Danganronpa: Gold House (CLOSED SYOC)

by CandleFire45

The manor lies at the edge of the forest, allowing teeters of black pines to grind against its wall like sandpaper. Accompanied by the howling winds of thundering snow, the darkness is defending, the shining layers consuming all in its wake. But darkness cannot last forever, and in the midst of the chaos, a glint of shimmering gold and glowing blood can be seen.

3. Familiar Lies (Prologue 2)

{Author's Note} Huge thanks to Epifanio Therion, raindropscyn, and Prince PokePersona for giving this ungodly long chapter a read and giving their thoughts. I really appreciate the feedback, and it helped me grow more confident in publishing this! Without further ado, here's the next chapter for Gold House!

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Scarlet Passage Of Time

Prologue 2

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"Dull and dark."

"Pounding against steel."

"Red sparks ignite ablaze."

"A tiny guppy swimming in an endless sea."

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Familiar

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(OST) Currently Playing: Familiar Halls

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With soaring walls and crystal lights unfolding before him, Prince's eyes strained in an attempt to capture the beauty manifested in his surroundings.

Though cautious with his search, he found his heart quick to open in fascination as luminous paintings and exotic plants revealed themselves to him, all lined up carefully next to scarlet bergère chairs cushioned with pillows and scarlet fabric. They shimmered under the corridor lights fastened along the wall, mirroring the radiance of both the windows and lengthy carpet his worn soles tracked atop of. Everything from the meticulously leveled beams to the glittering green foliage above gave Prince the sense whoever lived here had their entire life put together.

However, as comforting as the scenery was, there was an absolute stillness to the hall that sent his mind into overdrive. Not a peep could be heard from around, as only the muffled storm outside offered its song of horror in the passage. He listened to it as he walked along; his mundane greys and greens acted as an irritating view against the scarlet hall, sticking him out from the rest of the scene. He felt small in that regard, stumbling around in such a large place with a visible disconnect to his surroundings. Everything he saw was proof of that. But even then, he couldn't remember why that was the case. He didn't understand anything, least of all the notes he found detailing that school called 'Grandview' and another from a mysterious individual known only as 'The Owner.'

Sighing briefly, he rubbed the small bruise on his head as he quickly pulled out a specific note from his pocket, the edges crumpling up slightly as his grip tightened around it. The note was small, with only three simple words scribbled onto a torn piece of paper.

"Never forget... Prince..." he muttered, his voice breaking the silence he had since been accustomed to.

It was all he could even dare to wonder at this time. Prince. Prince. Prince. Was that his actual name? Was it a riddle perhaps? If that was the case, then how stupid was he to not understand such a thing? Someone trusted him with this note, he was sure of it, but he couldn't remember anything about it. Each time he tried to repeat it, his mind grew foggier until he was eventually forced to stop.

'I'll figure it out soon enough… there's no need to worry yet Prince... just breathe...'

He trekked deeper into the manor, passing by the cathedral-like windows which presented a frosted image of the haunted woods outside. Though blurry, he saw that the ground had been seeped in white, reflecting a darkened glow from the few beams of light that peeked through the trees. Their naked branches adorned in snow gnarled and twisted into grotesque patterns, casting small shadows along the walls that resembled twitching fingers. Each time one snapped, he could feel his heart jump, forcing him to move even quicker than before. The sharp flakes from the storm plowed themselves into the translucent glass, similar to that of December winds. For it to be around that time, he assumed it was late into winter, maybe even further if he pushed it. But even that reasoning couldn't explain the abnormal conditions he was witnessing.

'The wind is howling and the ice is sharp. But i-if the storm calmed down at least... maybe we could have a snowball fight out there.'

His focus then shifted to a wide double door he had come across in an attempt to ease his worries. Its reddish-brown surface held two gold knobs, which were surrounded by a dual crescent glass. He stood there for a moment, staring at the door with hesitant eyes before he decided to give in to curiosity and venture into the room.

'Maybe there are some clues I can find in h-here...'

Though the doors were larger than him, Prince found them easy to push open, as light as a feather almost. Upon doing so, he was immediately greeted with a breeze of hot air that pressed against his skin and clothes, surrounding him in a resolute warmth as the door closed behind him.

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(OST) Currently Playing: Beauty Redefined

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The room he entered was quaint in size, though sophisticated in decoration, with a classic red and brown color pallet that resembled an old-fashioned parlor. Unlike the hallway, the room didn't have many lights to illuminate its scenery, leaving only a large fireplace and lavish chandelier to give off a muted glow to the room. The room was furnished with a large red carpet that was soft to the touch. Scarlet curtains hung on the left side of the room, held apart by black tassels to reveal bookshelves built into walls. The chocolate shelves had a variety of books, with each genre arranged in different sections. Seating wasn't an issue in the parlor, as there were two fancy armchairs in front of the fireplace and two loveseat couches arranged in a nook; centered in the book area. The bookshelves were cut off at that point by two dark brown pillars, which left the tiny nook separated with only a coffee table and a few potted plants. The fireplace area had a small end table between the two armchairs that held but a single vase with a withering rose and an empty cup of coffee beside it. Beside the fireplace were two doors, and one peak out of them confirmed to Prince that they both led out to the hallways.

'Interesting… so t-this connects to the main hallways… and I think I see two other doors nearby. Exploring them will have to wait though...'

Still compelled to look around some more, he found a sizable painting set above the fireplace, showcasing samurai facing off against foreign invaders that Prince didn't recognize. Their battle seemed to leap off the canvas, as the traditional Japanese art of the paintings swirling clouds and stars were carved elegantly in the dome ceiling. Looking at the right side of the room, he saw more bookshelves lining the wall before cutting off at the center where an elegant wooden archway stood. The opening gave a view to another room connected to the parlor, appearing to be similar in tone and style. It had two doors at the left colored blue and pink, with the standard female and male signs on them to signify they were the bathrooms. Besides that, the place didn't have much else except a few more bookshelves, curtains, and chairs positioned around. However, the room's grand centerpiece was a sturdy pool table, which shined dramatically under a silver chandelier above it. Though he wasn't familiar with the rules of the game, Prince grew excited seeing one up close, feeling the need to at least try hitting a cue ball with one of the sticks placed in the holding case near him. But before he could even think about stopping himself, he noticed something quite strange placed in the room.

High above a few brown chairs positioned against the wall was a white security camera, which seemed to watch him with a haunting fixation. Its smooth chrome surface was similar to that of his watch, with a small 'M' imprinted on the side in sharp text. Perhaps a logo of some kind? Whatever the case was, it seemed to follow him as he began to move around, although he wasn't sure if it was merely his paranoia telling him that.

"Is it possible someone recently installed t-this...?" he mumbled to himself, "well, this is a fancy home… it's… probably meant to catch people who try to break in. That has to be it… I think…"

He nodded to himself in confirmation, choosing to believe it was nothing to stress over. Though a part of him was still unsure of its purpose.

And at that moment, that's when he heard it. A voice that was not his own.

It was hard to discern, but the voice seemed to attain a feminine touch, with it only being slightly muffled by the sound of the two large doors opening in the parlor. When he whirled around to see what had produced it, a girl of taller height entered his field of view. Her sudden arrival startled Prince enough to nearly trip over his own shoes. However, he managed to catch himself and not make a sound as she took a few steps toward the bookshelves.

She was humming casually with a slight rhythmic nod, allowing the carefree notes to fall into the air and flow into Prince's ears. He stood motionless as she hummed, soaking in the sound with wonder. Much like her song, her glimmering crimson hair flowed along the side of her diamond face, the curls forming into small playful swirls that bobbed as she walked. She brushed part of it away from her large circular glasses as she began examining the books with a careful finger.

"History… fiction… mystery..." she murmured, "... hmm…"

The girl held something in her hand as she searched. It was small, but it was attached to some sort of necklace that Prince noticed was on her. He eventually was able to see that it was two silver dog tags that she held to her chest. They glimmered from the sparks of the fire, just like the badge she had on her coat.

'That badge… it's like the one I have. Is s-she also involved in this then?'

Now curious and realizing he should say something, he sheepishly stepped out of his hiding place and fixed up his sweater before speaking to her.

"U-Um... hello there!" Prince began, smiling awkwardly as he waved his hand, "it's n-nice to meet you!"

'Oh man… I should really work on fixing my stutter…' Prince immediately thought, clearing his throat with a cough.

The girl turned around and stared at Prince, opening her eyes to reveal two disorientating colors. Her left eye shined as pale as the moon, but her right retained a dull red look to it, blending in with her red hair. He was slightly stunned by the intensity they gave off, but once the girl gave him a quick scan, her posture relaxed.

"Oh, hello," the girl replied, her gaze now solely on him, "I thought I heard someone else in here. That was you?"

"A-ah... yeah... sorry about that," he apologized, now slightly embarrassed and worried over what she heard, "I hope I didn't interrupt your song… it sounded really nice."

The girl methodically fiddled with her dog tags as she nodded in understanding, "mhm, sure…"

"Right…" he answered, leaving the room in utter silence once again.

'She's not really the talkative type… huh?'

He took the moment of silence to observe her further. The girl in question wore a large green coat, with a large fur hood that subconsciously tickled Prince's neck just by seeing it. The huge coat she had on was slightly worn and wrinkled, with a few orange patches on the elbows and back, and a gleaming badge like his own attached to her left breast pocket. It was fully unzipped to show her wearing a baggy white tank top with a skeleton butterfly design printed in the middle. One side of the tank top was tucked into her black pants, which showed off a few torn belts hidden by the other side of loose fabric. Her black pants were tucked into her black combat boots, which also had a small fur trim at the top of them. She wore torn up fingerless gloves, which were partially covered by the sleeves of her jacket. Given her height and appearance, she looked way older than him, wielding a mature gaze that made him look like a child in comparison.

