box. Though, for Mimi's case, it was more because she promised she would reserve the hate and pettiness for after they had escaped.
Thank you Holland!
…
"Attention all prisoners," Monohebi's voice announced. "It is now midnight. Curfew hour begins now. As such, all prisoners must report to their confinements. Anyone who is caught outside of their confinements will be punished accordingly. Be sure to review the rules on the Rules App of your Handbook. That is all."
"Well, that is my cue to go and dispose of these," Ina stated, nodding her head. "Please, do not wait for me. It is important that Cassandra never finds out about these bombs."
"Similarly, we'll have to watch Arthur and make sure he doesn't try to sweet-talk you into giving him that box," Abigail raised an eyebrow toward Arthur.
"W-What, I would never–" Arthur frowned.
Abigail raised her eyebrow a little higher.
"...Well, it wouldn't have worked too easily," Arthur folded his arms and glanced away.
"Yeah well, let's just get some shut eye," Haruto sighed. "Here's hoping Cassandra comes by tomorrow with some of that proof that she's on our side."
Oh yeah, there was that too.
…
With nothing much to discuss, the prisoners went off to do their own thing. And by their own thing, we mean that everyone except Ina was just gonna go off and head to their room. Ina, on the other hand, was heading straight to Cell Block S to go dispose of the Evidence Box as promised…
White Collar carefully swirled around his glass of wine as he turned off the gramophone. Cassandra had long been taken away back to her room by Monohebi. Truth be told, he rather enjoyed those interactions with Cassandra. Even if she was a sinner, it had been a while since he actually spoke to someone who was relatively… normal. It didn't take him long to realize that things were slowly coming to an end.
The dinner table was still set up.
Typically, it was Monohebi's job to clean it, but today, White Collar couldn't be bothered to ask her to do it. He couldn't be bothered to even do anything to clean it. Couldn't be bothered with anything in general.
Instead, all he could really do was quietly press a button underneath his mahogany desk, allowing a bookshelf to reveal a hidden room. Stepping inside and allowing his red eyes to glow, he slammed his cane to the side and stared at it.
His finest re-creation:
…
…
…
A rocket ship.
"See you soon," White Collar merely said as his hand tightened his grip on his cane. "Mister Kingston…"
(Cell Block S)
Ina heaved the box in her arms as she traversed through the rather chilly Cell Block S. Just walking through here gave her bad memories of everything that had transpired days ago. Jared's suicide. Haruto's crime. The moment that cost Zuri her life. Her conversation with Mimi…
So much has happened in one Cell Block.
Yet, that could be said for relatively any Cell Block.
Blankly walking past the #66's Cell and the intersection, Ina made her way to the Mineshaft, preparing to turn left to dump everything inside the nearest mine-
"Psst."
Ina widened her eyes and turned aroun–
DANGANRONPA: CORRUPTED HOPE
Well! That was a long-needed break! Sorry about the long wait for the chapter! But here it is! Daily Life #3 for Chapter 5 :D Two more to go until we have our next body ;D
Updates! Danganronpa: Twisted Tragedy, sequel to Corrupted Hope, is now out and has premiered its first three chapters... The entire Prologue! If you liked Corrupted Hope and want to see more of this universe, Twisted Tragedy is the way to go, though don't expect Chapter 1 to come out any time soon since my priority right now is finishing Chapter 5 before the end of February! Similarly, my good friend Otterplay has started his own DR SYOC, Danganronpa: Algorithmic Alteration! It's just like Corrupted Hope and Twisted Tragedy with one small difference.
It's Danganronpa in SPAAAAAACE!
Ahem. Please check it out.
Either case, er, I hope this Chapter is to your liking :0 With big breaks between writing, some things might feel a little off and inconsistent but hey, let's hope it's unnoticeable and not that big of a deal! Please let me know your thoughts, any criticisms, and of course!
See you in Daily Life 4 :D
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]