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.

43. Saviour of the Damned (Part 4)

Chapter 5: Saviour of the Damned (Daily Life #4)

---

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!

---

When the lights turned on, Haruto half-expected to see his own father standing by the door to his bedroom with a disappointed look on his face.

He had been sneaking out lately and hitching some fun time with the boys by the courts and playing a few late-night games with them. It was the only time that Haruto could ever find to even play basketball without Dad coming in and putting a stop to it. It was the only time that Haruto could even do what he loved.

So eventually, Haruto figured that his father coming to bust him was an inevitability. Fortunately for him, that wasn't the case this time. Because instead of his father it was…

"Shit," Haruto widened his eyes.

If Haruto was the rebellious deadbeat son, Shiota was a clear contrast to that. He was Dad's favorite. He was the obedient one who did whatever Dad wanted him to do. Dad said 'Jump', Shiota would ask 'How high'.

That was Shiota Walker.

The one who Dad put all of his hopes and dreams on.

To the point where the little brother he once knew and loved had become cold and detached enough to no longer give Haruto that happy, excited look he always gave when his older brother was around. Instead, it was a look of indifference.

It was always a look of indifference.

"Shiota?" Haruto widened his eyes with a harsh whisper. "W-What the fuck are you doing here? Don't you know what time it is?"

"Don't you?" Shiota whispered back as he folded his arms with disinterest.

Fair enough.

"...What are you even doing nowadays?" Shiota leaned back against the wall. "You leave early after dinner. No one hears from you for five to six hours. And then you come back at three in the morning."

"Look, I'm just hanging out with friends," Haruto frowned.

"...Are you?" Shiota raised an eyebrow, suspicious.

"Yes, I am," Haruto grumbled. "Since when did you care about what I did in my free time?"

Haruto slowly took off his jacket and kicked his shoes off until Shiota responded.

"Since Father started calling you a deadbeat," Shiota glanced away from his older brother. "Which, by the way, started when the only people at the dinner table just happened to be me and him."

Haruto could see Shiota's face narrow into a scowl.

"Thanks for that by the way," Shiota added.

Haruto could see all too clearly how frustrated he was with him. Ever since Haruto successfully rebelled against Dad's insistence that he take over the family business, there had been a lack of communication between father and son. Dad had long moved on to make Shiota the next heir and Haruto was just glad that he could finally get away from all that bullshit.

A little too glad…

"Tch, always a pleasure to see that the old man hasn't changed a bit since I last sat at the same table as him," Haruto grumbled with a sigh.

He hopped onto his bed and closed his eyes, getting ready to go to sleep, ignoring his little brother and the lights that had been turned on in his bed. But he knew that he couldn't ignore his little brother for long.

"You don't care, do you?" Shiota muttered.

Haruto opened his eyes and turned to him.

"What is it this time?" Haruto frowned.

"You don't care…" Shiota stepped forward. "You don't care about me at all."

"Shiota, what the fuck are you talking about?" Haruto sighed, getting out of bed. "Of course I care about you. Why the fuck would you–"

"If you did care about me, you would've sat by my side at the dinner table!" Shiota harshly stated. "You would've stuck up for your little brother whenever Father kept pushing! You didn't even fucking hear what he had said to me today, because if you did, you would've stood up and told Father to knock it off!"

Shiota stuffed his hands in his pockets.

"But instead, you were off playing with your goddamn friends rather than helping your brother," Shiota muttered before adding, "Typical Haruto…"

Haruto took in what Shiota was saying and knew all too well that he had a point…

"You can't just fucking blame me for what the hell is happening to you," Haruto grumbled.

Unfortunately, said point wasn't flawless and Haruto is a stubborn bastard.

"I broke out of Dad's egocentric fucking dreams all by my fucking self," Haruto stormed up toward Shiota with a glare. "Why can't you?"

Shiota widened his eyes slightly.

"If you had enough with the shit that Father is pulling on you, why don't you tell him to knock it off yourself?" Haruto glared. "Why can't you fucking do anything by yourself?! Jesus Christ, Dad was fucking right. You're too much of a–"

Haruto realized too late that he was going too far. He cut himself off but Shiota wasn't willing to relinquish the end of this conversation to him just yet.

"Too much of a what?" Shiota narrowed his eyes.

Haruto didn't say anything.

"Too much of a what?" Shiota pushed his hands against the former basketball player's chest. "Too much of a what, huh?!"

"Don't make me say it, Shiota," Haruto tightened his fist.

"No no, fucking say it," Shiota glared at his older brother.

With a heavy sigh, Haruto relented, and watched as his younger brother took a step back away from him…

"...A fucking pussy," Haruto revealed. "Obedient. Doesn't say shit to what he wants. Too much of a fucking lapdog…"

Haruto glanced at his younger brother, noticing how pained and hurt he was. Though they were Father's words, to hear it come out of his own brother's mouth just made it so much more painful to bear. Turning away, Shiota began to leave but before he could step past the door, he turned back.

"Enjoy hanging out with your friends," Shiota frowned. "Enjoy leaving me alone with Father."

"Sh-Shiota, come on man, I didn't…" Haruto reached out his hand.

"...You know what Father said to me today?" Shiota looked away.

Haruto couldn't see his face, but he could tell Shiota was definitely trying not to cry.

"...He said I was the reason why Mom died," Shiota revealed. "How can I stand up to someone who says that to me?"

Haruto stepped forward but the more he tried to reach his little brother, the more his little brother seemed to be farther away, until finally, Shiota left the room. He left behind his older brother, who can only do nothing but just stand there and lower his head in shame.

For the first time, going at it alone and leaving others behind…

...

…Felt terrible.

---

(Arthur's Room)

"You are Arthur Kingston, correct?"

"Who's asking?"

Arthur glanced back in an area that looked familiar but also unknown to him at the same time. Similarly, the figure that stood before him, Monohebi, remained both familiar and unknown for many reasons that he just couldn't quite put his finger on. Many reasons that made him believe that this was yet another old memory locked away in the deepest part of his suppressed mind.

"You are…" Arthur narrowed his eyes. "...Monohebi?"

"That's right," Monohebi nodded her head.

It always felt surreal just watching everything play out. Though, this time around, he was much more conscious in his own dream than he realized and if his conversation with Abigail was to tell him anything, this just had to be another memory slowly coming back to haunt him…

Right…?

"What do you need from me?" Arthur questioned.

"I need your help," Monohebi told him.

Arthur raised an eyebrow.

"Tch, why me?" he questioned.

Valid question. After all, what could Monohebi need assistance with that he could provide? And also, what was it with Monohebi that made him remember such a familiar scene?! Just who on Earth was she?!

"You are Arthur Kingston," Monohebi responded. "A member of one of the most powerful, influential, and wealthiest families in the world. A person like you would have connections or at least, would be able to get connections anywhere. Is this not true?"

Arthur folded his arms, eyeing the human-sized snake as her jagged eyes never wavered away from him. Truthfully, he felt a little uncomfortable, but he wasn't exactly sure why. Perhaps it was a memory of that feeling…

But again.

Why?

"...Yes, I could," Arthur folded his arms. "But I am no longer a member of the Kingston family. Or at least, I rather not be associated with them…"

He grimaced to himself as he glanced away.

"What do you need me for anyway?" he questioned.

Monohebi perked her head slightly before sighing.

"...A friend of mine requested that I look into something for her," Monohebi told him. "A friend of hers disappeared recently and I was hoping you could potentially find some answers to that."

Arthur stared at her with a frown.

"And what makes you think I would accept a job like that?" Arthur questioned.

Monohebi leaned forward.

"Because if you do this for me, I can help you get what you desire most," Monohebi stated. "An escape…"

Monohebi's eyes flashed a hellish red light.

…

Arthur jolted up from his bed with panicked breath.

Dream after dream, Arthur just couldn't get that snake out of his head. The more he looked at her, the more his mentality would block her image out of his mind. The more he dreamed those same dreams, the more he felt his memories slowly start to visualize themselves into something much clearer.

Rubbing his head, Arthur slowly got out of bed, rubbing his eyes and sighing.

Seriously, what was going on?

Monohebi.

Who are you really?

---

(Cafeteria)

When Arthur got himself dressed up as nicely as possible, he had headed straight to the Cafeteria as everyone usually did. However, it was very surprising for him to see that the only one here was just Haruto and Abigail. He paused and glanced around.

"Where's Ina?" Arthur asked.

"Wow, really?" Abigail raised an eyebrow. "She's not the only person missing here."

"Besides, how should we know?" Haruto sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "Last we saw her; she went off to dispose of those bombs we found yesterday. She could be in her room getting ready for all we know."

Arthur rubbed his chin.

Haruto had a point.

Ina said that she was going off to Cell Block S to empty the Evidence Box into the Grinder. And because of his strong familial ties, he was kinda road blocked from speaking to her at all. Yet, even though Haruto made his point, Arthur still couldn't feel as if something was wrong. Something was… off…

"She could be but…" Arthur frowned. "Normally she's very punctual…"

Arthur rubbed his chin.

It was very peculiar. And the more he thought about it, the more he started to worry. And the more he started to worry, the more he felt he needed to…

…

The door opened up.

Turning his head, Arthur's face looked slightly desperate.

"I-Ina?!" Arthur called out.

Not even close.

It was Mimi, and she looked out of breath.

From the looks of it, she'd been sprinting for a while to get to where they were. And also, from the looks of it, there was something she desperately wanted to alert everyone to. Ignoring Arthur's clear look of disappointment, Haruto and Abigail rushed over to the fairytale writer with slight concern.

"Mimi?" Abigail asked. "What's wrong?"

"C-Cell Block S," Mimi panted. "S-Something happened!"