Turning his attention back to her, he noticed that she was also observing him, though she didn't utter a word by the time she met his eyes.

"Well… it's a pleasure to meet you," Prince finally spoke, "um, do you know what's happening here by any chance? I only woke up a few moments ago..."

"It depends on what you want to know," the girl responded with a shrug, "regarding this situation, the short answer is no. I don't have a clue what's going on, and neither does anyone else, unfortunately."

"So… the other people… d-don't know either…?" Prince mumbled, trailing off on his words as he pondered the revelation, 'does that mean everyone's like me? Do they not know what's going on… or even how they got here?'

"You seem to be in the same boat as us," the girl said, her head turned away as she stared at the fire, "not that I'm surprised, but it's a shame really…"

"O-Oh, uh…" Prince reacted, trying to collect his words, "yeah, it is kind of troubling… why don't any of us know what's happening?"

"Who knows?" the girl said, "one second, we're all living out our lives, and the next we're shackled with these watches and being surveyed by cameras. It makes me think someone here is keeping tabs on us..."

Prince breathed in deeply, deeply perplexed by the situation at hand. The cameras and watches were similar in design. But everything else had a very historic feel. The two styles clashed against each other, feeding into the mystery girl's idea that something was off. But not being one to focus too much on the negatives, Prince looked over at the girl once again while scratching his cheek, "um… might I ask what you're doing in this room?"

"Sure you can," she said, "though it's not as exciting as you might think. I was just inspecting some of these books, there's quite a variety. It looks like whoever owns this place has a large collection I believe."

"Is that right?" Prince blurted out, staring at the bookshelves behind her, "were you looking to catch up on some light reading? Heh... seems a little strange to be doing that at a time like this, no o-offense..."

"None taken," she uttered with a smirk, "I just can't help it I guess, even with all that's going on. I might not look like it, but I tend to enjoy reading a good book rather than a good group of people. And there's been quite a lot of people here... so I decided to split off."

"Ah, I see," Prince replied, understanding her unwillingness to talk, "u-um… am I interrupting you then? I'm sorry, I really didn't mean to be a burden. I was-"

"No, it's fine," the girl reassured, brushing her hair aside with her hand, "you're just investigating. It's just the natural will of human curiosity, so I can't get all that peeved over it. "

Feeling a little more relaxed, Prince spoke up with a bit more confidence, "oh, well thank you for that. So… you've met these people, right? Do you know where they might be? I kinda woke up earlier, in some bedroom."

"Same here. Let's see... I was with this group before in the common area. It's close by. They're a talkative bunch though, so if you get easily annoyed by that, then you might want to wait until they leave to investigate the area."

"Oh no, I don't mind that at all!" Prince exclaimed, "I actually feel better when talking with others, even if I'm not exactly the most… charismatic person..."

The girl nodded and looked to the floor, "it seems like you'll fit right in then. I don't know if they're there anymore, but if that's what you want, I won't stop you."

"Thank you so much for the directions… um…" Prince stopped for a moment, his words suddenly stuck in his throat.

"Something wrong?" she asked, her eyes lighting up briefly.

"Ah, sorry, it's just… I realized we've been talking this whole time and don't even know each other's names. Kinda silly, huh?"

"Oh yeah, I completely forgot about that," she remarked, "hm, well... if you need a name, it's Anata Noshi. As for my talent, I'm known as the Grand Storyteller. It's nothing too fancy though… I just like to tell stories that interest me."

He had followed along with everything she said, right until she mentioned her supposed talent. It left him momentarily conflicted, as hearing the words triggered no response to him but confusion.

"U-Um, I'm sorry, 'your talent?'" Prince repeated, "what do you mean by that?"

"It's exactly as it sounds," Anata answered, pushing her glasses up a bit, "I'm the Grand Storyteller. That's my talent. Everyone trapped here has one as well since they're freshman at Grandview Academy. You're the same, right?"

Though her voice was low and smooth, Prince felt as if he were being bombarded with information, so much so that he couldn't keep up with it fast enough. That school, it was one of the many things that plagued his mind. And yet, the girl talked about it as if it was the most natural thing in the world. How come he never heard of it then? Why... couldn't he remember it?

'Oof… this is hurting m-my head now. I thought everyone was like me… but… Anata remembers her name… and apparently goes to that school mentioned in the newspaper clipping… so… what about me…?'

Unable to postpone his answer for long, he replied with a hint of concern in his voice, "I... h-have no idea what kind of school that is... and I don't know… anything about 'Grand' students…"

"What?" she muttered, staring at him with a confused glare, "did someone bonk you on the head before you got here?"

He answered Anata with hesitant words, both embarrassed and ashamed at his lack of beneficial knowledge, "I'm sorry... I wish I knew s-something... but… I don't know how… or why I can't remember anything. All I know is that I go by the name Prince…"

"Prince..." she repeated now adjusting her coat, "I see, is that really your name though? Or just a code name someone gave you?"

"I… uh… I don't know either," he confessed, "but… I think it'll probably be okay. I might get my memory back as soon as I meet more people. Maybe I'll eventually recognize someone…"

The storyteller was silent for a few moments, studying Prince slowly before shaking her head.

"I doubt that would work," Anata claimed with a sigh, "but since you look serious about that idea …here's a piece of advice. Just try to not mess up badly when introducing yourself to other people. They'll naturally suspect you're behind this."

"H-Huh?" Prince blurted out, "you really think they'd be that cautious?"

"That's what I think at least," Anata explained, "maybe some others will accept you that way, but there's a few here that won't take that revelation lightly. I mean, it's only natural to be suspicious of everyone right now, correct?"

"Y-yeah… it is…" Prince mumbled, trying to unravel the storyteller's meaning, "but I… I'll do my very best to earn everyone's trust then… including yours Anata..."

"You don't need to convince me," Anata clarified, adjusting her glasses, "you're definitely odd, but you interest me too. In that case, I'll be watching to see what story you'll leave behind Prince. See you around."

With words laced in ambiguity, she finished the conversation with a poetic swiftness, leaving an impression on the boy's heart as the two bid farewell. There was so much he wanted to ask her, but the conversation compelled him to search for answers on his own as he left the room.

'She didn't tell me much about Grandview… but I can assume it's a place where people are invited to for a specific reason. That newspaper clipping said people who follow its mission statement become 'Grand Students' apparently... I wonder what that means though…'

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(OST) Currently Playing: Familiar Halls

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Now alone, he looked down the hall furnished with paintings and plants to find two double doors situated in opposite directions. The double door he saw further away to the right was made of a bright cherry color, where only a few potted plants and chairs rested beside it. It also had a decorative sign next to it that read 'Common Room' on it.

'I'm guessing that's the place Anata was referring to… maybe that group of people are still in there.'

The other door to his left was made of glass, with surrounding wood colored in a light brown tint that made it pop out against the wall. A small coffee logo rested beside the door, with a hanging wall sign recommending a few drinks Prince had never heard of before.

'A café…? Inside a manor? Woah… this place must be loaded with a bunch of random rooms…'

He debated with himself for a few moments before deciding to travel to the common area, holding on tightly to the promise that someone would be inside. The door was big, but Prince had no trouble opening it and stepping inside the new room.

He found no one inside the place, much to his disappointment, but his watch did update with the new room on the map. The common room was bigger than the parlor, but styled rather simplistically. The floor was made of white oak wood that held a yellowish-brown color next to the light green wallpaper. A white baseboard lined the wall and separated it from the floor, matching the tray ceiling color above. At the very end and right side of the room were square glass-paneled windows, which gave a clear view of the haunting snowstorm. Thankfully, a couple of wall lights brightened the room enough to give it a relaxing feel, almost homey to an extent.

In the corner of the room were two white couches with an assortment of pillows on them, with a small bookshelf placed by its side holding a few light novels. A coffee table with spy figurines and magazines had a fluffy green rug placed underneath it, and across from the area was a chess table that stood under a large painting of a river. Directly to Prince's left was a wall with a few awards placed on it and to his right was a brown door, with a tiny display reading "Music" on it. Opening it showcased a small room, near closet level, with floor to ceiling racks overflowing with colorful CDs. The racks had specific sections tied to different genres, labeled in alphabetical order of various artists whose songs ranged from pop, rock, hard rock, hip-hop, lo-fi, rap, classical, festive, EDM, and even alternative. In that room was a machine of his height, with an appearance similar to a stereo. Wires were coming out of it, traveling up neatly along the wall before vanishing from sight.

Intrigued by what was inside, Prince quickly entered in a mindful fashion, leaving the door open behind him as he started reviewing the songs available.

'Oh wow… whoever lives here really branched out with the music choices. If we ever wanted to throw a party, there's a ton of songs to choose from. Hm... I wonder if they have some of Bettye and Lee's works then…? I could really use something to dance to...'

Curious over if they really did have their albums, he began searching through the 'Soul' section with diligence before he heard the door to the common room open.

"Hm… no luck…" a voice mumbled behind him, "I wonder if anyone's here then?"

'Another voice…?' Prince thought as he began to turn around. 'It sounds like a girl… but I couldn't quite hear-'

"Oh! Hey there-!"

"A-AH-!" Prince jumped back from reflex and accidentally tripped over his shoes, allowing the forces of gravity to drag him toward the sharp rack of discs.

"W-Woah! Hang on!" the person shouted, grabbing him by the hand to stop his fall. Prince was exempt from a cruel world of pain as the stranger pulled him up swiftly to his feet. Though the action left him a little lightheaded, the soles of his shoes planted themselves safely to the ground, restoring his sense of balance.

