Chapter 1: On Road to Despair (Daily Life #1)

Warning: This fic contains intense violence, lots of OFFENSIVE cursing (thanks Monoyena, you fucking asshole!), character death, gore and blood, sexual innuendos, and possible spoilers for the Danganronpa series. But hey, everyone lurking in this fandom has at least played the first Danganronpa so no need to worry much there! Right?

With that said, please enjoy!

Static.

…

Lady Radiance fell back onto the ground with a thud.

With her glowing light slowly fading thanks to the damage that she had obtained onto herself, Radiance opened one eye and looked up toward her attacker. Blood seeped from her lower lip. Wiping it precariously, the superheroine slowly picked herself from the ground. Noticing the bruises and cuts on her arms, all she could do at the moment was stare up at her floating assailant: the Spellcaster, a masked magician with an aura of darkness radiating off of him.

A clear contrast to the light that radiated off of… well, Lady Radiance.

"Give them up, Lady Radiance!" Spellcaster declared. "The children of this lovely road you have vowed to protect are mine to keep!"

"Over my dead body, Spellcaster!" Lady Radiance spat on the ground, getting ready to fight back against him.

"Ooh, poor choice of words," Spellcaster smirked, chuckling.

His hand generated a spectral blast of darkness. Then, with a mere point of his finger, the blast zapped down, hitting the ground where Lady Radiance stood and knocked her a few meters back with a slight yelp. Then, with his hands, he created an orb filled with dark matter and shot it down toward her.

"Agh!" Lady Radiance fell backwards and coughed.

She could see the children quivering in fear as they hid behind their little buildings. Lady Radiance couldn't give up. Not now. Not ever! She gritted her teeth as she slowly sucked in the pain and stood back up.

"One more blast should do it," Spellcaster shrugged. "So it's really your choice, Lady Radiance. Once again, I demand you, give up the children you've vowed to protect. Or give up your life instead…"

What could she do?

He was right.

One more hit, and she was done for. There was no way she was going to survive this. But at the same time…

She glanced one more time at the children.

Their eyes instilled her with courage and hope. She couldn't just leave them. No. She had to try. She had to do her best. She had to do everything she could to protect them. That's what it meant to be a superhero, right? She clenched her fist.

She wasn't going to give up.

Not now.

Not ever.

She wasn't going down… without a fight.

And with that last minute courage and a battle cry, her eyes started to glow as she started to float back up into the air, finally on equal grounds against Spellcaster. Her wounds were starting to heal, and an orb of light started to infest her hands, allowing her to utilize it as a weapon. She smirked at the astonished Spellcaster.

"Once again," Lady Radiance smirked. "Over my dead body, Spellcaster…"

Spellcaster blinked before chuckling darkly to himself.

"Oh, this will be fun…" Spellcaster grinned to himself as an orb of darkness started to infest his hands too, similarly to Lady Radiance.

Then, with sudden speed, the two clashed their hands against each other in the air, with both light and darkness mashing together to create a beautiful yet destructive image in the sky.

Lady Radiance and Spellcaster were to fight it out for the fate of the children...

'THE BATTLE CONTINUES IN...'

'LADY RADIANCE VS. SPELLCASTER: THE RIDE'

'COMING SOON'

'TO PIERO'S PLAYGROUND!'

"Sponsored to you by the Towa Group. Making sure our children is forever saved from the monstrous and depraved."

…

Static.

CHAPTER 1: ON ROAD TO DESPAIR (DAILY LIFE)

(Beach)

The waves slunk against the sandy shores of the Beach.

The Beach itself was a typical beach one would see in every big city or so. Everything was there. The salty seas. Sandy grounds. A couple of lawn chairs here or there. And overall, just a beach that seemed to circle around this entire joint endlessly.

For Roderick Cutler, he didn't dare to even bother trying to walk around the beach like this. He was a Deep Sea Fisherman, not a Track Star.

Roderick watched as the sea foam slowly enveloped the floor with bubbles. He listened to the seagulls flocking over the sea lines and the waves swishing and swooshing. And the smell... The smell of salt that Roderick was all too accustomed with. And he watched as the sun rose from the horizon, reflecting off the ocean with its bloody reddish tint.

Bloody reddish tint?

Now he was reminded of what happened yesterday.

The vivid images of what happened to Alvin and Hope had never left his mind. He was sure that it was the same for the others. The haunting screams of pain. The flames that consumed them. The blackened bodies that fell out shortly after. And the smell. Oh God. The smell.

Not even the saltiest seawater could cleanse the scent of two rotting charred corpses…

"Roderick?"

Roderick snapped out of his silent thoughts.

He expected someone to come to the Beach at some point. It was just a matter of who.

When the Deep Sea Fisherman turned, Alina Summers was approaching him with a polite smile. He could see that despite how scary or messed up this situation was, she was still managing to preserve that smile of hers. And unlike whatever you called Beauté's creepy smiles, Alina's just felt oddly genuine.

"Aye, Alina," Roderick lowered his beanie. "It's time, aye? The sun be rising with blood in its iris. That's never a good sign when you're a sailor like me."

"I'm… afraid so?" Alina blinked, tilting her head. "Anyway, everyone's gathering at the Cafeteria. We're… discussing a plan of action. Aidan wants everyone there for it."

Roderick sighed.

"Aye," he nodded. "I'll be there."

"Sounds good," Alina grinned, hitting him with the double thumbs-up. Though, she slowly lowered her hands the moment she realized Roderick wasn't moving. "Um, you're not coming now?"

"Nay," Roderick shook his head, folding his arms with his signature side-eye glance. "A sailor like me needs a moment to bask in the winds of Calypso. Allow her to give me a little luck for what's to come…"

Alina blinked.

"Don't you have to actively be on the water for that kind of luck to actually work?" Alina smiled sheepishly.

Roderick took a moment to consider what Alina had said.

"Aye, I'll be coming," Roderick sighed, begrudgingly as he prepared to leave the Beach.

With a merry grin, Alina happily led Roderick to the Cafeteria where everyone would be waiting for them. The fisherman himself would have preferred a moment longer to be by himself and enjoying the calming waters of the Beach of this particular area they were in. In fact, the ocean would probably be much better than what they were about to get themselves into…

[Hotel Mirai]

(Lobby)

"Okay, so the meeting for Operation: Save the Child is in order!"

Aidan slammed his hand onto the middle of the table, eager to get the meeting on the road. Noticing the appearance of Alina and Roderick, he waved them over with a determined gaze.

"Roderick!" Aidan called out. "You made it! I thought it'd be Mara who would leave herself out of the meeting but surprised to see it was you instead!"

Mara glanced away as she stood at the farthest side of the room, away from everyone else.

"Aye, just trying to take in the serenity of Poseidon's oceans," Roderick remarked.

The Hotel Lobby was essentially a typical lobby located on the lower floor of the Hotel Mirai. Adorned around as its main decor were a pool table, some retro arcade machines, a couple of couches and seats here or there and its own bar in the corner. (If anyone has played Danganronpa 2, it was basically that lobby where you meet Chiaki and Peko for the first time but a little bit different). There was a television monitor hooked up at the corner near the bar and the stairs to what seemed to be the Hotel's Restaurant was blocked. The same could not be said for the Hallway to their assorted rooms, which honestly, no one really bothered to check out.

"Operation: Save the Child?" Riku raised an eyebrow as he folded his arms. "Whatever happened to Operation: Get the Hell Out of Here?"

"And leave behind a child?" Yukihiko narrowed his eyes toward the Doctor. "Oh honey, are you sure you're the Ultimate Doctor? I thought doctors saved lives."

"Doctors save lives when they are on the operating table and are in need of a cancer getting removed," Riku narrowed his eyes and lowered his head. This gave him a rather intimidating staredown and also hid the lower part of his face. "What that clown and that regionally inaccurate creature have planned for us is only something the authorities can handle. Trust me. Saving a child trapped in an amusement park is not something us school children can handle."

"Trust the opinion of a Yakuza member…" Kikuko's expression had grimaced for a split second. "Surely, you're joking."

"I never jest," Riku stared at Kikuko with a clear radiance of death in his eyes.

"Yeah, I mean, to be fair," Issac closed his eyes and waved his hands with a sheepish chuckle. "What kind of Yakuza requests help from authorities anyway?"

"Um, as much as I would love to talk about Yakuzas, can we all direct our attention back to Aidan's plan?" Alina questioned with a bashful smile.

"Why bother?" Alisa wound up her alarm clock with slight indifference. "We all know what the plan would be anyway. We go in. We find the child. We get out. There. I summed it up for everyone under 1.25 seconds."

"Th-That was so not my plan!" Aidan hunched over with an amusing sulk. "I mean, it was missing a step first of all!"

"Was that step… Go back home?" Fábio folded his arms, closing his twinkling eyes.

"I uh…" Aidan was about to add something but instead drooped his finger and chuckled sheepishly. "...Ahem, so, I guess since you guys kinda understand what my plan was gonna be anyway, I guess you guys are all onboard with the idea of saving the kid?"

"Oui!" Manon declared. "And I will make sure that I, Manon Vivienne Levesque, would be ze one to do it!"

"Okay, let's not start thinking about fame here," Issac chuckled amusedly before cupping Isolde by her chin. "Also, Isolde says she wants to join. So, by default, I guess that means I'm joining too…"

"Obviously, I wish to join the expedition," Yukihiko raised his hand. "It is the right thing to do after all."

"Same here…" Kazuki sighed, nodding his head. Notably, he seemed relatively desolate today. Either it was the lack of sleep, or it was something else all entirely…

"Alright then, to make this easier!" Aidan grinned. "Everyone! Raise your hand if you want to come join us in saving the boy!"

It didn't take long before a number of hands started popping up, allowing Aidan to count each of them. Then, he counted again, making sure he wasn't missing anyone. But by the third time he tried to count again, immediately there was suspicion that something was wrong.

"Um, what's the matter?" Alisa narrowed her eyes as she raised her hand. "Do you not know how to count?"

"Th-That's not the issue," Aidan blinked. "The issue is… Why are only 11 hands raised?"

Those who had raised their hands glanced around in surprise. To be honest, most of them had expected that more hands would've been raised. Specifically, figuring that at least one or two would probably keep their hands lowered but five?!

Aidan glanced around once more, noting the people that weren't raising their hands:

Beauté. Daisuke?! Mara? Riku. Roderick?

"Eh?" Emmeline tilted her head. "A-Are you guys not going to join us? Come on! Don't you guys' care about the little boy?!"

"I have already stated my reasons," Riku scoffed, glancing away and hiding the lower part of his face behind that oversized jacket collar he wore.

"Oh, I'm joining anyway," Beauté giggled.

"Then, why aren't you raising your hand?" Fábio deadpanned.

"Well, you see, raising my hand and keeping it raised up like the 11 of you are currently doing…" Beauté licked her lips, staining her tongue with a dark blood-red coloration. "...It just seems so tiresome. Besides, it's more fun for me to watch and see what everyone is bound to choose!"

Okay.

Beauté and Riku.

Understood.

But what about Daisuke, Roderick, and Mara?! Out of everyone, the most likely person to not join was Mara but the other two?! Aidan just couldn't wrap his head around it. What were their reasons for not joining?!

"R-Roderick?" Alina blinked.

"Aye," Roderick lowered his beanie with a gruff sigh. "I be on Riku's side for this. Don't take this as a mutiny mind you. I just think the lad's got a point. You take a land man out to sea, and the Vikings of Nor aren't gonna go easy on them."

"B-But the Vikings are extinct," Alina looked disappointed.

"I mean that Riku be right," Roderick shook his head. "We ain't cut out to go on a rescue mission. We be students in school. Saving children. That be the job of the police."

"I'm sorry but if you haven't noticed…" Fábio ran his hands through his ringleted hair. "...We're probably a thousand miles away from the nearest police department. And I guarantee you, even if we somehow manage to call them, none of them are going to get here soon enough to save the kid."

"How do you even know that we'll find the kid in the first place?" Mara pointed out from the farthest corner of the lobby. "Lao Shi says to never trust a bag of rice in the middle of a bamboo forest. Strictly meaning, this whole ploy of finding a kid could be one big set-up..."

"W-Well, it would be easier if we had everyone involved!" Aidan pointed out. "Haven't you guys heard the saying, 'Teamwork makes the dream work'?"

"Keep dreaming then…" Mara responded. Glancing at her bandaged wrists, she avoided the burning gazes from her peers and simply kept herself at a safer distance. "Why should we care so hard for a kid we don't even know, anyway?"

"W-What?" Kikuko's face looked serious. Though she kept herself serene and kempt, it was clear that she was definitely displeased by what Mara had suggested. "How could you say that? It's an innocent child."

"Oh sweetie, don't even bother trying to argue with that one," Yukihiko coldly glared at Mara. "A killer like her wouldn't understand what doing the right thing even means."

Mara merely folded her arms and avoided contributing to the conversation.

"And you," Yukihiko turned to Daisuke, who noticeably tensed up in fear at being called out. "What's your excuse?"

"O-Oh c-come on!" Daisuke's entire body trembled. "D-Didn't you hear what Stanczyk and Monoyena said?! This is a Killing Game! The moment we step foot inside that park, that's when the killing is going to start! Y-You can't blame me for trying to stay safe r-right?!"

"I see," Yukihiko sighed as he blew on his nails. "So, your reason is cowardice. Typical."