"W-What?!" Haruto widened his eyes. "D-Don't tell me…"

Arthur felt his face grow pale. He didn't need to hear anything more. Instead, he sprinted off away from the Cafeteria, and straight toward Cell Block S, ignoring Abigail's insistence to call out his name.

"H-Hey Arthur!" Abigail exclaimed. "W-Wait!"

No.

There was no time to wait.

The time to act was now!

---

(Cell Block S)

When Arthur reached Cell Block S, he froze.

…

…

…

Ina was rubbing her head as Holland came prepared with an ice pack, gently placing it on her head as she winced at the immense temperature change that was happening to her head. She glanced up toward Arthur, apologetically.

Noticeably a few distance away from the wall she laid her back on was the Mukuro Ikusaba Evidence Box, toppled over on the ground.

But right now, Arthur cared little for the Evidence Box and instead rushed to Ina's side. Coldly, he shoved Holland to the side and took the ice pack, effectively replacing him as the one to take care of his sister.

"Ina!" Arthur exclaimed. "What happened?!"

Arthur turned to Holland with a cold glare.

"W-What did you do?!" Arthur glared at him.

"...What did I do?" Holland blinked. He sighed and shook his head. "Mimi and I found her on the floor. I went to get her an ice pack and Mimi went off to get you guys. That's all we did…"

Arthur slowly got up to confront the game designer but before he could do so, Ina grasped his arm, shaking her head slowly.

"He speaks the truth," Ina sighed to herself. "I am sorry, half-brother. This was all my fault…"

"N-No no, don't blame yourself for this," Arthur turned back to care for his sister. "What happened?"

"Yeah, that's what we wanna know too!"

On cue, Haruto had called out, running behind Abigail and Mimi, who led them to the scene of interest. When they saw Ina on the ground with an ice pack on her head, Abigail stepped up first, widening her eyes.

"What the heck happened?" Abigail asked once again.

"It was Cassandra," Ina narrowed her eyes. "She knocked me out… and took the contents of the box."

"W-Wait," Mimi widened her eyes as she realized what that meant. "D-Doesn't that mean…"

Holland dug through the Mukuro Ikusaba Evidence Box, glancing inside and looking up with a small frown added to his otherwise stoic expression.

"...Cassandra has the bombs and the trigger," Holland confirmed, dumping out the only thing that was in the box now: the newspaper clippings that Arthur had stuffed inside the day prior.

"Shit!" Abigail cursed. "We need to find her now!"

"How the fuck did she know about the box in the first fucking place?!" Haruto glared. "She wasn't even at the fucking meeting for that!"

"I… I am not sure," Ina looked down. "Again, this is all my fault. I was not careful enough and she was able to get the jump on me…"

"Fuck!" Abigail cursed again. "I knew we should've tied her up!"

"Oi, you need to quit suggesting that," Haruto turned to Abigail with a blank stare. "And not only that, but you also gotta calm the fuck down."

"Calm down?!" Abigail turned back to him with a frown. "She has five sticky bombs now! She has the trigger! How am I supposed to calm down when she has bombs that might end up leveling this whole place and kill us all?!"

"C-Can these bombs really do that?" Mimi widened her eyes.

"...Well, I wouldn't want to stick around and find out," Holland frowned. "I'm with Abigail on this one. We need to find her and those bombs. Knowing Cassandra, she might have taken those bombs as a last resort for her own survival…"

"Shit, that sounds like a Cassandra thing she'd do," Haruto folded her arms, uncomfortably.

"Then let us not wait any longer," Ina stood up, surprising Arthur slightly. She definitely looked the most irritated out of everyone.

Perhaps a knock on the noggin by St. Esther's resident bitch was enough to get her all fired up.

"A-Are you sure, Ina?" Arthur rushed to her side. "Don't you need to rest?"

"No," Ina shook her head with a slight frown. "I am fine. What is more important anyway is finding Cassandra."

Arthur noted Ina's fiery resolve.

For someone who had been knocked out for who knows how long, she was definitely gearing up to take down the bitch who did this to her. Honestly, the snowboarder could respect it. But at the same time, this was his half-sister and seeing her get hurt like that…

He sighed to himself.

"Very well," he begrudgingly accepted this outcome. "Where to first?"

---

(Auditorium)

The first place that the group decided to go to was Cassandra's room. If there was any place she could be, her room was definitely on that list. Despite how obvious that would be, it was the only place they could try to go to…

At least, that was what everyone had initially thought before they stopped dead in their tracks right in the middle of the Auditorium. Because sitting on top of the stage was a peculiar item: an eHandbook.

"Is that an…?" Mimi blinked.

"Yeah, but whose…?" Abigail blinked as well.

Wordlessly, Ina stepped up and picked up the eHandbook, curiously. Tapping it, she opened the tablet up to reveal the answer to Abigail's question. Like every eHandbook, it first opened up with the name and personal information of its owner. Firstly:

Name: Cassandra Mura

Next:

Gender: Female

Ultimate Talent: Ultimate Scam Artist

Birth Date: November 2nd

Height: 5'6

Weight: 124 lbs

Blood Type: B

"...This is Cassandra's eHandbook," Ina muttered.

"What?" it was Haruto's turn to blink. Scratching the back of his neck confusedly, he continued. "But why the fuck would her eHandbook be here of all places?"

"I do not–" Ina was about to say.

"So, you finally picked up."

Ina nearly dropped the eHandbook in shock.

Honestly, any one of them would've done the same. Because they didn't expect Ina to be interrupted with a voice. Not only that, they didn't expect the voice that interrupted Ina to be a voice from the eHandbook.

A voice belonging to Cassandra Mura, who seemed to be in a very comfortable and confident mood today.

Based on what they can see in the image, Cassandra seemed to be sitting comfortably with her signature smirk that suggested that she had a big plan up her sleeves to finally become an Ultimate Survivor. Behind her was what seemed to be the back wall of the Security Office.

"C-Cassandra?!" Mimi widened her eyes.

"W-What the fuck…" Haruto said.

"I-Is this a live feed?" Ina widened her eyes in shock.

Before Cassandra presumably could answer, Arthur had stepped up and taken his role of questioning this scam artist hiding behind the monitor of a portable tablet.

"Do you think you will get away with hurting my sister?!" Arthur glared at Cassandra. "We will find you and you will pay for what you have done to a member of the Kingston family!"

"...More importantly," Holland brushed Arthur's threats aside. "What have you done with the bombs and the trigger?"

"So, I gather that everyone's seen what I did to the revolutionary bitch," Cassandra shrugged with a deadly smirk from behind the tablet. "And as for the bombs? Don't you worry your pretty heads about it! I've put them away in safe places!"

"And the trigger?" Ina glared at the monitor.

"As for the trigger?" Cassandra clicked her tongue with a condescending wink as she held it up in her hands for everyone to see. Mockingly, she waved it around as if it were a toy she was getting ready to break into pieces. "Right here in my hands!"

Everyone tensed as she waved it around irresponsibly. Then slowly, Cassandra lowered the trigger and glared at everyone from behind the monitor.

"You guys really thought you could go and hide the existence of a bunch of sticky bombs from me?!" Cassandra scowled. "Fat fucking chance! The moment I saw that blonde bitch carry the bombs to the Mineshaft or something, I knew I had to get my hands on them! So, sorry about the little bludgeoning I did there, Half-Kingston!"

Ina tightened her grip on the eHandbook.

"Where are you?!" Arthur frowned. "I swear, when I catch you I'll–"

"Half-brother please!" Ina turned to Arthur, gesturing for him to quiet down. Turning back to the monitor, she glared at Cassandra. "Why do you want the bombs, anyway? What purpose could you possibly have to–"

"Easy," Cassandra scoffed. "I left this eHandbook at the Auditorium for one simple reason. Take a look behind you. You guys remember that door which leads to the room where we first met, right?"

As if under her command, the group of six turned back to the door which led to the room where once upon a time, they had nearly drowned. The Dungeon. The place that became the kickstarter to this entire story. The place that started it all…

---

The door closed behind them, sealing itself shut. Whatever they would have lost in the drainage chamber and the main cell/dungeon room, well, it was most likely going to be stuck there forever. The current room they were in however was large and desolate. It was very similar to something of an auditorium if the chairs were all packed away. In fact, it very much was an Auditorium if the chairs were all packed away! The stage where White Collar stood was also relatively empty. In fact, the only thing of note in the room were sixteen buildings that were arranged along the walls. Eight on each side in fact. There was also a paving pathway that led to a larger door by the corner of the stage, but it didn't seem to be open at the moment. Also on the ceiling was a security camera.

---

"...The Dungeon," Holland noted. "The place where we nearly escaped drowning…"

"Take a closer look," Cassandra continued.

Once again, as if under her command, the group of six did as they were told and froze. Because now the talking bitch from behind the monitor started to look a little serious and intimidating. On the door leading to the Dungeon was a sticky bomb: Bomb #1. And even worse, given the fact that the bombs seemed to be lit up, it seemed like the bomb itself was activated and ready to blow.

"N-No!" Mimi gasped.

"H-Holy shit!" Haruto exclaimed.

"And you know what the best part is?!" Cassandra smirked. "I have four more planted all around in different parts of this damn hellhole!"

"W-Why would you…?" Ina widened her eyes, glancing back at Cassandra. "W-Why?! W-What use would you need for bombs?! What is your purpose for doing this?!"

"Questions, questions," Cassandra yawned. "Isn't it obvious? I'm holding this entire facility hostage."

"H-Hostage?!" Mimi widened her eyes.

"H-Hostage?" Ina gritted her teeth.