'I-I fell again… just like last time. Man… am I that jumpy…?'

As he collected himself, the person that startled him approached with a concerned tone, "jeez-! Are you alright there? I-is your head okay? It's not cracked open and bleeding profusely right?"

Being closer to the individual allowed him to realize the voice belonged to another girl, though the worry she displayed over his fall prompted him to dust himself off quickly to reassure her, "o-oh! N-No, I'm okay!" Prince said frantically, pulling himself up to check on her, "see? No bruises… or broken bones. So… I'm good."

"Really? Alright then, phew!" the girl said before nervously laughing, " it looked like you hit your head from where I was standing, but if you say you're okay then that's definitely a relief!"

Prince responded in agreement, smiling at her comment, "t-thank you so much for catching me back there…"

"No problem!" the girl beamed, "and ah... sorry for scaring you. I didn't realize you were so focused on those CDs. But if you're truly okay... then I guess I have better reflexes than I thought, huh? Sometimes I surprise even myself!"

The girl simply radiated positive energy, aided by the fact that her voice bared the clear youthful energy of a teenager. She was definitely taller than him, though a little shorter of Anata's height, with an average body of soft olive skin that was somewhat tan in color. Her hair traveled down her back in a vibrant shade of bright, crimson red, retaining a subtle wave in the thin strands. A small crown was braided on one side of her hair, tucked behind her right ear. And though her eyes were closed, they expressed a joy profound enough to keep a smile on Prince's face. Her outfit mirrored her personality, as it was both bright and colorful. It consisted of an unbuttoned white and red striped denim jacket, fitted over a dark purple polo shirt. The jacket's buttons were shaped like hearts, and the left breast pocket is also emblazoned with the same badge Prince was wearing. Her polo shirt was tucked into a typical Japanese school skirt, colored black with a red and white plaid pattern. Lastly, she wears dark purple tights and white boots that reach just below her knees, giving her a bit of a boost in her height.

When the girl opened her eyes again, they revealed a dark hot pink color that sparkled as she spoke, "anyways… my awful first impressions aside... it's nice to meet you new guy! How are you feeling?"

"Right now? Um, I'm adjusting…" Prince confessed, "and you?"

"Just as dandy if you ask me," she said with her hands on her hips, "I'm glad there are other people in this place. I thought I was alone when I woke up here. It's good to know that's not the case!"

"Yeah… same with me," Prince confessed, "um… I didn't realize there was anyone else here until a bit later."

"Mhm! There's a lot of vibrant characters here, that's for sure! But that's just in one part of the building. There's still a lot of places to check out here. Hopefully, once we meet up with everyone, we can figure out what's happening here."

"Oh... are you eager to get out of here already?" Prince asked, "not that I blame you… this place is strange…"

"I wouldn't say eager, but I wouldn't want us all to stay here any longer than we need to, you know? Wouldn't want to miss our first day of high school now would we?"

"Oh… yeah…" he agreed slowly as his thoughts began to race over her sentence, "you're talking about… that Grandview school… right?"

"That's right! Although it sounds like you're not a fan…" the girl remarked, "you know, school really isn't all that bad once you get past the overload of homework, stressful projects, bullies, unmotivated teachers, impossible exams, unfair curriculum, and future student debt!"

"…"

"Er… come to think of it… perhaps we should just think about getting back home instead, yeah?"

"Right…" he answered, although he was a little dazed from her remark, "so, shall we introduce ourselves now? It doesn't seem like there's in this room besides a bunch of music discs."

"Of course!" the girl said, "I'm curious to know what your name is!"

"My name… well um… my name is… Prince," he said after a bit of hesitance, "it's nice to meet you."

"Prince… I see..." the girl repeated, tapping the tip of her chin a she thought on it, "that's certainly a unique name. Very cute, but elegant too! Well it's nice to meet you Prince! My name is Machi Amemori. And according to Grandview, I'm the Grand Mediator!"

"A mediator?" Prince repeated, looking over the cheerful girl again, "what does… that mean exactly…? S-Sorry... I'm still a little lost with some things here…"

"I'd be happy to explain it!" Machi exclaimed, "so, in Grandview's eyes, I'm the best at settling disputes between people. If there's ever a conflict brewing, I can usually resolve it by stepping in and talking things out between the two parties. That way, everyone's voice can be heard and things can return peacefully!"

"Is that so…" Prince said, finally following along with the idea, "so… if you're a Grand Student… and you're invited to that school… you're considered… the best at something?"

"Yep! I was invited because of my mediating skills, but everyone gets in for different reasons, which just is part of the school's charm! What about you Prince? What's your Grand Talent?"

There it was, the question Prince had been dreading to hear from another person. For a moment, he panicked, failing to calm his nerves as he considered a way to avoid the topic. But after hearing Machi kind words, he felt as if she would understand his confusion and help him out. So, after taking a deep breath, he turned toward her and spoke, "uh… I-I… don't remember. I don't... even know if... um... I-I have one... I can't really remember anything about Grandview… or my past for that matter."

"Oh… so you can't remember… anything at all?" she asked, which Prince quickly confirmed with a nod. She paused for a few moments and looked him over, although without any sort of judgment as she brightly nodded "hmmmmmm, welp, that's totally okay Prince! I'm sure we can figure it out together the more we explore!"

"A-Are you sure?" Prince asked as he gripped his sleeves nervously, "I-I mean… I can't really contribute all that much to whatever's happening… and I don't even know what Grandview is…"

"That's fine!" Machi reassured, her smile as bright as ever, "I can help you out with anything you don't understand."

"R-Really?" he asked, his eyes slightly wide, "thank you so much... but-"

"No buts!" Machi said, "you don't have to worry Prince. I can get a good sense of people pretty well, and I can already tell you're not a bad guy. You're just confused like everyone else after all! I mean, no one I've met really remembers how they got here, and I think I blacked out before I woke up here."

"So I've been told…" Prince responded, hugging himself tightly to ease his anxiety, "how is that possible though…? For twenty people to just… wake up and forget how they got here? Isn't that strange…?"

"Yeah, this situation is definitely super weird," Machi agreed, "but we'll figure out what's going on! We just have to remain calm and gather everyone together!"

She definitely proved to be an optimist, a trait Prince began to carry as he felt reassured by her words. "So, where would we look first?" He asked, "this place seems really big on the map, it could take a bit of time to find everyone…"

"It might seem that way, but it's not as daunting as you might think. Just do this and this-" Machi quickly turned on her wristwatch and pressed some buttons, revealing a holographic 3D image of the map above the screen. "-voila! If you focus on a particular area, it actually looks a tad bit too small to be considered a manor, see?"

"W-WAH!" Prince gasped, staring at the holographic map in awe, "I-I didn't know they could do that!"

"Pretty neat, right?" Machi grinned, as she touched the watch carefully, "I was kinda fiddling around with it since none of the other apps opened up, and I was pretty surprised too when I saw it, but it sort of reminds me of those sci-fi devices you see in those space movies! Looks like someone developed them in real life! It updates with each room you enter as well, just like your profiles so it's always saved on your watch!"

"Wait... so the profiles update i-in real-time as well?" Prince took out his own watch to confirm the matter and found that not only had his map updated with visuals for the new rooms he had been to, but the profile section now had Machi and Anata's info on it as well, "woah... i-it looks like it has some of your information on it as well, just l-like my own profile.. but... why are these the only apps that are updating and open to us...?"

"I'm not too sure myself," Machi confessed, "but I guess we just don't have access to all its functions yet-! So maybe they'll open up eventually! As for the map and profiles, it probably updates so we can keep track of everything!"

Hypnotized by the light from the map, he stepped forward and looked at the map closely. From what was shown, Machi and Prince's 8-bit faces were hovering in the common room. Right next to the common room was the café, which it was connected to by a door. From there, two silhouetted faces could be seen in the place, although Prince couldn't identify their genders.

"So… it shows the rooms… and if people are in them or not?" Prince slowly said, attempting to understand the logic of the device, "so there are two people in the café right now?"

"That seems to be the case!" Machi nodded as she put the map away, "which means, we get to meet more people now! If you want... we can meet them together?"

Her suggestion elated Prince, ridding the feeling of isolation he had been used to before, "of course we should! I'd be glad if we went with each other Machi…"

"Perfect!" she exclaimed as she grabbed his hands, "let's explore this together then Prince! Onward!"

Now paired with the joyful mediator, Prince followed behind as they exited the 'Music' room and quickly approached the café door connected to the common room. It was a glass double door with a coffee logo, with the panels being made of dark brown wood. The duo promptly opened it and stepped inside, quickly overtaken by a new type of warmth as the door closed behind them.

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(OST) Currently Playing: Ice Coffee, Cool Morning

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Unlike the blistering storm outside, the interior of the café was warm and cheery, with soft lights illuminating the room from slow turning fans. The calming beige walls matched the checkered tiled floor seamlessly, stretching out to fill the room's long rectangle shape. The door Prince saw earlier in the hallway was positioned at the end of the room, where it stood under a silent wall speaker. The walls to his right had the same windows as those from the common room; placed side by side to give a faint view of the icy manor within the storm. The sun outside was quickly lowering, but the flicker of light reflected off the snow, giving the phantom fog above a mystifying appearance as it rolled along the glass.

For furniture, wooden coffee tables with metal outlines were placed against the windows, allowing only three café chairs to be positioned around each one. These tables held napkins menus neatly folded in the center of them. Since there were four windows, there were six tables in total, four near the window and two near the entrance, leaving around eighteen chairs in the room. Between each table were gorgeous kentia plants that mirrored the floral paintings hung on the back wall. Directly to Prince's left was a trash can, made from dark wood with a swinging door to throw waste into. Next to that trash can was a small area where two doors stood. With the male and female symbols on them, Prince assumed they also led to the bathrooms, similar to the billiard room.