"O-Oooh," Daisuke held his head as his mouth quivered. "Y-You gone and d-did it again D-Daisuke! S-Stupid me! S-Stupid stupid stupid! W-Why can't I be braver?!"

"S-So that's it then?" Emmeline looked sad as she started to nibble on some pills from her plastic bag. "You guys aren't going to join us in saving the child?"

"Ah heh heh heh…"

The group's little discourse over right and wrong had been interrupted by an unknown Ultimate's signature laughter. Sitting by herself by the bar and keeping her fingers in between her opposite hands, Beauté smiled with an enamored yet dangerous look in her eyes. Cross-legged, she watched as everyone had turned to her, allowing the red-wearing bitch to take the spotlight.

"Oh no," Alisa sighed. "And here we go again…"

"I apologize," Beauté continued to giggle to herself. "I admit. While this exchange between everyone has been elegantly amusing, I couldn't help myself but realize what conundrum we are truly dealing with here…"

"C-Conundrum?" Emmeline blinked.

"A Killing Game built around the idea of sacrifice," Beauté hummed to herself. "It's such a fascinating idea. But I believe the true concept Monoyena and Stanczyk elegantly want us to understand is simple. Have any of you heard of The Trolley Problem?"

She watched as some faces contorted themselves to showcase minor perplexity.

"The Trolley Problem?" Yumi blinked. "Girl, what in Sam Hill are ya goin on 'bout now?"

"...The Trolley Problem…" Kazuki spoke up, closing his eyes and fixing his tie. "Six people are tied up on a set of train tracks. Five are tied and lined up on one track… which we will call Track A. One person is tied to another… which we will call Track B. A train quickly approaches along with the conductor… the one in charge of controlling where the train will go. He's given a choice between two options. He can either do nothing and let the train run its course across Track A… but that means the train will run over the five tied up people. Or… he can choose to change where the train can go. Namely… Track B… but in doing so… the train will run over just one person."

"Oh, how elegantly put!" Beauté swiftly took out her hand fan and started to fan herself, smiling gleefully, her face reddening. "Yes indeed! That is the general dilemma! But such a dilemma can change in different scenarios! Perhaps the five people mentioned are children and the other is an elderly old man. Perhaps the five people are elderly people, and the other is a young child. Perhaps there are three tracks. Maybe four. Or five. Each with something on it!"

"What's your point?" Alisa raised an eyebrow.

"The Trolley Problem is a dilemma meant to test human ethicality," Beauté allowed her hand fan to hide her giggles. "What is the right thing to do in this situation? And this Killing Game has been built on the same fundamentals as the Trolley Problem. Is it right for us to sacrifice our life for the life of a child we do not know? Or is it right for us to save ourselves and leave the child to die here? The questions featuring human ethicality is endless!"

Beauté started to fan herself as she looked absolutely engrossed in her own ideology.

"Oh dear," Beauté started to blush. "This Killing Game! It's quite fascinating, isn't it?!"

"Yeah, but how does that piece of information help us out with anything?" Aidan frowned.

"...It doesn't…" Kazuki's face looked disappointed. "...That's the thing with the Trolley Problem. There is no right answer. In the end… whatever decision the train conductor chooses… someone will incontrovertibly die. Whether it be the lives of five or the life of one… that's up for us to adjudicate."

No one said a word after that.

In the end, it was exactly as Beauté and Kazuki had said. Whatever choice they make in the end, whether they go save the child or not, someone will die in the end. It all comes down to a matter of who will and who won't.

That's the game.

That's the Piero's Playground Killing Game…

…

"Attention all fuckfaces!" a monitor on the restaurant's usually black TV screen opened up to reveal Monoyena standing on a grand stage. "Yeah! That's right! I'm talking to you wanks! Didn't get a good night's sleep, did ya?! I guess that's to be expected when two of ya got burnt to a crisp and the rest of ya are forced to kill each other to save a stupid brat! Bwa… Bwahahahaha!"

"C'est quoi ça?" Manon blinked. "Is zis a recording…?"

"Hope ya had fun sleeping on the ground like them homeless cunts in downtown LA!" Monoyena cackled. "Or better yet! Hope ya didn't get any sleep cause I–"

"Monoyena!" the sound of Stanczyk's voice could be heard off-screen. "S-Stop insulting my friends and tell them the news!"

"Fuck off, Stanshit!" Monoyena flipped him off. "It's my insulting time and I ain't about to let your pussy ass ruin it for me!"

"I… W-WAHHHHHHH!" Stanczyk's bawling could be heard.

"Fuck me!" Monoyena groaned in annoyance before taking out his Barbie Blade and pointing it directly at the camera. "Just get your shitstained panties over to the front entrance. That means all of ya! Even the fucking sickos that think kids should die! Yeah! I heard the things ya fucking said! Get your child-killing asses over to the front entrance of the park or I'll saw off them cheeks and impale them to the fucking turnstiles! Get me?!"

The more he started to insult and speak, the more he drooled, leaned forward, and exposed his sharpened teeth.

Luckily for them, the TV had shut off appropriately, giving everyone enough incentive to head straight to the front entrance of Piero's Playground. With a heavy insight on what kind of game this truly was now, one by one, the 16 playmates wandered out of the lobby.

And just based on context clues, it was clear what was going to be announced as soon as the 16 arrived at the Central Plaza…

[Central Plaza]

"It's here! It's here! The Grand Opening! The Grand Opening! The Grand Opening of Piero's Playground! I can't believe it! Can you believe it?! I sure can't! Aren't you kids excited?!"

When the 16 playmates arrived at the Central Plaza, specifically in front of the entrance to Piero's Playground, whose tape and fences and wooden boards had long been removed to reveal a relatively cleaner entrance into the park. In fact, what they were looking at now was the giant face of Stanczyk and his mouth wide open, with the only thing blocking their path being a set of turnstiles.

Presumably, they were supposed to enter through Stanczyk's mouth, which was unsettling in so many ways for so many different reasons…

"Come on best friends!" Stanczyk giddily danced around. "Answer the question! Answer the question! Aren't you all excited?!"

"Erm, yay?" Alina gave him a polite smile along with a sweatdrop.

For someone who had just told them they had kidnapped a child and the only way to save them was to enter a Killing Zone, he seemed a little too giddy, like a cartoon character… Okay. Nevermind. That made sense.

"That's the spirit!" Stanczyk's grin widened. "Just a heads up, most of the attractions aren't open yet! They're usually just for show but by tomorrow, all of them will be up and running! After all, gotta familiarize yourself with everything first before you start having fun! Wouldn't want anyone to get lost! Am I right?!"

No one said anything.

"Ahem," Stanczyk bashfully giggled. "Anyway, before I let you all enter, you are all going to need something very important!"

Instantly, Stanczyk tossed out what seemed to be tablets of some kind towards his 16 playmates. For the sake of the story and no one getting a minor concussion for failing to catch a tablet flying toward their face, many of them were either to catch it before it did any damage or simply picked up some that never even landed in their hands, anyway.

Regardless, each tablet they were given was in a rectangular shape. Though, just based on the size they were given, it didn't seem like they small enough to fit inside anyone's pockets, meaning this was going to have to be some annoying thing they were going to have to carry around throughout their visit to this park.

"So, is this like a BigCo Switch or something?" Issac glanced at his tablet and held up another one for Isolde to use… somehow.

"Silly you!" Stanczyk giggled. "This is an eTicket! It's a very important item that you all must have in order to play the game! Because that's where you'll be making your decisions and seeing what the fun rules we have in place in Piero's Playground! Please keep them with you at all costs!"

"Wait, but they're called eTickets right?" Daisuke gulped. "So, shouldn't they also help us enter the park?"

"Enter the park with a ticket?" Stanczyk blinked before laughing. "Hahahaha! Hehehehe! Hohohoho! H-He thinks amusement parks need tickets?! Wh-What an outrageous idea! Hahahaha! It's enough to make me cry tears of laughter!"

On cue, he started to laugh hysterically, allowing tears of joy to fly out of his mask's eye sockets. As he continued guffaw giddily, he wiped a few stray tears as he tried to desperately calm himself. Clearly, he thought what Daisuke said was one big funny joke.

"Oh, silly boy," Stanczyk tried his best to breathe. "Everyone knows that amusement parks are free! That's a fact!"

"That… doesn't sound right," Kikuko shook her head.

"Nope, it definitely does not," Fábio shook his head.

"Have you ever even been to an amusement park?" Mara narrowed her eyes.

"W-What…?" Stanczyk blinked, his eyes widening at that news breaker. "B-But then, how am I able to get into Piero's Playground so easily?"

"Maybe because you're the owner of the park?" Alisa reminded him as a matter-of-factly. "The guy in charge of everything?"

"Huh," Stanczyk tapped his chin. "What a good point! Okay! In that case, I'll just say that the collars you kids have on your neck is your ticket! That way, it's still free! Right?!"

"Oh yeah, by the way," Yumi tapped on the collar over her neck instinctively. "What are these jangly things anyway? Like, what in the summer's moonlight do we still have them on for?"

"Silly girl!" Stanczyk covered his mouth with a giggle. "I just told you! They're your tickets to get into the park! Meaning, as long as you have those on, you can enter and leave the park as you please! Isn't that great?! SiNcE tAKinG ThEM oFf iS tO0 LaTe…"

Stanczyk glanced to the side as his face distorted for a split second.

"Naw, th-that ain't what I–" Yumi sighed to herself. "Nevermind…"

Roderick decided to take the initiative of opening up his eTicket. The moment he did, the screen flashed a bright blue and gave him a variety of options including but not limited to: Rules, Survey, Camera, Photos, Map, Attractions, and Food. From a general standpoint, it looked like everything an amusement park brochure would have! But the most important feature here would probably have to be the Rules.

Tapping that on the screen with furrowed eyebrows, he began to read the Rules that the game has provided for them:

Rule #1: Playmates are required to stay at Piero's Playground for as long as the Killing Game persists.

Rule #2: When a murder takes place, all surviving playmates must participate in a Funhouse Trial.

Rule #3: If a blackened is exposed during the Funhouse Trial, they alone will be executed.

Rule #4: If the blackened is not exposed, all remaining playmates will be executed.

Rule #5: If the blackened survives the Funhouse Trial, they will be granted freedom and re-enter the boring outside world.

Rule #6: The blackened is only allowed to kill a maximum of two people. Any more will result in immediate punishment.

Rule #7: All killings must be done within the Killing Game Arena, AKA Piero's Playground. Any killings inside the Safe Zone will not be counted.

Rule #8: Piero's Playground opens from 7 AM to 10 PM. Staying overnight at Piero's Playground is off-limits with some exceptions.

Rule #9: All food and beverages are exclusive to Piero's Playground. Bringing food made from Piero's Playground to the Safe Zone will result in punishment.

Rule #10: Violence toward Monoyena and Stanczyk is prohibited.

Rule #11: Please do not damage the eTickets.

Rule #12: The Body Discovery Jingle will play when three or more playmates discover a body.

Rule #13: With minimal restrictions, you are free to explore Piero's Playground at your discretion!

Rule #14: Playmates who violate these rules will immediately be punished by Monoyena.

Rule #15: There may be new additions to the rules in accordance with Monoyena or Stanczyk.

Rule #16: Have fun or die!

Roderick narrowed his eyes.

There were a lot of rules but most of them followed around this Funhouse Trial that he feared they may inevitably have to experience. Noting a clamp underneath the eTickets, he pushed the relatively rectangular objects together and managed to condense the size.

"Aye, so you can turn these knick-knacks into pocket-sized items!" Roderick exclaimed.

"That should make things easier to carry around the park, I guess," Aidan shrugged, as he did the same thing as Roderick to his eTicket.

"One question, however," Alisa tapped her chin. "Earlier, you mentioned that we must have these eTickets with us to make decisions. What decisions are you talking about?"

"Oooh, great question, little girl!" Stanczyk squeed. "If everyone can take a look at the Survey App within their eTickets…"

On command, everyone did as they were told, curiously.

But the moment everyone did, their eyes widened, and the atmosphere turned chilly. None of them knew what they expected when they chose to open up an application titled the Survey App, but when they did, they were more or less surprised to see a question that made their skin go cold.

Will You Save The Boy?

A. Yes

B. No

"Th-This is the Survey?" Daisuke flubbed his own words. "W-Why the heck would you need a question like this?!"

"What's wrong?" Stanczyk did nothing but grin throughout this entire time. "It should be an easy question to answer right? Save the boy? Yes or no?"

"Y-Yeah, but why?" Yukihiko frowned.

"Um, Trolley Problem, of course…" Beauté placed an elegant over her mouth as she smirked. "Obviously, Stanczyk and Monoyena are testing us here. Whatever we choose, could very well change the outcome of this game. So choose wisely…"

"Well, if that's the case, then the answer should be obvious right?" Alina smiled.

Although many were hesitant at first given the circumstances and the foreboding question, the 16 playmates began to select an option precariously. Then, once everyone had tapped on an option on their screen, Stanczyk's smile widened.

…

"Thank you for participating!" Stanczyk beamed, happily. "Here are the results of your little Survey!"

The television monitor plastered over the entrance to the park's turnstiles began to showcase the results of what everyone had chosen. And by default, this also included everyone's personal choices, much to the surprise of the playmates, showcasing each person by face.

