Chapter 5: Saviour of the Damned (Deadly Life #1)
Warning: This fic contains intense violence, lots of cursing, character death, gore and blood, sexual innuendos (thanks Maggi- Wait. You're dead now. Meaning there are no sexual innuendos!... Maybe! Hooray!), and possible spoilers for the Danganronpa series, most notably the first one. But hey, everyone lurking in this fandom has at least played the first Danganronpa so no need to worry much there!
With that said, please enjoy!
'Ave Maria! Jungfrau mild…'
A chorus of young boys and girls had echoed their angelic performance in the decaying yet beautifully grand Catholic Church that sat near the hundreds of gravesites of the dead.
Every pronunciation…
Every note…
Every vowel that was said…
'Erhöre einer Jungfrau Flehen…'
It nearly drove a maskless White Collar to tears as he sat in the far back, watching the parents of these children smiling and recording their performances. To think that their children could exhibit such wonderful talent. White Collar could only think of nothing but what could've been…
'Aus diesem Felsen starr und wild…'
"I thought I'd find you here…"
White Collar heard a creak, signifying him that someone had sat on the wooden bench directly behind him. His face visibly grimaced, slightly irritated that of all the times for business, they had to choose now to speak to him. Never turning to look at them once, White Collar kept his attention directly on the performance itself.
'Soll mein Gebet zu dir hinwehen…'
"Beautiful, isn't it?" White Collar spoke loudly enough for the person behind him to hear and yet quiet enough as to not disrupt the miniature concert. "Their voices. Their echoes. The sheer talent that these young children have. It… almost gives me Hope for what's to come in the future."
He felt the person behind him attempt to say something, but White Collar shushed them with a point of his finger.
"Shhh, listen…" White Collar told them.
'Wir schlafen sicher bis zum Morgen…'
"...The German language is certainly beautiful," White Collar remarked. He lowered his head and gently glanced over his shoulder. "Do you agree?"
"I… don't like church music, sir," the person said.
"Oh really?" White Collar raised an eyebrow, his voice giving off a harsh whisper. "Well, then if you had actually put any thought into finding me, you'd also know that I do not like to be disturbed when I'm listening to church music. Speak to me when the performance is over. I'm busy..."
'Ob Menschen noch so grausam sind…'
As White Collar turned away, the person cleared their throats, slightly confused.
"I'm sorry but, aren't you atheist?" the person quietly questioned. "Since when did you care about being a devout Christian?"
"Tch," White Collar scoffed before merely responding, "Following Jesus has nothing to do with appreciating beauty…"
'O Jungfrau, sieh der Jungfrau Sorgen...'
Turning his head slightly once again, White Collar frowned. Clearly, he was definitely getting a little more impatient and uncomfortable with having company. He just wanted to enjoy some music in peace and yet business had to call him anyway.
"Why are you here anyway?" he asked.
O Mutter, hör ein bittend Kind!
"You know that project we were working on?" the person quickly cut to the chase. "The whole getting you two a Helper thing? We got one for you. And I think you'll like what we did with it…"
Ave Maria!
For once throughout the entire performance, White Collar turned around, glancing at the person with intrigue.
Ave Maria!
…
White Collar followed behind the person who had led him to their little laboratory. Using his cane to allow him to walk properly, he eyed the bright room and the other group of people that were huddling over what seemed to be a glass case of some sort. The person at hand could only rub the sweat off their brow as they sighed.
"I'll be honest," the person began. "Compared to the others, we didn't have much time to work out a cool design for her. He said that we had to work as fast as we can to get your game running."
"Hm, that was mostly my fault," White Collar stated. "I had to do a lot of begging to have my own role in this game."
"So I've heard," the person sighed.
White Collar raised an eyebrow.
"Oh, don't tell me they're angry at my involvement," White Collar scoffed. "They should've known I would step up for the job."
"I wouldn't say they're angry at you," the person laughed. "I'd say they're more angry at him for allowing it…"
White Collar glanced at the person before turning back to the glass case. Gesturing to the proud people huddling over the glass case to move, he glanced toward the creature that had awoken, staring back at him, specifically him, with her jagged red eyes. His own eye twitched.
This animal…
"We call her Monohebi," the person stated. "We salvaged bits and pieces from that old location. Using similar technology, Monohebi is set to help you with your game and… well, I guess hopefully give you a little peace for everything."
"...Let me get this straight," White Collar did not look happy. Instead, he stared at the scaly creature locked in its glass case with a pitiful gaze of disdain. "...You went back. You took parts from that thing. And you… You made…"
The person paused before nodding. They pressed a button, allowing the glass case to slowly arise.
"Yes, that's right," the person said. "We made her from the same material. State of the art, artificial intelligence. She'll follow your every command. And, as an added bonus. Monohebi."
The person turned to Monohebi.
"Speak," they ordered.
"...Greetings, my name is Monohebi," Monohebi greeted, staring directly at White Collar. "I live to serve. I live to obey every command. I live for my Master. Are you my Master...?"
CHAPTER 5: SAVIOUR OF THE DAMNED (DEADLY LIFE)
(White Room)
…
"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."
…
Time always seemed to freeze whenever this happened.
A body had been discovered.
Or rather, a bunch of body parts had been discovered skewed all across the White Room, staining the room with freshly sizzled and charred blood and corpses. Haruto felt sick to his stomach as he heard Abigail step in. As if she wasn't tired and slightly bruised up enough thanks to all those explosions, she had to follow a limping man and make sure that he didn't–
"Was that a second Body Discovery Announceme–" Abigail was about to say, her eyes looking incredulous. "A-A-Aghhhhh! W-What the fuck?!"
She immediately got her answer when the smell of a rotting corpse wafted straight into her nose and the sights of body parts strewn all around the White Cell ingrained themselves into the equestrian's mind.
"I-Is that Cassandra?!" Abigail exclaimed, covering her mouth.
"I… I…" Haruto started to shake in fear as he noted the room that he was standing in. "Th-Think it is… H-Holy fucking shit…"
The two froze just as time did, their eyes fixated on every charred body part lying on the floor. Trepidation set in. Neither of them could do anything about it. Neither of them could even think of doing anything else.
All they could do was stare in horror as they tried to grasp that this had happened yet again, twice…
(Ultimate Heiress's Cell)
Time always seemed to freeze whenever this happened.
A body had been discovered. And all Holland, Mimi, and Arthur could do was remain motionless, as they watched the blood belonging to Ina Hamamura, slowly leak out of her body from underneath the chandelier she was crushed under. Or at least, that was what their frozen and entranced state had trapped them in before they quickly broke out of it to react to what had just been blaring through their eardrums.
"W-Was that another Body Discovery Announcement?!" Mimi widened her eyes, similarly, reacting to the announcement that had come up. "Y-You mean we have…?"
"...Two bodies," Holland couldn't believe it as well. "A-Again…? B-But…"
Both the fairytale writer and the game designer watched Arthur walk up to Ina's corpse. Slowly dropping to his knees, both the designer and the writer could see that his expression was fighting between different conflicting negative emotions:
Anger.
Sadness.
Anguish.
Despair.
A noise that no one can really describe could be heard through his voice. It was a mixture between a growl, a whine, and a squeak. A noise that explained just how broken he truly was. Just how angry he was…
"A-Arthur?" Mimi slowly approached him. "I…"
"Are you happy now?" Arthur merely said, as he detected no signs of life in the vessel belonging to his half-sister. No matter how hard he tried to not believe, no matter how hard he tried to dismiss, the answer was inevitably going to be the same.
Ina was dead.
His half-sister was dead.
"H-Huh?" Mimi stopped approaching. "I…"
Arthur turned to Mimi with a cold and dead expression on his face. His eyes had hollowed themselves to expose a rather icy gaze, frostier than it had ever been before. Frosty enough to force Mimi's face to pale and her body to freeze.
Now, it was his turn to approach.
"Are you happy now?" Arthur gritted his teeth. "You got what you wanted. You got your revenge. Ina Hamamura killed Yuumi Kizuchi and now… she's dead."
Arthur's fist tightened.
"A-Are you happy now?!" Arthur yelled at her.
