Chapter 1: On Road to Despair (Daily Life #4)

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!

"Psst, Yuki. Pssst."

Yukihiko groggily opened his eyes. He rubbed his eyes, turned toward his bedside and saw Saki standing beside him. She was holding his teddy bear in her arms, eyes pleading for comfort. Judging on how messy her hair was and how it was still dark outside, Yukihiko knew that it was still the middle of the night for them.

He slowly sat up and yawned.

"Saki?" Yukihiko tiredly asked. "What's wrong, sweet pea?"

Saki bashfully looked down. She had a look of shame on her face as she hugged the teddy bear tightly. Immediately, he understood. Pinching the corners of his eyes, he got out of bed and sighed, giving Saki a warm smile.

"Another accident?" Yukihiko questioned.

"...I'm sorry Yuki," Saki kept her voice low. "I had another nightmare."

"No need to be sorry, sweet pea," Yukihiko placed a hand on her shoulder. He tilted his head. "Does mom and dad know about this?"

"...Mom said to come to you," Saki tightened her grip on the teddy bear.

Of course she did, Yukihiko grimaced in his thoughts.

Quickly, his look of disdain shifted back into that comforting smile he gave to every one of his siblings. With a sigh, he held out his hand. When Saki took it, he led her out of his room and into Saki's.

…

Yukihiko draped a new sheet over the mattress and yawned once again. Waking up in the middle of the night to help with his younger siblings' mishaps was a common occurrence. Tending to Saki was much more common than just common. She, along with her twin brother, Rejiro, were the youngest of the siblings, which meant they were prone to more accidents than the other.

And being the oldest meant he had to set an example for them. The big brother who was supposed to take care of them whenever Mommy and Daddy couldn't. At least, that was what Mom had told him by the time the fourth child was born.

It made sense back then.

But now, Yukihiko wondered if maybe all of that was just an excuse. That maybe all of this was…

Yukihiko rubbed his head. He was working with three hours of sleep. It was worse when Saki and Rejiro were just toddlers since he had to feed them the bottle and comfort them whenever they cried at night. Honestly, it was exhausting.

He patted the sheet, making sure it was nice and tidy, ready to go back to bed.

"There we go," Yukihiko muttered. "Good as new."

"...Yuki," Saki looked down. "Can I sleep with Loofah tonight?"

Yukihiko glanced at the teddy bear. Loofah was the name he gave an old plush octopus he had back as a kid. But after it was destroyed as a series of pass-me-downs, Yukihiko replaced it with the teddy bear that he often took care of like it was his own child. To give it to Saki though…

He squatted down and smiled at her.

"That nightmare must've really frightened you, huh?" Yukihiko sighed. "But you know what they say, sweet pea. It was just a dream."

"But it felt so real," Saki muttered.

Yukihiko's curiosity peaked. He helped Saki onto her bed and sat beside her. He could see that whatever had frightened her had frightened her enough to stay awake the rest of the night. He helped her lay down and allowed her to keep Loofah by her side. Placing a hand on her hair and smoothing it back for her, he tried his best to make her feel as comfortable as possible.

"What was it about?" Yukihiko asked, curiously.

"You'll laugh," Saki pouted.

"Try me," Yukihiko smirked.

"...I dreamt about Mr. Stanczyk," Saki turned her gaze, embarrassed.

Yukihiko looked at her, slightly incredulous. Mr. Stanczyk? As in that jester from that silly cartoon the others loved to watch? Coulrophobia was a very popular fear so he couldn't exactly blame her for that but…

"See?" Saki frowned. "You think it's stupid."

"I never said that," Yukihiko snickered.

"You don't have to," Saki pouted. "I can see it on your face!"

"Guilty," Yukihiko chuckled. He scooted closer to her. "Sweet pea, what did Mr. Stanczyk do in your dream?"

Saki started to shake. She hugged Loofah and looked down.

"I dreamt that he went into Mommy and Daddy's room and hurt them," Saki recounted. "And he was going to hurt you too."

"But…?" Yukihiko raised an eyebrow.

"...But I woke up," Saki revealed. "It was so scary, Yuki. I was so scared."

"And you don't have to be anymore," Yukihiko revealed to her. "Mr. Stanczyk is just a character from a cartoon. He won't hurt Mommy, Daddy, or me. And I know for a fact he won't hurt you."

Saki remained unconvinced. She kept her blanket at a length enough to almost fully cover herself with for makeshift protection. Yukihiko sighed. He figured there was only one way to get her back to sleep.