Aidan: Yes

Alina: Yes

Alisa: Yes

Daisuke: Yes

Emmeline: Yes

Fábio: Yes

Issac: Yes

Kazuki: Yes

Kikuko: Yes

Manon: Yes

Marabel: No

Beauté: Yes

Riku: Yes

Roderick: Yes

Yukihiko: Yes

Yumi: Yes

"W-Whoa, you mean these aren't private?!" Daisuke widened his eyes.

"Of course they aren't!" Stanczyk grinned. "Why would they be private? It's not like anyone would be so cruel as to choos– Hey wait!"

Stanczyk turned to Mara, the only person who chose 'No'. His only changeable eye widened as he covered his mouth. Based on what everyone knew of Stanczyk so far, this was precisely the moment his eyes would begin to leak out his tears.

And just like that…

Stanczyk's eyes began to water as Mara started to look uncomfortable from the judgemental looks she was receiving.

"Y-You, you don't want to s-save the boy?" Stanczyk started to whimper. "B-But… B-But WHYYYYYYYY?!"

"Oh, for Lao Shi's sake…" Mara grumbled under her breath as she tried her best to avoid the judgmental glances of her peers. Increasing the tone of her voice, Mara directed her now fiery eyes toward a selection of different people. "What about the rest of you? Weren't some of you just yapping about how we should just leave this to the authorities or some bull like that?"

"Yes, but the question asks, 'Will you save the boy'?" Riku responded as a matter-of-factly, keeping his mouth hidden underneath his jacket collar. "I said 'Yes' because I will allow the authorities to save the boy. Simple."

"I… think you're missing the point," Alina gave Riku a bashful smile and a clear sweat drop dripping down her head.

"Hmph, I changed my tune," Roderick lowered his beanie to cover his eyes. "I thought that it would be good to at least give it a shot before letting the authorities handle this…"

"I guess the results are better than what they were in the Hotel Restaurant," Alisa sighed to herself before glancing at the jester who had been sobbing non-stop off-screen. "By the way, could you tell us what the point of this Survey was?"

Alisa took out her pocket watch, counting the seconds as she spoke.

"Surely you didn't decide to waste five minutes of our precious searching time just to get us to complete an unnecessary task," Alisa raised an eyebrow as she slowly pocketed her watch. "...Did you?"

"E-Eh?!" Stanczyk stood up immediately, wiping his tears with the sleeves of his shirt. "I… I would *sniffle* never! This Survey is very important! Very, very, very, very, very, very, very–"

"Alright, we get it," Fábio folded his arms with a sigh of annoyance. "Can we go in now?"

Stanczyk paused.

"Of course!" Stanczyk stuck up two thumbs as his grin widened. From the looks of it, he had immediately snapped out of his little childish tantrum and seemed to be back to his old cheerful self. "Now that you have everything you need, I think right now is a great time to–"

"Mister Stan!" Emmeline raised her hand, adorably. "Mister Stan! Mister Stan!"

"E-Eh…?" Stanczyk's mouth shifted into an 'o'. "W-What?"

"Mister Stan!" Emmeline began to nibble on a pill from her plastic bag. "I've been meaning to ask. Do you know where the Cafeteria or Restaurant around here is? I'm hungry."

Even after eating those pills?! A handful of students had thought to themselves.

Stanczyk, on the other hand, tilted his head before grinning widely.

"Only in Piero's Playground!" Stanczyk exclaimed, throwing his arms out into the air. "As per our fun, fun rules, all food and beverages are exclusive to Piero's Playground only! Therefore, if you stay out in the Safe Zone for too long… good luck!"

"Y-You mean, we have to actually go inside the park in order to get food…?" Riku deadpanned. He seethed a groan. "You have to be joking…"

"Hey, don't throw a fit!" Stanczyk held up his hands in defense. "It's only fair! After all, if you don't compete…"

Stanczyk leaned forward, his head turning and face distorting.

"...y0u dOn'T EaT!" Stanczyk's moon-shaped eye flashed a sinister red gleam. Leaning back and reverting back to his happier state, the jester giggled to himself, nervously. "Ah, wh-whoops? W-What was that?"

Clearing his throat, Stanczyk allowed himself to step aside from the turnstiles in order to let his 16 playmates through. Though, the jester was met with strange looks– which, let's be honest, really could mean anything at this point –everyone, regardless of whether or not they wanted to save the kid, nevertheless walked through the turnstiles where they came face-to-face with Stanczyk's gigantic face.

With his mouth entirely open, hesitantly, the 16 playmates walked through that as well until, finally…

[Piero's Playground]

(Dark Room)

…they reached a locked door.

No one reacted in time for the apparent door behind them to also shut itself, locking the 16 playmates inside the relatively black room and forcing everyone to tense up. For a dark crowded box like this, it definitely was not a comforting position to be in. Especially when they were now walking onto land where murder was encouraged yet risky to pull off.

As such, no one moved a muscle, but mostly everyone began to voice their concerns over their current situation.

"I-It's dark!" Daisuke screamed out. "I- I knew this was a trap! I sh-should've just stayed outside and starved! S-Starved and dehydrated myself! Maybe that death would be better than getting shanked in the dark!"

"I will consider it if you do not cease your whining," Riku threatened.

For a moment, Daisuke could've sworn he could see Riku's murderous stare in the darkness.

"A-Aghhhhhh nononononono," Daisuke started to hyperventilate.

"Daisuke, calm down!" Aidan's voice ordered. "Look! There's light in front of us now! It's… fine?"

The light that Aidan was referring to, turned out to be a blue light emitting from a TV screen that hung over the locked door. The static began to clear itself until they saw a relatively outdated video with hints of nostalgia here and there…

A girl who looked to be their age with auburn hair wrapped in twin tails sat neatly on what seemed to be a director's chair, surrounded by stage lights, gaffers and grips that moved around in the background, and a what seemed to be a superhero suit displayed right next to the person of interest.

"Hello, visitors of Piero's Playground, my name is Arianna Rodriguez," the girl known as Arianna smiled toward the camera. "You may also know me as Hope's Peak Brasília's very own Ultimate Actress. But you may know me by another name: Lady Radiance! Shining Hero and Defender of Light!"

Arianna struck a pose, winking toward the camera as she flashed a twinkling smile from her white teeth. It really wasn't much of a surprise that she got the role of a heroine that shined bright like the mountain tonight, not a footprint to be seen.

"Gosh, I am so excited to show you what Piero's Playground has to offer you," Arianna clasped her hands together with a bright twinkling grin. "And thanks to the Towa Group, who allowed this special crossover event to happen, your favorite hero will soon become–"

"Miss Rodriguez! Miss Rodriguez!"

Arianna blinked, glancing toward the side. For some reason, a cartoon sheep in a police uniform trampled his way into the frame, panting profusely. It was a relatively cute creature and with the added law enforcement appearance, it just made him seem outright adorable.

"It's Lawson the Lamb," Arianna glanced at the camera as she gestured to the lamb. Although, given that the lamb was in animation, Arianna's thumb seemed to have missed her mark by a tiny bit. "What can I do for you Officer?"

"It's terrible!" Lawson exclaimed. "It's just horrible! That Dastardly Cat Burglar, Mrs. Claws escaped from Castle Cheer and stole artifacts from every known section of Piero's Playground! Last I heard, she's coming here next!"

"Mrs. Claws?" Arianna glanced at Lawson with uncertainty. "Um, I'm sure you can handle it… I mean, she's not even much of a threat."

"No, no, you don't understand!" Lawson shook his head profusely. "She's not alone! She's working with your nemesis, Spellcaster!"

"Spellcaster?!" Arianna gasped, widening her eyes. Clearly, that got her attention.

"Nyahahahaha!" came the voice of a young female who popped up behind both Arianna and Lawson. Then, pouncing toward the camera, the 16 playmates could see that the camera itself had been hijacked by a cat girl with pink hair, wearing a Christmas-themed Santa outfit. "I have just stolen the artifact! You and your Merry Mascots will never stop me meow! Nyahahaha!"

"Claws!" Lawson took out a pair of handcuffs. "You've been a baaaaaaaaad kitty! You're under arrest!"

"You'll never catch me!" Mrs. Claws challenged. "For I am going on the lamb! Nyahahaha!"

Mrs. Claws leapt off-screen. Shortly after, Lawson followed behind and a tussle could be heard beyond the frame, leaving Arianna standing in the midst of all this chaos. A darkness loomed over her as a different reverberated laughter echoed throughout the area she was in. Instantly, Arianna sparked an aura of determination as her body began to shine. Clenching her fist, she glared at the ceiling.

"Spellcaster!" she gritted her teeth.

"Ugh!" Lawson fell back into the frame, looking a little beaten up. Clearly, his tussle against the dastardly Mrs. Claws did not end well. Glancing at the stormy clouds above them all, he glanced toward Arianna. "Oh no! This is baaaaad! With Mrs. Claws wreaking chaos across Piero's Playground, and Spellcaster taking over your section of the park, you have to do something! We need Lady Radiance's help!"

"No," Arianna shook her head. "Not just my help."

She turned to the camera.

"We're going to need the help of you guys as well," Arianna pointed toward the camera. "Come on boys and girls. Join me, Lady Radiance, as we defeat Spellcaster together. What do you say? Ready to save Piero's Playground?"

No.

"Great!" Arianna smiled as a flash of light engulfed the camera screen. By the time the screen on the TV diminished back into its original brightness, Arianna had already changed into her Lady Radiance outfit. "Everyone! Welcome to Piero's Playground's Happy Highway! Where everything is your way, not my way."

As her hand emitted a bright gleam, she flew off to help keep the ongoing chaos in the background at bay.

Then, the screen faded to black…

…but the room lit up as bright as Lady Radiance did in the actual short introductory video the 16 playmates were forced to watch.

Daisuke was the first to sigh in relief.

"Whew, a-at least we're no longer in the darkness," Daisuke sighed to himself.

"Tch, forget the darkness," Riku held onto his jacket collar in displeasure. "What on Earth was that absurdly cheesy video all about? Superheroes? Sheeps as police officers?"

"Oh sweetie," Yukihiko glanced at his painted nails in amusement. "Piero's Playground is supposed to be directed toward children. Therefore, a grown man like yourself would obviously not be as easily entertained."

"I thought the Lamb character was really cute!" Emmeline raised her hand excitedly. Then she gasped, cupping her cheeks with her straightened small hands. "Oh! By the way! Do you guys remember what Lady Radiance said?"

"Hello, visitors of Piero's Playground, my name is Arianna Rodriguez," the girl known as Arianna smiled toward the camera. "You may also know me as Hope's Peak Brasília's very own Ultimate Actress. But you may know me by another name: Lady Radiance! Shining Hero and Defender of Light!"

"She said she was an alumnus at one of the other Hope's Peaks!" Emmeline bounced excitedly. "And not only that, but she's also the Ultimate Actress…"

"Yeah…" Fábio glanced away. "Hope's Peak Brasília…"

No one noticed but his twinkling eyes had lost its shining gleam as he hid his obvious look of disdain. He avoided any curious glances that may have headed his way. Luckily, it didn't seem like anyone really cared.

"Which means…" Emmeline took out her nerdy butterfly catching glasses and stuck her tongue out, waving her mini-butterfly net around. "...Manon! You know how to get in touch with Miss Radiance!"

Manon gave the lepidopterist a blank stare.

"...Quoi?" Manon asked.

"Well, you're the Ultimate Actress too, right?" Emmeline started to chew on her pills in thought. "So, I just thought that since both of you are Ultimate Actresses, maybe you two might've met at some point. And in turn, that would also mean that you should have some way to contact Lady Radiance to save us and the boy!"

"O-Oh!" Manon realized what she meant before nervously winking and giving the butterfly catcher a peace sign. "J-Je vois!"

Placing her hands over her hips, she glanced down with a small yet hesitant sigh.

"Mais, unfortunately, I do not believe Madame Radiance can help us," Manon shook her head. "After all, she is only an actrice–"

Alina cleared her throat.

"E-Er, I mean, ze has not been available for some time now!" Manon chuckled sheepishly, catching what Alina was trying to hint at, giving Emmeline a mock bow as an apology. "Je suis désolée!"

"Oh, I see," Emmeline looked slightly disappointed as she nibbled on another pill.

"Oh brother," Yukihiko rolled his eyes. "I don't understand you all. She's not a baby. She's old enough to know what an actress is…"

"Yukihiko…" Alina spoke through a clearly irritated smile. "Let's not ruin a good thing here…"

"Can we all just forget the video and focus on the big deal here?" Mara scoffed. "I'm hungry. Superheroes don't exist. So, can someone please open the door…?"

"You got it!"

"Thank you– ACK!" Mara yelped in fright.

"Ah, what's wrong– Heavens to Betsy!" Yumi jumped as well.

Standing behind them this entire time was none other than Stanczyk, who had patiently allowed the 16 playmates to huddle amongst themselves as they watched the fun cheesy video that was being played. His shit-eating grin never changed as he pretended to wipe tears from his eyes.

"I can't believe the Happy Highway is being attacked by not only by that fiend, Spellcaster, but by one of my archnemesises, that Dastardly Cat Burglar, Mrs. Claws!" Stanczyk clenched his fist as his expression shifted to an overdramatized look of anger. "Grk…! You kids are going to help save the Happy Highway, right?! You're going to retrieve what Mrs. Claws stole…right?!"