"Yes, hostage," Cassandra rolled her eyes before smirking. "You see, these bombs are pretty damn strong. And I imagine that this building isn't sturdy enough to take on five sticky bombs. Meaning, cause enough damage and this entire place might just come crashing down. So, like most hostage situations, I have demands before I decide to blow this place sky high!"

"D-Demands?" Arthur blinked.

"What are your demands?" Ina frowned.

"Simple," Cassandra smirked. "All that needs to happen is for Arthur Kingston to submit himself to me. I'll kill him. I honor my part of the deal. I get to go free. No one else has to get hurt."

Arthur shrunk back in shock, widening his eyes.

"W-What?!" Haruto glared at Cassandra. "What the fuck happened to trying to prove you're on our side?!"

Cassandra didn't answer.

Instead, she just waved the trigger around, irresponsibly, looking quite weary, presumably from this onslaught of questions. Then, with a yawn she smirked at her peers through the monitor.

"What's that?" she cupped her ear, acting as if she didn't hear Haruto. "Was I not clear about my demands? How about I show a little demonstration, then?"

"W-Wait–" Abigail widened her eyes.

"A-Ah…" Mimi looked terrified as she watched Ina hold up the monitor with Cassandra's face on it.

Everyone could clearly see that Cassandra was raising up the trigger. Ina quickly turned toward the door with Bomb #1, with heightened emotions now.

"E-Everyone, get to cover!" Ina exclaimed, realizing what she was about to do.

No one needed to tell them twice. Instantly, as each of the six prisoners hid behind the Voting Chambers, they could hear it all too well now. The distant beeping coming from the door to the Dungeon.

...

Beep.

...

Beep.

...

Beep.

...

Beeeeeeeeeeep…

…

BOOM!

…

…

…

…

…

…

The explosion was louder than expected.

All anyone could hear now was a temporary ringing as some of the prisoners, namely Mimi, nearly got blown away from the harsh wind and tremors the bomb had caused. The ground had shaken and if one noticed closely, they could see the stone walls shake as well. The door that the bomb had been attached to had been blown into smithereens, revealing the open vault to the inside of the Dungeon.

But all anyone could feel was their head ringing.

All anyone could hear was their ears slowly adjusting themselves to hear things clearly.

All anyone could smell was ash and soot from the debris that was now the door that had blocked everyone off from the Dungeon.

And finally, all anyone could see and pay attention to be the Devil emerging from his grand stage with his faithful scaly partner, both of them looking displeased and absolutely bewildered by what had happened to their beloved facility.

And once everyone's ears adjusted, they could hear Monohebi's displeasurement seething through her voicebox.

"What has she done?!" Monohebi hissed. "That skank! L-Look at what she has done to the door to the Dungeon! That door was locked for a reason!"

"It seems Miss Mura is putting good use to those bombs," White Collar mused, leaning against his cane.

"Master!" Monohebi turned to White Collar. "How can you remain unfazed by this?!"

"Because the only way to end all of this is to do exactly as Miss Mura has stated," White Collar chuckled, snapping his head toward Arthur.

His mask grinned toward him. And Arthur could feel it all too well in light of the information he had learned yesterday from White Collar, assuming he believed what she had told him. For the gaze that White Collar gave him was a gaze filled with vengeance and wrath. Seriously…

What did he do to warrant this?

"Mister Kingston," White Collar began. "Give into Miss Mura's demands."

"W-What?" Arthur widened his eyes.

"Did you not hear Miss Mura's demands?" White Collar leaned forward, pointing his sharp cane toward his chin. "All you have to do is submit yourself to Miss Mura. Accept your fate. Die by her hands. And then she will spare all of us from the bombs."

"Hang on, can't you do something about the bombs?" Abigail pressed. "You're the one who prepared it for us, weren't you? Meaning, you should be able to remotely deactivate the bombs, right?"

White Collar shook his head with a slight chuckle.

"Unfortunately, I can't," he stated.

"W-What?" Mimi widened her eyes. "W-What do you mean you can't?! Are you saying you gave us bombs to mess around with and didn't have anything planned to counteract it?!"

"You are saying this to someone who has well-prepared molotovs, spearguns, police-issued firearms, and poisons that you could've taken and used any time to kill me with," White Collar declared. "Funny enough, of all the rules you've broken in your life, you simply chose not to break Rule #8. How humorous is that?"

"Th-Then what the fuck do we do?!" Haruto exclaimed.

"I already gave you an answer, didn't I?" White Collar pressed. "Mister Kingston has to give himself up to Miss Mura. Once he does and he dies by her hand, we will not run the risk of perishing in a building set to collapse…"

"...We don't know where the bombs are," Holland noted. "That is true…"

"Yeah, but to give up Arthur Kingston?!" Abigail widened her eyes. "I know he's a prick but if it means also letting Cassandra get away with it scot-free…"

"We are not sacrificing my half-brother," Ina stepped forward with a glare.

"Unfortunately, that is not your decision to make," White Collar brushed aside Ina as he glanced warily at Arthur. "The honor of deciding what to do goes to the man who has taken the role of leader. And as we've learned, a leader's true purpose is to sacrifice… isn't it?"

Holland silently widened his eyes and tightened his fists. That was what Zuri had told him shortly before her death.

Arthur on the other hand felt stuck at a crossroads.

He knew all too well that the Devil made a point. He knew all too well that the correct choice for him would be to submit himself. Yet, even though he knew that, he… didn't want to. There was no way he could. There was no way he could ever… This was his life! Why would he give it up for…

Arthur turned to Ina, his eyes widening upon realization.

"You realize now, Mister Kingston?" White Collar chuckled sinisterly. "This turn of events Miss Mura has created. Think about who you may save if you do this. Think about whose lives are on the line. Think… and do it."

White Collar leaned forward, his eyes turning a different shade of red.

"For her…" White Collar gestured to Ina, as his grin widened.

Similarly, Ina widened her eyes in slight fear.

"...W-Why?" Arthur tightened his fist, facing the Devil and staring at him straight in the eyes. "W-Why me? What did I ever do to you?"

"You still haven't figured it out?" White Collar scoffed. "Tch, then, I guess you'll just have to submit yourself to death without ever finding out. A familiar fate, don't you agree?"

Arthur felt a migraine start to come around.

"Master, there is no need to listen to the demands of an ungrateful sinner!" Monohebi argued. "There is no telling whether or not she will keep her end of the bargain! The moment we let her leave comes the moment she will bury us alive!"

"I have to agree with the talking devil-worshiping snake," Abigail stated. "There's a chance you might die too! Is that really what you want?!"

White Collar said nothing.

He extended his arms and only laughed boisterously.

"Fucking hell," Haruto remarked. "I don't think he gives a shit. Fuck! What do we do?!"

"...There's only one thing we can do," Holland stated, glaring at White Collar who was glancing at him curiously. "And it's to find Cassandra."

"Yes, I agree," Ina nodded. "We have to find her before she activates the other bombs!"

"Really now?" White Collar perked her head. "And go through so much trouble? Do you even know where she may be?"

"Well…" Ina bit her lip.

"Just looking at the wall behind her…" Holland began. "It looks like she's in the Security Office."

"Then we go catch her and we tie her up as Abigail suggested!" Haruto cracked his knuckles.

"Finally!" Abigail looked relieved. "About time you started to agree!"

"Oh, I'm sorry, is everyone awake yet?" the voice from Cassandra's little live feed came back as she yawned. "Great! You all saw how devastating Bomb #1 turned out to be for everyone's ears and shit right? So, you have proof that I'm seriously not fucking around. You guys try to do something besides submit Arthur to me and I'll blow this joint and leave you guys for dead!"

"M-Master!" Monohebi hissed, turning to White Collar. "You cannot allow her to do this! If she does this, the game is over! And you cannot allow the game to end prematurely like this! It's against the rules!"

White Collar considered what Monohebi had stated for a while. And as he did, Ina started to shake the tablet as if she were shaking Cassandra by her shirt collar.

"Enough!" Ina glared at the screen. "Where have you hidden the bombs?!"

"Oh, you seriously want to know?" Cassandra smirked. She considered this moment for a second before shrugging. "Okay. I'll tell you what. I'll give the little Prince some time to think about what he really wants to do. Give you guys a little hope or in that Kingston bastard's case, a little time to say his goodbyes. I'll be counting down the time myself and I'll give you... 60 minutes! That's how much time Arthur Kingston has to say his goodbyes and to give me a clear-cut answer. If not? I blow up all four bombs. Sounds fair?"

"Fair enough!" Ina agreed, almost instantly.

"W-What hey!" Abigail glared at Ina, taken aback by how quickly she agreed to those terms.

"Very well then, watch closely," Cassandra leaned back against her chair and pointed directly to the back of the wall.

Much to everyone's surprise, or at least those who were watching, the wall behind her began to change.

No longer was she in the Security Office, now she was in the Ultimate Fairytale Writer's Cell…?

Then her background switched again.

No longer was she in Mimi's Cell, now she was in the Laboratory…?

Then her background switched another time.

No longer was she in the Laboratory, now she was in Mineshaft…?

The background switched one more time.

No longer was she in the Mineshaft, she was in the Ultimate Revolutionary Cell…?

Now that last one was the most peculiar of them all.

Her backdrop reverted back to the Security Office and sticking out her tongue, she gave a smirk toward the screen. Presumably, she was probably hoping to give a challenging glare toward Arthur.

"Your move, Kingston!" Cassandra smirked. "You have 60 minutes!"

"This bitch isn't giving us a heck of a lot of time," Haruto grumbled.

"...No, she isn't," Holland shook his head. "But based on what was shown in the background, we can assume that the bombs will be located in Mimi's Cell, the Laboratory, the Mineshaft, and somehow Ina's Cell."

"That is impossible," Ina shook her head. "There is no way for her to even access my Cell. It has been closed off since, well… Titus and Kane.