The crown jewel of the room however was the coffee station. There, atop scarlet counters were six brand new coffee dispensers. Each one displayed the flavors they produced with bright labels and symbols. The six were Vanilla, Caramel, Mocha, Hot Chocolate, Pumpkin Spice, and Sayoama. However, the last one appeared to be out of order for some reason. There also was an espresso machine separate from them on its very own counter. There was a stack of styrofoam cups beside each of the dispensers, with a few straws, cremes, and stirrers nearby for extra use. And in glass-fronted displays beside the counters were an array of decorative cream cakes and pastries that overflowed the room in a delightful scent.

Completely overcome by the aromatic smell, Prince breathed in deeply with a growing smile, "mhmmm, that smells… so good…!"

"Yeah… it's exactly like a real café… down to the atmosphere and everything!" Machi complimented, seeming to breathe in the scent as well, "whoever owns it must have a good sense of quality, huh?"

Prince realized how right she was. The serene vibe of the room flowed into his being, allowing a hint of connection to his own thoughts as he took in warmth completely.

'This really is the definition of peace… and quiet-'

"Ugh! You crétin!" a voice shouted, "is it impossible for you to do anything right? I very clearly asked for café au lait! Not this trash! Remove it at once!"

"Well I'm not a barista, miss! I dunno what kind of coffee you're supposed to like… and our time is important too!"

'Annnnnnddd that went out the window pretty fast…'

The arguing came from a boy and girl of varying height, with the latter sitting down at one of the tables appearing much older than the former. The girl's elegant beauty immediately caught Prince's attention, contrasting her sour attitude with radiated perfection. Her skin glowed a healthy white, with a proportionate chest that stood out a bit from her slim body. With her petite fingers, she twirled her long blonde ponytail with an annoyed look to her crystal eyes, her legs crossed in an elegant position. Her pink slip dress was rather formal for the casual setting, the color matching her beret where the mysterious badge was placed on. She finished off the gorgeous ensemble with simple high heel boots that were light lavender.

As for the boy, he hovered a few inches under Prince's height, covered in what seemed to be a fancy ensemble of reds and golds. He had wild blonde hair with several curls bobbing around, covering some of his warm white skin with the unruly strands. He had bright gold eyes that stared annoyingly at the other girl, with a tiny nose and mouth that gave him a childlike face. He had on white gloved hands that fidgeted with his long black cape, connecting to his suit with a stylish looking rose on the left lapel. His suit was a natural black and red color, tailored fittingly to accommodate his small stature. He wore a red vest with a black trim, and through all of the accessories, Prince could catch a glimpse of his badge attached to it. He had on a large red scarf over the suit, which blended well with his cape. But the most noticeable thing of his appearance was the huge top-hat he wore on his head, embellished with blue and red flowers and a large white feather. The underside of the hat glowed like stars, matching his belt that kept up his dark pants. He had on sleek black boots, finishing off the style with red tips to them.

'This kid looks really young to be in high school. I wonder how old he is…'

The two extravagant looking people were arguing about something, causing their faces to turn a slight shade of red as they hurled random insults at each other. Their words flung into the air without any rhyme or reason, their effects unheard by no one other than Prince and Machi.

"Man, they're really going at it," Prince said, "I-It might take a bit of time for them to calm down…"

"It appears so," Machi said, suddenly pulling out a random pair of glasses, "it looks like I need to resolve this, please hang with me for a moment Prince…"

"H-Huh?" Prince blurted out, watching as Machi put on the glasses, "what… are you doing exactly…?"

"I'll explain in detail later, but I'm engaging into my 'mediator mode'," she announced, her once energetic voice now serious and calm, "if you'll please excuse me for a moment."

'H-Her behavior just completely changed…' Prince noted as he watched as the mediator approached the two students and seamlessly enter the conversation. Realizing he should follow, Prince quickly joined them as well. The second he got closer however, a faint scent of sweet strawberries overcame his senses, devouring both his taste buds and nostrils.

'O-Oof! That's definitely a strong smell…'

Trying to ignore it, Prince listened in on the conversation between the trio as their complaining suddenly ceased.

"What seems to be the problem here?" Machi started, pushing the glasses up against her face.

"Oh! When did you get here, miss?" the boy in fancy clothes asked, holding his top hat with his two gloved hands, "Minnie didn't tell me anyone was entering the room. Although, she probably couldn't hear anything since we're dealing with this annoying pink flamingo girl over here…"

"Never mind that child," the French girl snapped, "I am in a rather personal crisis that can only be solved with my favorite caffeine drink. And yet, despite it being a simple order, this twit refuses to bring it to me correctly."

"Hey! I have no problem making others happy when they're nice," the boy countered before quickly frowning, "but you've been nothing but mean to me and Minnie. And for your information, I'm thirteen years old… I'm not some full grown coffee fanatic..."

"He is right, there are certain factors that should be taken into account here," Machi explained, "a person of that age might find it difficult to work on something they aren't familiar with, such as brewing coffee."

"S'il vous plaît... does it matter what your age is? As long as you have a pair of working hands and legs, you can easily acquire my desired drink. Or is such a task too hard for you to comprehend as a grade schooler?"

"I've long since graduated from then!" the young boy said, looking a little hurt.

Unable to let the scene play out any longer, Prince quickly stepped in with a flustered face, "h-hey… there's no need to be so rude to him. He just made an honest m-mistake, coffee's a pretty complicated thing to get right…"

"Complicated? Are you kidding me?" the girl sneered, brushing her ponytail aside with a quick jerk of her head, "I don't care how confusing it may be. As the one and only Grand Perfumer, Amélie Alarie herself, I expect quality service for someone so perfect as moi!"

"Amelie Alaire..." Prince repeated, unable to produce the proper accent, "that name sounds french, are you... not from Japan?"

"Of course not you dolt!" the perfumer spoke, "I am of natural french descent of course! As such, I was invited as one of the many foreign exchange students in this school. Though to be honest, many of them don't exactly fit up to par. Shameful really. If only there was someone here of similar status to me."

"So Grandview branches out of the country," Prince said, lingering on the thought, "if that's the case… then why did they admit you as a perfumer?"

"The better question is how could they not?" she corrected, "for a school claiming they accepted the best of the best, it truly was a mediocre sight until I was invited! After all, my perfumes are known throughout the entire continent of Europe! Nobody could resist such a call to class with my enticing fragrances~"

She spoke with confidence and pride, holding her head high with the proper posture of a mature lady. If Prince hadn't heard her poor comments earlier, he'd half expect to be inspired by her words, but her intimidating aura could not be mistaken for reliability, at least in his eyes.

"Hey! I thought we were dealing with our argument?" the young boy protested.

"That matter will be settled in a bit," Amelie decided, placing her hand on her cheek with a faint smile, "for now though, it's time for the peasant's introductions! You, lunettes fillel! Tell me your name and occupation if you please."

Realizing she was gesturing to her, Machi introduced herself politely, though noticeably calmer than she did before with Prince. Upon hearing her name and talent, Amelie scoffed and shook her head, "ugh, how boring. Is this really what Grandview sees as equal to me?"

"Well, my work has solved multiple-"

"No need to speak," Amelie interrupted, "and what of you bad haircut boy?"

"H-Huh?" Prince said, looking around to find the attention on him. He saw that the boy looked at him closely, waiting for his name as well, "me? Um... well I'm Prince... nice to meet you..."

"Oooh! A prince!" Amelie clapped her hands excitedly and gazed into Prince's eyes. "Magnifique! I've always dreamed of meeting one! Tell me, what land do you rule? Are you soon to become a king?"

"... oh... I'm not an a-actual prince... that's just my name..."

…

…

…

...

...

...

"…you're kidding me...right?" she asked before rolling her eyes, "and here I thought there was someone worth my attention here. I should've known you were a peasant with that obnoxious stutter."

'Ouch… t-that stung… but I'm kinda glad she didn't question my name or lack of talent…'

"Can we focus back on our disagreement now?" the young boy asked, turning his confused eyes away from Prince, "Minnie is about to pounce on flamingo lady if she doesn't apologize soon."

"As if I'd apologize to a five year old," Amelie sneered, "what are you, 3'5"?"

"I'm 149 centimeters miss!" the boy argued, "and according to pa, I've got a big growth sprout coming real soon! And when that time comes, I'll no longer need to use my magic to levitate bowls off the shelves!"

With the perfumer's introduction out of the way, Machi quickly listened to the two students' concerns in close detail, nodding her head along as they voiced their complaints with one another. Prince watched close behind as she took it all in, wondering how someone of her caliber could be so reassuring during such a time.

"I see, there's an easy way for everyone to get what they want here," Machi concluded, "first of all, Amelie-"

"Don't forget the accent and proper pronunciation," she stated as she rolled her eyes, "it irritates me when people say my name wrong."

"Right…" Machi continued, "anyway, this whole time this boy has been trying to help you, but you've pushed him away for simply making a mistake. Not only does that make him feel inferior… it also decreases the chances he would give you what you want. In this case, your desired coffee. So instead, how about giving him a chance to redo his attempt?"

"Well... he is indeed inferior," Amelie said, crossing her arms tightly under her chest and narrowing her eye at the boy, "but... I'm still craving my drink so you've convinced me. If he wishes to prove his worth, I shall give him another chance. I expect it to be correctly done this time."

"I dunno," the boy replied, "you've been pretty harsh to me, and Minnie doesn't really like you all that much either."

'Ok… now I'm really wondering who this Minnie person is. This boy has been talking about her for a while now… is she another student…?'