Stanczyk was met with silence.

"...Just open the door," Mara spoke impatiently.

Stanczyk's mask shifted into a disappointed frown as he did as he was told.

The door underneath the now turned off television screen shot open, unveiling an area that mesmerized everyone who dared to lay their eyes over what they were about to step through. Almost everyone's eyes widened one-by-one as they all stepped inside.

"Holy cow…" Aidan widened his eyes. "So, this is…"

[Happy Highway]

(Hollywood)

What the 16 playmates and Stanczyk had stepped into was a large and oddly majestic area. True to its name, the area known as the Happy Highway, had pavements designed like the roads anyone would see on the street. Further down the road was where the 'highway' part of the name truly came to play: a long strip of road that headed directly straight toward what was presumably the center point of Piero's Playground.

In their current Hollywood area of the Happy Highway, there were many things to note.

For starters, the first thing they would see was a giant green highway sign hanging above them, similar to the signs one would often see driving on the freeway. On the sign read the following:

'HAPPY HIGHWAY'

'ENTRANCE'

Stepping onto the rough concrete pavement past the arch of the highway sign, the 16 playmates would note three important areas to venture to: left, straight, and right.

Straight ahead was a large 8-foot statue in the middle of the road. Consequently, this created a circular intersection on the road similar to the Arc of Triomphe in France. In other words, a roundabout that circled around this statue in order to lead toward the street straight ahead from the Hollywood section. The statue itself was golden and it was of Lady Radiance, striking her classic superhero pose.

To the left was a roadless area with a large overdramatic billboard showcasing a poster of Lady Radiance fighting a darkly dressed magician. It was obvious enough to tell that the magician had to be Lady Radiance's archnemesis, Spellcaster. But along with the stroller parking to the left and the bathroom to the right of this specific area of Hollywood, the group would be able to make out blocky comic-book styled words stating the following:

'LADY RADIANCE VS. SPELLCASTER: THE RIDE'

'AN ULTIMATE ACTRESS ATTRACTION'

To the right was yet another roadless area but this time, instead of some overdramatic billboard advertising a ride, it was a classic theater very reminiscent of the Broadway theater entrances one would see in classic 1950s New York… or just New York in general! The theater itself had a large comic-book style tower popping out directly from the top with what seemed to be a shadowy monster.

On the theater's marquee sign were the following words:

'THE ULTIMATE DOCTOR'S ATTRACTION PRESENTS…'

'THE MONSTROUS MONSTER OF DOCTOR ETERNOS:'

'A BROADWAY MUSICAL'

With those being the key interests of the Hollywood section, everyone was relatively stunned to discover that this was going to be their Killing Game Arena.

…

"...This is Piero's Playground?" Aidan breathlessly stated. "Dude. This. Looks. Awesome!"

"Isn't it?!" Stanczyk stepped up in front of the group as his cheerful grin looked genuinely excited. "Welcome boys and girls to the Happy Highway!"

Stanczyk tossed up his arms into the air with a gleeful cheer.

"Somehow built in the middle of Hollywood…" Stanczyk began to explain. "The Happy Highway was supposed to be themed as a great pit stop for those trying to get to the heart of Piero's Playground to stop by and hang out! Today, the Happy Highway has become so much happier with the inclusion of…"

Stanczyk bowed his head as if he had finished tap dancing.

"Broadway shows!" he declared.

Stanczyk did a classic superhero pose.

"Superheroes!" he exclaimed.

Stanczyk then raised his arms and wiggled his hands around as if he were telling a scary story.

"And giant monsters!" he giggled.

"M-Monsters?" Roderick glanced around, his paranoia hitting an all-time high.

"Ooooh!" Stanczyk squeed. "Finally! It's been too long since I even had best friends I can enjoy spending time in this park with! We're going to have so much fun here! Come on best friends! Let's have some fu–"

By the time Stanczyk had stopped his ecstatic speech, he had already noticed that the 16 playmates had walked off toward the large statue in the middle of the roundabout. Clearly, none of them were interested in having fun. There was only one thing on their mind, and it was to save that boy.

Nevertheless…

"Aw, come on…" Stanczyk groaned.

…

The great statue of Lady Radiance towered over the group, holding the palms of her golden-crested hands out as if she were getting ready to blast away her enemies. If anyone rolled a Perception of 10 and above, one would also notice that within the palms of her hands were a set of spotlights. Perhaps it was to emulate her powerset from the actual movies.

Stepping forward, Kikuko felt a chill run down her spine. She closed her eyes and felt her body tense. She placed a hand on her head as she slowly opened her eyes, expression slight discomfort.

"Ugh," she murmured to herself.

"Aye, you alright?" Roderick raised an eyebrow. He seemed to be the only person who actually noticed.

Kikuko kept her hands down to her waist as she bowed her head politely.

"Y-Yes, I am fine," Kikuko calmly stated. "It's just that this place is… well, it's overwhelming. And I have seen grandiose shrines that cannot compare. Are all Western amusement parks like this?"

"Heh, you know it," Issac shrugged, smiling toward the shrine maiden. He pushed his pink hair to the side. "Unfortunately, I can never ride some of the cooler rides since Isolde is too scared of them…"

Issac folded his arms and sighed to himself.

"Shame…" he muttered.

Kikuko blankly stared at him, slightly uncomfortable.

"Dude, if we didn't have to worry about saving a kid, I'd totally be happy just staying here for the rest of my life," Aidan glanced around in amazement.

"You forget the fact that this is also a place where we're encouraged to kill each other," Alisa remarked, glancing down at her wristwatch.

"Oh, that too," Aidan looked down. He took out a random water bottle from his pockets and held it out for the clockmaker. "Water?"

"W-What?" Alisa blinked.

Turning back toward the other group who had gotten closer to the statue itself, the next and probably last notable thing about this grandiose decor was definitely the plaque engraved at a slanted position below the statue's boots.

The person who examined this plaque was Kazuki, who squatted down to read it with one eye closed. Written on the plaque was the following:

"To receive the Highway's prize

Spill the blood of one

Dare to be unwise

And the boy's life is done."

"Spill the blood of one?" Kazuki feebly repeated.

"Spill the blood of one?!" Daisuke exclaimed. "Y-You mean, kill someone?!"

"Well, that is what this little game is encouraging us to do," Fábio played with one of the ringlets on his hair. "But what's this about a prize?"

"That is the mystery, isn't it?" Beauté smirked, licking her lips as she watched everyone shudder in bewilderment over what this plaque was essentially telling them to do. "Perhaps we can assume that the plaque is telling us to kill someone in order to receive a prize. Or, we can assume something else entirely…"

It was clear that Beauté seemed to have already understood the meaning behind the plaque. But realistically, no one really had the will, desire, or time to figure out silly riddles. Chugging down some water, Aidan wiped his mouth with the back of his wrist as he sighed.

"Regardless, I think it's time we split up and look for clues," Aidan suggested. "Groups of at least three. No less."

"Darn tootin'," Yumi tipped her hat with a smile. "There be plenty of places to check out, so ah say we pick whatever looks the most interesting and check them out."

"All in agreement?" Alina smiled, pumping her fists in determination.

"Aye," Roderick lowered his beanie.

With the plaque set in stone, everyone had gone off and separated themselves accordingly, with a majority of the group moving toward the next section of the Happy Highway. But of the group that decided to venture within the Hollywood section, they decided to check things out at their own pace…

[Ultimate Actress's Attraction]

(Outside)

"Oh, an Ultimate Attraction!" Manon clapped her hands, bouncing up in the air excitedly. "Pour moi?!"

"Well, it does say it's the Ultimate Actress's Attraction," Fábio shrugged, fixing one of the sleeves of his shirt. "But whether it's for you or… her, I don't really know."

If one wasn't able to guess based on context clues and the bolded title of this scene, Manon, Emmeline, and Fábio had decided to check out the Ultimate Actress's Attraction. However, to the surprise of Fábio, instead of Emmeline exhibiting child-like excitement, it was Manon, who he swore had eyes that sparkled as if she were some anime girl staring at the prettiest dress at the mall.

Upon closer inspection of this area, there were bathrooms installed on the right side, directly at one of the exits of the ride. Yeah, now that one could look at this more closely, the ride itself had two exits: one on the left and one on the right.

Strange.

The entrance itself looked pretty imposing as the poster of Lady Radiance fighting Spellcaster looked like something straight out of a Hollywood billboard. Not only that but towering over the entrance's grand sign were a pair of different colored roller coaster tracks that shot up nearly 30-feet into the air. One was yellow, the other black.

A sign for Wait Times was listed below the comic book-styled letters that announced the ride's presence, but no specific number was listed on it.

Obviously, since there were only 16 people in this entire park not counting the jester that owned it nor the talking hyena.

"Eh?" Emmeline blinked. "It's…"

There was something else to note as well.

A sign labeling all of the health risks when riding the ride. Classic things such as warning those with heart conditions, were pregnant, or were severely intoxicated to not ride it. And in Emmeline's case…

"...Upset stomach?!" Emmeline pouted, glancing down at her bag of pills. "B-But I wanted to ride the ride!"

"Oh ho," Fábio raised an eyebrow, slightly amused. Perhaps this was the only time anyone's seen him amused since his introduction. "A fan of roller coasters, huh?"

"E-Eh?" Emmeline's face fell, instantly. "R-Roller coasters?"

"W-Well, yeah," Fábio blinked. "I mean, don't you see the tracks literally high up in the air? Those are one hundred percent roller coaster tracks."

"O-Oh," Emmeline started to nibble on her pills, her face sweating a bit. "Um, I thought it was a ride where you can see the entire park from above. N-Not that… Um, I don't think I can handle those!"

Emmeline rubbed the back of her neck as she giggled to herself.

"I get sick easily!" Emmeline rummaged through her bag of pills a little more aggressively than she normally did.

Just say you're scared, Fábio sighed as he thought to himself. No one's going to judge.

Shaking his head, he turned to Manon.

"Well, at least you're definitely going to be someone who gives it a shot, right?" Fábio firmly nodded.

"Quoi?" Manon blankly stared at him.

"Well, it is an Ultimate Attraction related to you after all," Fábio closed his eyes and let out a small wispy breath. "Missed opportunity for you to not give it a shot, right?"

"O-Oh," Manon's face turned blue and glanced away as she tried her best to feign a confident look. "W-Well, oui. B-But, unfortunately, I zink maybe riding this will be a waste of time. M-Maybe we should move on! Oui? Oui!"

D-Don't tell me you're scared too… Fábio stared at Manon in bewilderment.

Twirling his ringlet hair with a sigh, Fábio glanced at the two girls and prepared to walk inside. He folded his arms before speaking up.

"Look, you girls don't have to ride the ride," Fábio shook his head. "But at most, I think we can head inside to check it out, right?"

"A-Ah, oui, of course!" Manon chirped, but felt her own legs shake. "I am very curious to see how well you enjoy my attraction, Monsieur Barbosa!"

"I– I never said I was going to ride it by myself!" Fábio felt himself sweat a bit when he heard Manon's response.

Nevertheless, no matter how nervous the three were in their own way, they entered through the ride's queue line until finally…

(Inside)

…They made it to the actual ride itself.

The queue line itself consisted of heavy references to objects from the actual Lady Radiance movies. The farther the trio moved through the empty lines, the louder the screens above the queue would play certain clips from the Lady Radiance movies. A pure classic thing to get those waiting in long lines entertained.

Fortunately for them… Or rather, unfortunately for them, there were no long lines, which meant they got to head toward the ride faster. Soon enough, they reached an intersection, with two branching paths: left and right. The left was decorated with stars and a sparkle while the right was decorated with cartoonish shadowy figures.

"Eh?" Emmeline blinked. "Why are there branching paths?"

"Best to pick one and then see where it takes us for now," Fábio stuck one hand in his pocket and shrugged.

"Then, since zis is my Attraction, I say we pick ze sparkly one!" Manon raised her hand with a smile.

No one objected.

Moving toward the left and climbing down some stairs, that's when they saw it:

The roller coaster cars themselves.

Two roller coasters were waiting for them and ready to carry passengers. The roller coaster in front of them was white and yellow with the initials 'L.R.' painted on the front car, obviously to represent Lady Radiance. The other was red and black with the initials 'S.C.' on its front car, obviously to represent Spellcaster. Essentially, it was the same coaster car with the same size but with different decor and each coaster had eight cars in total, including the front and the back.

Judging by the semi-automated gate that the trio had stopped at, they would see that they could easily hop aboard the Lady Radiance car but to get to the Spellcaster car, it seemed as if there was another path they would've needed to take to reach it.

Essentially, both coaster cars were directly next to each other and seemed to have their own-colored tracks associated with them. One was yellow. The other black. Just like how it looked from the outside.

"T-Two roller coasters in one?!" Emmeline looked shocked. "Manon! Your Ultimate Attraction has two rides in one! That's so cool!"

"A-Ah…" Manon blinked before smiling to herself and posing as if she had expected this much. "Oui! Bien sûr! My Ultimate Attraction is magnifique, no?"

Fábio played with a strand of his ringlet hair in thought as he stared at the two coasters. It would make sense that it had two cars based on the two different colored tracks to begin with but Fábio wasn't some Ultimate Theme Park Designer. How this ride worked could only be tested if he rode it and unfortunately…

…The figure skater glanced toward the two girls who stared at the structure of the ride in awe. The very two girls who were much too afraid to go on this thing.