Before Arthur could go any further, Holland stepped up between a look of disappointment. Mimi had backed away far enough to allow Holland to do so but her eyes remained widened. She imagined had she not done so out of instinct, Arthur may have been to do something far worse to her. And honestly, that thought scared her.
"I… I…" Mimi was about to say.
"...Ina's dead," Holland glared at him. "...You can't blame anyone but the one who killed her for that."
Arthur said nothing.
He allowed his body to tremble. He allowed his eyes to trail toward the ground before hearing the pittering-pattering of Mimi's feet walking out from behind to face Arthur. She noticed his fists tighten. If there was anything he might do, Mimi worried he might punch her like he punched his sister, DW.
(Wait, damn it Project!)
Nevertheless, she held her ground and closed her eyes.
"No," she harshly spoke. "I'm not happy."
Opening her eyes to reveal her gaze now brighter and hotter than ever, Arthur could see her fighting back the tears that she was accustomed to letting out. He could see that this time, her sadness and anguish was being withheld.
For a long time, Ina had been nothing but someone she had loathed. She was someone that she blamed for everything that had happened to Yuumi. She was someone that she couldn't bring herself to forgive no matter what. She would've thought that Arthur would've been right in what he had said.
She would've been happy.
Or no.
She should've been happy.
But she wasn't.
She…
"I'm not happy at all," Mimi told him miserably. "Ina's dead. Someone else is dead. Someone killed them. How could anyone be happy about that?!"
Arthur watched her reveal that fiery resolve she had gained. His expression started to wince. Emotionally, he was in pain, and there was no way he could let it go. This was a feeling he was all too familiar with. But this time, there was a difference.
That difference was that this time, it was real. This time, she really was gone. Ina was truly gone. Undoubtedly, Ina was gone…
…and she was never coming back.
"Y-You're…" Arthur felt tears stream out of his eyes. "Y-You're…"
Arthur slowly fell back down to his knees. His eyes were uncontrollably leaking out tears of mourning as he realized how quickly he had to accept this. He realized just how quickly it happened. How quickly everything fell apart. How quickly he lost…
"I-INAAAAAA!" Arthur started to wail in tears as he glanced over her deceased body. "I-INAAAAA! A-Agh… Uh…"
Mimi eased her tense look and glanced at Arthur in slight pity.
Standing by Holland's side, the two could only allow Arthur to mourn…
…
Monohebi slithered in, ignoring the pile of ash, soot, and glass on the floor.
As someone who had become an object of disfigurement, she could care less to sully her underbelly with the disgusting and dirty ground. Her exposed eye and torn up body side-winded across the pavement, blinking uncontrollably. Though half of her body could be described to be a little broken, expression-wise, the three were still able to detect a sense of frustration from both her gaze and her voice.
"That was very dangerous, you know!" Monohebi hissed. "How could you all just walk into a possibly toxic room and–"
Monohebi paused and tilted her head.
"A-Ah… I-Is that…" Monohebi widened her eyes.
"...Well, yeah," Holland nodded. "Didn't you hear the announcement?"
"I did," Monohebi nodded, before looking slightly frantic. "But… It was Miss Hamamura? W-What about that skank?! W-Where is she?!"
"Dead, apparently."
The three individuals and the snake turned to see White Collar walk in with a less than displeased expression on his face. Tucking his handkerchief into his shirt pocket, White Collar allowed his cane to stabilize his walking speed as he approached the group. Naturally, the moment he walked in, minded his step, and kicked pieces of glass away, Monohebi gasped and turned away from him.
"N-No!" Monohebi gasped. "D-Don't look at me, Master! I'm… I'm hideous!"
"...What are you doing here?" Holland frowned. "Weren't you supposed to be with Haruto and Abigail?"
"Yeah, you don't look like you were hurt at all!" Mimi noted how nice he still looked despite having his own prison being bombed by Cassandra Mura.
"Well, that's simple," White Collar shook his head. "I was in my private office. I had promised Miss Ellsworth and Mister Walker to search for Miss Mura via my own personal security cameras."
"...You didn't find her in the Ultimate Opinion Columnist's Cell?" Holland raised an eyebrow.
"Not at all," White Collar shook his head once again. "And we were losing precious time. That is why I suggested using the security cameras."
"...W-Wait, but you said earlier that Cassandra was…" Mimi widened her eyes.
"Dead?" White Collar tilted his head. "Yes, I did. Her body, or what's left of it, is currently in the White Room. In fact, it was Mister Walker and Miss Ellsworth that stumbled on the body and activated the Body Discovery Announcement…"
"No way," Mimi covered her mouth. "So, both Ina and Cassandra are dead? Then, that means…"
"You are dealing with a Double Murder Trial," Monohebi revealed, flicking her tongue as she snuck glances every now and then. "Therefore, for this Investigation, you must investigate accordingly."
"Right you are, Monohebi," White Collar nodded. "Also, if you can, could you please pass the information to Mister Walker and Miss Ellsworth? They are upstairs, frozen in shock as we speak…"
"O-Of course, M-Master!" Monohebi quickly slithered off, attempting to hide her face from him. Unfortunately, she was doing a rather crappy job of hiding it.
Turning back to the three in the room, and slamming his cane on the ground, it was noted that White Collar didn't even smile once throughout his entire revelation of who was the other person who had bit the dust. Pointing the sharp end of his cane toward the three, White Collar began to speak.
"Now, as for the three of you," White Collar began as the three prisoner's eHandbooks pinged, notifying that they most likely received the next set of Autopsy Reports. "There is no time to waste. It's time you all get started!"
Extending his arms out as if he were nailed to the cross, his mask shifted back into that signature sinister grin that was definitely hidden away from his look of disappointment.
"Let the Investigation commence! Good luck prisoners!"
[INVESTIGATION BEGIN]
(Ultimate Heiress's Cell)
When the Investigation began, Holland and Mimi had already come to one simple conclusion based on the context clues of the people in the room. While White Collar had decided to stick around, which was good because Holland had some questions for him, Arthur remained locked and frozen around Ina's corpse. Clearly, he was in a state of mourning, and it did seem like he would rather not be interrupted.
Glancing at each other, this was their simple conclusion: If they wanted to solve this case, they were going to have to do this themselves.
"Alright, so first thing's first…" Mimi opened up the Autopsy Report application in her eHandbook. "The Autopsy Report, right?"
"...Since we're in the room where Ina's body was found, it's best if we look over Ina's Autopsy Report, first," Holland noted.
"Right!" Mimi understood why. From the looks of it now, it did seem like Ina's body would be the priority for them. Especially if Abigail and Haruto were already checking out Cassandra's body. Opening up Ina's Autopsy Report, she glanced over and noted the information inside:
Victim: Ina Hamamura
Cause of Death: Blood loss as a result of impalement. There are two notable puncture holes around her abdomen. Other injuries include cuts located all over her body.
Time of Death: Around 4 PM
"...Huh, this is actually a lot more information than I thought we'd get," Holland blinked. "Interestingly enough, she has two notable puncture holes on her body as well as a bunch of cuts all over her body…"
"Well, the cuts could've been from all of that shattered material on the chandelier," Mimi noted.
"...Yeah…" Holland rubbed his chin. "...That itself is a given."
Mimi tilted her head at the shattered chandelier that was crushing itself on the revolutionary's body. She was curious about something but figured she may need a second opinion on it. After all, compared to everyone else in this game, she wasn't as smart as she'd like to be in terms of figuring out whodunnits.
"Hey Holland?" Mimi blinked. "Do you think the chandelier could be the murder weapon?"
"...Although I wouldn't conclude anything just yet until during the Trial, I think it's very possible," Holland responded to the former witch girl. "Given with… y'know…"
He gestured to Ina's corpse being buried underneath the chandelier.
"...Ina did mention something about the chandelier's unstable…" Arthur spoke up glumly after not speaking for a while. Keeping his hands inside his pockets as he closed his eyes in anguish, he tried hard not to let anymore tears spill from his eyes as he remembered that small little tidbit.
Aside from the fanciness, the suits of armors, the painting, and the dining table, there was one more thing Arthur wished to check. Of course, Ina wasn't sure what that was or rather, didn't really pay attention to what he was so intrigued by. Instead, Ina felt the cushions and eyed the golden chandelier on the ceiling, which swung ever so slightly.