Holland rubbed his chin, pondering about this.

"Could she have lied about the last one then?" Mimi blinked.

"Speaking of lies!" Abigail turned to Ina with a glare. "I just wanted to say that you can't just agree to the terms and conditions of the Ultimate Scam Artist so easily like that! She purposefully gave us a fake location for a bomb for a reason!"

"Maybe, but what other choice did we have?" Ina frowned. "You said it yourself; my half-brother may be… complicated… but sacrificing his life is not something we can do. This is our only option and 60 minutes is all we have!"

"Your 60 minutes are ticking down," White Collar tapped his wrist as if he had a watch. Which he did not, by the way. "We need to move."

"E-Eh?" Mimi widened her eyes. "Y-You're coming with us White Collar?"

"Monohebi is correct," White Collar sighed, looking slightly disappointed. "As much as I do respect Miss Mura's commitment, if she destroys the building and ends the Killing Game prematurely, I may not be able to get what I want in the end… Which is pitiful at its finest."

"I will join too," Monohebi nodded, flicking her tongue. "For Miss Mura will finally be punished for her transgressions…"

"Then, in that case, we now have 8 people on the team," Abigail noted. "We can divide ourselves into 2 and try to locate the bombs."

"No," Arthur shook his head.

"W-What?" Abigail blinked. "W-Why not?"

"I don't believe we need to entirely shift our focus on the bombs," Arthur devised an idea. "You said it yourself, dear sister. One of the locations Cassandra showed us belonged to an area that was blocked off. There is a chance some of these locations could be nothing more than wild goose chases."

"Or in Cassandra's better lack of terms…" Haruto grumbled. "A fucking scam…"

"Precisely," Arthur nodded. "But something I have noticed in the live feed is that Cassandra had given us more than she must've originally intended…"

"Huh?" Mimi blinked. "Really?"

"I believe she may have outed where she might be," Arthur mused. "Because there is no way for the background to change like that unless she was in one specific location…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…The Ultimate Opinion Columnist's Cell."

"C-Carter's Cell?" Mimi gasped.

"...Meaning, we're going to need a group to go after Cassandra," Holland nodded.

"I volunteer myself," Arthur raised his hand.

"No," Haruto shook his head. "It should be me. And this isn't because I'm contending for a leadership role or anything like that. Arthur. You're the target. She's gonna be trying to gun for you with everything she's got. So, it only makes sense that I have to do it."

"And you're taking me with you, right?" Abigail raised an eyebrow.

Haruto thought back to their conversation the day prior. Originally, he would've considered going at it alone but today…

"...Yeah," Haruto nodded. "Let's go get her."

"Good," Abigail smiled to herself, determinedly.

"I will accompany you two," White Collar stated. "If there is anyone who will get her to cease, it's me. After all, I'm the one in control of this game and Miss Mura has been known to follow my words…"

"I will join you–" Monohebi was about to say before she was stopped by White Collar.

"No," White Collar shook his head, placing his cane right in front of her to block her. "You will not. The goal isn't to punish her. After all, technically, she's broken no rules. And after what you were able to pull without my knowing… I simply cannot trust you to accompany Miss Ellsworth and Mister Walker for the task."

"B-But Master!" Monohebi widened her eyes.

"You can join Mister Kingston and keep a close eye on him," White Collar stated. "And be ready to detain him should time run out."

"B-But…" Monohebi blinked.

"...Monohebi..." White Collar perked his head, his voice turning into a deeper growl and expression growing more sinister.

Shrinking back, she sighed and tipped her head down.

"Y-Yes Master," Monohebi stated.

Arthur glanced at the snake, growing slightly wary of the scaly serpent's presence. Luckily, Ina stood by his side, carrying the eHandbook with Cassandra's face on it and placed her hand on his shoulder.

"Do not worry," Ina began. "I will make sure this snake does not harm you, half-brother."

Arthur glanced at Ina, thankful.

"...Then that just leaves me and Mimi to go bomb hunting," Holland noted.

"Yeah," Mimi nodded. "We'll be counting on you guys to take down Cassandra!"

"Time is running out," White Collar nodded. "Let us be off!"

And with time slowly counting down, everyone raced off into their assorted groups to either look for the bombs or hunt down Cassandra. And while everyone was worried about what might happen if they fail, only one was truly worried about what might happen in the long run.

That one was Arthur Kingston.

And who can blame him?

---

(Ultimate Fairytale Writer's Cell)

Holland and Mimi raced into the Ultimate Fairytale Writer's Cell.

Despite how wonderfully breezy and beautiful this place looked, the fact that Mimi's own Cell was under a bomb threat, meant well enough that the beauty and soothing presence wasn't going to last for long. Holland didn't seem to be entirely bothered with preserving the Cell's beauty, but Mimi looked downtrodden.

"Leave it to someone like Cassandra to put a bomb in my Cell!" Mimi pouted. "She can't go one day without ruining people's lives, huh?"

"...Well, let's not rush to conclusions here," Holland noted. "For all we know, there might not even be a bomb here and this was just one wild goose chase…"

Holland spoke too soon.

Because the moment the two walked across the bridge arching over the miniature looping river stream, a sticky bomb, Bomb #2, was attached neatly against the door to the tree. Clearly, this was why God kicked out humans from the Garden of Eden.

"N-Noooo!" Mimi widened her eyes in distress. "N-Not the tree!"

Holland took a step forward and examined the bomb carefully. He felt his legs shake, probably a sign of nervousness that the bomb was just going to blow up, especially since neither of them had the eHandbook with Cassandra's little live feed on it. But upon closer inspection, there was no timer to let them know how much time they had left.

"Huh…" Holland noted. "...Guess we really need to count on Haruto, Abigail, and I guess, White Collar to stop Cassandra."

"What do you mean?" Mimi blinked.

"...The bombs don't have timers," Holland stated. "Meaning, Cassandra is probably going to stay true to her word and keep track of time her own way. Not only that, but your Cell doesn't exactly have a clock we can use to keep track of time either…"

"Oh, I guess you're right," Mimi looked down. "I guess that is the downside of having a Cell outside."

Mimi glanced at the bomb with fearful eyes.

"But more importantly," Mimi looked to Holland with a hopeful expression. "C-Can you disarm it?"

Holland narrowed his eyes and glanced at the bomb. Thinking about it now, examining it closer may be a really bad idea but if he could get a look at the bomb's wiring, he supposed there may be a chance to disarm it.

At least he hoped.

He took a deep breath and glanced toward Mimi.

"...Do you have something sharp?" he questioned.

…

Using one of the branches from the giant tree in the middle of Mimi's Cell, Holland felt himself hesitate to even try to do this but what choice did they have? It was either let the bombs blow up or try to deactivate it. Holland wasn't sure if he could disarm it but through Mimi's insistence, he supposed his own life being on the line was worth it if it meant they could get rid of Cassandra's hold on the facility.

Speaking of which, he glanced back toward Mimi.

"...Step back," Holland said. "...This could get really bad…"

"No," Mimi firmly shook her head as she stayed by Holland's side. "I… I want to help."

"...Are you sure?" Holland blinked, surprised by her commitment.

"This is my Ultimate Cell," Mimi nodded her head. "And it's not fair for me to ask you to do this and not help. Right?"

She had a point there.

But at the same time, deactivating a bomb, especially a bomb that could cause an entire facility to shake and tremor, was much too dangerous. To keep her by his side, Holland wasn't sure if that was the right thing to do, regardless of whether or not Mimi had her reasons to join him.

"Holland," Mimi looked at him determinedly. "We're remaining strong, together, remember?"

Holland stared at her, glanced away in consideration, and finally, relented. Nodding his head, he turned back to the bomb.

"As soon as you feel like something goes wrong…" Holland began. "...Be ready to run for cover…"

"You too," Mimi responded.

The game designer took a well-needed deep breath. Then, twirling the tree branch he was using as his makeshift knife, Holland held his breath and began to cut the wrapping the sticky bomb was coated in, revealing a set of wires. He's seen something like this all too well in spy movies, but to think he was going to have to do it himself was just one of the many situations he never expected to find himself thrusted in.

"You know what to do right?" Mimi slightly gulped. She was beginning to regret staying near the bomb.

"...Honestly?" Holland eyed each wire. Unlike the movies, each wire was colored with one single tint: red. With a sigh, the game designer shook his head. "Not really…"

That didn't help anyone ease their stress and worries.

---

(Cell Block E)

White Collar, clearly being the oldest of their group of three, led his subjects to the Ultimate Opinion Columnist's Cell. However, the moment they had passed the Laboratory, which Arthur, Ina, and Monohebi had assigned themselves to bomb search, the man in the Devil's mask gestured for his temporary allies to slow down and start to sneak as they made their way closer to Carter's Cell.

"Why the fuck are we slowing down?" Haruto raised an eyebrow.

White Collar stopped and turned to him with a deadpan expression on his mask.

"So, if she's in there, we can sneak up on her, obviously," Abigail scoffed toward Haruto. "And not risk her pressing any buttons on the trigger."

"Oh, right," Haruto blinked.

Honestly, he had that mentality of just charging in like it was Sparta, but a point was being made that needed to be followed. White Collar had turned back and continued to sneak through the turning hallway.

And once the three reached the Ultimate Opinion Columnist's Cell…

---

(Ultimate Opinion Columnist's Cell)

"Gotcha bitch!"

Despite what he was told, Haruto couldn't handle his recklessness. He jumped in, ready to charge and throw arms, but remained in his fighter pose as he scanned the area in slight confusion. Walking in normally was Abigail and White Collar, both of whom shared unamused expressions.

"Well, so much more sneaking inside and catching her by surprise," Abigail sighed, folding her arms.