"Yeah, yeah. It's fucking cool. Now you gonna stand around or are you fuckfaces gonna actually ride it?!"

That Australian accent and obscene cursing could only mean one thing…

A nasty hyena had popped out toward the side of the line with a sadistic grin, exposing the sharpest of his canines. Picking his teeth with his Barbie Blade, upon closer inspection, he seemed to be sitting next to what seemed to be the coaster's control panels.

"Oh, it's the mean hyena!" Emmeline frowned, twirling her arms around angrily. "Stay away from us!"

"Yeah, yeah, right back at you, you walking STD," Monoyena flashed his jagged red eye. Pointing his Barbie Blade toward the trio, the hyena started to drool. "Now, if you ain't gonna ride the ride, then beat it. To save some power, I gotta make sure the fucking coaster stays on automatic until some wank decides to come and gives these babies a test ride!"

"Automatic?" Manon blinked.

"Nevermind that," Fábio shook his head. "Why are there two coasters? Last I checked, it was called 'Lady Radiance vs. Spellcaster: The Ride'. Not 'Lady Radiance vs. Spellcaster: The Rides'."

"Oi," Monoyena started to grind his teeth against the tip of his blade. "Haven't you heard of a dueling coaster, you twinkling dumbass?"

Fábio was not happy by that remark.

"A dueling coaster?" Emmeline pursed her lips, curiously. "What's that?"

"So, you're all fucking dumbasses," Monoyena gnashed his teeth.

"I know what you're talking about!" Manon raised her hand with a frown.

"Wasn't talking to you, bitch!" Monoyena's jagged red eye flashed brighter.

Twirling his Barbie Blade, Monoyena sat back against the stool seated directly behind the control panel that seemed to control both coaster cars and began his little explanation about this peculiar subject.

"Alright you wanks," Monoyena began. "The gist of a dueling coaster is simple. It's kinda like a roller coaster, but with two separate carts instead of one. How this one is supposed to work is that it's supposed to simulate a battle between Cunt Radiance and Spellcumstain. 8 people ride one cart, 8 people ride the other and then it takes off."

Monoyena picked out a piece of shrimp from his teeth.

"If you've seen those cheesy ass films, you know that Cunt Radiance and Spellcumstain fly around a lot," Monoyena continued. "So the coasters occasionally go off in their own sets of twists and turns but they will always come back together at some point, close enough to make you think you're gonna hit the other track. Kinda like two people landing blows against each other."

"So in other words, a dueling coaster is a roller coaster designed to simulate a fight between two coasters," Fábio concluded.

"That's right," Monoyena started to grin. "Only… this dueling coaster ain't like your classic dueling one. It's got a special touch involved with it…"

"Ooh, what is it?" Emmeline looked intrigued all of a sudden.

"Quoi?!" Manon was taken aback by the young girl's interest. "W-Weren't you just telling Monsieur Yena to stay away?!"

Monoyena's grin shifted down to a frown.

"Oi, who do you think I am?!" Monoyena exclaimed. "I ain't going to spoil the fucking ending! You want to know so badly?! Ride the ride!"

This thing can call us fuckfaces and yet draws the line at spoiling? Fábio deadpanned in thought.

"Well, you heard him, Mister Fábio!" Emmeline glanced at him with a look of encouragement. "You got this!"

"W-What?" Fábio blinked.

"Oui!" Manon winked and placed a peace sign over her open eye. She stuck her tongue out and flashed a pose of glamor. "Let me know how my Attraction is! We will be waiting for you!"

"Uh…" Fábio furrowed his brow as he stared at the coaster.

He did wish to know what exactly made this dueling coaster so much more special than other dueling coasters and he did like thrill rides like these. With a sigh, he stepped forward, and got ready to walk past the gate. He fixed his sleeve and kept his ringleted locks neat as he got ready to take one for the team…

(Outside)

"Bwa…Bwahahahahahaha!" Monoyena cackled at the entrance to the attraction as a blue-faced Fábio trudged ahead of Emmeline and Manon. "What a fucking pussy! Bwahahahahaha!"

"Ah, so in the end, even Mister Fábio is scared too," Emmeline looked down, disappointed.

"A-Are you kidding?" Fábio's face was still blue as he kept his eyes closed and his hands in his pocket. Clearly, he was feeling a sense of shame for his cowardice. "I wasn't going to ride that by myself. I'll come back once we have the people who are willing to ride it with me."

"Ah hah, no need to feel ashamed, Monsieur Barbosa," Manon assured. "E-Everyone feels fear."

"Ah-hah, th-thanks…" Fábio stated as the trio walked off.

Despite knowing how right Manon was about that, Monoyena's loud cackling certainly didn't help make the matters any easier. But he did mean what he meant. He was going to come back at some point and ride it… This time with people who actually didn't mind roller coasters!

Hopefully…

[Ultimate Doctor's Attraction]

(Outside)

With a majority of the group venturing on ahead and noting that Fábio, Emmeline, and Manon had traversed toward the left side of the Hollywood section, Alina decided it best to check out the right side. If she wasn't mistaken, this was the section with the Ultimate Doctor's Attraction and if she was also correct, then that must mean…

Smiling brightly, she spotted Riku staring at the marquee, alone. She noted that the roadless pavement had stars that one would see on the Walk of Fame in classic Hollywood. So carefully and sneakily, she placed her hands behind her back and leaned forward, popping her head like a curious cat.

"Hey, didn't Aidan tell you to be in a group of at least three?" Alina smiled at him, noticing that even a scary yakuza figure like him isn't prone to getting startled. "No less?"

"Curse you!" Riku placed a hand over his heart as his eye twitched. "Do not sneak up on a man who is undergoing a crisis! It isn't good for blood circulation!"

"Sorry about that," Alina giggled to herself. "It's just, you looked to be alone. So I thought I would give you a little warning about not following directions."

Riku narrowed his eyes before turning his head away from the maestro.

"Tch, and who are you supposed to be?" Riku muttered, holding up his jacket collar over his mouth. "My mother? I am not alone. I'm with Mara…"

He was with Mara?

Alina scanned the area. She wasn't sure if she was missing something but it seemed as if originally he was with Mara and she had merely screwed off elsewhere as she would normally do. Meaning, Riku really was here alone and either didn't realize it or just didn't care about it. Alina was willing to place bets on the latter.

"Mmm, Mara's not here," Alina pointed out with a single sweat drop.

"Well, then, maybe you should find her and berate her for running off by herself," Riku scoffed, never allowing his dead eyes to waver from the marquee.

It was about time Alina noticed just how fixated on that sign he was. Tapping her chin, curiously, she tried to see what exactly Riku was looking at. But aside from the array of lightbulbs that every classic Broadway theater had with their marquees and the big announcement on what his Ultimate Attraction was, the possibilities to what he was so focused on was endless.

"Hm, what are you looking at, by the way?" Alina took out her conductor's baton and tapped her chin curiously. "You seem more interested in the sign than everything else. Didn't you say you wanted food as well earlier? You're not going to get anything to eat just standing around here!"

Alina giggled to herself.

"H-How can I think about eating when I'm staring at a clear disservice to my Ultimate?" Riku grumbled as he took out a syringe and squirted out a stream of hand sanitizer onto the palm of his hands.

Rubbing his hands aggressively and gnashing his teeth, he seemed to be very irritated by the presence of his Ultimate Attraction. Alina wasn't sure what he was so miffed by because as far as she was concerned…

"Clear disservice…?" Alina continued to tap her conductor's baton on the bottom of her chin. "Um, I don't get it. What's so wrong with your Ultimate Attraction?"

"Of course you don't get it," Riku mumbled, waving his hands around to cool off the sanitation process. "If I cut open your head, nothing but air will seep out of it."

"Um, hey, that wasn't very nice," Alina placed her hands on her hips, looking at him disappointedly.

"Unfortunately, I don't care," Riku shook his head. "But what I do care about is that the clown and the jester decided to turn my life's work into an abomination! W-Why is my Ultimate Attraction a Broadway musical?!"

Alina gaped at him.

W-Was that really the only reason why he was so upset?! Alina pouted in her thoughts.

Shaking her head, Alina folded her arms. Her slight pout turned back into a forced smile as she stood by with comments of her own to share.

"Well, you can't really judge a book by its cover," Alina assured him.

She paused.

"Or I guess, in this case," Alina bashfully smiled as she rubbed the back of her neck. "Can't really judge an Ultimate Attraction by its sign."

She walked up to the entrance to the Attraction. Now underneath the marquee sign, she noted that there was a ticket booth with pamphlets accessible to anyone who just so happened to walk by. Though there was no one inside the actual booth, Alina simply snatched two pamphlets and walked toward the front door, pulling on it slightly.

Slightly disappointed, she glanced back at Riku.

"I guess this was one of the attractions that aren't open until tomorrow according to Stanczyk, Alina frowned.

It didn't take long before she got her smile back. Opening the pamphlet and handing one for Riku to read, she smiled at the yakuza doctor and began to scan through the information it was providing about the show at hand.

"Oooh, how can you not like something like this, Riku?" Alina feigned excitement. "See? The synopsis!"

Riku begrudgingly narrowed his eyes and glanced through the pamphlet:

"Meet Doctor Eternos! A mad doctor who has invited you to witness his greatest achievement in the medical field yet: granting his latest patient super strength! However, something has gone terribly wrong! And in his grand and kooky musical, soon you will be trembling in your seats as you witness the creation of Doctor Eternos' most terrifying monstrous monster! Now for kids!"

Showtimes: 1:00 PM, 3:00 PM, 5:00 PM

Scoffing, Riku tossed the pamphlet on the floor and bit through an apple he carried around in his pocket.

"Tch, who gave this doctor his medical license?" Riku muttered. "Granting a patient super strength? No one can be super strong through any other means but black magic…"

"Um, I don't think you're supposed to take the premise of the story seriously," Alina laughed sheepishly.

"Serious or not…" Riku bit through another piece of his apple. "This is a disgrace."

"Aw come on," Alina looked down, disappointed, before holding her conductor's baton and balling up her hands pleadingly. "At least come with me tomorrow to check this out! I swear! Broadway Musicals aren't as bad as you think they might be! So, please give this a chance, okay?"

Riku gaped at Alina in bewilderment.

…What is this fleshbag's deal? Riku thought to himself.

He didn't understand why she was making a big deal out of this. All he really did was mention just how disappointed he was that his Ultimate Attraction turned out to be a joke. Next thing he knew, he was having this flesh of meat breathe the same air as him and now she's begging for him to go see the show once it opens tomorrow?

"No," Riku bluntly stated. "I'm going to eat. Goodbye now."

Flashing a deathly stare toward the girl, he strolled off, sticking his half-bitten apple inside his pockets and leaving behind the maestro. If he had bothered to turn back, he'd see that Alina wasn't satisfied by the results. Pumping a fist in determination, she knew for a fact she was going to make him sit down and enjoy the show!

Clearly, she has also forgotten the main reason they were here in the first place...

[Happy Highway]

(Street)

When it came to the Street section of the Happy Highway, somehow the vibe differed from that of the Hollywood section.

Perhaps it was the relatively long street of this highway. Perhaps it was the orange coloration of the road which contrasted to the bright yellow of radiance's territory. Or perhaps it were the actual buildings that stood on each side of the street.

For starters, in the Street section, there were two sets of roads, presumably for going in two different directions, both separated by three palm trees planted neatly inside of a garden that extended from the beginning to the end of the street section. With the palm trees playing off against the Street's sunset orange, the street itself pulled off that classic Beverly Hills-type aesthetic.

In front of the Street section was a removable sign:

'TRAFFIC JAM PARADE'

'2:00 PM'

'4:00 PM'

'6:00 PM'

'BEGINS TOMORROW'

"Wow, there's even a parade as well," Aidan grinned. "Seriously, if we didn't have to find a kid, I'd totally be enjoying myself right now!"

"Please stop forgetting that we are in a Killing Arena," Alisa stared at her wristwatch once again with a sigh.

He wasn't wrong though.

For an amusement park that was relatively empty, the sights and vibes of their location were distracting them from the reality of their situation. And for brief moments, most of them enjoyed this feeling. Like a glass of opium that they could enjoy all for themselves…

Walking closer to the road, they could see that similar, to the Hollywood section, there were two points of interest when it came to the Street section: left and right.

On the left was one big complex with one clear entrance directly in the middle away from this overall long, straight and narrow road. The billboard this time had the marquee sign of a giant smiling chicken, waving his hand as he leaned against the name of his own establishment:

'CLUCKS DELUXE: DINNER SHOW'

'AN ULTIMATE FAST FOOD EMPLOYEE'S ATTRACTION'

How they managed to fit, 'An Ultimate Fast Food Employee's Attraction', onto the sign, one may never know. But nevertheless, it was clear that the establishment on the left was essentially one big Clucks Deluxe restaurant. Even clearer was the sidewalk strictly on the left side of the Street section, which was creatively decorated with chicken feet leading up toward the glass doors of Clucks Deluxe.

On the right on the other hand were two notable buildings of interest. The largest of them all was a police station, where although the entrance was blocked off with decorative police tape, a police car and a stand with a camera icon on it suggested that this would probably be where people got to take pictures with that Lawson the Lamb character.