"My sweet sister don't cry tonight

For I will never leave you

Those monsters will try to fight

But I will break them in two

So, tuck yourself well and tight

Your brother will fight them, too

When things are good and right

You'll know not to feel sad and blue."

He slowly stopped, watching her cuddle up to him. He knew that his lullaby was working. Her eyes had slowly become droopy and sleepy. With a sigh, he made sure to keep her light on and prepared to leave the bed. But Saki gripped his shirt.

"No, don't leave," Saki tiredly and meekly stated. "Please don't leave, Yuki…"

Yukihiko paused.

He remained where he was and climbed onto the same bed as her with a sigh. He patted her on the shoulder as she buried herself into him. Though her voice grew softer and softer the more she felt compelled to sleep, Yukihiko could make out one comment that made him tense up.

"...Please don't ever leave us, Yuki," Saki mumbled.

Yukihiko kept quiet.

He looked at Saki sympathetically. He had nothing to say to that. Just hearing her say that… It scared him a little. Was this forever going to be his life? To get up in the middle of the night, share a half-baked lullaby, and then never go back to bed for the rest of the night? Was this all he was destined to be?

Just a child caregiver?

Yukihiko found little freedom in that. He could see that Saki had drifted off to sleep and yet despite the fact that she was snoozing, Yukihiko couldn't even bring himself to leave. It was as if he were shackled to his own little sister. All while thinking to himself…

Was this what his life was meant to be?

Was he never going to have a different purpose? A different destiny? A different outcome? Was he destined to do this forever?

Where was it?

Where would it be?

His… New Life…?

Yukihiko didn't know as he remained by Saki's side. His eyes drooped a little as he felt the fatigue take over his anxious mind. Saki didn't want him to leave. Frankly, it was possible that none of his family members wanted him to leave.

But what if he wanted to?

Did he truly have no say in that matter…?

[Hotel Mirai]

(Yukihiko's Room)

Would You Rather Save the Girl or the Boy?

A. Girl

B. Boy

Yukihiko bit his lip as he switched between the Survey and Photo applications on his eTicket. He seethed in annoyance and defiance. As he switched to the two videos that were sent to the group, the question of who he would rather save was etched inside his brain. And as he switched to the question on the survey, all he could see in his mind were the miserable images of the boy and girl.

In comparison to their last Survey question, the choice here was much more difficult than Yukihiko would've liked. He wasn't sure what to do. On the one hand, neither Stanczyk nor Monoyena said anything about what would happen if you simply abstained from voting. On the other hand, to not choose at all wasn't going to ease his frustrations.

What was it that Beauté called it?

The Trolley Problem?

What was the correct choice, ethically? Would he save the girl or the boy? The girl that he knew almost nothing about but somehow reminded him of his youngest sister? Or the boy that had started it all?

The more his mind tried to conjure up pros and cons, the more irritated he got.

Why?

Why did he have to do this? What was the point of choosing between the lives of two children? And how could that clown, a supposed friend of all children, do this to two innocent lives?!

He felt his cheeks burn in fury as he hovered his finger over the options.

Who was he going to choose?

Who was it going to be?

Was it going to be the girl?

Was it going to be the boy?

Yukihiko held his breath.

…

Then, he picked an option.

(Lobby)

Beauté smirked to herself as she watched the atmosphere of the room unfold.

Even though the Survey had been revealed the night prior, the anxiety and stress of their worsened situation carried over to the next morning. She could see the looks on everyone's faces. Every single one of them: worried, concerned, and flustered.

Aidan had been pacing around the room. Alina had been standing beside him, trying to offer him water.

Others like Fábio and Emmeline were deeply disturbed. And other others had their eyes glued on the Survey question at hand.

Frankly, it was elegant to watch.

She twirled an empty wine glass around, drawing her fingers on the rim. Her look of amusement never wavered as she especially enjoyed just how tense and eerie this atmosphere had become. If she actually had wine in that glass, this would be a momentous occasion to drink.

Her mouth curled into a devilish grin.

"Elegant weather we're having, isn't it?" Beauté casually remarked.

The casual way she spoke was enough to shift looks of disapproval and disbelief her way. But the mysterious ultimate certainly relished in it. That much was evident in her crazy-eyed expression.

"How could you be so casual about this?" Alina forced a smile. "Doesn't it bother you? Seeing those helpless children on those videos like that?"

"Ah heh heh, of course it does," Beauté smirked.

"Unconvinced," Issac shook his head.

"Speaking of videos, did anyone here answer the Survey question?" Fábio questioned.