"Hm… if it's that troubling for you, then why don't you discuss it between yourselves?" Machi suggested to the boy, "that way there isn't any conflict of interest between you two."

"Okay then, let me see what she thinks," he replied, slightly opening his scarf and leaning his ear into it.

'What… is he doing…?'

It wasn't long until he found out. Without warning, tiny whiskers poked out of the boys scarf, and then eventually a small mouse popped up and began to squeak, prompting Amelie and Prince's eyes to widen.

"AUGH! DISGUSTING! YOU HAVE A RAT!" Amelie screamed, "SOMEONE KILL IT! KILL IT NOW! AHHHHHHHH!"

"W-What the-?" Prince gasped, unable to hide his shock either, "you just had that in your scarf?"

"She's not a 'that'! She's my partner and most trusted friend!" the boy explained, and surprisingly the mouse known as Minnie nodded her head rather sternly in agreement, resulting in another scream from the perfumer, "you see, Minnie is a very special mouse compared to others in the Muridae family! She can understand and respond to complex human language, which makes her a great partner for our magic shows!"

Unable to process what was happening, Prince took a moment to observe Minnie, who had black ears and white fur. Surprisingly, Prince noticed that she also had a small red and gold vest on, with one pocket carrying a tiny watch. The vest also had a little rose on the right, appearing to be made of gold.

"I-I… I have no idea how… why-" Prince stuttered, watching as the boy and mouse began to converse with one another in serious voices, "t-that's... actually incredible... I always wanted to talk to animals. But how does he do that?"

"Who cares? It's nothing incredible! It's Disgusting! Repulsive even!" Amelie shouted, her eyes shooting daggers at the young boy, "to have such a thing is-! Ugh! C'est complètement insalubre!"

"Let him speak with her before passing judgment," Machi said calmly, seemingly unfazed with the exchange between the mouse and kid.

They waited for a bit until the two finished with their talk, where Minnie glared at Amelie with an angry look and hopped back in the boy's scarf.

"Okay then," the boy announced, "we talked it over, and miss Machi has convinced us to help you out one more time pink flamingo girl! Alright everyone, prepare to be amazed by the magnificent Fudo Tsukuyomi, the one and only Grand Magician himself, as he performs a feat truly impossible!"

The young magician took a nearby napkin from the table to act as a cover, and held out his empty left hand to reveal he had nothing on it. Then, after he hovered the napkin over it, he whirled his right fingers in hypnotic motions over the material before flinging it aside, revealing a steaming cup of coffee with a dash of hot milk swirling around inside.

"W-Woah!" Prince gasped, his finger quickly touching the cup to find it warm, "h-how did you do that? It's still warm and everything!"

"Aw, mister Prince!" Fudo smiled as stars sparkled around him, "you must know a magician never reveals his secrets! It's part of me and Minnie's oath! Anywho though, here's your coffee flamingo girl!"

"An impressive trick Fudo," Machi commented with a nod before taking off her glasses, "now then, does this outcome satisfy you... Amélie?"

The perfumer scrunched up her face in disgust, "who do you take me to be? A commoner or something?! I will NEVER touch something that has the essence of a rodent on it! Ugh! If you'll excuse me, I'll be off finding someone with proper etiquette in this place!"

The girl stormed off in a huff, suppressing her annoyance with clenched fists as she exited through the café doors and slammed them behind her. The anger flowing in the room quickly evaporated after that, leaving the trio of kids to their own devices.

'That girl, she's definitely a freshman in Grandview, but her attitude isn't welcoming at all. Who knew a perfumer could be so bitter…?'

With Amelie gone, the tense strain present in Prince's back vanished, allowing him to sigh, "whew… that conversation took a lot out of me…"

"No kidding, that flamingo girl is bad news," Fudo claimed, holding onto his hand tightly, "I took the time to make that coffee and everything, but she didn't even want it. Me and Minnie coulda' been using that time to investigate more. What a waste of time."

"Well, at least she's gone now!" Machi's positive attitude suddenly returned in full, with her lips forming the familiar joyful smile that Prince had gotten used to from her. "It was kind of tiring trying to talk to that girl, but at least everything is resolved between the two of you now! Or... at least one of you I suppose."

"That was impressive, Machi…" Prince said, "you were calm throughout the entire process... was t-that your 'mediator mode' you were talking about earlier?"

"Oh it was nothing really," she sheepishly said, rubbing her neck as she blushed, "mediator mode for me is just an impulse I have. Whenever I see two fighting parties, I just try to listen to them as much as I can, so that everyone can be happy with the outcome. Although in this instance… that didn't quite work out. But this happens sometimes! The best thing for Amelie to do in this instance is just to cool off."

"I truly don't think that's happening with that girl." Fudo had just whipped the coffee away with a dash of his hand once he finished speaking.

"Well we can only hope maybe!" Machi laughed, "people do change over time after all, so it'll be best to catch her on a better day!"

Her sweet voice carried into Prince's soul, allowing him to completely understand her reasoning. It was similar to his own thoughts, though he could tell Machi had both the confidence and evident fortitude to make that her entire goal.

With Amelie now gone, Machi turned toward Fudo and smiled, "speaking of which how are you holding up Fudo? I hope Amelie wasn't bugging you for to long before we arrived."

"Nope miss!" Fudo answered with a toothy grin, "thanks for helping me and Minnie! I'll tell ya, Minnie was really close to tearing her eyes out, but you thankfully came in at just the right moment!

"T-Thank goodness…" Prince uttered, his stomach churning from the description, "I'm glad Machi stepped in when she did then…"

"Aw, Prince! Don't be so humble! You stepped up as well!" Machi smiled, "now we can keep exploring in peace!"

'That's right… there are still unknown aspects of this place… maybe Fudo found something we haven't…'

Looking over at Fudo, Prince tugged at his hair, "so Fudo… what exactly were you doing in this café before your… 'incident?'"

"Welp," Fudo started with closed eyes and a big smirk, "me and Minnie were looking around the house for clues when we came across this room. We were inspecting it, very thoroughly of course, when that girl came in and demanded we get her some coffee."

"I'm sorry your investigation was interrupted because of that," Machi commented, "did you find anything important though?"

"Um… not really. This place just seems to be made for caffeine freaks." His eyes widened and he shook his head, "a-ah I mean, not like their weird or anything. I know my Ma would like this place, but it's definitely not for me and Minnie. Anyways, there wasn't anything that explained what happened to the school or how we got here..."

"Oh yeah, I meant to ask earlier Fudo…" Prince spoke up, eyeing the boy. The magician kept his gaze on him, as if he was studying Prince closely with some sort of vague familiarity.

"What is it mister?" he asked, finally finished with his look at him.

"Ah, everyone here is f-from Grandview I think... so were you... and Minnie... invited to the academy as well?" he scratched his cheek, "n-not that it's bad or anything but, you seem pretty… young to be a freshman…"

"Of course we were invited!" he answered, with Minnie briefly popping out of his scarf to agree with him, "I might look young, but I'm not stupid or anything. I actually skipped a couple grades believe it or not! And I was well on my way to advancing my magic career until I got an acceptance letter from that school. I was supposed to attend the orientation this week. But now me and my partner end up here! It makes no sense!"

"Same here. I think we all were supposed to attend it," Machi inquired, rubbing her chin, "maybe the reason every Grandview student is here is because this actually is the orientation and we're supposed to meet our classmates this way!"

"If Grandview operates this way than... naybe…" Prince chimed in, although deep down he wondered if the solution was that simple. Did schools often host orientations in mansions? "We'll have to keep exploring if we want to find the answer behind all this. And maybe get out in the process."

"If you guys are gonna do that… then can we pleeassseeee come with you?" Fudo pleaded with Minnie beside him. "We can tell you the rooms we've discovered. So far, we've been to the gym, and also the laundry room! It's… as boring as it sounds though..."

"Gym and laundry…?" Prince noted, feeling his arms growing sore at the thought of them, "I haven't seen those rooms before."

"Ooh! I've been to them too!" Machi said, "Fudo, we can take Prince to them, just so he can update the map on his watch! What do you think?"

"Great idea, Miss Machi!" Fudo cheered, with a few tiny squeaks from Minnie following right after, "Minnie also agrees we should take mister Prince to them!"

"Well… if you two insist…" Prince chuckled, feeling his face grow red.

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(OST) Currently Playing: Familiar Halls

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With Fudo and Machi dragging Prince out of the cafe, the trio strolled into the scarlet halls once more, with Fudo taking the lead this time. The young boy played around with his cape and talked to Minnie and Machi enthusiastically, while Prince held back and observed from afar. He took this moment to recheck his watch, noticing a bunch of new things having been updated.

'The profiles have been updated with everyone I've met so far… as well as the map. It says here I've only explored 2.5 percent of the place so far… oh boy…'

Putting it down quickly, the group ventured down the halls before coming across an intersection. One part of the hallway turned sharply to the left, which Prince believed was connected to the other corridor he was walking down before, and another part of the hallway went straight ahead to the central part of the manor.

"That area is most likely where everyone else is…" Prince commented, "b-but there's still two more rooms on this side of the mansion… right?"

"Yep!" Fudo beamed, leading them over to the left hallway where two doors were waiting for them, "I already explored them, and me and Minnie didn't find much. It was just a gym and laundry room, pretty basic stuff when looking at the rest of this mansion. Although everything else pales in comparison to the power of the divine duo!"

"We've already seen what they looked like, but we can come and search them with you if you wish, " Machi suggested, "although, I must admit there wasn't much in the laundry room."

"A-Ah… no it's okay," Prince reassured, "I promise I'll be quick."

Machi nodded in understanding and smiled cheerfully, "well then, we'll be waiting for you out here! When you're done, we can see what the rest of the manor looks like together!"