Titling this police station were the shiny golden words of:

'HIGHWAY PATROL DEPARTMENT'

Aside from that, that was pretty much the only thing of note for the Police Station.

The other notable building of interest was a relatively smaller building, but at least one that could be accessed judging by the fact that it didn't seem to be blocked off. This building seemed to overlap with the right side of the Hollywood section as it had a decorative gas station sitting idly near the Ultimate Doctor's weird Broadway show thing.

Titling this shorter yet still as big building was:

'HAPPY HIGHWAY'

'PIT STOP'

In other words, it was a type of Happy Highway-exclusive gift shop. Clearly, anyone could tell based on the title. It should also be noted that the sidewalk on the right side of the Highway's Street section did not have any neat decor compared to that of the left side's Clucks Deluxe decor.

And of course, straight ahead was another area that needed a closer inspection.

"Alright, this is where we're going to need to split off a little more," Aidan gave his peers a thumbs-up. "Three people can check out the Ultimate Attraction, three can check out here, and the last four can check out what's straight ahead. Everyone fine with that?"

"Aye," Roderick firmly nodded his head.

"You betcha!" Yumi tipped her cowboy hat out of respect.

With the agreements settled, everyone divided themselves accordingly to investigate the next few areas of interest. And for this specific Street section, the group happened to be Kikuko, Yumi, and Roderick who decided to examine every nook and cranny that remained of interest to them…

…

…the first being a person who was already checking out the Pit Stop.

"Hey, ain't that… Mara?" Yumi narrowed her eyes slightly before waving her arms toward the karate master who seemed to have been enjoying the peace and quiet of being alone. "Hey! Mara! Over here!"

"Nay, what're ya doin?" Roderick lowered his beanie, giving Yumi a dirty look. "Are you trying to cause trouble by bringing her along?"

"Oh, don't go around getting rattlesnakes in yer boots, Inspector," Yumi winked. "Best way to milk an angry cattle is by befriending the youngin. Dat's how ah learned it!"

"Y-Yeah, but she ain't a–" Roderick held his tongue the moment Mara's displeased look appeared closer.

Roderick tensed up, lowered his beanie, and avoided eye contact. The aura she gave off was exactly like how most of his peers had described her to be. An aura that radiated much like someone who really did kill her mother in cold-blood. Or at least, that was what the fiery red glares she gave him made him feel.

Turning toward the cowgirl, Mara sighed.

"What do you want?" Mara rubbed her wrist.

"If ah didn't know any better, I'd say you were lonely and needed a couple of pardners to look around this place with," Yumi grinned. "Am ah wrong?"

Mara cracked her knuckles and glanced at the trio with disdain.

"Nay!" Roderick stepped back, reaching into his overalls. "Th-That's the face of a monster! B-Back away Yumi!"

"Calm down, Roderick," Kikuko closed her eyes and placed her hands together as if she were praying. Compared to Roderick's hyper anxious reaction, Kikuko remained as calm and serene as ever. "She means us no harm."

"H-How can you say that so easily?!" Roderick's face was starting to lose its color.

"Tch, and you say you guys wanted to be my partners to investigate this stupid place?" Mara folded her arms, glancing at them critically. "I'm going to tell you this now. I went alone by choice. I ditched that doctor and did my own thing. That's all."

"So, is dat a no?" Yumi placed one hand on her hip and the other behind her neck. She gave the karate master a sheepish smile as she tried to make wind of what she was implicating.

"What do you think?" Mara gave her a fiery red glare.

"Ah think you need to give us a firm 'yes' or 'no'," Yumi took out her signature cactus cocktail and began to sip on it.

At this point, Kikuko and Roderick had no idea whether or not the cowgirl was just messing with her. Or at least, in Roderick's mind, he had little certainty whether the cowgirl was trying to provoke a cobra to bite her.

Mara snapped her head away, visibly annoyed.

"Tch, so annoying…" she muttered under her breath.

"Ah don't hear a 'no'," Yumi finished her drink and tossed it on the ground with a small chuckle. "Welcome to the gang! We be a bunch of cattle-tippin, rattlesnake wrestlin, and wild gunslingin outlaws of the West! The best gang there is!"

"I am from the East," Kikuko raised her hand. "Therefore, I would like to be excluded from whatever club you are trying to rope me in."

"I dare not work with a monster," Roderick started to shudder.

"See?" Yumi laughed. "The best gang there is!"

Kikuko eyed Mara's reaction. Although she seemed annoyed, it also seemed as if she didn't mind the company. And compared to whatever was hanging out near her, she wondered if there was more to her that meets the eye…

…

"You said you investigated the Pit Stop," Kikuko started up the next topic. "Is that right, Mara?"

Mara didn't respond immediately. She had begun to bandage her arms, her mind contemplating whether she should say anything or not. In the end, to not say anything now was inevitably a stupid idea in her mind and she turned toward Kikuko with an answer.

"...Yeah," Mara begrudgingly revealed. "From what I can tell, the Pit Stop is just some gift shop themed after a typical gas station out in the middle of nowhere. Unfortunately, it's not open, meaning whatever is inside, is something we'll have to wait till later to get…"

"I see," Kikuko nodded. Then, closing her eyes and bowing politely, Kikuko continued. "Is that all?"

Mara said nothing.

Clearly, that was all she knew about the Pit Stop. Satisfied, Kikuko bowed her head amicably.

"Very well, thank you very much for what you have shared for us," Kikuko thanked the karate master.

Mara blinked.

Then she turned her head, averting her gaze.

"See, Prospector?" Yumi gave Roderick a wink and a shit-eating grin. "Best way to milk an angry cattle is by befriending the youngin! What'd ah say?!"

"Your statement still makes little sense," Roderick grunted, keeping his distance from the shortest girl of the group.

Honestly, Roderick was surprised by how cooperative Mara had been about this information. Even though it wasn't something too big, he'd imagine her to be one of the types to just tell them to investigate themselves. Perhaps he had been a little too harsh on her…

"...Anyway, I've told you everything about what I found at the Gift Shop," Mara lowered her eyes. "Which is just a whole lot of nothing. So, let's just move on now. The quicker we get this done, the sooner I can stop hanging out with you guys…"

Or maybe she was someone waiting to strike at the perfect moment! Roderick tensed up when she said this and it took everything he had to not pull out a gun and start going nuts. (Or Evil Nuts for Sempi).

…

The four continued their investigation on the right side of the Street as they noted that a group of three would already have the left side handled. Fair enough, as the left side connected well with that Clucks Deluxe restaurant. But as for the right side, aside from the gas station that was already examined, the only thing left of interest was…

"A police station," Roderick muttered, walking up the steps leading toward the door and attempting to open it, completely ignoring the police tape against the door. "Nay! It won't open!"

"That's what the police tape is there for," Mara sighed.

Roderick paused.

Then, he ripped the tape off and tried to open the door once again.

"Nay!" Roderick exclaimed. "It won't open!"

Mara had little to say regarding the desperate fisherman's actions.

"It's probably one of them decoration buildings," Yumi surmised, flicking the tip of her hat up. "Ya know, like a building dat's just there for show?"

"I see, so much like the little shrines that foreigners often come to snap pictures of because they look… 'pretty'..." Kikuko gave a side-eye glance to no one in particular.

"Heh, ain't the only shrine that's pretty here," Yumi winked at Kikuko.

The shrine maiden was taken aback by this comment, feeling her soul leave her body momentarily. Her eyes glowed blue, her cheeks tinted pink, and she took out her signature ofuda to fan herself nervously.

"Oh Seiryuu, that was good," Kikuko admitted to herself, closing her eyes.

Mara took a step forward and noted the police car. Though it was like any typical police car one would see anywhere in their lifetime, based on its placement, it was clear that trying to get this car to start was not going to work in the slightest. She knew all too well that Monoyena and Stanczyk would've accounted for that thought.

"Hey, there's a stand!" Yumi exclaimed with a brave smile. "But what in tarnation does this symbol mean?"

"...It's a camera symbol," Kikuko answered, closing her eyes. "As in, this is a spot where one would take a picture. As to why it would just be a police car, I do not know. Perhaps this is just a strange Western custom."

"Nay," Roderick trodded down the stairs, taking out his eTicket from his overalls. "I think this be one of these photo-op spots. And our eTickets have Camera apps…"

"Ah see," Yumi tipped her hat down excitedly. "Then, what're waitin for? A nice picture with us gals be somethin nice to keep, yeah?"

"Pass," Mara immediately retorted.

"I do not believe we have time for such activities," Kikuko shook her head, placing her hands in prayer position.

"Besides, I think that the photos are for when a costumed character comes out to greet the kiddies," Roderick shrugged, scrolling through the Photo app of his eTicket.

"Ain't a pain to take at least one picture of me, though, right?" Yumi slowly handed him her own eTicket with a teasing smirk.

Roderick opened his mouth to say something, but nothing came out. He supposed it wouldn't hurt to take one picture to perhaps commemorate their struggles in an empty amusement park somewhere in the world. With a sigh and ignoring the looks he was getting from Kikuko and Mara, Roderick took the eTicket that Yumi had handed him, opened the Camera application and raised up her eTicket to take a picture.

"Aight, let's not take too long here," Roderick muttered.

Yumi leaned against the police car. She held out a peace sign, grinned and closed one eye, allowing the deep-sea fisherman to snap a picture in one take. Then, Roderick handed the eTicket back to her, feeling just how meaningless this all was.

Yumi on the other hand seemed content with the picture that she had received. Regardless, it was clear none of them were getting any close to finding the boy and at the same time, the only one who's trying to remain positive and optimistic just so happened to be the cowgirl herself.

Hopefully, the others had better luck.

[Ultimate Fast Food Employee's Attraction]

(Outside)

Daisuke stood in front of the relatively large Clucks Deluxe establishment. Never in his life did he think Clucks Deluxe, a fast-food brand, would ever get an installment in the chicken coop as large as the one he was staring at right now. The Clucks Deluxe attraction was directly across from the Highway Patrol Station, with the only things separating the two buildings being the two sets of streets and the palm tree garden. And although this Clucks Deluxe establishment stood at 3 stories like all the other buildings lined up at the Happy Highway's Street section, having that brand be shown in such an expansive way…

…it was enough to intimidate the family-sized male.

"Chicken tracks on the floor, a giant chicken on the cover of this establishment…" Issac hummed, rubbing his chin. "Yep. This is definitely Kido's Attraction, alright."

"Oh honey, was that not obvious from the get-go?" Yukihiko placed a hand over his cheek.

Noticing Daisuke's odd silence, Yukihiko and Issac both noted that the plumpy male was standing directly in the middle of the street in order to view his own Ultimate Attraction from a good angle. He was lucky that the streets weren't occupied by cars, otherwise, he'd be a literal pancake right about now.

"Yo, Kido," Issac perked his ear toward Isolde's mouth. "Er, oh wow… Isolde. That's kind of harsh, don't you think?"

"Huh?" Daisuke snapped out of it and glanced toward the concerned child caregiver and toymaker. "W-What do you–"

"Isolde says to get your fat ass over here," Issac scratched his head. "Her words, not mine by the way."

"Why do I highly doubt that?" Yukihiko hugged his teddy bear tightly.

"A-Ah!" Daisuke rushed over to the two. "S-Sorry! I just… I've never seen a Clucks Deluxe this big before! I guess I was just a little–"

"Oh, there's no need to explain yourself, sweetie," Yukihiko placed his hand on Daisuke's shoulder, despite being shorter than him by a lot. "Let's just go in and check it out. If there's anyone who would know the structure of a Clucks Deluxe, why not Clucks Deluxe's own employee? Am I right?"

Daisuke glanced at his peers.

He wasn't entirely a good judge of character, so he wasn't sure if Yukihiko and Issac were just impatient and waiting for him to lead the way… Or if they were just starving and desperately wanted to go in so they knew what exactly they had to order.

Regardless, he took a deep breath, slapping himself on his cheeks a couple times and headed in first, pushing past the glass door…

(Inside)

When Daisuke walked inside followed by Yukihiko and Issac, he was shocked to see how large the inside of the restaurant was. For a Cluck Deluxe establishment, it looked a lot cleaner than Daisuke could have ever imagined it to be. Decorative-wise, the inside of the establishment was made to resemble the inside of a farmhouse. With pictures of hay and cows and eggs on the wall, there were tables with fancy white tablecloths over them and a set of touchscreen machines on the left.

And finally, at the far end of the room was a grand stage, with the most peculiar item of interest in the room: a big chicken standing on the stage with a microphone.

The chicken itself wore denim overalls and had a red hat with a red goatee that was supposed to represent a rooster's wattle. It was clearly a classic show animatronic and clearly didn't seem to be turned on. But despite that, this thing was definitely way too creepy for a place meant for a dinner show.

"What… is that?" Issac questioned, bewildered.

"Whatever it is, it's so ungodly creepy," Yukihiko was definitely very perturbed from even looking at this thing.

"Ah!" Daisuke gasped, looking surprised. "Y-You guys don't know who this is?! Th-This is the pride and joy of Clucks Deluxe! The mascot of my company! Clucky de Lux!"

Yukihiko and Issac had to take a mental step back.

"Oh honey," Yukihiko was the first to speak. "That name… Just… No…"

"I-It wasn't my idea!" Daisuke shook his hands frantically.