"No," Riku folded his arms.

"Nay," Roderick shook his head.

"Well, ah contemplated but…" Yumi looked down nervously.

"I did!" Emmeline raised her hand.

The lepidopterist was met with assorted gasps of surprise. If anything, Emmeline was probably the most innocent one of the groups so to hear that she answered the question with little problem was kind of crazy to hear.

"W-What?" Emmeline noticed the looks she was getting. "It was a very easy question."

"In what universe is this an easy question?" Kikuko blinked, surprised.

"Emmeline, who did you vote for?" Fábio seriously asked.

"Well, the boy…" Emmeline blinked.

"Emmeline!" Manon gasped. "You would choose the boy over ze girl? Pourquoi?!"

"W-Well, a lot of our efforts so far were because of the boy," Emmeline explained, looking down in confusion. "Wouldn't it feel like betrayal if we chose to save the girl over the boy we started with?"

"Yes, but the girl was a new addition," Alisa pointed out. "Frankly, I believe it is better to prevent the girl from losing that precious time of her life…"

"And the boy doesn't?!" Kikuko didn't seem pleased by Alisa's reasoning.

"Y-Yeah, but it's a little girl…" Daisuke lamely responded.

"So what?" Kikuko frowned. "When was gender a factor in this argument?"

"Ah heh heh…"

Here we go again.

The room fell silent as all eyes turned to Beauté. She had been listening to the discourse and simply remained satisfied by all that was happening. Given how tense and heated the room had become over this debate, Beauté's reaction to it all certainly didn't help ease any concerns and frustrations.

"Don't you see that Stanczyk's and Monoyena's plan have already succeeded?" Beauté giggled. "The discourse and debate that had arisen from that chilling question… Now this is what the Trolley Problem is meant to do. Spark a conflict amongst us. Every single one of us here, letting pride and our ego get clouded to do what we think is right."

Beauté placed her hands over her blushing cheeks as she cackled, excitedly. It was not a sight any of them were happy to see.

"Of course gender is a big contributor to these types of scenarios!" Beauté declared. "Imagine that you have been held hostage at a bank. The police are armed outside. The robbers threaten the police that if they try anything, they'll start killing hostages. But whose lives do you think the police would bargain for?"

No one really wanted to answer her.

"Oh please, Mr. Robber," Beauté mocked. "At least let the women and children go! Don't hurt the women and children!"

The mysterious ultimate took out her hand fan and used it to hide the right half of her face. All the while, she maintained her sinister grin.

"The same goes for a house fire or when a cruise ship starts to sink or when there's a shootout," Beauté continued. "Who gets to leave first and who has to stay behind? It's a courteous sacrifice that this question was birthed upon! And Stanczyk and Monoyena had gladly leveled the playing field for this to work."

"Leveled the playing field?" Alina blinked.

"Assuming that the girl was a new addition our question now becomes…" Beauté began. "Would we rather save the girl who had just arrived in Hell or save the boy who's been in Hell much longer?"

Beauté closed her hand fan and smacked it against the palm of her hands.

"Isn't it fantastic?" the mysterious ultimate leaned forward with heightened emotions.

Hearing Beauté explain the logic behind this question made it all too apparent that there were more to these questions that met the eye. To save a girl who had apparently just got into this mess or save the boy who had been suffering longer than she has…

"But why?" Aidan had long stopped pacing around and kept his hands clenched. "Why make us play these stupid 'Would You Rather' games?! What's the damn point behind all of this?!"

"Isn't it obvious?" Beauté smirked. "I theorize that whoever we do not choose in the end may be our sacrificial lamb…"

"N-No!" Aidan refuted, heatedly. "Don't say that! I refuse to believe that! There has to be a way to save both! There just has to be!"

"As far as I'm concerned, handsome, there is only one way to save both."

Yukihiko was the last person to arrive at today's Morning Meeting. Even though it's really been like four Morning Meetings, for Yukihiko to be late was a little out of character. But one look at his distant expression, and it was clear the child caregiver had a relatively darkened thought on his mind.

"N-No, don't say it," Aidan shook his head. "D-Don't say it."

"...Someone here is going to have to sacrifice themselves for those two children," Yukihiko said seriously. He turned to Beauté. "That is how the game works, correct?"

"Oh, you know it," Beauté smirked. "I suspect that if we do that, the children should be–"

"STOP!" Aidan shouted.