"Right!" Prince agreed, feeling reassured by her words.

He turned toward the laundry room door, which stood out with a sleek wooden look and laundry symbol beside it. He quickly entered the place, being shown a relatively mundane setting. The brown wooden floors stood out against the stark white walls and ceiling, with three hanging lights that flooded the room in light. A grey carpet was placed in the center of the room, stationed between washers and dryers rattling with running cycles. There were empty baskets nearby for clothes to be put in, and some cleaning products near the back in an open closet. There were also some mechanical machines exposed in the corner that Prince had no name for. All in all, there wasn't much to inspect in the room.

Leaving the room in a hurry, his eyes adjusted to the normal amount of light, letting him breathe easy again.

"Your card was the queen of diamonds, correct?" Fudo's voice echoed behind, "would you be surprised if I informed you it was no longer in the deck you just shuffled?"

Prince turned around to see Fudo demonstrating a card trick to Machi, leaving the mediator in awe as she looked through the deck to not find the one she was seeking.

"My, my! It doesn't appear to be here Fudo," Machi chuckled, "I'm guessing it's in my pockets though, huh?"

"Hee-hee! Go and check if you wish!" Fudo beamed, with Minnie overseeing the trick in his scarf.

'Looks like they're getting along well. It's really nice to see unity among some of us.'

Leaving Fudo and Minnie to their little show, Prince walked up to the next room, which appeared to be the gym mentioned before. The double doors were also glass panned, however they were light blue in color, and had a fitness sign right next to it. Above the door was the same creepy camera that Prince had seen previously, though he tried to calm his nerves as he saw it was deactivated. Observing the place some more, he noticed that beside the door was an electric blue vending machine for energy drinks ridiculously overpriced, with a potted fern plant beside it. A bunch of change was dropped onto the floor near the machine.

'Hm… I wonder who dropped this change. There are pennies… nickels… dimes just lying around here. Huh... and… what's this?'

In the potted fern was a glimmering coin, not like the others, glowing red. Picking it up cautiously, he looked it over, and noted it was bigger than a quarter, though it felt more solid than a real coin, and for some reason, he felt his fingers vibrating on contact with its surface. The two sides had different displays, with one side presenting the words, 'Emit Dream 1M', and the other side showcasing the design of a flower on it with three petals.

'This coin looks interesting… and it feels slightly… heavy… I'll keep it just in case...'

Pocketing it for later use, Prince found the courage to open the door to the gym and was met with a blast of cold air. That air sent a familiar chill throughout his body, causing his arms to have goosebumps that forced his eyes open to take in his surroundings. He was in a mini lobby, with a few plants and chairs that stood against light blue walls and white floors. There were two doors in front of him, which led to locker rooms to change into sports attire. Between the two doors was a large wall aquarium, with twenty-two different fish swimming merrily among red and yellow coral. To his left of the small room, there was a glass door that led right to the gym, where Prince could already see a few machines.

With nothing else to inspect in the room, Prince attempted to walk into the gym, only to bump into the glass door face first.

'O-Owwwwww…'

He quickly noticed that near the knob was a sleek wall mounted device with the same 'M' logo engraved. The device glowed dark, with a single pale dot blinking in the middle of it. Unsure of what to do, he looked on his person for some sort of key before seeing his watch blinking the same shade of blue. When he instinctively swiped it over the device, it flashed a shade of green and a 'click' suddenly sounded.

'Ah… that's how it opens. Jeez... I gotta get used to doors like this...'

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(OST) Currently Playing: Work In Progress Song

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After opening the door, he stepped inside the gym before swiftly being overcome with a dominating atmosphere of untapped power. The gym had a large brown floor, paneled with a cool wooden surface that matched the ceiling. Two rows of disc lights overflowed the room in blinding light, however it was much needed due to the dwindling sunlight outside in the storm. The glass windows gave view to the ferocious storm, although their blurry outsides were frozen over in a dense barrier of ice that made it impossible to see anything outside. The walls of the room that didn't have windows were painted black with a brown wooden baseboard.

The gym had a variety of fitness machines and equipment to use, separated into two different stations. At the back of the room was the 'Strength Station', where various weights, exercise mats, bands, and dumbbells in different sizes stood. Prince could imagine his arms snapping trying to lift the bigger ones, much to his dismay. Near the front of the room where the windows were overlooking the storm was the 'Cardio Station'. Rows of treadmills, stationary bikes, and rowing machines were positioned there, giving Prince a queasy feeling as he stared at them. Turning away from the sight, he found an area with two water fountains mounted on the wall. It was positioned near a vending machine and a few sweats, with racks of exercise guides placed inside. Above the area was a mute wall speaker hovering quietly. The wires led out of the room and to somewhere Prince wasn't able to follow, perhaps to another area he wasn't aware of.

'This house is packed with differing rooms… and yet the map says we've only explored one part of it. Just what is at the rest of it then…?'

Looking up from his device, he noticed two more people in the room. Both of them were boys to be specific. One was well dressed in a casual style, while the other was in heavy uniform. They were similar in height, but they towered over Prince's figure. They were standing near the vending machine, with the well styled boy trying to strike up a conversation, but the uniformed boy appeared to be having none of it.

"Man, talk about price gouging," the well styled boy said, a grin on his face as he spoke, "sure my job pays well, but to think they want us to spend a thousand yen for some energy drinks. Really makes you wonder how much the gym membership here cost then, huh?"

The uniform boy didn't utter a word, instead inspecting his wristwatch with an annoyed expression. However, Prince could tell the movements he made were forced, just out of an effort to make the other boy stop talking to him as he tapped away with his red gloved hands. His appearance drew Prince in rather quickly, seeming to pop straight out of a fantasy novel he could find Anata reading.

He was noticeably paler than most students, with a slightly built body pressed against his purple and gold royal military uniform. The latter was used as a secondary color for his shoulder pads, embroidery of the uniform, belt, and the brim and logo of the hat he wore. Underneath the hat, the boy had short blond hair, slicked back with a single strand handing down in front. He had his silver badged stamped on the left chest area, just like the other students Prince had come to know. As for the lower half of the uniform, he wore black slacks with a gold trim and black pointed dress shoes that stood out against the floor. The boy also had on a red boat cloak, with a purple interior on his shoulders that traveled elegantly to the floor. His piercing purple eye was a distinctive color, as even though he had on a black eye patch that covered his left eye, his cold gaze gave off a sense of unapproachability that withdrew Prince from introduction. Combined with the deadly sword he kept stationed in his sheath, Prince found himself unable to make a move toward the boy.

'H-He's just carrying that thing around like it's nothing… and the other boy isn't even fazed about either. What type of student is he-'

"What are you supposed to be looking at over there?"

Prince felt his body freeze in place as the uniformed boy suddenly met his eyes dead on, his stare shattering the warmth in his soul as he seemingly teleported in front of him.

'W-What?! I d-didn't even see him move!'

The boy's presence was similar to that of the snowstorm outside, one of raw power that cast an intimidating shadow over the poor boy, "well? Are you going to answer the question? Or just stand there with that sad, naive act of yours?"

"I-I… I'm… uh…" Prince stuttered with his words, too anxious and afraid to speak up.

"Oh, Kamiya, looks like you found somebody else!" the well styled boy said, "you're sure giving him a fright though, how about we back off a bit. Ease his worry."

The uniformed boy, or in this case Kamiya, turned around and simply glared at the other boy, "I told you to refer to me as Uta for the duration of our time here, for however long that might be."

"Oh yeah, sorry about that man," the styled boy said, "how about we talk it over? Give the poor kid some space?"

"I'd rather never converse with the likes of you ever again," Uta said, turning his attention back at Prince, "as for you, state your name at once."

His deep voice held a sharp rasp to it that forced Prince to immediately spill out everything he knew, "I-I'm P-Prince! G-Grand… I-I don't know exactly, but-"

His panicked voice echoed around the gym, causing the styled boy's eyes to widen as he held up his hand, "w-woah, easy there buddy. How about we tone down the excitement meter a bit, yeah?"

The boy's calming words quickly held a grip on Prince, leaving him both stunned and grateful for his reassurance, "oh… yeah, um sorry… I get kinda nervous with these things."

The styled boy smiled brightly, "hey, same with me pal. But it's nice to get it all out there, and you don't need to worry about cranky Uta over here. His cold demeanor is just part of his charm. Isn't that right Uta?"

Uta didn't say a word to the styled boy, instead staring at him with a hand perched near his sword. Slightly nervous over what he might do after noticing that, Prince quickly spoke his next few words, "yeah… um… sorry for doing that. I-It's nice to meet you both…"

"It's a pleasure to meet you too Prince! I'm Junichiro Ichida, but please call me Jun! I'm known at the Grand Escort!"

"… escort…?" Prince repeated, as his mind drew a blank for what it meant.

"Ah… yeah. Look, I know how it sounds, but I promise you I don't do anything sexual in my line of work. It's just a-"

"Is that what 'escort' means?" Prince asked, unable to remember the definition, "I don't think I've heard of the term b-before."

…

"Oh, uh… just disregard what I said earlier then!" Jun chuckled, "anyway, that's the title Grandview accepted me under. It's fairly tame in all honesty, but I hope we can learn more about each other Prince!"

Prince returned the phrase with sincerity and observed Jun's appearance closely. He was a boy with a lean body, having typical white Asian skin, with piercing brown eyes that radiated a handsome quality in terms of physical features. His features were very model-like, as he had a well-defined jawline with healthy skin and a charming smile that lit up the room. He wore an open navy-blue blazer where the same silver badge proudly shone on it. The open blazer revealed a black and white floral pattern vest layered overtop of a white button up shirt. The shirt's top two buttons were undone, exposing part of his toned chest, and his blue blazer sleeves were pushed up to his elbows. To finish off the design, he wore black slacks with a black belt, black socks and shoes.