"That cannot be stable, can it?" Ina murmured to herself.
She turned to Arthur.
"I suppose it was inevitable for the chandelier to fall," Arthur grimaced. "But onto my sister?"
Arthur bit his lip.
He had stopped speaking. He needed more time to mourn as he watched over the body with high levels of regret coursing through his consciousness. His eyes were starting to blur as he contemplated on what he should do now.
Mimi then opened up the next Autopsy Report pertaining to information regarding what killed Cassandra. Scanning through to get a general idea of how the Ultimate Scam Artist may have died, the information presented to her included the following:
Victim: Cassandra Mura
Cause of Death: Unknown
Time of Death: Unknown
"...Well, I suppose it's not a Trial without having an Unknown Cause and Time of Death somewhere..." Holland remarked as he shook his head. "Especially when we already got so many from Ina's..."
He didn't know exactly how Cassandra's crime scene looked but if it was enough to have her Autopsy Report be relatively useless, then it had to be something similar to what happened to Jared in the Grinder.
Regardless, Cassandra's body was not their concern at the moment...
…
"Should we try to investigate Ina's body right now?" Mimi asked after Arthur said his piece to contribute to the Investigation.
Glancing at Arthur and noting just how under duress he was, Holland glanced back toward Mimi and shook his head.
"...We should give him time," Holland told her. "Instead, we can use this time to investigate the entirety of Mayu's Cell."
"Good idea," Mimi solidly agreed with the game designer.
Knowing how good he was at solving these types of mysteries, sticking with Holland and following his every suggestion and opinion was definitely a go-to for her if she wanted to also help out with the case. But where should they start?
That was the first question Mimi was going to have to ask…
Perhaps…
"Hey, maybe we should check up on some evidence for what caused the fire, right?" Mimi blinked.
"...That's not a bad idea," Holland noted. "Especially since everything else here in Mayu's Cell wasn't burnt."
"...Which means?" Mimi blinked.
Holland said nothing for a bit. Instead, he moved toward the entrance to Mayu's Cell and squatted down, noting the pieces of evidence on the ground. If he remembered correctly, where the fire was originally burning…
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.
Holland narrowed his eyes.
"...It means that the fire was only burning on the entrance to Mayu's Cell," Holland stated. "Which is really strange if you think about it."
"How so?" Mimi blinked. "Couldn't it have been caused by all of that shaking from the bombs?"
"...If that was the case, this entire Cell would've been on fire," Holland deduced. "But instead, it was just the entrance… Why?"
Yeah.
That was a good question.
Why would the fire have only been burning at the entrance to Mayu's Cell?
Holland figured it was important to note this piece of information and examine the different pieces of evidence on the floor that could have perhaps led to the fire. For starters, there was a high amount of glass on the floor. Dark glass. Glass that he wasn't sure where it could've come from but it had a nice aro–
"Hey, are these glass shards from wine bottles, maybe?" Mimi tilted her head. "I haven't been to Mayu's Cell at all, but based from the wrecked dining table, there did seem to be some wine in some glasses."
"...Glass shards on the floor belonging to wine bottles?" Holland blinked.
Peculiar.
Holland continued to look around and noted another thing of interest. Directly outside of Mayu's Cell by only a few inches was a strange stick of some kind, or at least, what was left of it. Holland didn't dare pick it up because he wasn't an idiot, but just glancing at it, he imagined that it used to look shiny and golden.
Now, it was all melted and charred.
"Hey, what is that thing?" Mimi blinked. "And how did none of us slip on it when running past the flames?"
"...From the looks of it," Holland rubbed his chin. "It's a candlestick. Or at least, what used to be one."
"A candlestick!" Mimi gasped. "Candlesticks have fire! Could this have been the result of the fire?!"
"...What are you thinking about right now?" Holland blinked.
"I'm thinking that the candlestick was probably knocked over thanks to all the shaking the bombs caused and that's when the candlestick lit itself and the entrance to Mayu's Cell on fire!" Mimi deduced.
"...But for it to roll over outside Mayu's Cell?" Holland couldn't wrap his head around that part. "That's a little bit of a stretch…"
"What?" Mimi pouted. "But candlesticks are normally lit! It's the only thing in this entire facility that can cause a fire at this point!"
Mimi had a point there. Unfortunately for her, that wasn't what was getting Holland a little confused.
"...No, I don't doubt that the candlestick could've been used to start the fire but…" Holland eyed the front of the entrance. "I doubt something else entirely…"
…
After checking where the fire had started, Holland and Mimi moved back inside the Ultimate Heiress's Cell. This time, they glanced toward White Collar. Or at least, Holland did. Glancing at him suspiciously, the game designer glanced away as he noticed White Collar glance at Arthur every so often. He supposed that this was just more evidence piling onto what Cassandra had said.
There was clearly something going on here… but what?
"Is something the matter, Mister Delaney?" White Collar turned to him, his mask furrowing its sinister grin.
"...I had a question," Holland flipped his hoodie over his head.
"Well, by all means, please ask," White Collar pointed the sharp end of his cane toward him. "I am here to answer your questions."
"H-Holland, what are you doing?" Mimi blinked.
She hadn't been caught up to speed. Holland had just walked up to him, ready to ask questions, while she had spotted some places of interest inside the Ultimate Heiress's Cell. Standing beside the two men, awkwardly, she listened into the conversation.
"...I wanted to ask about those bombs," Holland noted.
"What about them?" White Collar tilted his head, curiously.
"...Monohebi gave a lot of flack about trying to stop Cassandra from blowing up the bombs," Holland noted. "Something about destroying this entire facility if those bombs were triggered."
"And what about it is strange?" White Collar pressed.
"...Well, the bombs blew up but…" Holland looked uncertain. "...How are we still alive?"
Mimi decided to jump in with a thought of her own.
"Maybe Monohebi was wrong about everything?" Mimi suggested.
"No," White Collar shook his head in disagreement. "Monohebi was correct in what she said. St. Esther's is a relatively old facility. After all, it was built decades ago before it was used for illicit experimentation, and now, it serves as our primary setting for our fun game. She was right to be urgent about the matter."
"Eh?" Mimi blinked. "But if she was right, then Holland makes a good point! How come the facility didn't level itself and kill everyone?"
"Hmmm," White Collar placed a finger over his sinister grin. "A fascinating question you can solve for the Trial!"
What?
"...That implies that you know the answer," Holland blinked. "Do you also by chance know who… killed Ina and…"
"...Miss Mura?" White Collar leaned against his cane before nodding his head. "Of course I do. I watched everything on the security footage after all."
"And did nothing…?" Holland continued to press.
"...Yes, and did nothing," White Collar chuckled to himself. "I wonder why…?"
Now that Holland had thought about it, all throughout Cassandra's little announcement that she was going to blow everyone to Hell's Hazbin Hotel, the only one who didn't seem too fazed by everything was White Collar. Almost as if…
"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?!"
D-Did he know something…?
"H-Holland, let's go check out the other places in this Cell," Mimi tugged on the sleeve of his hoodie.
The more she stood around White Collar, the more she felt threatened. This was practically the closest she stood in his presence, so of course the wrathful aura he exhibited would be overwhelming for her. Holland on the other hand agreed, but part of his mind considered this burning question in his mind.
Why was White Collar so unfazed?
…
The next thing to catch their attention were the suits of armor. Normally, it'd just be a relatively random thing to investigate but what was most peculiar was the current state of the suits of armor. Three suits of armor stood there on their assorted stands. Or rather, two were standing and one was flopped into different pieces on the ground?
Holland and Mimi may have never been to the Ultimate Heiress's Cell but even they could tell that this was strange.
"Hey Arthur," Mimi turned to the snowboarder, almost immediately. "What do you know about the suits of armor?"
"...Why are you examining the suits of armor?" Arthur grimaced, turning to Mimi and Holland coldly. "I don't see how they contribute anything to what happened to my sister…"
"...It was just a question," Holland said. "A valid one too… We've never been here so…"
Arthur bit his tongue.
Holland could tell Arthur had nearly gotten ready to berate them for not taking any time to check out these Cells, but at the same time, he knew the snowboarder understood all too well why they didn't. Because now it was his turn to mourn. And unlike him or Mimi, he was getting minimal time to do so.