"I would hope not," Issac shook his head, cupping Isolde's head with one hand. "The name is pretty uncreative. But I'm surprised… Normally, a company would sell some merch and yet I've never seen a Clucky de Lux toy in my life. Why is that?"

"I'm… pretty sure the toys come with the Kid's Meals," Daisuke sheepishly pointed out.

"Ah, that would explain it," Issac brushed his hair to the side.

What?

As the toymaker and fast-food employee had their mini-discussion, Yukihiko nervously approached the robot chicken. For a mascot of a fast-food chain, the child caregiver couldn't grasp just how children could love something so hideous and unsettling as this thing. He eyed a red button on the side of the stage that read: 'PARTY TIME!'

It didn't take a rocket scientist to understand that pressing that button was how one would get the chicken to start moving. But despite how uncomfortable it was to even look at it, the best way to investigate the whereabouts of a missing child was to search every nook and cranny. Even if it meant putting his hand on the button and…

The stage lit up with bright spotlights pointing directly toward the now-moving chicken animatronic. It slowly raised its body and moved very statically, as if its robotic body was straining against the pelt over its soulless husk. The voice it spoke in was quite Southern, very reminiscent to Yumi's accent but a little thicker and showman-like.

Fitting for a chicken that was to be the host of his own dinner show.

"Hello ladies and gentlemen!" Clucky announced, its body turning left and right. "And a cock-a-doodle-doo to you all too! You know me as Clucky de Lux, proud host of the Clucks Deluxe Dinner Show here at Piero's Playground! How has everyone's day been?"

Clucky paused, awaiting responses.

"H-Hey, Yuno," Issac gave the child caregiver a serious look of disapproval. "D-Did you turn the thing on?"

"I didn't see a problem at the time," Yukihiko defended himself.

"Great!" Clucky yelled out suddenly, even though no one really answered his question. "To start the show, how about a little song? Trust me, boys and girls. I'll have you bawk-bawk-bawking to the beat in no time! Ayukyukyukyukyuk!"

"No thank you," Yukihiko and Issac spoke simultaneously.

"I-It can sing too?!" Daisuke glanced at Clucky in wonder.

A country-style tune began to play over the speakers, beginning with a set of arpeggiating notes from a banjo before the main melody took over. Just based on the instrumentation, it was clear they used a fiddle to really reel in that farmhouse/Western vibe of the building.

Then, Clucky started to move and expanded his wings, beak syncing to the lyrics that were clearly being sung through the speakers.

…

Come one and all!

It's time to eat something finger-lickin'

Something very crispy!

Oh! It's our delicious chicken.

Smellin super super wispy.

We cook the best in our kitchen!

So go ahead and quit yo bitchin!

(What?)

And the plot will thicken…

With our signature chicken!

Chicken Wraps!

Chicken Tenders!

Chicken Laps!

Chicken Blenders!

Chicken Fingers!

Chicken Wings!

Chicken Zingers!

And other Chicken Things!

And Chicken Fries!

And Chicken Toes!

And Chicken Pies!

And Chicken Joes!

Chicken Legs!

Chicken Sandwiches!

Chicken Eggs!

And Chicken Bitches!

(What?)

Our chicken is the best!

Enjoy it while it lasts forever and ever!

We always pass the test!

Not a complaint, never never never!

We cook the best in our kitchen!

So go ahead and quit yo bitchin!

(Again, what?!)

And the plot will thicken…

With our signature chicken!

C-Cock-a-doodle doo! Ayuk! What a cluckin good time that was!

…

Once the song had ended, Clucky de Lux stood on stage and glanced around, as if he were allowing his practically nonexistent audience to applaud and give him a standing ovation. And sure enough, the only person who did clap… was none of the trio but rather the appearance of the jester who had been seated at one of the tables.

"A-Ah it's youuuuu!" Daisuke jumped, pointing his finger toward Stanczyk.

"Ah-ha, it's meeeee!" Stanczyk leapt up from his table with his signature shit-eating grin. "Wasn't that just a fun song, kids?! It definitely made me want to eat a bunch of chicken now! Hehehehe! Hahahaha! Hohohohoho!"

"Um, do you really think this is some kind of joke?" Yukihiko asked, irritated. "The lyrics had a lot of foul language! And you expect this place to be for kids? Ugh, I would totally sue if I had a lawyer…"

"Haha, foul language!" Stanczyk giggled. "Good one!"

"Th-That wasn't the–" Yukihiko pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration.

"Well, if you're offended by the language, then I don't know what to say," Stanczyk looked down, his mouth slightly quivering. "I- I mean, Monoyena worked so hard to write the lyrics that it just… *sniffle* Are you saying you hate Monoyena's artistic talent?"

"Monoyena wrote it?" Yukihiko blinked. He sighed and resumed cradling his teddy bear. "You know what. Everything makes so much sense now."

"Why are you here anyway?" Issac frowned. "And also, that was me asking, not Isolde. Just in case you were wondering…"

"Glad you asked, little boy!" Stanczyk's face shifted back to his excitable, childish persona. He gave a mock salute and took out a random notepad and pen from out of nowhere. "Welcome to Clucks Deluxe! How may I, Stanczyk, take your order?!"

"H-Hey, that's my job!" Daisuke pointed his index finger toward the jester.

"Oh ho," Issac felt his body relax, momentarily. "I guess this is the one place in this entire park so far that we can eat in, huh?"

"That's right!" Stanczyk tossed his notepad and pen behind him. "You can order whatever you like, whenever you like! And best of all, it's all free! So eat as much chicken as you like! From Chicken Eggs! To Chicken Sandwiches! To Chicken Legs! And Chicken–"

"We heard the song, sweet boy," Yukihiko said, shaking his head. "No need to repeat it."

"Aww," Stanczyk glanced down, disappointed.

"So, I guess since you're here to take our orders, you have a menu or…" Issac began.

"Oh, no, no no," Stanczyk chuckled to himself. "You're a little mistaken! You see, I was just playing around as a waiter!"

"As he did in Season 2, Episode 11 of Stanczyk Says," Yukihiko smiled and nodded to himself. "'Stanczyk Runs a Restaurant.'"

"Ooh, you remembered!" Stanczyk started to sniffle, placing a hand over his heart. The jester was clearly touched by Yukihiko's non-stop Stanczyk Says trivia. "Th-That's enough to make me–"

"No, no," Issac shook his head. "Before you start crying, you need to tell us how we order food around here. We're starving."

"I'm not," Daisuke pointed out.

"I was referring to Isolde and me, Kido," Issac added with a sigh.

"I-I'm s-sorry…" Stanczyk's grin started to shake. "B-But when the waterworks starts… y-you can't put them out! WAAAAAAAHHHHHHH! Y-YOU KIDS ARE SO NICE!"

Stanczyk had ripped off a piece of his jabot and began to wave it in the air as a stream of tears poured out of his mask's eye sockets. Leaving the jester to cry, Issac turned back to the other two.

"Well, who knows how long he's going to cry for," Issac brushed his pink hair to the side and shook his head. "Anyone got any ideas on how to get some food around here?"

Although the room's ambience was replaced with Stanczyk sobbing in the corner, Daisuke timidly raised his hand and walked toward the machines that were on the left of the room. Feeling the gazes of his peers, Daisuke nervously began to speak.

"U-Um, well, back in my local Clucks Deluxes…" Daisuke began as he tapped the machine. "We often had similar machines like these to make our order. After that, well, once our number is called, we just pick up the food…"

"But there's no staff," Yukihiko pointed out. "How exactly do you pick up food that's not even being made?"

"I… *sniffle* can answer that!" Stanczyk slowly stood up from the ground and wiped his tears with the same piece of his jabot, before tucking it neatly underneath his crest. "Y-You see, the food *hiccup* is made through an automated system. S-So *sniffle* literally there is no need for any staff when you have nice robots to make the food for you."

"I see, so everything is automated…" Issac perked his head.

The explanation of how the food was made was swiftly interrupted by the southern drawl of a voice announcing the number:

"Order #66. We have an Order #66 here!"

"Ah, it worked!" Daisuke strolled his way toward the Pick-Up Window and sure enough, it was there:

A tray with one large piece of chicken leg and some mashed potatoes and gravy. A classic Clucks Deluxe special.

Then, turning back to see three pairs of eyes staring back at him, he gulped to himself. Normally, when people stared at him like that, it probably meant he did something wrong. Or at least, that was what years of anxiety and depression would like him to believe. So timidly, he started to sweat.

"E-Er, I'm sorry did you guys–" Daisuke was about to ask before both Issac and Yukihiko moved toward the machine.

"Finally, some good food," Yukihiko sighed in relief. "Me next."

"Isolde says, 'Ladies first'," Issac smiled at Yukihiko.

As it turned out, the three pairs of eyes staring back at him was just a look of hunger. Or at least, in the case of Yukihiko and Issac. For Stanczyk, he seemed to have calmed his sobfest and seemed to really be happy that people were enjoying their time in the park. Eyeing the jester curiously, Daisuke could've sworn that Stanczyk's grin widened.

Was he really that happy that people were enjoying their time in the park?

[Pleasure Park]

(Square)

When Aidan, Alisa, Beauté, and Kazuki arrived at the end of the Happy Highway, instantly the sunset orange vibes of the Street section of the Happy Highway had turned into a somewhat normal garden-type area that served as yet another roundabout connecting its streets toward the Highway, with yet another golden statue standing at 8 feet, this time of Stanczyk.

Stanczyk's grin was much similar to the actual Stanczyk that they have seen running around. His signature pose was a simple wave and it seemed that below him was what seemed to be a 3-inch-wide storm drain. Whatever it was for, the four didn't know until they realized that there were some water marks over his body, including the statue's chain link, shoulder plate, and moon-crested jabot.

On the right was a white wooden sign decorated with a flowery mural and the words:

'PLEASURE PARK'

'Since 1971'

Surrounding this rather circular area, were patches of grasses and trees that anyone could relax and sit around like just another day at the picnic, situated directly in the corners of the area. Also to note were giant gates with big metallic locks on them blocking the path on the left, path on the right, and the path straight ahead.

"Well, looks like this might be a dead end," Aidan rubbed his chin. "What's with the giant locks?"

"Perhaps they are areas that are to be unlocked in the future?" Alisa suggested as she glanced ever-so-slightly toward her pocket watch. "I can't imagine a Killing Arena not allowing the entire park to be used at our disposal after all…"

Holding up her pocket watch and taking one more step, she hummed.

"It would also seem that from the Street section…" Alisa began. "If we subtract three minutes and 32 seconds from our strategy process, the entire street is about a five minute and 12 second walk. If we walk at the slow snail-like pace we did, that is…"

"Please calculate the length of a street in meters like a normal person," Aidan wiped his water-coated lips with the top of his wrist.

"Regardless… it looks like we have yet another statue straight ahead…" Kazuki kept one eye open as he walked closer toward the statue of Stanczyk. "And another plaque…"

Sure enough, the moment he walked closer, he spotted a similar plaque to the one for the Lady Radiance statue. This time, however, there were a different set of words for the four to read and theorize amongst themselves.

"To uncover the sixth ark

Find five pieces of treasure

Present them here at the park

And you'll receive your pleasure."

"Five pieces of treasure?" Aidan scratched the back of his neck, confused. "What, like, golden tokens or something?"

"Ah heh," Beauté smirked, placing her hand over her lips. "Is that your final answer?"

"W-Well, no, I was just…" Aidan responded accordingly.

"You seem to know something," Alisa pocketed her watch and folded her arms, staring at the redhead expectantly. "Don't waste our time and keep us waiting. Go ahead and spell it out."

"And spoil the answer?" Beauté cupped one side of her chin. "That wouldn't be fair, now, would it?"

"Hey, if you know something, you have to tell us," Aidan frowned. "We're on the same team here. If it's anything that can help us find the boy, then it has to be something we need to know!"

"Ah heh heh heh," Beauté smiled, mirthfully. "Whatever the case is, it most certainly can help the boy. But I doubt it is a path your righteous pride would like you and the others to take…"

"W-What?" Aidan remained confused as ever.

"...She won't say a thing until someone figures it out…" Kazuki sighed. Opening one eye and stepping away from the plaque, he kept an open mind out to the meaning of the plaque. "Regardless… This should be a topic of conversation that should be held when everyone is available."

"It seems like Kazuki has figured it out," Alisa pushed her glasses up. "And frankly, to save time, I am willing to agree with him."

"Oh, how elegant," Beauté chuckled. "It seems like everyone's figured it out but our supposed leader."

Mockingly, the mysterious bitch looked down with taunting shame.

"What a shame," she shook her head.

"O-Oh come on, this isn't fair!" Aidan frowned. "I'm physically smart! Not book smart!"

Regardless of who was smart or not, Pleasure Park didn't have much to offer them in terms of exploration purposes. Aside from the towering grinning statue of Stanczyk, which began to leak water from the statue's open eye sockets and dripped down through the storm drain (seriously creepy by the way), the four decided to report back toward the park's exit in hopes that they would be able to regroup with everyone else and share what they have found.

After all, with the Happy Highway and presumably the entirety of Pleasure Park open, what else was there to check out?

[Hotel Mirai]

(Lobby)

The sun had begun to set as the 16 playmates made their way out of the park. Grouping back together at the Hotel Lobby, everyone sat in assorted spots, with some even standing in the corner to discuss all that they had found in Piero's Playground currently open areas.