Beauté was slightly taken aback by Aidan's outburst. In fact, everyone was, evidenced by how eerily quiet the room had gotten. Aidan stared at Yukihiko and Beauté with a betrayed look on his face. He had enough of what nonsense they had rambled. He had enough of what thoughts they had. He had enough.

"Th-This… This isn't the only way," Aidan gritted his teeth. "I refuse. I refuse to play along with Stanczyk's and Monoyena's games!"

"Honey," Yukihiko softly sighed. "Your denial isn't going to get us anywhere. If we don't do something soon, those children will die."

"You don't know that!" Aidan shook his head. "All you've guys been doing is infer and theorize and make wild guesses! There's still so much we don't know! How are you guys this quick to go straight to the conclusion that we have to kill each other?!"

The track star's fists tightened.

"...Screw this," Aidan grimaced. "I'm going in there! I'll find something! You guys are welcome to join me but if you're going to go and consider murdering someone, don't even try to bother!"

It was clear that Aidan was saying things out of impulse now. All of his demands could be easily countered but the track star didn't want to waste any more time arguing over dimes and nickels. He couldn't waste any more time. Those children needed them. Needed him. More than ever.

Hurriedly, he stormed out of the Hotel Lobby.

"W-Wait, Aidan!" Daisuke suddenly called out.

"Leave him, Daisuke," Alina watched Aidan leave somberly. "He needs his time alone."

She turned back toward the others, trying to hide her look of displeasure toward Beauté, who had been the major catalyst to their Morning Meeting going south (but also the major catalyst to the drama and conflict of this scene!).

"And we need to get to searching," Alina forced a determined smile. "Like Aidan, I refuse to believe that we have to go to such lengths. We just… We just need to…"

She pumped her fist and smiled.

"...Keep a positive mindset!" Alina declared.

She was met with glances of uncertainty. It was clear that no one was really sharing her sentiment here. Every single one of her peers were starting to take into consideration what Yukihiko and Beauté had been suggesting. And every single one of her peers were losing the hope they needed to bother with their fourth investigation since their time here.

In a game where there is no right answer, what would be the right thing to do…?

Was there really a right thing to do?

Was there really a right in this game at all…?

Yukihiko wasn't sure and all he could do was keep to himself as he breathed in his bitter morning conclusion. His mind had wandered to what he said. Tch. He couldn't believe that he had said it.

And yet, it was a little haunting as he thought back to it...

[Happy Highway]

(Pit Stop)

Aidan peeked through the Gift Shop window.

Frustration was clear on his face for many reasons. It was clear that his peers were seriously starting to consider this deadly game of sacrifice. It didn't take a small, smooth brain to know how much Beauté encouraged it but what really set him off was the fact that Yukihiko was willing to agree with her ideals.

These people were giving up already and there's no way he could allow that to happen! There's no way he was going to let this game of sacrifice play out as Stanczyk and Monoyena had wanted it to! He was going to find those children!

He had to!

Otherwise…

The Gift Shop was the single most curious place on these grounds. For the past few days, everyone had commented on how the Gift Shop had yet to open. And just like those past few days, Aidan could see all too well that the Gift Shop was still closed.

No matter how hard he peeked through the window, there was nothing within that he could make out. But he reckoned that if there was any place that would contain one of the children, it had to be here! It had to be at the Gift Shop!

Who cares if it was closed?!

He was going in!

Aidan picked up a nearby trash can and raised it over his head. Those kids were in danger. And if there was any place they could be, they had to be here! They had to be here at the Gift Shop! They just had to be here at the–

"Aghhhhhh!" Aidan yelled in frustration, preparing to throw it toward the Gift Shop's window.

"Oi, wanker!"

Knowing full well who that voice belonged to, Aidan didn't care and merely threw the trash can toward the window. But instead of shattering into pieces, the trash can merely bounced off and toppled to the ground…

…What?

"Bwa…Bwahahahahaha!" Monoyena cackled hysterically, walking closer to him. "Ya fucking moron! Ya didn't think we would've counted on someone to pull this kinda stunt?!"

He took out his Barbie Blade and began to lick it.

"Shame the can didn't bounce back and hit ya on your noggin, though," Monoyena's red eye flashed. "That would've been fucking funny! Bwa…. Bwahahahaha!"

"Is that why you're here?" Aidan glared at Monoyena. "Just to laugh at my expense?"

"Partly!" Monoyena's snout twisted into a toothy grin. "The other reason was because I wanted to stop ya from pulling another stunt like this again!"

Aidan didn't really know what Monoyena was talking about until a ping sounded in his eTicket.