She glanced around.

She noted the fact that she had never once been to the Ultimate Opinion Columnist's Cell before, so to see all these newspaper articles talking about the Tragedy was just as breathtakingly creepy as it was hearing Arthur and Ina recount what they had learned. But most importantly now…

"Um, she's not here?" Abigail blinked.

"Miss Mura must've known we were coming," White Collar stated. "I doubt we were being discreet when discussing our plans… in front of her live feed."

"Shit," Haruto cursed. "Goddamn it! At this rate, she could be fucking anywhere!"

"Anywhere," White Collar rubbed his chin in thought. "Anywhere indeed…"

Abigail recognized that despite wearing that creepy Devil's helmet/mask, he seemed to have an idea formulated on his mind. Almost slowly but surely, her suspicions were about to come true as she watched his mask's grin widen.

"Okay, what do you have in mind?" Abigail impatiently asked, knowing full-well the man in the Devil's mask was going to be hella cryptic about what idea had crept into his head.

"Hm, you caught on," White Collar placed a finger over his masked grin. "There is another way I can try to easily locate her."

"Well, don't just leave us hanging!" Haruto folded his arms. "We're temporarily on the same side right now so it's best you let us know what the fuck you're gonna do!"

"Language," White Collar taunted slightly. "But the answer is simple. Monohebi and I have security cameras all over the facility. It's how we know who the blackened in every case is. All I really have to do is go and look through the camera footage and track her down remotely."

"And you didn't think about doing that before?" Abigail blankly stared at him.

"Well, of course not," White Collar's mask frowned. "You were all dead certain she was in Mister Franklin's Ultimate Cell that I didn't feel that it was unnecessary…"

White Collar tapped the tip of his cane.

"Until now that is…" White Collar stated.

"Alright, so where is this place you go to stare at security cameras?" Haruto frowned. "We gotta go right now."

"No," White Collar shook his head. "Only I can go. All you can do is join the others in searching for those bombs."

"What?" Abigail narrowed her eyes. "Why?"

"Isn't it obvious?" White Collar fixed his tie. "My own personal security system would be located in my own personal office."

He pointed the sharp end of his cane toward the two.

"And inviting you sinners there is not something I can allow…" White Collar's jagged red eye glinted.

Ignoring the fact that he's constantly invited Cassandra over for dinner for the past few days, White Collar made a solid point. His office was off-limits to them. After all, they were the participants of his little game and whatever he had in his office definitely would give them the advantage for them to leave scot-free.

And as he had said, there was no way, White Collar could allow that…

"As soon as I find her, I will let you know," White Collar assured them. "So, please, when looking for those bombs, don't traverse too far, yes?"

"Nah, you're taking us with you," Haruto shook his head. "You seriously think we're gonna let you go on and do whatever the fuck you want by yourself?"

"Well, it was either me check the security footage by myself or stick with you and blindly check the entire facility," White Collar shrugged. "It's really your call, Mister Walker. Or I suppose, it's really Miss Ellsworth's call. She can act as the tiebreaker here, yes?"

Abigail blinked.

She didn't expect herself to be put in the spotlight like this but as soon as she was, she began to consider the options. Haruto had a point. Letting White Collar go off by himself while in the middle of a crisis was definitely not an option they could really have. But at the same time, time was running out for them.

She bit her lip.

She hated decisions like this.

Sighing bitterly, Abigail spoke up.

"As much as I want to agree with you Haruto…" Abigail rubbed her arm, noting Haruto's bewildered look. "It's either White Collar leaves to track her down from his little private corner, or it's us looking around and just wasting a bunch of time."

"F-Fuck…" Haruto placed his hands over his hips with a slight grumble. "Are you serious?"

"So, we have a deal, then?" White Collar chuckled to himself. Extending his arms out as if he were pinned to the cross, he grinned. "Excellent! I should be able to locate her in no time!"

"Hold on," Abigail glared at him. "Just going to say this, you better keep your word and let us know. Otherwise…"

Abigail paused.

Fuck.

She didn't have a clear threat ready. How could she threaten the Devil without clear demands and consequences their captor needed to keep in mind. Threatening to beat him up wasn't going to work after all! He had a rule for that!

"...I see you're trying to come up with something," White Collar leaned against his cane with a sinister chuckle. "Very well. Please let me know what you come up with by the time I find you."

White Collar prepared to leave the room, before placing a finger over his masked grin once more.

"But don't you worry," White Collar sinisterly said. "The Devil always keeps his word…"

Walking off, the Devil left the equestrian and former basketball player behind in the Opinion Columnist's Cell, ready to head toward his quarters to search for that pesky scam artist on his own personal camera system. And as he did, both Abigail and Haruto felt a sense of uneasiness.

"Fuck!" Haruto clenched his fist. "We shouldn't have let him go off by himself! I don't fucking trust him!"

"I don't think anyone trusts him here except his damn snake," Abigail scoffed. "But what choice do we have? The more we stagger ourselves, the closer our lives get on the line."

Haruto folded his arms with a frown.

Abigail had a point. They didn't really have much of a choice but goddamn it did Haruto hate it! Tightening his fist, Haruto took a deep breath.

"So, in the case of the bombs," Abigail rubbed her arm, looking slightly ashamed that they had to make that decision. "Where to?"

Haruto pondered the answer to that question. Then with a nod, he nodded toward Abigail.

"I think one of the places that had a bomb was the Mineshaft," Haruto stated. "If we hurry, we should be able to get there and try to figure out how to deactivate it."

"Right," Abigail nodded toward her love interest.

Without much else to say, the now team of two hurried off to run through Cell Block E in order to traverse directly toward Cell Block S…

---

(Laboratory)

While Abigail and Haruto ran off toward the Mineshaft, Arthur, Ina, and Monohebi, as mentioned before, were in the Laboratory. Almost all too quickly, they had located Bomb #3 and it was definitely in a spot that Monohebi was not very happy with.

Bomb #3 was attached to the glass paned window of the Laboratory that allowed them to look inside the Testing Grounds.

Hissing and allowing her eyes to glow spitefully, Monohebi flicked her tongue in frustration.

"Cassandra Mura," Monohebi muttered. "That skank! Ha! She thinks she can blow up the Laboratory window in order to get inside the Testing Grounds?! How pathetic!"

"Will it work?" Ina raised an eyebrow toward Monohebi.

"W-Well, yes but…" Monohebi stuttered.

"From my understanding, the window is relatively sturdy," Arthur noted. "But I take it even sturdy glass can't protect it against a large explosion…"

"Of course it can't," Monohebi shook her head. "The bombs that Master White Collar had prepared were meant to be big enough just as it were five years ago."

"Five years ago…" Arthur narrowed his eyes, toward Monohebi. "As in the Tragedy…?"

"No wonder White Collar saved these for last then," Ina frowned. "From what we've seen in the Auditorium, the end result is rather devastating."

"Perhaps a little too devastating," Monohebi shook her head. "A slight design flaw especially for a location as old as St. Esther's."

Arthur eyed Monohebi and took in her voice, trying to get himself to remember what about her seemed so familiar but the more he did, the more he could only see Monohebi as the snake that worked for the man that apparently hated him so much.

Turning to Ina, Arthur frowned.

"By the way," Arthur turned to Ina, speaking in a slightly disdainful tone. "Do you have eyes on our delightful friend, Cassandra?"

"Hm?" Ina blinked. Glancing back down at Cassandra's eHandbook, she grimaced and glanced back at Arthur. Slowly, she shook her head. "I am afraid not. Cassandra has not responded or shown herself on the screen. Perhaps the others have found her."

"Or she left," Arthur tightened his fist. "Cassandra is crafty. Let's not forget that. She must have some sort of counter to what we're trying to do here."

"Pesky pest," Monohebi shook her head. "If I was with Master White Collar, I would've found her and strangled till her entire body bursts!"

"Ignoring that," Ina shook her head. "The only thing we can do now is figure out how to disarm the bomb."

"Right you are sister," Arthur nodded.

"Half," Ina corrected.

Getting to it, the Kingston siblings and the snake huddled toward the bomb, making sure to not get too close or too reckless with it. Even the slightest touch could cause a mass destruction to this facility…

"First thing's first," Arthur began, folding his arms. He glanced toward the snake. "Do you by chance know how to deactivate the bomb?"

Monohebi flicked her tongue out as she considered the question at hand. Then, with a heavy exhalation of breath through her makeshift nostrils, she shook her head.

"Unfortunately, I do not," Monohebi stated. "I am not even sure if there is a clear-cut way to deactivate the bombs. Neither Master White Collar nor I designed them after all."

Arthur raised an eyebrow at this tidbit of information.

Could this tie into what Cassandra had mentioned. That there were other forces at hand involved with this game…

"However," Monohebi continued. "There is some wiring within the wrappings of the bomb. Perhaps if you cut the right wire, you may be able to deactivate it like so."

"I see," Arthur nodded. "Then I suppose we may need something sharp to–"

The sound of glass shattering was heard as Ina broke a flask to prepare themselves a sharp glass shard.

"...You know there were scissors in one of these cabinets, yes?" Monohebi deadpanned toward the revolutionary.

"In a time crunch like this…" Ina began. "We have no time to search for scissors. We simply adapt…"

"That's my sister," Arthur smiled to himself.

"Half," Ina corrected as she walked over to the bomb with little fear.

Okay.

Overstatement.

She was definitely nervous when she approached the bomb with a glass shard. Her brow started to sweat as she gulped slightly. At any time, Cassandra could pop up and yell out that she was ready to blow the entire facility. Patting her pockets, she took a deep breath and began to slowly cut the wrapping of the bomb, hoping that she didn't end up causing the bomb to randomly blow up.