"...There are three suits of armor in this room," Arthur sighed. He might as well give it to them anyway. "Each of them wielded different weapons. One had a mace, one had a sword, and one had a shield. In that order."
"From the looks of it, one of the suits is missing a mace," Mimi pointed out.
"...What?" Holland turned to Mimi, who was pointing toward the three suits of armor.
She was right.
It was just like she said.
The one suit of armor that had been left as a pile of parts was the one that was supposed to wield the mace. The other two stood tall and proud with their weapons. What happened to the mace? Perhaps that's why there was no such thing as Pokemon Mace. Because the mace–
"My guess is that the tremors and the chaos in this room probably caused the first suit of armor to fall to pieces," Arthur noted. "The mace is a spherical object in nature so I don't doubt that it could have rolled away somewhere here."
Arthur had a point about that.
Guess they were going to have to look for a mace no–
"Hey I found the mace!"
Mimi was definitely on a roll with this Investigation period. As Arthur turned back to his sister's corpse, Holland rushed over to where Mimi had found the suit of armor's missing weapon of choice. She was standing by the red curtain, but Mimi's face looked a little aghast for some strange reason.
It didn't take long for Holland to find out why:
Directly behind the curtain was the mace and a small pool of drying blood.
"...Um, p-please tell me that's wine," Mimi gulped.
"No, I think it's…" Holland widened his eyes.
He glanced around.
A mace found with a pool of blood hidden behind a curtain…
Already, so many questions popped out from Holland's mind. For ways to answer those questions, Holland had none. Shaking his head, he kept the blood hidden by the curtains of Mayu's Cell and the mace that had traces of that same blood in his mind…
…
Already, Holland and Mimi had found themselves collecting plenty of evidence. But of all the things they had yet to examine, there was just one more thing to check: the body. Walking up to Arthur, who had watched her in silence, eyes closed and hands in his pockets, Holland sighed.
"...Arthur," Holland began. "...I think it's time we take that chandelier off of her…"
"I suppose you wish to investigate the body now," Arthur grimaced. With a heavy sigh, he nodded his head, solemnly. "Very well. I will help but please, be gentle. If I see even one scratch, I will kick you out…"
That was going to be a little difficult with all of those cuts already on her body…
Mimi had stepped to the side as Holland and Arthur crouched down and slowly lifted the chandelier off of Ina's body. Just to note, the chandelier was a little lighter than they had realized. Perhaps as a result of most of its decor shattered on the ground. Another thing to note that the only trouble they had when removing the chandelier was when–
Squirt!
–When the pointy tip of the chandelier had been dislodged from Ina's stomach. The moment that happened was when Holland felt the blood splatter against his hoodie, staining the image of Kirby on his shirt. Widening his eyes, he let go of the chandelier.
"U-Ugh, you fool!" Arthur was taken aback by Holland's sudden retraction of assistance as he quickly tossed the chandelier to the side. "I said gently! Not…"
Arthur glanced at his sister.
God.
Her body looked almost terrible.
It was a bloody mess with gashes and cuts here or there. And just as the Autopsy Report had pointed out, there were two puncture wounds around her abdominal area that all three of them could see relatively well. Holland had to catch his breath as he glanced at his slightly blood-stained hoodie with widened eyes.
"...S-Sorry, I just…" Holland grimaced.
"Grk, w-who would do such a thing?" Arthur bit his lip. "W-Who would…"
Arthur felt his eyes blur once more as Holland and Mimi stepped up to investigate. Mimi looked slightly sick, but compared to that horror story that was Jared's body, what happened to Ina was… still horrible but it was still enough for her to help with the Investigation of the body.
Now, where to start…?
…
"There's a lot of glass and stuff lodged inside her…" Mimi trailed off. She didn't want to finish her observation. After all, despite having gone through four of these, the fifth was still not any easier for her. The cuts and blood made her feel relatively squeamish as she stepped away slightly.
"They came from the chandelier that fell onto her," Arthur sighed. "But aside from that, I don't see what else we can–"
Holland noticed something lodging out of Ina's pocket. Or rather, some things…
"These are…" Holland slowly reached into her pockets and took out the four things that Ina had:
Two pieces of paper and two eHandbooks.
Although some things had similar traits to the other, the things that they all had in common were the blood and how relatively damaged most of them looked. For starters, the eHandbooks themselves were cracked but they did seem to work fine. Just glancing at the first eHandbook, the cracked screen opened up with a name he could read:
Name: Ina Hamamura
Then, her information:
Gender: Female
Ultimate Talent: Ultimate Revolutionary
Birth Date: May 20th
Height: 5'7
Weight: 131 lbs
Blood Type: B
"...This is Ina's eHandbook," Holland noted.
"Ah, if that's hers then this other one must be–" Mimi took the second eHandbook and glanced at that cracked screen. And just like Ina's and well, everyone else's eHandbook, the information presented to them went like this:
Name: Cassandra Mura
Next:
Gender: Female
Ultimate Talent: Ultimate Scam Artist
Birth Date: November 2nd
Height: 5'6
Weight: 124 lbs
Blood Type: B
"And this one is Cassandra's eHandbook," Arthur nodded. "Makes sense since she was the one who carried it throughout our bomb deactivating endeavors…"
"...It's also where Cassandra's live feed was broadcasting," Holland nodded.
"Oh, but Cassandra's eHandbook has this weird…" Mimi narrowed her eyes before showing the other two boys what she was talking about. "W-What is this thing? It looks broken."
Sticking directly out of one of its inputs was some strange object that had been inserted in. The only problem was, this object had another half that was chipped straight off. But just this one half and context clues was enough for Holland and Arthur to recognize it. After all, they had an advantage in Perception/Insight/Technology.
"...It looks like a USB stick?" Holland raised an eyebrow. "Or rather… what's left of it."
"I have to concur with that conclusion," Arthur noted, furrowing his eyebrows. He slowly took the broken USB stick out of the eHandbook.
"W-Wait!" Mimi pouted. "If you take it out, you might remove the file that was on the eHandbook!"
"...No, the USB stick's broken," Holland shook his head. "Any file you find will end up corrupted."
"S-So you mean," Mimi widened her eyes.
"This USB stick is now officially worthless," Arthur eyed the broken stick with slight disdain. Clutching onto the piece tightly, the gears in his mind started to turn, shifting his sorrowful look with the look of vengeance. "And I think I may know where this USB stick may have come from…"
"Y-You do?" Mimi blinked.
Arthur remained silent for a few moments, then standing up, he pocketed the broken USB drive and turned to the entrance of Mayu's Cell.
"H-Hey, where are you going?" Mimi pouted.
"Where else?" Arthur frowned. "The Ultimate Opinion Columnist's Cell. I have to get to the bottom of this…"
Walking off and directly passing White Collar, who had done relatively nothing but watch everyone investigate, Arthur left the Ultimate Heiress's Cell, allowing Holland and Mimi to investigate at their own discretion. The man in the Devil's mask watched the snowboarder leave, his mask grinning as he discreetly left the room shortly after…
"...Best to leave him," Holland stated. "There's still two more pieces of evidence we need to see here…"
Holland referred to the two pieces of paper that Ina had on her. Without a moment to lose, the two took a glance at the first piece of paper:
…
The first of the pieces of paper was a neatly tucked piece of paper covered in some blood but not completely drenched. Which was a relief cause that meant Holland and Mimi could easily see what was on it…
…A… drawing of a bunch of shapes, lines, and the only two letters of the alphabet being a B and an X.
More specifically, the entire piece of paper was enlisted with similar shapes. Squares, rectangles and one single hexagon, each of them on different sides. The letter B was placed directly on a part where the shapes started to overlap and spread off. In fact, the placements of the shapes seemed to be like something from the hands of a clock. The X was located on a square farther than the others and every individual line that they could make out all grew out of this one X, like roots from a tree.
In short… Holland and Mimi had no idea what the hell this was.
"W-What is this?" Mimi blinked. "Is it like a treasure map or something?"
"...W-Where'd you get 'treasure map' from?" Holland turned to Mimi with raised eyebrows.