Taking out his eTicket and noticing a notification on the Rules app, Aidan could already imagine just what that was all about. Tapping on the application, he scrolled through the rules until he noticed a newly added 18th rule… technically 17 because the original 17th rule was now the 18th…

Alright, it looked something like this:

Rule #17: Breaking into a Gift Shop is prohibited.

Rule #18: Have fun or die!

There.

Easy.

"Grk, damn it," Aidan cursed under his breath.

"Yeah, there we go!" Monoyena scoffed. "Try and pull another stunt like that again…"

Monoyena pointed his Barbie Blade toward Aidan as his red jagged eye gleamed wildly.

"And I'll rip yer veins outta your wrists and slash them onto whatever window glass ya broke!" Monoyena threatened. Then, he picked his teeth with his Barbie Blade, taking out a chunk of shrimp from his teeth. "Got it, boy scout?"

"...Loud and clear," Aidan mumbled.

Satisfied, Monoyena waddled off as he twirled his Barbie Blade around. The hyena seemed to be content with himself. But Aidan on the other hand? Well, he just didn't know what to do now. Breaking and entering was the only way he knew about unlocking the door but now that there was a rule preventing that…

…

Aidan sat on a bench, dumbfounded.

Hope was lacking on his face. And it's not like he could go and jog around to clear his head too. The Traffic Jam Parade had started which had blocked off the path to the Ultimate Doctor's Attraction, Pleasure Park, and the entire left side of the park. So, really, all he could do was sit on this stupid bench and think about what to do.

His mind tried to think of solutions. Any solutions really. But no matter which solution, whether it was logical or outrageous, that little voice in the back of his head kept referring him back to what Yukihiko and Beauté had suggested.

If they wanted to save both children, one of them had to be sacrificed. That was the only way–

No! That wasn't the only way!

"That isn't the only way!" Aidan accidentally blurted it out.

He stopped and covered his mouth.

Then, he sighed, leaned back, and placed a hand over his head.

"Oh, who am I kidding?" Aidan frowned. "I just… Damn it…"

"...A-Aidan?"

Aidan was taken aback when he heard the timid voice of Daisuke enter the fray. He didn't really expect anyone to be here at the Pit Stop of all places considering the only things on his section of the barricade Parade was a police station for decor and a Gift Shop that never opened. So, seeing Daisuke here had to be some form of fate… right?

"Oh, D, you're here at the park, huh?" Aidan lifted his head up.

"I… um…" Daisuke gulped, twiddling his fingers nervously.

Despite them taking the first steps of friendship two days ago, it was still a strange feeling for Daisuke. Aidan said they were friends but somehow, Daisuke wasn't entirely convinced. Maybe he was just saying that just to make him feel better. Maybe he was just playing with him… leading him on… etcetera etcetera.

"...I- I got hungry," Daisuke honestly admitted. "I- I- I went to grab a snack from Clucks Deluxe and then I saw Monoyena walk away and then I saw you and then the Parade started so now I'm stuck here…"

"Heh, only for half an hour," Aidan gave him a smile.

Half an hour? With Aidan? Pinch me, I must be dreaming! Daisuke's thoughts ran wild as his face bursted into a deep shade of red.

Aidan sighed.

"Look, D, be honest with me," Aidan looked down.

Daisuke tensed up.

"N-No!" Daisuke exclaimed. "I don't have feelings for you! I mean, you're hot and really cute and I can see that you probably have a girlfriend so don't worry! I won't try to seduce you or anything like that! Please don't hate–"

"What?" Aidan blinked.

Daisuke tensed up further, his expression riddled with embarrassment.

"E-Er… nothing…" Daisuke looked down.

Aidan glanced at Daisuke. Being the absolutely dumbass that he was, he completely disregarded everything Daisuke said and continued with a sigh.

"...Anyway, do you think I'm being a little too optimistic here?" Aidan looked down. "I'm literally trying so hard to get everyone to not fall for the killing aspect of the game but after today… I feel like I'm just being stupid."

Daisuke blinked.

(I blinked. He's going to Daisuke for advice?! Of all people?! Aidan you dumbas–)

"Um, I don't see anything wrong with you being too optimistic," Daisuke gulped, hoping he didn't mess up his wording. "I– I think it's good that you're trying so hard."

Daisuke tried his best to look at him in encouragement.

"S-So I don't think you're stupid!" Daisuke said. "Y-You're just trying to protect everyone like a good leader!"

Aidan looked up, seemingly feeling a little better.