"Oh, my bad!" Jun said, looking a little bit surprised all of a sudden, "I just took the spotlight away from poor Uta! My apologies, I kind of got carried away. Do you have anything you want to say? Maybe some introductions?

Uta glared at Jun before shifting his intense gaze toward Prince, his expression unreadable behind his single violet eye, "...it's Kamiya Uta, Grand Swordsman."

'Swordsman… so t-that explains the weapon…'

Prince observed Uta a great deal before the large boy turned to leave. Considering his personality thus far, Prince assumed that they wouldn't be able to get as close as he'd like, but he felt a small ray of hope that he could learn more about Uta in time. The time clearly wasn't now though as Uta swiftly made his exit out of the gym, his cloak flowing behind him.

"W-Wait! Uta!" Jun called out, "I thought we were-" The glass door snapped shut, leaving Jun and Prince alone. "Man, I thought I had that guy. Seems like the people at Grandview really did pair us up with a most interesting cast. Makes me wonder what the rest of them are like..."

"That's exactly h-how I feel…" Prince confessed, his mind no longer straining to keep details hidden away from such a positive guy, "everyone here is so different… and their talents are things I'd never expect… it's surprising they all go to the same school…"

"Well, that's how Grandview works for you. They don't really care about past relations, beliefs, or motives. What matters to them is that you're just the best, and that's how it's always worked for years."

"Um… why is it like that though?" Prince asked, pulling up his sweater, "why does such a school exist in the first place… and how is it involved in… all this?"

"Not sure myself…" Jun confessed, "Grandview's history is a bit unclear honestly, but I don't go looking into that kind of stuff. Besides, Grandview seems unrelated to what's going on right now. At least in my opinion."

"Huh…?" Prince mumbled, "you really think that's the case…?"

"Yeah, I do," Jun says, pulling out a familiar envelope, "I mean, the more I look around, the more I can't see them doing something like this. I think it has to do with this… 'Owner' guy instead-" he gestured to the envelope with a wave of his hand, "-this note makes it sound like he's running a show or something. I wonder what he wants..."

"The Owner…" Prince repeated, remembering the letter he read before, "in it, he said he'd share something with us at seven… for the Coronoation, but… I wonder who it is..."

"Yeah, you and me both. It seems weird that they haven't explained anything yet, which doesn't give off a good impression for a host." Jun laughed to himself and shook his head. "I mean usually you greet the guest by the door with a shake of the hand and lead them to the living room for some drinks. Not have them wake up in random bedrooms. I'll give them some pointers later when we see each other..."

"You seem pretty level headed Jun," Prince noted, "what's exactly... your secret?" he felt kinda crummy for saying that, but he couldn't help but notice how calm he was.

"My secret?" Jun asked, slightly chuckling, "it's nothing to shocking. I just want to stay calm for everyone's sake you know? They're all probably trying to process this, so we all need to chip in and do our best. That way we can get out of here and I can show everyone how I can make a mean tempura dish!"

"Tempura? That's a pretty typical meal... does that mean you can cook Jun?"

"Of course I can!" Jun grinned, his face glowing as he spoke, "I learned how to at a pretty young age, and it's a good thing I did too. Knowing your way around the kitchen does wonders for both your health, and social life apparently. Not that I'm complaining though, the perks are nice! I can teach you some time!"

Hearing Jun casually talk about his passion reminded Prince of a simpler life, as the two shared a similar goal to make everyone happy.

"I'd love to learn Jun," Prince expressed with sincerity, "well… we'd have to find the kitchen here first, but then you can teach me! For now though… I suppose we should be looking-"

Prince's words were cut off harshly as the door to the gym suddenly opened from behind. At first, he assumed it was Machi or Fudo. But when he turned around to see who it was, he was greeted with a new face, one that held warm auburn eyes.

The eyes belonged to a girl, who was frowning at the sight of Prince. She lacked muscle on her body, with a small chest and light skin that shimmers in the light. She had an average waist with average legs and small, rough sore feet fitted into white flats with heels. Her black stockings reached up to her thighs, where she could be seen wearing a black denim skirt with a pink polo shirt. The buttons of said skirt were on the right instead of the center of her waist, and she had messy buttoning on her polo shirt. She had espresso-colored, wavy hair, with messy blunt bangs that go over her eyebrows. The hair reaches above her shoulders, where she has a golden Caduceus Staff hairpin located on the right side of her head. She also has a medical ID pinned on the left side of her polo, showing a picture of her in a doctor's uniform, and on the right side of her polo was the same badge Prince had been used to seeing.

The moment she entered the room, Prince could feel a judgemental aura from her unimpressed stare, as she didn't seem to be in the mood for conversation. She demonstrated this quickly as she avoided eye contact with the two boys and almost turned around to leave.

"Oh, hey there Kanon!" Jun greeted innocently with a bright smile on face, "have you already finished your search? That sure was fast!"

The girl, presumably Kanon, stopped for a brief moment near the door, her arms crossed tightly under her chest, "why yes Jun, I have," she revealed, "probably because I didn't focus on any distractions as I did, unlike some people here."

Jun laughed, and crossed his arms, "aw, come on now Kanon. I was just trying to learn more about some of our new friends here. It's important to be respectful to everyone we meet!"

"If I can suggest anything to you, it's that you stop wasting time," she sighed, brushing her bangs aside, "we need to be finding answers, not overlooking our worries with some small talk."

"Well I don't have anything to worry about now that you're here," Jun declared with a smile.

"Hmph…" she said with a pout, "as usual, I shouldn't even bother talking sense to you at this point. I'm only gonna ask this once and I expect an answer, did you find anything important in here?"

"Not on my end unfortunately," Jun admitted, letting his hand travel through his straight black hair styled in a short quiff, "I was just talking Prince over here! He just woke up a bit earlier."

Kanon eyed Prince, her eyes narrowing for brief moment before turning away, "I... see… if that's the case, then I'll be doing something productive with my time. I suggest you do the same."

Before she could turn to leave, Prince managed to blurt out a quick sentence to capture her attention, "um… I'm sorry to hold you back from your search, but, w-what's your name and talent… if I can ask?"

"Excuse me?" the girl said, stopping in her tracks, "you say that as if you don't remember me. Don't play any childish games like Jun does."

"They weren't childish!" Jun said, "and besides, I know you love it."

"I actually hate it."

"You laughed at least once when I tried to guess your name!"

"Please go die for me will you?" Kanon groaned, but Jun only laughed at the comment, "anyways, Prince, right? Is that really your name? What's your talent then?"

Now had come the hard part again. He breathed in deeply and just decided to be straightforward, it seemed like that was the thing Kanon would response positively to at least, "well uh… honestly I don't really... remember…"

For a moment, Kanon's eyebrows raised, "what do you mean by that?"

"Well… I can't remember my name or talent…" he replied, slightly lowering his head, "well... my name is actually Prince... but I don't even know what my past is like… everything's… foggy…"

"Hey, you don't have to worry about it," Jun reassured, "it's not that big of a deal if you can't remember certain things now. Nobody can really remember how we got here, we're all slowly adjusting to whatever happened-"

"It is a big deal if he can't remember," Kanon countered, "that either means he has retrograde amnesia, or he's lying right now."

Prince's heart began to race with a sickening ache upon hearing the statement. He definitely knew his lack of memory was concerning as Anata pointed out before, but actually hearing someone say that out loud scared him way more than knowing it would eventually happen. It made his throat tighten up, forcing him to remain silent. It didn't stop Jun however from stepping in.

"I dunno... I think that's a bit of stretch there Kanon," Jun said, looking a bit clueless on what to say himself, "we all woke up here with no idea how. This could just be an extreme case of that with someone-"

"You think it's a stretch he's lying?" she questioned, rolling her eyes, "it's only logical given his name and lack of memory. Recall the letter from that 'Owner' individual. They said something about a Coronation. Now I don't know if you know this Jun but the term often refers to kings or queens being crowned, and well... Prince here is the only one with a royal name here. Now, why is that?"

His heart instantly skipped a beat as he put his hands in front of him, needing a defensive barrier as Anata's words came back to him, "I-I promise I'm not lying! I… genuinely don't know anything about myself… or how I got here… I swear…"

The silence between the two was deadly, suffocating Prince's throat before Jun stepped in, "it might just be a coincidence his name is like that. Besides I think there's people of actual royalty here as well! Like Uta for example! I mean did you see that outfi-"

"Of course you would say something like that," Kanon said, "always the optimist, aren't you…? He admitted he doesn't know himself. We need to stick with facts here."

"I get that… but when the actual Coronation comes up it could be something completely different! And besides, wouldn't it be better to work together instead of suspecting people off the bat?"

Kanon was silent for a few moments, staring at Prince with narrow eyes before furrowing her brow, "even if that were to be the case, he's still suspicious. I mean, the fact that you can't remember anything, including me is a problem."

"W-Wait… why is not remembering you a problem?" Prince asked, fiddling with the sleeves of his sweater to relax his fingers.

"Because I'm one of the youngest doctors in all of Japan," Kanon answered, crossing her arms, "my name is recognized throughout the medical industry, you can't just forget someone as important as me that easily. It's unheard of."

"W-Well… I can't really remember much…" Prince confessed, "c-can… I at least hear it again…? Maybe it can refresh my memory?"

The young doctor scoffed, but looked away and answered bluntly, "fine, but I'll only say it once. I'm Kanon Kanda, the Grand Doctor. You better not forget that… or else..."