"W-Well, treasure maps have an 'X' on them right?" Mimi blinked. "So maybe it's a map for Ina to find buried treasure!"
"...I… don't think that's the right answer," Holland noted. Buried treasure was just super random. But the map part… The map part might have potential for something. He narrowed his eyes. Because something about this supposed buried treasure map was… familiar.
Why was this supposed map so familiar?
"Hey, what's on this other piece of paper?" Mimi questioned as she noted the last piece of evidence in Ina's pockets.
"...Ah, right," Holland nearly forgot.
He decided to direct his attention to the second piece of paper. The map deja vu mystery was going to have to wait.
But seriously.
Something about that map was so… so familiar…
…
The second of the pieces of paper was… a mess. Covered in blood, whatever had been written on it was clearly handwritten. In fact, a majority of the paper was coated in blood, making most of the writing illegible. However, there was one important and simple piece of information that they could read! It was a message. And this message was so important because it told Holland and Mimi to do one simple thing…
…
"Pick the Flowers"
…
"...What?" Holland reread the piece of paper again.
"P-Pick the flowers?" Mimi blinked. "W-What does that even mean?"
"I…" Holland blinked. "...I don't know."
"Why does Ina even have something like this?" Mimi pouted. "It makes no sense!"
"...Well, it does seem like there's more to this note but…" Holland frowned. "Ina's blood completely makes it illegible…"
"S-So we have no idea what 'picking flowers' mean!" Mimi pouted, folding her arms.
Holland thought back.
Pick the Flowers?
What could it mean?
Where on Earth in this entire facility had flowers that they could pick? Well, actually, there was one place in mind and it was–
"Oh!" Mimi gasped. "Maybe it refers to my Ultimate Cell! Maybe she had to pick the flowers from my Cell!"
"...I think you underestimate just how many flowers are in your Cell," Holland stoically told her. "And I doubt anyone would have the patience to pick an entire Cell's worth of flowers…"
"W-Well, then there's no other place that actually has flowers!" Mimi pouted.
No other place that actually has flowers?
Holland widened his eyes.
C-Could it be…?
"...No, there is one other place," Holland blinked.
"H-Huh?" Mimi gasped. "Another place that has actual flowers?"
"...Not quite," Holland shook his head before standing back up.
They had everything they needed in the Ultimate Heiress's Cell. They found plenty of evidence. But there was just one more piece of evidence on their side that needed to be tested. And Holland knew exactly how to test it.
"...Come on," Holland told Mimi. "Let's… pick some flowers… I guess…"
Both of them knew that in a period to investigate two dead bodies, that was the strangest thing to say but Holland knew where exactly he was getting at. So, quickly, he rushed out of Mayu's Ultimate Cell, with Mimi tailing directly behind her. There was one clear destination in mind.
One more place where they could pick flowers.
And that place was…
(White Room)
"Ugh, my travel route has been messed up thanks to those bombs…"
Anyway, Monohebi flicked her tongue as she popped up from behind Abigail and Haruto. From the looks of it, they were in the middle of their own Investigation. Turns out, they didn't need Monohebi to announce the beginning of the Investigation Period as they had gone right to it. Yet, the moment she appeared, both the equestrian and basketball player had stopped what they were doing and stared at the snake in bewilderment.
"W-What the fuck happened to you?" Haruto widened his eyes. "Jesus Christ. You look like shit."
"...I know…" Monohebi looked down, slightly hurt.
Clearly, this snake still cared how she looked despite looking like any type of snake in the world with the slight difference of coloration and inclusion of jagged red eyes.
"This skank pushed the trigger and blew up the Laboratory along with half of my skin," Monohebi looked disappointed as she hissed at the scattered body of what was left of the Scam Artist. "B-But enough about me, I see you have all done some investigating of your own. What have you found so far?"
Haruto and Abigail blinked simultaneously.
There was an immense silence in the White Room.
Tilting her head curiously, Monohebi spoke up once again.
"W-Why are you not responding?" Monohebi questioned before sounding slightly desperate. "P-Please do not tell me my horrid looks have stunned you into–"
"No, it's just," Abigail eyed the snake suspiciously. "Since when did you care about what evidence we gathered up? I mean, as one of the people, er as the animal, in charge of this game, you should know which pieces of evidence are important or not… right?"
Monohebi realized all too well that she had a point.
This was the first time she's ever asked the actual participants about the evidence they had gathered up. That, in itself, was odd. She flicked her tongue and glanced away, pondering on what to say in this situation. Though, it was pretty simple to figure out what was going on…
"Yo, Monohebi," Haruto folded his arms. "Could it be that you're in the same boat as us?"
"W-What are you talking about?" Monohebi tensed up.
"...You don't know who killed Cassandra and Ina, right?" Haruto frowned.
Monohebi felt both of her eyes, both jagged and exposed, brighten in shock. Guess the cat was out of the bag. Or snake… for that matter.
"...You would be correct, Mister Walker," Monohebi nodded her head. "When Bomb #3 blew up, I was knocked out. When I came to, Mister Kingston was already awake by my side and Miss Hamamura was missing. Shortly after that, we met up with Mister Delaney and Miss De La Vega and the rest is history."
"You guys found Ina," Abigail summarized.
"Precisely," Monohebi nodded, her single exposed eye glowing. "Therefore, I am just in the dark as the rest of you. However, please do not jump to any conclusions. Despite me not knowing who our potential culprit or culprits may be, it does not mean I will spoon feed you explanations for every little thing. While I am curious as to the truth of this case, my assistance will be limited…"
"In other words, you're not going to give us any information about these bombs or whatever that room over there is," Abigail jerked her thumb toward the hidden room that had just appeared out of nowhere.
"That is correct," Monohebi nodded. "It is only fair to the rules of the game."
"Tch, so much for whatever idea that was forming in my head," Haruto grumbled.
"Now, as for my earlier question," Monohebi slithered up toward the basketball player and equestrian. Both of them backed away slightly. "What have you found thus far?"
"Pretty much nothing," Abigail shrugged. She gestured to the total disarray of the room. "I mean, what you see here is everything we've already checked. Cassandra's body is all over the place. The room is covered in her blood, ash, and soot. And there are even some pieces of a bomb that blew up in here…"
"Th-That's all?" Monohebi blinked.
"Yeah, at least for the White Room," Haruto folded his arms before gesturing to the hidden room behind him. "But we were going to go check the Hidden Room until you showed up."
"...What about…" Monohebi's singular exposed eye shone a blood red tint. "What about…"
Monohebi may have been in charge of the game, but again, she was as in the dark as her subjects. She had a question. And that question was…
"...Did you not find it?" Monohebi tilted her head, unsure if she could ask such a question.
"Find what?" Abigail blinked.
"...The trigger," Monohebi stated.
"The… trigger?" Haruto blinked.
Now that she mentioned it…
"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!"
"Monohebi has a point," Abigail blinked. "Cassandra had the trigger last time. But…"
She took another look at the gore of a crime scene they were currently standing in. Although both Haruto and Abigail took an extensive look at the crime scene despite how squeamish they would have been, none of them had managed to find the trigger.
"There is no trigger here," Haruto rubbed the back of his neck.
"W-What?" Monohebi blinked. "But that's…"
"Look, as far as I'm concerned, Cassandra seemed to have been blown up with the bomb," Haruto deduced. "If that's the case, it could be possible that the trigger just blew up alongside her. Right?"
That was… a theory.
But that would also mean that Cassandra…
Monohebi didn't know the answer to this and yet here she was, thinking like these sinners on what could've happened to the trigger. Was Mister Walker right? Could the trigger really have blown up alongside the bomb?
"Anyway, let's go check out the Hidden Room," Abigail looked sick to her stomach. "The sooner we're out of here, the more I don't have to hold my breath."
"Agreed," Haruto nodded.
Together, the two headed for the Hidden Room. And following behind them was the curious Monohebi, still pondering over that same question.
Where exactly was the trigger?
(Hidden Room)
The Hidden Room was surprisingly whiter than the actual White Room.
This was for many reasons. For one, the room wasn't covered in blood, ash, soot, and body parts like the White Room was now. And two, the room itself was relatively bright. In fact, it was so bright, it was probably enough to drive anyone crazy if they stayed in here for a week without ever leaving.