"W-We're going to save those kids and everyone is going to get out safely!" Daisuke declared before blinking. "...E-Er… I hope…"

Aidan chuckled and shook his head.

"Heh, that's the plan," Aidan smiled to himself. "But still, after what Yukihiko and Beauté suggested today, I just couldn't believe it. It's like seeing my worst fears come to life. You know what I mean?"

Daisuke did not.

"Y-Yes, 100%!" Daisuke blurted out.

Aidan smiled at Daisuke, appreciatively.

"...But you're right," Aidan sighed to himself. "We are going to go and save those kids without bloodshed. I just need to constantly remind myself of that front."

He turned back to Daisuke and gave him a thumbs-up.

"Thanks for saying that to me, D," he chuckled.

Daisuke blinked.

So, did that mean he did good?

He timidly nodded. He gave no verbal response and felt his cheeks become hotter than it already was. Avoiding Aidan's gaze, he realized that he was going to be stuck with him a lot longer than he expected. Especially since the Traffic Jam Parade was still going on.

And much worse for him…

Every time he snuck a glance at Aidan, he had realized his heart had skipped a beat…

[Pleasure Park]

(Square)

Emmeline hummed as she sat on a patch of grass. She had taken off her butterfly barrette from her head and was caressing it gently, as if it were alive.

After the little drama during the Morning Meeting, Emmeline thought it best to hang out at Pleasure Park.

Or rather, she only came here just to look around and was now stuck thanks to the Traffic Jam Parade that was blocking her path. So, now she really had nothing better to do than just remain seated and watch the show with much interest.

She had her snacks: delicious pills with unknown side effects. She had a nice view of the Parade. And most of all, she had a friend that was slowly approaching her.

Wait, a friend that was slowly approaching her?

"Oh, Issac!" Emmeline instantly greeted who it was. "Have you gotten stuck here at the park too?"

Though obvious, Issac simply shrugged and smiled at her. Keeping Isolde tucked around his neck, he chuckled.

"I guess I did," Issac answered. "What are you doing here anyway?"

The toymaker paused.

"Unless you took in what Brighton said and decided to give it another go," Issac shrugged.

Emmeline tapped her chin.

For some reason, it did take her a bit to respond, almost as if she were contemplating her answer. Then, she shook her head and smiled sweetly toward the toymaker.

"Well, I guess maybe that's only half the reason," Emmeline noted before glancing around sneakily. "But the other reason is because I'm hunting."

"Hunting?" Issac blinked. "For…?"

"Butterflies, duh!" Emmeline childishly exclaimed.

Answer should've been obvious in hindsight. She was the Ultimate Lepidopterist, so of course her main concern would've been something related to her talent. Issac laughed and flicked a strand of his hair to the side.

"Ah, of course," Issac laughed. "My mistake."

He glanced toward Isolde.

"Huh, Isolde wanted to ask if you found any," Issac inquired.

"So far…" Emmeline hummed before looking down. "No. I haven't. Butterflies love park-like areas but for some reason, I haven't seen any butterflies here."

"Maybe it's because we're near a beach?" Issac suggested.

"Mmm, no, that doesn't sound right," Emmeline shook her head. "Butterflies can virtually live everywhere except Antarctica."

"So does this mean we're in Antarctica?" Issac joked.

"Mmmm, no," Emmeline shook her head. "It's too warm here."

"Th-That was a– Nevermind," Issac shook his head.

Even though Emmeline clearly thought he was serious, Issac realized that the butterfly scientist made a valid point. There really was a lack of butterflies here wasn't there? Not only that, but there seemed to be a lack of any sign of biological life besides the 16 playmates, Stanczyk, and the boy and girl being held somewhere in this facility.

No animals.

No rats or bugs of any kind.

Completely spotless.

Void of critters in the lowest part of the animal kingdom.

…

With the lack of butterflies in the vicinity, Emmeline thought it best to ask about the next best thing: caterpillars! And what's better than the clearly large caterpillar hanging loosely around Issac's neck.

"So, what kind of caterpillar is she?" Emmeline asked, expectantly.

"I'm sorry?" Issac blinked.

"Miss Isolde!" Emmeline pointed. "What kind of caterpillar is she?"

Issac seemed lost by this answer. He's been with her for a long time and yet not once had he ever questioned what kind of caterpillar she was? He rubbed the back of his neck, uncertain but with a sly chuckle, he formulated a response.

"I mean, even Isolde doesn't know what kind of caterpillar she is," Issac chuckled. "So, I expect Isolde to be the rarest caterpillar there is. The last of her kind. At least, that's what we're going with."