She left the conversation there, turning her heel and walking toward the door with a stoic look. Neither of the boys stopped her as the door clicked in place behind her, leaving Prince in a small state of anxiety.

'S-So much for earning everyone's trust...'

"Sorry about all that Prince," Jun said with a sigh, "Kanon can be a hard person to warm up to, but she's just stressed about the situation. Uta to, I think both of them need a little time to figure things out."

"Right…" Prince mumbled, pulling at his messy hair, "well then... if there isn't anything here, I guess we should leave and keep exploring…"

"Yeah, that seems like the best bet. I was going to check out the locker rooms next. Just to see if there is anything in there. And again, don't worry about your memory. I think it's normal given what's happening..."

"Ok t-then…" Prince said, rekindling some form of reassurance, "I hope you find something during your search Jun. I'll go back and meet up with the others…"

"Thanks! I hope things work out with your memory," Jun said, 'if you need anything, just let me know, ok?"

Prince nodded his head, feeling a slight bond starting to form with Jun. That bond stayed with him as the two departed at the mini lobby, leaving Prince alone once more.

'There are so many things that have happened today, and I'm already confused… Grandview accepted all these people… but why are they all here… and why can't I remember my own name and talent? If I even have one...'

He pondered the thought as he exited from the gym, approaching the spot where Machi and Fudo were waiting for him. The two were still there, with Machi clapping excitedly as Fudo somehow levitated Minnie in the air.

"Ta-Da!" Fudo exclaimed as Minnie landed on his hand, "and that was Minnie the Magnificent, performing her amazing zero gravity stunt live in this random hallway!"

Machi applauded two with a smile as they took a bow, "that was so incredible! I never thought I'd live to see the day a mouse defied gravity before, but color me surprise"

"Well it looks like you two are having fun…" Prince smiled as the show came to a close.

"Ah, Prince! Fudo did all of this amazing stuff while you were gone!" Machi exclaimed with bright eyes, "he made his arm disappear, teleported all my cards into this painting, and he's defied gravity with a mouse! It was so cool to see all play out!"

"Aha! Another successful performance then!" Fudo announced, with a triumphant pose from both him and Minnie, "we had little to make do within this hallway though. If we had a bigger stage and a few volunteers, I promise you my show would be nothing short of spectacular!"

"That'd be an amazing sight," Prince said, "do you think this mansion has a stage somewhere? Maybe a theater room?"

"I don't see why not," Machi brightly said , "this place is so beautiful and has a ton of stuff in it, and we've only explored like… 1/4th of the entire property."

"Then we shouldn't waste any time then!" Fudo shouted, "onward! Let's find ourselves the answer to this place and a bigger stage for our show stopping audition!"

The young magician bounced over to the archway leading deeper into the mansion, not waiting for Machi and Prince as he vanished past the corner with his cape trailing behind in tow.

"Well then Prince, shall we get going?" Machi asked, holding her hands together with a smile.

The gesture of support prompted a nod from the boy, as his thoughts began to question what was in store for their journey.

"Of course, let's move then," Prince answered, following Machi's lead as the two made their way into the main part of the manor with Fudo.

The part where only darkness was waiting for all of them.

---

"It's the one thing they can't live without…"

"It's ferocious... animalistic even."

"Just one flick could turn the tide of storms."

"But what good is such power if they can't even wield themselves?"

---

Lies

---

(OST) Currently Playing: White Mask

---

Darkness couldn't even begin to cover it.

There have always been places devoid of light before, those special places where the essence of life just didn't seem to exist and all that was left was a withered husk of what used to be. Those places were easy to identify. Even before entering, there's always that feeling. Whether it be fear or the notion that something wasn't quite right, there's always instinct, that terror of what lurks in the shadows.

Where she stood now was not one of those places. Instead, it was a being that enveloped her in a cold embrace, prickling her skin as if nimble fingers were grazing her. The type that could truly make a person choke if in contact with it. Despite the feeling though, she didn't think to move, remaining steady with crystal breaths unlike her grumbling associate beside her.

'How regrettable…' she allowed herself to think. His agitated voice broke the darkness, if only for a moment as their eyes met. They didn't dare speak, but she could tell he was struggling to hold his tongue as the two stood in wait.

The desk in front of them held a single soul. One that wore a gleaming white mask carved with bright eyes. Fake eyes she could feel. Pouring a forgotten smell she breathed in. It smelled putrid and she could tell that he was smiling because of it, "such a joy to see you both again," his voice echoed, carrying a deathly tone to it, "please tell me, have the final preparations been made?"

"Yep, just like ya asked sir," her associate boomed beside her, "all the letters have been placed. I put em' right where ya wanted me to!"

"As desired of course," he uttered, at which point her associate relaxed. Such a job was simple, for others at least.

"And what of our guest?" His gaze was pointed at her now, at which point the smell became stronger. She exhaled at once and aired out, "presently... awake. We… will see… to it that… the process of collection... begins… at the designated... hour…"

"Mh, very well then," he accepted, the mask's eyes closing briefly. It gave her some respite from the smell that plagued her thoughts. "If nothing has been disturbed, we will finally be able to enact the punishment in full… I applaud you for your cooperation."

"U-Uh, y-yes sir!" She heard him pause and felt eyes stare into the back of her head. She did not look back, instead breathing deeply in anticipation for the questions to start pouring out.

"So uh… what's gonna happen now sir?"

'Just as expected.'

"Now? We simply wait for the appointed time of course."

"So, we just wait around then as they get all 'buddy-buddy' with each other…?"

Another exhale and her mind cleared enough to see her associate's face bundled in confusion. She figured such a concept would be easy to realize ahead of time, but she should have expected this sooner given his mindset. All she could do now was watch as the masked figure turned around and smile.

"Is there anything troubling about that?"

"I dunno, it seems kinda weird. I mean, why are we pamperin' them up like this? Can't we just… y'know, do it now? Just as an example? I've got no problem doing it myself!"

The figure at the desk was silent, his posture completely motionless as not a twitch could be seen, "perhaps it would be better to seize that line of thinking. Reckless interference would ruin everything we had set up in the first place. Or does such a concept not yet compute for you?"

The silence returned once again, her associate looking at her briefly, "uh well…"

A sudden heat flashes in the room, and in that moment she knew she needed to speak then, "patience... is key in our... circumstance. To... succumb to desire… as you so often do… would result… in failure."

"Ah, such understanding, as expected of you Empress…" he approved, his eyes shining, "there is no need to worry over such trivial matters, after all patience is a virtue! As long as you carry on with the script, everything will play out exactly as intended! Just collect them for me when the time comes. I expect them all to be both present… and unharmed during then, understand?"

His voice barely rose to a decibel, keeping the same cheery tune through out, but the defending tone that echoed throughout the room was enough to seem like a roar that buzzed throughout her body. It was as if everything was shaking in fear, from the edges of the walls to the corners of the floor. Only she remained the exception, her heart completely still.

Eventually, the large figure sighed a weary "...yessir... "

"Excellent," the masked man said, "and please... make no mistake with my reaction. I assure you that in time… their blood will be spilled upon this very floor. Until then, I only wish you go forth with your desires when I allow it, understood?"

His words ran delightfully across the tip of eyes, the dark holes shining in darkness as he eyed the duo. Her tongue didn't produce a single word in response, and neither did her associate until the silence returned and the putrid smell had overtaken the room. It tasted like wine in her mouth, but felt as thick and warm as blood. Such a feeling she wished to keep, though it failed to linger.

What did it remind her of? She could not fathom it. All she could do was nod in unison with her associate and nothing more.

"Just as you wish sir…"

---

{Author's Note}

It's finally published! Thank you so much everyone for waiting on this chapter release! I'm so excited to see it up and active for all of you to read! It took me a while to edit it to a point where I was satisfied, but I truly am in love with this chapter, and every single character is already near and dear to my heart! This chapter was originally gonna be posted on Thanksgiving as a little holiday present, but I figured I should post it now to let you guys enjoy that day without my ugly ass shoving a new chapter down your throat :TheMadMan: Anyways, I wanted to wish a quick happy early birthday to Ryo ( don't think I forgot about you :smirk: ) and with this chapter release, I'm proud to introduce the new set of characters joining us on the roster!

Welcome, Kanon Kanda, Anata Noshi, Fudo Tsukuyomi, Machi Amemori, Amélie Alarie, Junichiro Ichida, and Kamiya Uta! I am in love with all of these characters, and I have very exciting plans for them later down the line! For now though, I hope I portrayed them accurately enough! I wanted every character to at least get a little time to shine, and I really think I accomplished that goal, so, if you have a least favorite or favorite right now amongst these seven, don't be afraid to share in reviews! As for those that haven't been accepted or submitted yet, don't worry, there's still plenty of time before the deadline! I'm reviewing every form as much as I can,. and they're all delightful to read! So please stick around for new updates in the future! You never know if your character might be the next one accepted.

With that out of the way, I have even more news to share with all of you! A discord server has been made for the story! A lot of people helped me make it, which I so kindly thank them for by the way! In that server you can talk about the story, post memes, theories, or just drop by with an occasional blip. It's all optional of course, but I hope you'll consider joining! In that server are OST songs I made for anyone to listen to while they read. While I have most of the important ones done, I'm still creating a few others, so once they're done, this chapter will be updated with the appropriate song choices. Of course, you don't need to listen to the music either. However you choose to read this chapter is completely fine! If you want to join, the link is on my profile!

Now, this might be the last update for awhile unless I cram something out during winter break, but for now I hope you are content with this monster of a chapter. It really is insane to see how big this whole story turned out to be, and I'm grateful to every one of you for giving it a read! Until next time though~

Take Care

Candlefire45