Walking in, Haruto and Abigail's eyes adjusted accordingly as they glanced around. The immediate thing they noticed was that the Hidden Room wasn't as big as a room would be. It was a relatively small box and to double that was a pair of doors directly at the back of the room. In short, there were doors on two sides of the room, and the one that was currently open was the one that allowed them to enter the room in the first place.
Hope that makes sense!
"Did no one ever find this place when they checked out the White Room?" Haruto grumbled. "How could a room like this be hidden from everyone?"
"Well for starters, I'm pretty sure the only person who checked this room out was Arthur, Carter, and Barracuda…" Abigail bit her lip. "Two of them are gone and Arthur is Arthur. Not only that but, I doubt anyone wants to enter a room with nothing but blood on the walls…"
Haruto eyed Abigail before sighing.
"Fair enough," he muttered.
Glancing at the side, Haruto noticed a panel with a sequence of buttons in a strange yet small upside-down T shaped pattern, each of them numbered as #1, #2, #3, and #4. For a more visual look, it looked something like this:
#1
#2, #3, #4
And underneath this pattern of buttons was a keyhole. Only problem was there were no keys so…
"What the fuck are these buttons?" Haruto raised an eyebrow as he pressed Button #1.
Nothing happened.
He pressed Button #2.
Nothing happened.
He pressed Button #3.
Nothing happened.
He pressed Button #4.
"What are you doing?" Monohebi tilted her head.
"These buttons don't fucking do anything," Haruto grumbled before turning to Monohebi curiously. "Unless it just summons you but…"
"Nonsense," Monohebi shook her head. "I'm sentient in my own way. I cannot be summoned with a mere push of a button."
"Well, is there anything you can tell us about these buttons?" Abigail questioned.
Monohebi pondered this question for a moment. This was the moment of truth. The moment in which Monohebi could finally decide just how much information she can give these sinners without outright feeding them facts. Then, with careful consideration, the scarred snake tipped her head and flicked out her half-charred tongue.
"There is one thing I can tell you," Monohebi began. "There is a reason why these buttons currently do not work."
"Oh really?" Haruto rolled his eyes. "I couldn't have guessed myself…"
"Haruto, come on," Abigail looked at him disapprovingly. Didn't need to have her change her mind after all!
"...The key is missing," Monohebi revealed.
"The key?" Abigail blinked.
"Underneath these buttons is a keyhole," Monohebi began. "In order to get the buttons to work, you need to insert a key inside the hole."
"Yeah, okay, but then where's the key?" Haruto frowned.
"...That, I do not know," Monohebi shook her head. "However, this room did come with a key at some point. For some reason it was removed."
"Well, let's say the key was inserted here," Abigail narrowed her eyes. "Once we press a button, what would've happened?"
Monohebi shook her head once again.
"I'm afraid that is all the information I can give you regarding this Hidden Room," Monohebi told Abigail.
"Huh, you know what, fair enough," Abigail shrugged. "It has to be something important enough that could help a lot with investigating this case."
"Yeah," Haruto had to agree with her.
Already, this Hidden Room had useful evidence in the form of these buttons and the apparently missing key. But as far as they were concerned, neither Haruto or Abigail were sure about how this could contribute to Cassandra's demise. Perhaps once they reunite with everyone else at the Trial, they may be able to figure this out… right?
…
The next thing and possibly last thing of interest was something that Abigail had noticed as Haruto remained confused by the appearance of the buttons. That something was…
"There's also an imprint here on the back door of the room," Abigail revealed as she walked over to the other doors in the back of this square room.
"An imprint?" Haruto blinked, moving over to where she was.
Sure enough, she was right.
On the room's back door was a rectangular imprint. Though its mark was faded, it was still noticeable to anyone who had a keen eye for details. Don't know how an equestrian would have a keen eye for details but hey, it's Abigail and she's doing just fine! As for the rectangular imprint…
"Why is it here?" Haruto asked the most obvious question ever.
"Th-That's exactly what I want to know," Abigail furrowed her eyebrows. "But whatever it was, it had to be rectangular and strong enough to leave an imprint of it on the door…"
A rectangular imprint.
Buttons in an upside-down 'T' shape.
A missing key for a keyhole.
The Hidden Room has done nothing but pile on more questions for Haruto and Abigail to figure out. And even with Monohebi's so-called "assistance", neither of them felt like they were getting anywhere with this case. All they had left to do was probably rely on what the others would find.
If they could find anything that is…
(Ultimate Game Designer's Cell)
The Ultimate Game Designer's Cell!
…
That was the answer to the conundrum that Holland and Mimi were currently facing when it came to that strange 'Pick the Flowers' message that you all probably forgot in light of Haruto and Abigail's investigation. But here they were, with a Holland that was so sure of his answer and a very skeptical Mimi.
"Um, Holland," Mimi blinked. "What are we doing here? There are no flowers here…"
"...Not yet, at least," Holland shook his head as he walked toward the 'GO' button that he slammed with the side of his fist.
Almost immediately, the door shut, and the room started to change its appearance. Mimi widened her eyes. She had never been in Holland's Ultimate Cell before so seeing everything unfold in front of her own eyes was very surreal. And before long, she realized the room was slowly simulating the appearance of a digital flower field.
"Th-This is your Ultimate Cell?" Mimi widened her eyes. "It's like… Everything here is… magic!"
"...Not magic," Holland shook his head. "A simulation. But there you see why we came here now right?"
"Huh?" Mimi blinked before realizing what he meant. "O-Oh! You mean! The flowers! The flower fields! 'Pick the Flowers!'"
Yes.
This was Level 1 of his room. It was the same as last time. He thought back to when he had first entered this room. How could he have not easily thought of this before…?
"...That's right," Holland nodded. "As for the puzzles themselves, the solutions are usually simple, but the fun part is figuring out what the question the game is trying to ask you to solve. It can literally be anything. Since we're in… a flower field… maybe the goal is to simply pick flowers or maybe you have to roll on the ground. Whatever you can think of doing according to the level's environment could be the right answer…"
Yes.
Simply pick flowers.
That had to be what the note Ina had meant!
"So, we're supposed to 'Pick the Flowers', but how exactly do we do that?" Mimi eyed one of the different flowers that had sprouted. "Do I just…"
She pretended to pick one of the flowers on the wall by placing her hand on the flower's wall and dragging it up.
She widened her eyes.
It worked.
The flower was removed.
"W-Wow!" Mimi clapped her hands. "I-It worked! S-So does that mean?!"
"...Ina's note was most definitely referring to my Cell," Holland nodded his head. "...Meaning, if we follow in her footsteps, we should be able to beat the game!"
"R-Right!" Mimi nodded with a determined look. "That's one flower! Let's pick the rest!"
With agreement and determination all set in, Holland and Mimi ran around the room, dragging their hands against the room to 'pick flowers'. With 7 flowers left to pick and them being seen in easy locations, Mimi and Holland had every flower picked in no time. Once all 8 were picked, Mimi blinked.
"D-Did it work?" Mimi asked.
There was silence.
And finally…
'Ding!'
One of the sides on the floating cube changed from red to green…
"I-It worked!" Mimi gasped. "Is that all we have to do?!"
"...No," Holland shook his head. "There are more levels. A total of 6 given the number of sides a cube has."
"Not 8!" Mimi pointed out. "That's an octagon!"
Holland blankly stared at her, confused.
"W-What?" Holland blinked before noticing the room slowly shift and change color.
Almost immediately, they saw the ground dissolve and the color begin to degrade. Soon, the green and blue they experienced turned into a murky gray, dark green, and brown as they found themselves in a new area.
Level 2.
"...Okay, so we don't have Ina's note to help us anymore," Holland stated. "But if we're going to solve this mystery, we're going to have to beat the rest of these levels…"
Mimi nodded toward the game designer with determination.
"Y-You got it!" she pumped her fists.
This… was going to take a while…
(Ultimate Opinion Columnist's Cell)
Arthur walked inside the Ultimate Opinion Columnist's Cell.