And as she did so, Arthur glanced over to Monohebi.

It was time he figured out more about her.

Figure out what the hell was her deal.

What the hell was she doing in his bloody dreams…?

…

Glancing down at the coiled-up snake, who watched Ina do her work with bated breath, Arthur decided to start a conversation with the snake. He had to know. He just had to know! What about her made him feel so familiar to him…

"Monohebi, I must say…" Arthur began. "I'm surprised."

Monohebi glanced at the snowboarder, curiously.

"What do you mean?" she questioned.

Arthur decided to approach this line of questioning subtly.

"Even though you're devoted to White Collar…" Arthur started. "...You seem to care more about the stability of this facility and this game rather than the demands of Cassandra. Why is that?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Monohebi flicked her tongue out. "I simply do not wish for Miss Mura to win. Out of everyone here, she doesn't deserve to survive…"

Her red eyes glowed as she said this.

Raising an eyebrow, Arthur seemed relatively disappointed by this answer. All he found out was what he already knew: Monohebi had a distinct hatred toward Cassandra. Practically everyone knew at this point. He needed to approach his questioning at a different angle this ti–

"Mister Kingston," Monohebi started.

"Y-Yes?" Arthur blinked.

"You are staring at me rather intently," Monohebi shook her head. "Please cease. If you have a question, just ask me. But I must assure you, that I will forever belong to Master White Collar so if it–"

"N-No, no, it's none of that!" Arthur shook his head. "It's just… I was wondering…"

Arthur rubbed the back of his neck.

Okay.

Seriously.

How the heck was he supposed to pop the question?!

"...Have we met before?" Arthur lamely questioned.

Monohebi blinked at Arthur, confused. Flicking her tongue, she shook her head.

"Not at all," Monohebi shook her head. "Unless you were among those who made me, I do not recognize you in any shape or form. Why? Do you think you saw a black and white snake on the road some time ago?"

"N-No, it's just that…" Arthur frowned, scratching the back of his neck. "There is something about you that is familiar. I just can't put my finger on it…"

Monohebi shook her tail as if she were a rattlesnake, which she wasn't, but still. Flicking her tongue out, she noticed that Arthur was clearly troubled about this. With a sigh, she decided to drop this topic and turn to Ina but suddenly–

"...Is it your voice?" Arthur blinked.

Monohebi turned to him, surprised.

"What about my voice?" Monohebi questioned.

"Well, you're obviously an inorganically constructed machinery of some kind," Arthur blinked. "Perhaps it's your voice box."

"...My voice box…?" Monohebi asked. "I see. You think my voice sounds familiar?"

Yes.

Now that Arthur realized, he was getting vague memories here and there but when those memories started attacking his head and granted him the curse of migraines, it was always during a time when Monohebi acknowledged him. During…

---

"Yes, thank you for your time," Arthur stated.

"No, thank you, Mister Kingston," Monohebi responded. "For bringing to me attention about a broken rule. Now then, if that is all, I wish you good luck with your Investigation…"

Then, tipping her head like a curtsy, Monohebi slithered off.

As soon as she did so however, Arthur felt his head hurt. He winced. Why did that…? His mind trailed off to…

"Half-brother," Ina snapped his minor dazed moment back to reality. "Are you alright?"

Arthur watched in the distance where Monohebi had slithered off to. For some reason, that brought back a sense of deja vu…

"Yes, I am alright," Arthur folded his arms, eyebrows furrowed curiously.

---

"...Yes, do you by chance–" Arthur began before Monohebi shook her head.

"I do not," Monohebi immediately stated. "The first time I was activated was three years ago. And never once did I ever question my manufacturing."

Monohebi flicked her tongue.

"Besides, why should I bother with silly questions like that?" Monohebi shook her head. "My only purpose is to serve. To obey every command. To live for my Master and never leave his side until he has no more use for me…"

Arthur stared at Monohebi.

Despite her being so serious about it… it also felt really sad.

Or was that just him?

Just him and thinking too far when it came to the voice that said it…

"Half-brother," Ina wiped her brow and handed the glass shard to Arthur. It was clear that trying to deactivate the bomb had taken a toll on her mental state. "C-Could you take over? I need to…"

"O-Oh!" Arthur snapped out of his thoughts and instantly nodded toward his sister. "O-Of course! Please. Relax yourself. I'll try to deactivate it."

"Th-Thank you," Ina sighed in relief as she stepped farther back from the bomb.

Even though she was the Ultimate Revolutionary, to deal with a bomb ready to explode was still a nerve-racking experience. It also didn't help that her half-brother and the snake were having an idle chatter as she was stressing out.

Also not like she was able to understand what the heck was going between the two either.

She didn't bother to listen as she worked on an active bomb after all!

---

(Mineshaft)

Sure enough, when Haruto and Abigail had reached the Mineshaft, there was a sticky bomb placed directly on the Grinder: Bomb #4.

And for the few minutes they were inside, the two were on a heated time crunch to figure out how to deactivate the bombs. Because as far as we're concerned, Abigail and Haruto may be smart in certain places, but when it came to bombs, they didn't know shit.

As expected of the clearly Ultimate Equestrian and Former Ultimate Basketball Player.

"Fuck, there really is a bomb here," Haruto grumbled.

"Better than no bomb at all," Abigail shook her head. "Got any idea on how to approach this?"

"Like hell I do!" Haruto gulped. "I've never dealt with fucking bombs in my life! Do you?"

"W-Why do you think I asked in the first place?" Abigail stared at the bomb, uneasily.

Glancing at each other, the two decided to approach the bomb as slowly as possible as they stared at the wrapping of this destructive weapon. Both of them were unsure if they should risk upsetting the beast that was set to blow up. But what else could they do?

After all, as much as they hated to say it...

...Everything came down to White Collar and what he might be able to find on his private security camera monitors...

---

(Laboratory)

Arthur dropped the glass shard in frustration.

He wasn't able to do it.

These prisoners may be between 18-21 but when it came to explosives-handling, all of them were equally big pussies about it. The risk of upsetting the bomb enough to just have it automatically explode in their face was way too high for any of them to do anything about it.

"Blast it!" Arthur cursed, crushing the glass shard under his feet.

Monohebi stared at the pieces on the ground before glancing back up toward the snowboarder.

"We could've used that, you know," Monohebi pointed out.

"A-Ah!" Ina exclaimed, suddenly. "C-Cassandra!"

Arthur and Monohebi snapped their heads toward Ina as the Ultimate Revolutionary rushed over to show them the image on Cassandra's eHandbook. From the looks of it, she was now in a completely white room, with some blood stains behind her back as she smirked.

Could it be…?

"Time's up!" Cassandra stuck her tongue out with a smirk on her face as she felt perfectly safe at the area she was in. "So, Arthur, what's it going to be?"

Arthur blinked.

"A-Already?" Arthur asked.

Fastest 60 minutes ever!

He felt himself nearly give in. If he didn't do something soon, this whole building will blow. Cave in. Lives would be lost. That was what Monohebi warned wasn't it? He tightened his fist. He gritted his teeth. Clearly, the heavy options were weighing on his heart and Ina could see just how much distress he was in over this.

"H-Half-brother?" Ina blinked.

What should he do?

What could he do?

Should he take on Cassandra's offer?

Or should he remain stubborn and not give in to the demands of a literal terrorist at this point?

"C-Cassandra… I…" Arthur began.

He was Arthur Kingston.

His entire life, he did nothing but look after numero uno. He did nothing but whatever he wanted to do. He did nothing but do everything he wasn't able to do locked up in that hellish mansion of his. His entire life… and yet here he was… deciding on his own life or the life of others. The life of…

He glanced toward Ina, his eyes trembling.

"C-Cassandra I…"

"Well, I'm done waiting," Cassandra held up her trigger.

"No!" Arthur exclaimed, as he tried to wrestle the eHandbook away from Ina's hands. Ina never let go but instead, the two Kingston's shared the eHandbook together. Arthur closed his eyes and gritted his teeth. "I– I'll do it! I'll hand over my life to you! J-Just please! D-Don't do it! D-Don't… risk the life of my sister…"

Ina widened her eyes.

Monohebi watched in similar shock as well. She never expected Arthur Kingston to submit to the demands of this skank with such… such…

Together, both the snake and the revolutionary watched as the snowboarder collapsed to his knees.

"P-Please…" Arthur begged. "I beg you… P-Please don't do this… P-Please don't…"

…

There was an odd silence.

Arthur opened his eyes as he looked up toward Ina.

"H-Half-brother?" Ina widened her eyes.

She closed her eyes and looked away. Tears started to form from the sides of her eyes. To see Arthur Kingston beg for her own life, it almost made her–

"Oops!" Cassandra shrugged from behind the monitor.

Ina's eyes shot open.

"W-What?!" Arthur widened his eyes. "B-But I–"

"M-Miss Mura!" Monohebi also widened both of her red jagged eyes. "Y-You didn't…"

"See ya later, bitches!" Cassandra flipped the three off through the monitor.

...

Beep.

...

Arthur and Monohebi turned toward the bomb, noting that it was beginning to blink. Cassandra triggered the bomb. It was only a matter of time now…

…

Beep.

…

"W-We need to…" Ina stepped back.

…

Beep.

…

"B-But…" Arthur widened his eyes, frozen in shock.

…

Beep.

…

"N-No!" Monohebi yelled, similarly frozen as well. "M-Miss Mura! Y-You skank! Y-You–"

…

Beeeeeeeeeeeeeeep…

…

"B-BROTHER MOVE!" Ina yelled.

Arthur widened his eyes.

"N-NOOOOOOO!" Monohebi screeched.

…

BOOM!