Issac had cupped Isolde's chin and eyed his toy caterpillar with glazed looks. He cooed and slowly leaned.

"Aww, I know you love it when I compliment you," Issac chuckled toward the toy.

"Wow, I've never met another person who loves butterflies like you do, Mister Issac!" Emmeline beamed.

"Caterpillar, actually," Issac shrugged, turning back to her. "I'm afraid Isolde just isn't interested in undergoing the effects of…"

"Metamorphosis?" Emmeline finished his sentence.

Just Ultimate Lepidopterist doing Ultimate Lepidopterist things to show how much they know of their own talent, of course!

"Yeah, that," Issac laughed, sheepishly.

"But I think if Miss Isolde did go through metamorphosis, she would become the most beautiful butterfly in the whole world!" Emmeline pointed out.

"Heh, Isolde is flattered," Issac smiled at her, sweetly. "But frankly, the time for that has been delayed. And besides, Isolde is beautiful just the way she is now…"

Silence.

Then, the toymaker pecked her on the head. Clearly, Emmeline was immune to such strange behavior. Must've been the drugs speaking to her.

"...You know, the first time I met Isolde was on a desk one morning at school," Issac pointed out. "Just popped up one day. No words. Just a happy smile on her face. The first and only gift I ever received from anyone."

"So, it was fate!" Emmeline exclaimed.

"Fate… yeah…" Issac's eyes glanced away. "Maybe it was. Maybe it wasn't. But you see, Isolde wasn't like any other caterpillar you've seen. Caterpillars are often born from eggs, right?"

"Yeah, and they go into the larva stage which is basically what Miss Isolde is in!" Emmeline bursted out her random butterfly trivia of the day.

"...Well, Isolde wasn't," Issac stated. "She was created and gifted to me by her designer. And I imagine that her creator had plans for her to become a butterfly at some point during her birth. But…"

Emmeline was now nibbling on some pills as she listened to Issac's story intently. However, when he had trailed off and didn't continue, she tilted her head in confusion.

"Huh?" Emmeline questioned. "But what? Why didn't Miss Isolde's creator make her go through metamorphosis?"

"...Isn't it obvious, Swan?" Issac smiled somberly, shaking his head. "She's no longer with us."

"...Oh," Emmeline widened her eyes. She didn't dare reach into her bag upon hearing about that. "I'm sorry, Mister Issac…"

"Heh, don't be," Issac smiled sweetly toward her. "That's long in the past. I've healed from it but at the time, no one was more hurt than Isolde. After all, without her creator to help her achieve metamorphosis, how is she ever going to become a beautiful butterfly?"

"Yeah, how is she going to do that?" Emmeline pouted. "Does she need food? Leaves? Wool?"

"...Isolde is a special case in which she doesn't need food to become a cocoon," Issac sighed. "All she needs is someone to continue the work her creator left behind. And who better would that be than me…?"

Emmeline blinked. She couldn't believe that there was truly someone like Issac who was so enamored by a caterpillar that he was willing to do everything he could to help her achieve metamorphosis! Honestly, it sounded like the plot to a possibly interesting Webtoon comic, but Emmeline didn't see it that way.

Instead, she remained impressed.

"That's so touching, Mister Issac," Emmeline sniffled as she nibbled on some more pills. "Miss Isolde is one very lucky caterpillar to have you by her side!"

"Yes, she is, isn't she?" Issac held Isolde by her chin and smiled at her. "What's that, Isolde?"

Silence.

"Awww, I know you love me," Issac chuckled.

Emmeline couldn't herself but smile at this exchange. She continued to eat through her pill-infested Ziploc bag with a warm grin on her face. But seeing Issac turn to her kind of caught her off-guard as he began to talk about a different topic all entirely.

"Now, is it alright if I asked you something, Swan?" Issac asked her.

"Eh?" Emmeline blinked, inserting another pill into her mouth. "What is it?"

"Are you a druggie?" Issac asked, nonchalantly.

"A druggie?" Emmeline blinked. "What makes you say that?"

She continued to chew pill after pill, absent-mindedly.

"...Just a hunch," Issac merely shrugged.

It took Emmeline a moment to realize what he was talking about. She eyed the next pill she was about to eat, blinked, and then tossed it into her mouth. She folded her arms and grinded the pill into tinier pieces inside her mouth.

"Mmm, if you're talking about my pills, they're nothing to worry about, Mister Issac," Emmeline giggled. She pumped her fists. "I've developed a resistance to them! And really, they've started to taste much sweeter than they'd tasted originally!"