Wordlessly, he took out the broken USB stick from his pockets and glanced at it precariously. The first thing he did was walk toward the camera that was pointed directly at the Cell's green screen. Thinking back to when he and Ina had investigated this for the first time, he remembered some important facts here and there…
"What is supposed to happen next?" Arthur asked. "You hit the record button and then it saves to the video camera?"
"Oh," Ina understood what he meant. "Well…"
"I bet you mean to say that it will save on this USB drive here," Arthur helped her out, unplugging the USB drive from the video camera's makeshift USB cartridge. He waved it around for her to see.
"Ah, yes," Ina nodded. "I suppose it does save to the USB drive. And I believe that our eHandbooks have USB inputs…"
"Meaning whatever is recorded here can be viewed as a video file on our eHandbooks," Arthur smirked. "Heh. Who knew Carter would have such a fascinating room with both a fun activity and newspaper clippings about the Tragedy to read into…"
Arthur glanced at the video camera's makeshift USB cartridge. Holding up his USB drive, he let out a breath. It was…
…just as he suspected.
The video camera was missing a USB drive on it. And comparatively speaking, it certainly looked like the broken USB drive he held onto did belong to this cartridge…
"...This USB drive came from this video camera," Arthur mumbled to himself, turning his attention to the camera functions. And as far as functions went, there was only one button on it: a red dot.
Record.
"...And all this video camera can do is record," Arthur continued to mumble. He turned his head toward the computer.
…
Moving away from the camera and heading directly toward that computer, Arthur began to move the mouse around as he played with the options available to him. If he remembered correctly, the way to do this was relatively simple.
He thought back to what Ina had shown him…
She turned the video camera on and moved to the computer.
The computer now had an image of the screen, but it didn't seem to be pointed at the green screen. Instead, it seemed to be pointed toward… the Auditorium? She moved the mouse around and noted that there were options to change the background. She clicked on another option, this time, showcasing the Ultimate Snowboarder's Cell.
"I see," she nodded her head. "Just as I thought. You can select what the green screen will show from the computer. From the looks of it, the options are pretty much every place available in this facility."
"So, to reiterate," Arthur began. "You stand in front of the video camera, and you select your background for the green screen on the computer."
"Yes," Ina nodded.
Moving the mouse cursor to select the Auditorium as Ina had done before, he noted the simplicity of it. Then, he continued to hover around the screen, scrolling up and down, left and right, but all he could find were backdrops of different locations of St. Esther's.
Arthur narrowed his eyes, blinking his eyes with slight confusion.
"...Is this the only thing this computer can do?" Arthur questioned no one in particular. "Change what can be shown on the green screen?"
He checked around for the options.
But he found nothing.
In conclusion to his question…
Yes.
…
"Having fun?"
Arthur jumped out of his seat.
His brief Investigation period was interrupted with the sudden appearance of a man in the Devil's mask. Slowly walking in with the cane, he allowed to guide him closer to the snowboarder, his grin slowly shifted into a look of contempt. A look of scornfulness that Arthur was now very well-aware that he had.
And it was enough to make Arthur's leg tremble.
"...White Collar," Arthur clenched his fist. "And why are you here, I wonder?"
White Collar walked a little closer, stopped and slammed his cane onto the ground, leaning against it as a comfortable source of support.
"You know," White Collar's mask slowly shifted back to his signature grin. "This has to be the first actual time we're meeting face-to-face… Alone. For a little private chat."
"So, you wish to talk to me," Arthur frowned. "I think whatever you wish to tell me has to wait. You are wasting my precious Investigation time."
Arthur prepared to walk past the Devil but taking his cane off the ground and swinging it directly toward his left, he effectively blocked the snowboarder's exit path.
"Oh please," White Collar chuckled. "You and I both know that you're just going to go back to the corpse of your deceased sister and mourn until it's Trial time…"
White Collar turned his head toward the snowboarder, his jagged red eye glowing.
"If you can shed time to waste valuable Investigation time, you can shed time to speak to me…" White Collar's grin widened.
Arthur gritted his teeth.
He gave the Devil the coldest glare he could muster. But deep down, he knew he was right. All he was going to do was stay by his sister's corpse and do nothing else. In fact, the only thing he came in here was just to briefly check something and then come back. That was all.
"...I suppose I can ask you the same question I asked Mimi…" Arthur grumbled. "Are you happy now? I mean, you hate me so much, it must amuse you to see me suffer like this… Am I wrong?"
White Collar stared at Arthur for a brief moment before chuckling.
"Keh," White Collar's eyes flashed. "You still don't know why, do you?"
Arthur said nothing.
"I've given you so much time," White Collar turned away from the snowboarder, continuing to use his cane as support. "You've managed to survive Trial after Trial after Trial. And yet in the end, have you even bothered to reflect and remember…?"
Arthur tried to think of a response to this, but White Collar interjected with a conclusive tone.
"I didn't think so," White Collar turned back to Arthur and stood tall.
Holding up his cane and placing the sharp end of the cane underneath the snowboarder's chin, his grin shifted into a toothy frown. His voice started to growl, and his eyes glowed a bright burning shade of red.
"Let this be known, Mister Kingston…" White Collar leaned forward, his surging wrath radiating off from his mask. "Throughout this entire Killing Game, you got lucky. But even the luckiest of Lucky Students will run out of luck. And when that happens, I'll be there to watch you perish…"
Arthur felt himself sweat slightly as he stared at White Collar's burning red eyes.
He knew he was all too serious. All this hate that was emanating from White Collar was too real. Cassandra was right. He hated him. He hated him so much and yet, Arthur had no idea why. What did he do? He…
He didn't do anything wrong…
"...You asked me if it satisfies me to see you suffer," White Collar held onto his cane tightly. "The answer… is no. Because the only satisfaction I will get out of you, Mister Kingston… is your inevitable demise…"
White Collar chuckled to himself as he straightened himself away from the snowboarder. Fixing his tie and collar, White Collar took his cane and walked off with a wave of his hand.
"Good luck, Mister Kingston," White Collar stated. "You will need it…"
Arthur said nothing all throughout that.
Watching White Collar leave, his mind couldn't comprehend anything. Questions filled his mind. Why did White Collar hate him so much? Why did White Collar want him dead? Why? What did he ever do?
Arthur glanced at his own hands and tightened his hands into fists.
What… Did he ever do so wrong?
(Ultimate Game Designer's Cell)
The floating cube was mostly covered in green.
With only one more side that was coated red, Holland and Mimi found themselves growing slightly tired. Running around a room trying to catch fish, swing on vines, and dig for corpses was definitely taking a toll on them. In fact, it's taking a toll on me, the writer, for having come up with something so convoluted and deranged that I just can't be bothered to write out all 6 different levels–
Level 6.
The last level.
And they've been stuck on this one for a while.
The room had now shifted into a room with a giant golden statue looking over them. Digital fire surrounded the walls and apparently, according to the plot of the game that this was based on…
"...I assume what we have to do is please the gods," Holland wiped sweat off of his brow.
"E-Eh?!" Mimi looked tired. "But how do we do that?! The gods here are all digital!"
"...There has to be an answer," Holland sighed, tiredly. "There's always an answer to these types of puzzles…"
He glanced around.
There was nothing but fire and a giant golden statue. What the heck were they supposed to please the gods? Bring fire to them? Bring them to the fire? Touch the fire? There was nothing but fire! What the heck could be used to please–
Holland suddenly realized all too well what the answer was.
"...O-Of course!" Holland realized. "The Monolith!"
"What now?" Mimi blinked.
"The cube!" Holland hurried to the floating cube, pulling it away from the middle and heading directly toward the statue. If the conundrum they have to answer is to please the gods, then this has to be the answer!
Holding up the cube and offering it to the giant golden statue overlooking this strange simulation, Mimi and Holland noted that the room was starting to change. The statue's eyes glowed and suddenly…
'Ding!'
"Y-Yes!" Mimi smiled as she noticed the last of the cube's side turning green. "W-We… W-We did it!"
The color started to fade from the digital simulation they were in. The red and yellows slowly evaporated back into the simple whites that originally inhabited the room. Holland and Mimi were glad that was over but with how much time they had spent in this room, they hoped that they got something worthwhile out of it!
"B-But what was this all for?" Mimi pouted slightly.