…

Almost instantly, the entire room started to shake uncontrollable. A burst of light and a ferocious blast wind consumed Monohebi, Arthur, and Ina, shattering the glass that led directly into the Testing Grounds. Not to mention the loud noise that accompanied the bomb, as well as the cement dust that was sprinkling down from the ceiling.

This was it.

They had lost… hadn't they?

---

(Ultimate Fairytale Writer's Cell)

After finally cutting one of the wires, both Holland and Mimi expected the bomb to immediately go off on them.

Fortunately, it didn't.

But the amount of thought, consideration, and hesitation that was required for Holland to finally cut one wire, was absolutely immense in no ways than one. Seeing as the bomb didn't seem to go off as soon as he did, Mimi perked her head in confusion.

"So, is it deactivated now?" Mimi asked.

"...I… can't tell," Holland blinked. "Nothing happened when I cut the wire so–"

...

Beep.

...

Beep.

...

Holland and Mimi froze.

...

Beep.

...

Beeeeeeeeeeeeep…

...

"L-LET'S GO HOLLAND!" Mimi screamed, hauling the frozen game designer by the arm and dragging him to leave the tree.

…

BOOM!

…

And with a bright light and a heavy force of destructive blast wind, Holland and Mimi's attempt to escape grew futile as soon as they found themselves getting launched over the river stream and into the flowerbeds of the Ultimate Fairytale Writer's Cell.

---

(Mineshaft)

"Fuck, how much time do we have?!" Haruto grumbled, slamming his fist against the Grinder, making sure it was away from the actual bomb.

They've been at it for who knows how long now and not once did any of them get any closer to figuring out how to deactivate the bomb. As it was for the others, it was one big nerve-racking experience. And unfortunately, Haruto and Abigail were the ones who had the done the least work to trying to rip apart that bomb to mere pieces.

"Like hell if I know," Abigail sighed. "There's no clock so–"

...

Beep.

...

"W-Wait…" Abigail widened her eyes. "Th-That's not good!"

...

Beep.

...

Both Abigail and Haruto stopped dead in their tracks.

...

Beep.

...

"W-We need to fucking move!" Haruto told Abigail.

None of them needed to say anything more as the bomb ringed its final:

...

Beeeeeeeeeeeeep…

…

BOOM!

…

With its signature bright light and destructive noise and power, Haruto and Abigail felt the entirety of Cell Block S shake and tremble. Dust sprinkled from the ceiling as small pebbles aggressively flutter down to the ground. The harsh blast wind knocked the two onto the ground of the hallway of Cell Block S.

And seeing cracks start to form from the ceiling… both Haruto and Abigail knew they were about to be royally fucked…

---

(Ultimate Fairytale Writer's Cell)

…

…

…

…

…

…

...

...

...

...

"A-Agh…"

Holland and Mimi slowly picked themselves up from the crushed array of flowers that had attempted to soften their landing. But due to how prickly they turned out to be, it kinda did more damage than it did saving them from pain. Both Holland and Mimi were coated with leaves and stray stems of dirt and plant-life. Not only that, there were minor cuts on the back of their bodies due to how far they got launched from that blast wind.

"...A-Are you okay, Mimi?" Holland coughed.

"It hurts…" Mimi winced. "B-But… I guess so…"

She rubbed her head and fixed her glasses. There was a slight crack in the lens, which had to be expected thanks to how destructive that bomb was. Then, she realized something. Turning quickly toward where the bomb had blown up, her eyes widened.

She felt her eyes tear up.

"M-My… M-My tree…" she covered her mouth.

Holland turned to see what she was looking at.

Sure enough, the tree that had once stood proudly in the middle of Mimi's enormous Ultimate Cell had toppled over, destroying the farthest corner of the walls. Whatever magnificence and beauty that was once available in this Cell was now destroyed and in ruin. All thanks to the actions of one bitch…

"...L-Looks like the tree broke a way past the wall… but…" Holland rubbed his chin, noting electrical sparks flying out of the burning branches. "...Th-There's still the matter of the electrical wires and the burning leaves…"

"...I… M-My Cell…" Mimi sniffled to herself.

Glancing down toward her, Holland gave a sigh. He knew he had told her that they should hold back tears until after they escaped but he could understand why she was upset. Patting her on the back, he helped her up and slowly led her toward Cell Block B.

"...C-Come on, let's… find the others," he told her.

Mimi begrudgingly followed his lead, wiping stray tears from her eyes.

---

(Laboratory)

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

"M-Monohebi…?"

Monohebi slowly opened her eyes.

She felt… different.

She felt…

She glanced around, noting the surprised yet messed up look of Arthur Kingston. The snowboarder's usually neat dark blue hair was now a little unkempt. His fancy clothes were ruffled up thanks to the blast wind and there were some cuts, here or there, most definitely sustained from the broken glass shards on the floor.

Bomb #3 was strong enough to open up the Testing Grounds for anyone to check out now, but at the moment, that was the least of Arthur's concerns. Because he was looking at Monohebi with slight discomfort.

"...W-What's the matter, Mister Kingston?" Monohebi blinked, confused.

"Er…" Arthur glanced away.

Monohebi turned her head to look at Arthur's general direction. When she did, however, she came face to face with the blacked out screen of the computer on the floor, knocked over thanks to the blast. Not only that, but the framed picture of Zuno Noshino and Terra Pisch also lay face-down on the ground as well. But the main focus was what was reflecting off of the black screen of the computer…

Her reflection.

"A-Ah…" Monohebi stuttered. "N-No… A-Ah…."

She saw it clear as day now.

Her face, or at least, the right half of her face was now exposed. In fact, some parts of her scaly body had been ripped, exposing what was underneath that snake skin of hers: a robotic skeleton of her body, metallic and something straight out of a sci-fi horror fic. Most notable was her eye, which no longer was jagged but rather circular and cybernetic, glowing non-stop as she remained horrified by what she saw.

"M-My face…" Monohebi stammered. "M-My body… M-My…"

"I-It seems as if we're not… dead…" Arthur glanced toward the exit, biting his thumb as he slowly rubbed his arm. "W-Where's…?"

Ina was nowhere to be found.

Perhaps she had woken up some time ago.

He winced in pain. Noticeably, he was out of breath but Monohebi could care little about it. All she could really care for was how horrible she looked. How terrifying she was. How… corrupted she was…

How will she face Master White Collar now…?

---

(Cell Block S)

…

…

…

…

…

…

...

...

...

...

"A-Agh… m-my elbow…"

Abigail winced as she held onto her bleeding arm. Her entire clothing was covered in dust and some parts of her shirt and fishnet leggings were ripped. Her legs were covered in scrapes and not going to lie, every single one of her injuries hurt like a fucking bitch.

She glanced around.

"H-Haruto?" she called out before widening her eyes.

Compared to her, Haruto sustained more damage. It was probably a given based on the horrifying sight she saw mere inches away from Haruto: the entire path to the Mineshaft had caved in with boulders and a part of the facility.

"G-Grk, fuck me…" Haruto grumbled as he found himself, specifically his leg, covered in blisters, cuts, bruises, and scrapes. "Guess the universe really doesn't want me to walk… And to think that leg was healing too…"

"Holy shit," Abigail crawled toward him, noting that the side of his head was also bleeding. "A-Are you…"

"I'll live, Abby," Haruto grumbled as he slowly tried to stand up.

However, almost all too familiar, he nearly dropped to the ground. Picking herself up, Abigail hoisted Haruto by the arm and allowed herself to be his crutch. Based on how much he was breathing and wincing however…

"...Hurts like fucking hell though," Haruto grunted. "J-Jesus…"

"C-Come on," Abigail frowned. "L-Let's find…"

She coughed, her heart beating quickly.

"L-Let's find the others…" she stated.

---

(Cell Block E)

When Arthur had stepped outside with Monohebi, he snapped his head after hearing someone call out his name.

"...A-Arthur!" Holland had escorted Mimi with him to Cell Block E with a slight wince. "Y-You… W-We… W-We ran out of time. D-Didn't we?"

Arthur grimaced.

"I'm afraid we did," Arthur tightened his fist. "Amazingly, it seems we're all still alive. But not without having taken some damage ourselves…"

"A-Ah!" Mimi covered her mouth. "I-Is that?!"

Of course, who else would she be referring to but Monohebi and her corrupted look. The peeling skin, the scary robotic look, and the non-stop glowing circular eye that made her look more like a snake-version of the Terminator.

"...P-Please don't look at me," Monohebi's voice broke slightly. "I'm… I'm hideous…"

"...W-Where's Haruto, Abigail, and White Collar?" Holland glanced around. "And w-where's Ina?"

"I… do not know," Arthur gritted his teeth.

"That is what we would want to know…" Monohebi stated.

"A-Agh!" Mimi yelped once more. "Th-There's…"

Due to how distracted they were at trying to recuperate from everything that had happened to them thus far, none noted the obvious bright light emitting from straight ahead the excessively long hallway toward the Ultimate Heiress's Cell. Not only that, but they also should've noted the smell as well.

"...Th-There's a fire!" Mimi exclaimed.

"W-What?" Arthur turned to the notable flames burning directly on the path between the three different cells of Cell Block E.

"...Could it have been thanks to the bombs?" Holland breathlessly questioned as the three prisoners and the snake walked up toward the flames.

"H-Hang on," Monohebi allowed her exposed eye to glow brighter than ever. "P-Please allow me to activate the necessary commands…"

"Th-The what?" Mimi blinked, glancing toward Monohebi.

It didn't take long for her question to be answered:

"Attention all prisoners," came the voice of Monohebi and a raging alarm noise that blared throughout the facility. "This is an emergency. There is a fire at the Cell Block E. Everyone must remain calm and try no attempt to cleanse the fire. Allow me to turn on the emergency sprinklers."