And of course, taking charge, Aidan stood up and placed his bottle of water down on the glass table.

"So, I guess no one here came close to finding the kid, right?" Aidan sighed, taking out another bottle of water. "Water? Anyone?"

"Unfortunately, no," Alina glanced away, slightly disappointed. Turning back to the track star, a smile of determination reappeared on her face. "But I'm sure we'll have better luck tomorrow!"

"If we couldn't find him today," Issac sighed, playing with one of Isolde's antennas. "What makes you so sure we'll find him tomorrow?"

"W-Well, we just need to remain positive about all of this!" Alina pumped her fists. "I mean, some attractions weren't even open today so maybe those would give us a clue about where we should keep looking!"

"I must agree with Alina," Kikuko raised her hand, discreetly. "So, at the moment, I would like to suggest we go over the things we have all found at what Piero's Playground had currently offered us today..."

"That is a great idea, Kikuko!" Aidan gave the shrine maiden a thumbs-up.

"If that be the case, ah suppose ah would like to go first," Yumi kept her arms at her side, as if she were ready to pull out a gun… Even though she didn't really have one on her anyway. "I was with the gang consisting of Roderick, Kikuko, and Mara, checking out the Street section of the Highway."

"Okay, and was there anything of interest?" Fábio asked.

"Aside from a photo-op, nay," Roderick shook his head. "There be a police station, but it be only served as decoration. Getting in would be as impossible as escaping a tsunami wave…"

"Mara mentioned there was a gift shop in the form of a gas station," Kikuko closed her eyes as she recounted their investigation. "But according to her, the gift shop is not open."

"Is this true, Mara?" Aidan turned to the karate master, who had tensed up hearing her own name being mentioned.

Avoiding the curious gazes of her peers, she gave a simple shrug.

"Yes," as well as a simple response.

"It seems like Mara decided to investigate with an entirely different group after all," Alina noted. "Well, I guess it doesn't matter too much. But Riku and I checked out Riku's Ultimate Attraction!"

"It was an abomination I tell you," Riku spat. "The music was atrocious. The set design was bland! Everything was just so horrid! I would rather perform a lobotomy than have to deal with such an ordeal again!"

"Um, don't lie!" Alina pouted, placing her hands over her hips. "The theater wasn't even open today!"

"Tch," Riku glanced away with a scoff.

"Anyway, because the theater wasn't open, I wanted to actually check it out tomorrow," Alina pointed out with a smile. Then, she turned to Riku with a more suggestive smile. "And maybe get someone here to appreciate some music."

"I would rather pierce my blood vessels than attend a defamation of my Ultimate talent," Riku shot a nasty glare toward the girl.

"Speaking of stuff, I want to check tomorrow…" Fábio stepped up. "I checked Manon's Ultimate Attraction with Manon and Emmeline."

"Oui, my attraction is one big dueling coaster," Manon feigned a swoon by placing her elbow over her forehead and leaning back. "C'est magnifique! C'est bonne! C'est fantastique!"

"Oh cool, so did you three get to ride it?" Aidan smiled.

"...Quoi?" Manon opened her eyes in the middle of her over dramatic pose. "O-Oh um…"

"W-Well, I was hoping a couple of us could ride the coaster together," Fábio fixed his sleeve, faintly sweating. "I mean, Manon and Emmeline were too scared to go on it so…"

"Excusez-moi?!" Manon gasped. She frowned and looked at the figure skater disappointedly. "So were you, Monsieur Barbosa!"

"And I have an upset stomach!" Emmeline pouted.

"Okay, well I'm not fond of the idea of riding a roller coaster all by myself," Fábio played with his ringlet locks.

"So, in other words, none of you actually rode the roller coaster," Alisa snapped her pocket watch shut as she listened to this conversation. "If I may ask, why would riding the roller coaster help look for a lost boy? From the sounds of it, it just seems like one big waste of time…"

"Well, Monoyena mentioned that the ride itself has something special involved with it," Emmeline pointed out as chewed on yet another pill. "So, that's why Mister Fábio wanted to check it out!"

"Yeah, what she said," Fábio closed his eyes and stuffed his hands in his pockets, still feeling the shame of chickening out of the ride.

The next to step up and announce what they had reported was Issac, who leaned back against one of the arcade machines in the lobby. Raising his hand, he spoke and flashed a look that got most fans of boy band idols to swoon.

"Isolde is happy to report that she found a place to eat," Issac declared.

"Um, it wasn't just your silly caterpillar, you poor sweet boy," Yukihiko pointed his baby bottle toward the toymaker. "It was you, me, and Daisuke as well."

"O-Oh yeah," Daisuke twiddled his fingers together. Slouching and allowing the tips of his index finger to touch, he looked up timidly. "M-My Ultimate Attraction is located in the Street section of the Highway. Th-There are machines in the building where you can order whatever you want and get it as a pick-up order. F-From what I've seen on the menu, it's pretty much the classic stuff you would find in your local Clucks Deluxe."

"Sweet, so at least we have a food source," Alina smiled brightly.

"Quick question," Aidan raised his hand. "Is the menu nothing but chicken?"

"W-Well, it is Clucks Deluxe…" Daisuke gulped, looking down. "S-So yeah…"

"Aww man!" Aidan slapped the side of his head in frustration. "You gotta be kidding me! And that's the only food source in the park?! How is anyone supposed to be healthy eating nothing but fried chicken?!"

"It's an amusement park," Alisa deadpanned, deciding to acknowledge the track star's complaints. "The food is never healthy…"

"Oh yes, I suppose there is another thing that you must all know about," Yukihiko hugged his teddy bear tightly. "As Daisuke's Ultimate Attraction is a dinner show, there is a chicken animatronic that serves as your source of entertainment. To activate him, you would need to press a button that says 'PARTY TIME'."

The child caregiver began to shudder.

"It will be the most unsettling thing you see," Yukihiko glanced at his painted nails. "Please do not say that I did not warn you."

"Robot chicken, food, button, got it!" Yumi seemed the most interested in checking out Daisuke's Attraction.

Alisa checked her watch for a brief moment before nodding and fixing her glasses on her face.

"It is time," Alisa began. "Aidan, Beauté, Kazuki, and I discovered a place called Pleasure Park, located at the end of the Happy Highway."

"Just based on what we've seen…" Kazuki began, keeping his arms folded as he leaned back against the couch he sat on. "...It would seem like Pleasure Park serves as the center point to Piero's Playground… Because there are other paths to other parts of the park that are currently locked for some reason…"

"Such an elegant response," Beauté smirked. "And indeed, I think it's time we talk about the most compelling thing we found at Pleasure Park…"

All attention was now on the group that actually went to Pleasure Park. If they found something that seemed to be of heavy importance, it was imperative that they know something about it as soon as–

"The plaque," Aidan revealed, placing a hand over his forehead.

"Yes, indeed," Beauté leaned against the bar that she had all to herself. "Much like the plaque at the Highway, there was another plaque at the Pleasure Park underneath a statue of Stanczyk."

"To uncover the sixth ark…" Kazuki recounted. "Find five pieces of treasure… Present them here at the park… And you'll receive your pleasure…"

"Same riddle-type format," Alina looked to be at a loss.

"I do wonder if anyone has figured out the connection between this plaque and the Highway's plaque…" Beauté smacked her currently closed hand fan onto the palm of her hands. "Of course, I already have…"

"And she would rather waste time to make us figure it out ourselves," Alisa sighed.

"No need to worry…" Kazuki shook his head, keeping one eye open. "...I might have an idea what Beauté is trying to get at here…"

"Well, don't be keeping the rest of the crew waiting," Roderick blinked. "Tell us!"

Kazuki fixed his tie and let out a heavy sigh. It was a conclusion he had reached not too long ago. And at the same time, it was a conclusion he also wasn't very happy to share with the group. Because revealing this tidbit of information may just create an outcry of horror…

"...If I had to offer a supposition…" Kazuki glumly stated. "I believe we've heavily underestimated just how burdensome our search for the boy would be…"

"What do you mean?" Emmeline tilted her head, curiously.

"Remember that the plaque at the Highway talked about a prize…" Kazuki began. "If you connect the prize to be one of the five treasures we need to find… Then you will also have to remember what the Highway plaque said was required to receive this prize…"

"Oh my, how elegantly put!" Beauté clapped her hands, condescendingly. "You continue to impress me more and more, Mister Nobukatsu!"

"W-Wait, but the Highway plaque said that in order to claim the prize…" Daisuke gulped. "W-We need to spill the blood of… one…"

"And that is exactly the answer to our conundrum!" Beauté took out her hand fan and covered the lower half of her face. "This is the true test of the game being put into fruition! Just how much do we truly want to save the boy?! Because if we truly want to save him…"

"One person has to die…" Kazuki nodded, conclusively.

"N-No, wait, hold on!" Aidan slammed his water bottle on the table. "No! That can't be it! You guys can't just reach a conclusion like that so quickly! It's a message in rhyme on a plaque! Th-There… M-Maybe there's a double meaning to it! A hidden meaning! Maybe spilling the blood of one could just mean, pricking your thumb or something like that!"

"Y-Yeah, I… I don't want to believe that the only way to save the boy is to kill someone…" Alina started to bend her conductor's baton, nervously.

"Nay," Roderick shook his head. "The reality of the situation be worse than killing one person. The Park plaque mentioned five treasures. And if ye need to spill the blood of one to get one treasure, then what about the other four? How much blood would we have to spill for the other four treasures…?"

"No!" Aidan shook his head frantically. "Stop talking like that! We are not letting this be our conclusion! We are all going back tomorrow and we're going to find the boy without shedding any blood!"

Aidan tightened his fist as he looked at his peers.

"J-Just… Come on guys!" Aidan started to panic. "This is crazy! I mean… We can't really expect ourselves to…"

"I told you all before," Beauté sighed behind the hand fan that covered the lower half of her face. "We are in a Killing Game based on sacrifice. Based on the very ethical problems explored by the Trolley Problem…"

Beauté closed her hand fan, revealing the entirety of her intrigued face.

"And as I recall," Beauté started to silently giggle to herself. "In the grand scheme of things, someone will inevitably die. That's just the way this game was designed…"

There was an eerie silence in the room as everyone took in what the other was saying. While a majority of the group tried to remain on Aidan's optimistic side, Beauté's words were undoubtedly having a serious effect on them. Deep down, no matter how much they wanted to believe Aidan, they knew that perhaps Beauté was right. No matter how hard they tried to escape, they could never escape the game's design.

In a game of sacrifice…

Someone will inevitably die….

That's just how it worked…

That was the Piero's Playground Killing Game…

DANGANRONPA: TWISTED TRAGEDY

And here it is! The premiere of the first Chapter of Danganronpa: Twisted Tragedy! Chapter 1: On Road to Despair! What a fantastic title- Hey wait a minute here...

Ahem, I can say for a fact that the game has now officially started! We have new locations that took me so much time to describe and visualize in my head XE We have a Killing Game type! And the characters, oh ho, they are not ready for what is to come, hehehehe... MWAHAHAHAHA! But seriously, really sorry for the long wait you had to endure for this chapter! Chapter 5 for Corrupted Hope was crazy but now I'm here to devote all my time to Chapter 1 of Twisted Tragedy before going back to Corrupted Hope :D

In the endgame for Corrupted Hope, in the first act for Twisted Tragedy!

Oh, what fun!

Special shoutout to Omakin for allowing me to take his characters- I mean, borrow and reference his characters. Special shoutout to Nekoja, whose character although didn't make it into the main cast, actually made it in as a character in the fic! And of course, special shoutout to Otterplay, who has premiered his Prologue to Danganronpa: Algorithmic Alteration.

It's Danganronpa but FAAAAAAR OUUUUTTT DUUUUUUDE!

Regardless, as for this fic, please let me know how I did with these characters and the chapter. If there's anything I need to change, please let me know! Love it? Hate it? Theories? Opinions? Let me know! Review it now! And I look forward to what's to come :D

Chapter 1 starts now! And you're all on the road to despair :D

Playmates Remaining: 16

Aidan Brighton - The Ultimate Track Star [Omakin]

Alina Summers - The Ultimate Maestro [Otterplay]

Alisa Zachary - The Ultimate Clockmaker [ExtraMeme]

Beautè Morose - The Ultimate ? [Grandma Sue]

Daisuke Kido - The Ultimate Fast-Food Employee [CandleFire45]

Emmeline Swan - The Ultimate Lepidopterist [Prince PokePersona]

Fábio Barbosa - The Ultimate Figure Skater [Rayy12]

Issac Santiago - The Ultimate Toymaker [oddlyillregular]

Kazuki Nobukatsu - The Ultimate Philanthropist [emberblitz321]

Kikuko Unmei - The Ultimate Shrine Priestess [WolfieRed23]

Manon Vivienne Levesque - The Ultimate Actress [Sempi]

Marabel "Mara" Garcia - The Ultimate Karate Master [Epifanio Therion]

Riku Arakawa - The Ultimate Doctor [theotakureader101]

Roderick Cutler - The Ultimate Deep Sea Fisherman [Orlando Butler]

Yukihiko Yuno - The Ultimate Child Caregiver [Weekaro]

Yumi Gundo - Ultimate Gunslinger [MrUtenaHolic]

Guest Stars:

Arianna Rodriguez/Lady Radiance [Omakin]

Spellcaster [Omakin]

Mrs. Claws [nekoja]