"...I deduced last time that once we beat the game, that door over there…" Holland pointed to the metal door in the back. "...would open up for us."
They stood still for a moment as Holland continued to point at the door.
"...Any minute now," Holland stated.
The door remained shut.
"...A-Any minute now…" Holland grimaced slightly.
The door was still closed.
"Um, are you sure?" Mimi blinked. She looked close to crying. "Holland. Please don't tell us that we went through all of that for nothing…"
"...N-No, I'm pretty sure the door should open…" Holland stated.
He quickly walked up to the metal door and pulled on it as hard as he could. Unfortunately, the door never opened. Oh God. Oh no. Did they really just waste their entire Investigation period playing a stupid game in his stupid Cell?
"Th… W-Why isn't the door opening?" Holland widened his eyes.
"...M-Maybe you were wrong then?" Mimi blinked. "Maybe 'Pick the Flowers' refers to something else…"
"...No," Holland shook his head, his eyes slightly desperate. "That note has to refer to my Ultimate Cell. We just have to be missing something! B-But what…?"
Holland had little time to figure out what was going on here. They beat the game! That metal door should be unlocked and ready for them to investigate! And yet, nothing was happening! What were they missing?! Where was the missing piece of the puzzle?! There was no way in Hell that Holland would believe they did all that for nothing!
…
"Attention all prisoners," came Monohebi's voice. "It is time for the Prison Trial. Please cease all investigations and report to the Auditorium immediately. Attendance is mandatory. That is all."
"...Holland, we have to go," Mimi frowned toward Holland.
"...N-No, not yet" Holland shook his head. "There's something missing! I just know it! B-But what?"
"H-Holland, hey, it's okay," Mimi walked over to him and placed a hand over his shoulder. She gave him a small, tired smile. "We beat the game. And we'll figure out an answer at the Trial, okay?"
Holland glanced at Mimi, a clear look of disappointment on his face.
He truly didn't want this to be all for nothing…
…He sighed and nodded.
"...Fine," Holland flipped his hoodie over his head. "Let's go…"
"Come on," Mimi took a deep breath. "We tried our best with this game. Let's go and solve a case now."
Holland knew he had to keep up a strong persona but that disappointment he was feeling was eating away at him at the moment. As the two moved out of his Cell, he glanced back at the metal door one last time. He knew that door had to be the reward for completing the game.
But why wasn't the door opening?
What were they missing…?
(Auditorium)
When the announcement had sounded, everyone had gathered themselves into the Auditorium. Holland and Mimi were the last few as the announcement had just ended shortly after their little adventure inside Holland's Ultimate Cell. Immediately, once the duo had arrived, Mimi dashed toward Haruto and Abigail, giving them a large hug.
"Big Bro Haruto!" Mimi exclaimed. "Big Sis Abby! I–"
Mimi widened her eyes.
"A-Ah!" Mimi gasped, covering her mouth. "Big Bro Haruto! Y-Your leg!"
"Huh?" Haruto blinked, glancing down at his cut up leg that had long stopped bleeding. Injury-wise, it was reduced to nothing more than a couple of gashes and bruises. "Oh. Don't worry about it. At this point, my leg has nothing but battle scars…"
"I can't believe Ina was the one who died," Abigail sighed to herself. "No wait. I can't believe… Two more people have died."
Arthur said nothing.
Instead, he wielded a pained expression as he glanced to the side with pure bitterness. None of them could relatively believe that this happened. And none of them even had time to honor any of them… well, only Ina, since none of them really liked Cassandra.
Because they were soon to be thrown into yet another one…
That was when the torn scaly serpent slithered onto the grand stage, her single exposed eye flickering with a reddish tint. Today however, her voice seemed slightly distraught. Clearly, despite being a snake with an obsession over her Master, she still retained some human characteristics:
Namely the desire to look pretty.
"Let's just get this done as quickly as possible," Monohebi flicked out her semi-charred tongue. "Please choose a Voting Chamber and descend down to the Trial Grounds."
The five prisoners did as they were told without much hesitation.
Wait.
How many prisoners?
Five?
Five…
Five.
That was… how many that was left…
"Now then, please stay inside the Voting Chamber until the doors open. That is all."
As always, the descent down to the Trial Grounds was quiet and foreboding. Usually, when they imagined quietness, they imagined peace and tranquility. There was none of that when it came to the Voting Chamber's elevator rides. The only place they argued could have peace and tranquility would've been Mimi's Ultimate Cell, but Mimi and Holland saw what Bomb #2 had done to that place now…
The ride continued on for a little longer…
The foreboding atmosphere was beginning to creep in just like the trepidation from earlier.
And then…
Finally…
The doors opened…
…
The Trial Grounds this time was a deadly shade of blue.
First was the dungeon, second was the cave, third was the catacombs, fourth was the sewer, and fifth, the coldest corner of Hell. A frozen wasteland decorated with light neon blues and makeshift icicles. Decorative skeletons were found hanging on the ceiling, representing the souls of the damned that would probably freeze over in this iteration of Hell.
A significant showcase to declare that this Trial was going to be something different.
They had gone through four of these.
So many of them had fallen in the past.
Now, it was just the five of them.
Five of them, tasked to solve the deaths of two people that were once living. Now that their numbers have dwindled down, the chances of solving this case may be a little slim. But one thing was for sure…
…it felt like they were nearing the endgame.
"I suppose you are all ready…?"
Monohebi was coiled up at the throne of the Trial Grounds. Her face and certain parts of her body were still exposed, but with the tinted blueness of the room, her red eyes and Terminator-style look certainly helped to perceive as a little more hideously scarier than she usually was.
And circling around were their podiums, with the updated changes to reflect the current case:
Abigail, Arthur, a portrait of Barracuda, a portrait of Carter, a portrait of Cassandra, Haruto, Holland, a portrait of Ina, a portrait of Jared, a portrait of Kane, a portrait of Maggie, a portrait Mayu, Mimi, a portrait of Titus, a portrait of Yuumi, a portrait of Zuri, and the throne seated by Monohebi between Zuri's portrait and Abigail.
Only five remaining.
And apparently, one of them was responsible for the deaths of Ina and Cassandra.
Who was it?
The suspect list was limited.
Could they really find out who it was?
Could it really be one of them?
Only five remaining, each expressing just how they felt about their circumstances now…
…
Abigail looked relatively disturbed that two more people had fallen. But she was ready to solve what had happened to them.
Arthur's face twitched ever so slightly as he avoided eye contact from his peers. His sister was dead, and vengeance was all he could think about. There was only one person that could've killed his sister… right?
Barracuda was dead.
Carter was dead.
Cassandra was the victim of this case.
Haruto tightened his fist. He ignored the pain in his leg that had once been healing and grit his teeth as he got ready to figure out the truth behind this case.
Holland was the same. Except his mind was dead set on finding the truth to, well, everything, specifically what the hell was going on with his Ultimate Cell. The truth was how they were going to survive. He just knew it.
Ina was the victim of this case.
Jared was dead.
Kane was dead.
Maggie was dead.
Mayu was dead.
Mimi looked nervous. Two people were dead, but she tried her best to remain strong. She had helped a lot with the Trial. All she had to do was apply everything she learned!
Titus was dead.
Yuumi was dead.
Zuri was dead.
But five weren't!
And they needed to stay alive!
Yes!
They had to figure out who killed Ina and Cassandra!
…
"Let the Trial commence…" Monohebi flicked her tongue.
DANGANRONPA: CORRUPTED HOPE
And here it is! Daily Life 5- I mean, the Investigation!
I have to say, I doubt this case would be as good as Chapter 3 or Chapter 4, but we'll see what you all think :0
Trial Parts are more or less under way. Just need some editing now that the Investigation is complete and to spruce things up a bit, but with classes going on, who knows how long that will take hahaha XD Twisted Tragedy has some words in it for Chapter 1 and overall, I'm curious to see everyone's theories about this case.
AKA, hope it's good :D Does seem like Chapter 5 will be completed before February ends :D
As always, please let me know your thoughts, opinions, and what you thought about the chapter overall! Liked it? Hated it? Something wrong with it? Please let me know, I will make necessary changes, and everything will be all good :D
Either case, till next time! It's Trial Time!
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]