...

---

…

"I repeat," Monohebi repeated. "This is an emergency. There is a fire at Cell Block E. Everyone must remain calm and try no attempt to cleanse the fire. I will now turn on the emergency sprinklers."

…

"A– A fire?" Abigail widened her eyes. "A-At Cell Block E? W-We need to go right n-"

…

BOOM!

…

Another tremor from the ceiling.

Haruto and Abigail had just made it to the intersection between Cell Block S and Cell Block E and already a series of shit had already happened for them to notice. And it was just like Haruto to try to get his curiosity in check.

"W-What the fuck was– Was that–" Haruto glanced up. He released himself from Abigail's clutches and started to limp up the stairs.

"H-Haruto?!" Abigail exclaimed. "W-What the hell are you doing?! Y-Your leg!"

"Y-You didn't hear that?!" Haruto turned back as he got ready to climb the stairs. "Th-That sound came from upstairs!"

"B-But, everyone should be downstairs!" Abigail widened her eyes.

"N-No the fire is," Haruto clenched his fist. "B-But upstairs… Sh-Shit! W-We have to go now Abby! W-We need to see what the hell that was…"

Abigail remained unsure.

Was this a good idea or not?

Or rather, perhaps it wasn't a feeling of whether or not it was a good idea. Perhaps it was fear. Fear of what they might come across…

"L-Look, Abby," Haruto glanced at her. "Y-You said it yourself that we're sticking together as a team for now on, right? S-So… are you coming or what?"

Abigail widened her eyes as she glanced back toward Haruto.

…

Biting her lip, she nodded her head, determinedly.

"Y-Yeah, let's go!" Abigail stated as she followed behind Haruto.

And together, instead of heading to Cell Block E, they headed straight upstairs, allowing their senses to try to figure out where that loud noise came from…

---

(Cell Block E)

It didn't take long for the sprinklers to start activating, effectively yet slowly putting out the fire. And just like Abigail and Haruto, they too heard that loud noise and even noticed the tremors on the ceiling. For a moment, everyone had tensed up, fearful that the entire ceiling was going to cave away and crush them all.

"W-What was that?" Mimi asked precariously.

"I… I don't know," Arthur took out his hands from his pants pockets and rubbed the side of his chest. He turned to Monohebi. "H-How much longer till…"

"Do you think I can control the water pressure of sprinklers, Mister Kingston?" Monohebi sighed, her single exposed eye flashing. "Putting out a fire takes time. And you need to wait for the carbon dioxide to evaporate in the air–"

…

CRASH!

…

"W-What was that?!" Mimi asked, this time with more fear.

"...It sounded like it came from…" Holland directed his gaze toward the Ultimate Heiress's Cell. "...Maybe a result from the aftershock of everything…?"

Arthur started to sweat. His mind grew worrisome. That crash couldn't mean anything good. And the more he heard the two people and single snake around him talk, the more he just couldn't take this anticipation of waiting for the flames to fully die out. He gritted his teeth, his eyes darting toward his goal: the Ultimate Heiress's Cell.

"Enough!" Arthur clenched his fist as he sprinted through the dying flames.

"M-Mister Kingston, are you crazy?!" Monohebi widened her eyes.

"A-Arthur you can't just–" Mimi widened her eyes.

"...W-What?" Holland widened his eyes.

"M-Mister Kingston you can't just…" Monohebi's single exposed eye started to blink but not before Holland and Mimi followed straight after him. "W-What?! Y-You too?!"

With heavy breaths and bouncing heartbeats, the three prisoners ran inside the Ultimate Heiress's Cell leaving their temporary scaly yet disfigured ally behind, fully ignoring the toxic smoke and heated floor…

---

(Ultimate Heiress's Cell)

The moment they ran in however, they noticed that they had stepped on crackling bits of glass that crinkled and shattered into more glass the more people ran in. The smell of smoke and ash never wavered but carbon dioxide poisoning wasn't their concern at the moment. Their concern remained with the mess they saw in the Cell.

The mess that was laying on the otherwise, broken dining table, splattering all the plastic foods into pieces of its fake-ass material. More glass and other debris were layered in a messy array on the ground and upon closer inspection, the three stopped dead in their tracks as their minds processed what they had found.

"W-What?" Holland widened his eyes.

"H-Huh?" Mimi blinked.

…

Because laying in the middle of the broken dining table, was a body lodged underneath the shattered golden chandelier that had once hung proudly over the Ultimate Heiress's Cell. The body was entrapped, buried, and enclosed in glass debris that did nothing but cause more of a mess than it originally needed to do. It didn't take anyone long to realize whose body this was. With their blood seeping out from underneath the chandelier, their eyes closed, and their head glancing away, the three realized who was next to fall...

...Ina Hamamura, the Ultimate Revolutionary.

And upon reaching that conclusion, Arthur could do nothing but stare at the body of his slain sister, lips quivering in disbelief…

…

…

…

…

"I-Ina?"

---

(Cell Block C)

...

"Attention all prisoners," Monohebi's voice echoed throughout the facility. "A body has been discovered. After a certain amount of time has passed, the Prison Trial will begin. That is all."

…

Abigail stopped dead in her tracks as she heard the announcement. Her eyes widened as she tried to process what she had just heard. It was a declaration she hated to admit that she had grown accustomed to in an environment like this. But to hear it now of all times…

"Haruto!" Abigail called out desperately. "D-Did you hear that?!"

"Sh-Shit..." Haruto was also taken aback by this revelation. "But if that's the case then..."

Haruto glanced back toward Abigail, noticing the scent of the smoke leaking from the White Room.

"...What the fuck happened over at the White Room?" Haruto questioned as he hurried and limped his way toward the room.

"Wait!" Abigail called out. "Slow down Haruto! Wait for me!"

She had to admit that for someone with a limp and a bleeding leg, he still had enough horsepower to outrun her in trying to go check the White Room to see what the fuck had happened...

---

(White Room)

Haruto, despite having a limp, reached the White Room first.

However, the moment he stepped in, the smell of ash and smoke became a little too musky to bear. But he pushed through, taking note of the mess the White Room was in. No longer were the old blood spatters in the room now the main contention of the pigsty it once was, now there was something else.

There was debris spattered all over the ground.

There was… a room behind the White Room?

And yet, most perplexing of all was the fucked up mess that made Haruto feel sick to his stomach. This fucked up mess was charred, heavily taken apart as if it had been ripped apart by a tornado, and its messy stains of red was either burnt or added to the old stains of the previous historical prisoners that suffered in this room.

This fucked up mess used to have a name.

And Haruto could all too well make out what name it was based on their figure and half-charred face.

This fucked up mess of a dead body had once belonged to Cassandra Mura, the Ultimate Scam Artist.

And Haruto had only one response to this ungodly sight.

"...W-What the fuck…" he muttered to himself, wide-eyed.

---

DANGANRONPA: CORRUPTED HOPE

---

Me, at the start of the Chapter 5, "Yeah, don't worry about it! There's gonna be 5 Daily Life Chapters knowing full-well it always gonna be 4! ;D"

So, in other words, SURPRISE! :D

Not only that, but it's also a Double Murder! DOUBLE SURPRISE! :D

I finally reached it! The last of probably every Daily Life in this story :D Unless I decide to include one more for Chapter 6 for some reason but eh, we'll cross that bridge when we get there, because who cares?! We're in Deadly Life territory now and two more people have dropped! Who did the dastardly deed? Let me know because I'm very curious to see what everyone will say this time :D

Now, let's start with some stuff here.

First off, Ina Hamamura. Thank you to VividIsSleeping for sending her to this story! The pure contrast she had at the start of the story in comparison to now was just, wow! What a change! Originally, I had her go all-out for the 'demon talk' but regretfully, I feel like I toned it down in favor of the Kingston sibling storyline, which by the way, to those not in the Discord, I cooked up simply because her birth father had a similar description to the birth father of Arthur Kingston's. Seriously, that revelation of her being Arthur's half-sister was really fun to write and although it was great character development for Arthur, I feel like it could've been utilized more for Ina. Either case, Ina was a fun character that was always meant to die in Chapter 5 but as time went on, she definitely got a little harder to write because I was running out of story plot for her besides her thing with Arthur and Mimi's beef with her. So, Vivid, I really hope you like how she was portrayed in this story :0

Second off, Cassandra Mura. Thank you ExtraMeme for sending her to this story as well! Compared to Ina, Cassandra really surprised me! XE Like, seriously, all of the stuff that happened with her were things that just came out of nowhere and flowed so damn naturally. Like, I don't even know how that happened, but she went from the girl who makes the right survivor choices while being a bitch about it to the girl who fell in love with the cop with a hidden dark side, had majority of that Netflix drama, and made a deal with a Devil like Scam Artists were supposed to do- Holy hell, Cassandra was definitely a really good character for how well she fit into this cast XE Like wow! But similar to Ina, Cassandra was always meant to die in Chapter 5 D:

Holy hell. Ina and Cassandra. Two stellar characters that I hope I did absolute justice to XD

Updates for other things? We have four more chapters to go ;D Investigation, two Trial parts, and the Chapter 5 Epilogue and then we're off to Chapter 6 :D Man, what a journey it has been :D

If you want to see more from me and more content like this, don't forget to check out Danganronpa: Twisted Tragedy and soon-to-be-released, Danganronpa: Algorithmic Alteration by my good friend, Otterplay! You won't regret it :D

As always, please let me know what you thought about the chapter :D Liked it? Hated it? Criticisms? Opinions? Something that didn't make any sense? Please let me know and I'll provide some patch notes XD

Until then, see you guys at the Investigation :D

---

Prisoners Remaining: 5

---

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

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

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

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

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