"That's… not reassuring at all," Issac placed a hand on his hip. "Is there any reason why you need the medication?"

Emmeline didn't say anything to that regard. She looked down, unsure on what to say about what to say. Issac noticed her discomfort and patted Isolde on the head. Clearly, that question was troubling her in ways he wasn't able to understand.

"...I'm sorry Mister Issac, but I don't think I can talk about that right now," Emmeline frowned. "It's… complicated."

She continued to eat through pill after pill. Whatever complications she had; Issac supposed it was serious enough for him to not talk about it. But perhaps there was a loophole to that logic…

"Well, that's alright," Issac smiled at her in understanding. "You don't have to give me the details. But what exactly are your pills? Advil? Tylenol?"

"You want the name of my pills?" Emmeline blinked.

She pondered for a second before checking the next pill she was about to eat. Engraved on the pill's shell was the name for her to remember. Then, she smiled at Issac with an answer she was ready to share.

"It's called Lapilocera!" Emmeline answered.

Lapilocera? That's not any drug Issac has heard before. Was a new drug or just a pretty rare drug for something much rarer? Issac wished he could ask more but after her earlier reaction to what he wanted to know, he supposed it'd be better if he just left it alone for now.

"Huh... I've never heard of that before," Issac blinked. "Is it foreign?"

Emmeline folded her arms as she pondered a response to that answer. Then, she gave him a half-smile that showed that she was slightly uncomfortable with revealing details of her drugs.

"Actually it's... well, I guess the right term is custom-made," Emmeline revealed. "I've been taking these as long as I remember so they're definitely an important part of my balanced diet!"

Issac didn't seem entirely convinced by that. But given how innocent she sounded about it, he thought it best to just give her the benefit of the doubt and not pry any further. After all, it just as she said: it was complicated.

Perhaps she would tell him when she was ready.

…

By the time the Traffic Jam Parade had ended, Emmeline stood up from the grass and smiled at Issac. They had their moment. They shared parts of their stories with one another. Gleaming happily, Emmeline bowed her head.

"That was fun, Mister Issac!" Emmeline giggled. "Hope you can help Miss Isolde achieve metamorphosis!"

Issac tilted his head with a polite smile.

"Yeah, of course," Issac chuckled. "Isolde hopes so too!"

"Good!" Emmeline smiled. "Let's do this again next time, Mister Issac and Miss Isolde!"

"Yep," Issac dryly nodded.

Then, the lepidopterist hurried off. Issac remained exactly where he stood, watching Emmeline leave as he rubbed his chin in thought.

"Lapilocera, huh?" Issac muttered to himself. "Wish I knew what that was. I am very curious about her, aren't you, Isolde?"

Isolde was silent.

"...Oh, stop that," Issac shook his head with a smile. "It's not like that."

Despite the clear envy Isolde was exhibiting, even that caterpillar had to admit that when something happened, something happened. And what happened just now was Issac and Emmeline growing closer together. Issac learned more about Emmeline and now he wanted to learn more. And Emmeline had that deeper insight to how much Isolde truly meant to Issac.

So, Isolde.

Was that not enough?!

[Ultimate Fast Food Employee's Attraction]

(Inside)

Kikuko was starting to get sick of this.

Chicken legs. Chicken wings. Chicken feet. Chicken thighs. Chicken, chicken, chicken, chicken. Despite the options to make them crispier or less crispy as she pleased, it was still the same damn meal every day. Chicken. Chicken. Chicken. Surely, these Westerners don't expect her to survive on nothing but poultry, right?

Already, the food was getting stale for her own taste buds.

Bringing her tray of chicken to a nearby table, she hesitantly began to nibble on each piece one-by-one. She was feeling slightly sick to her stomach, but it was either this or starve.

With a sigh, she failed to notice a large fisherman approaching her with his own tray of chicken.

"N-Nay, Sailor Unmei," Roderick appeared with chicken in the tray. He noticed the sickened look on her face. "Are you alright?"

Kikuko was slightly taken aback by Roderick's appearance but simply shook her head, honestly. No need to keep it a secret now.

"I apologize," Kikuko bowed her head, politely. "But please do not mistake this as ignorance against your customs… But I'm afraid the food in this establishment is much too greasy for my taste."

Roderick glanced at her half-eaten chicken. It was clear she was having trouble with it.

"Aye, I be having to agree with ye on that, lassie," Roderick had to concede. "Chicken be a strong source of protein but an overabundance of protein could keelhaul an entire ship."

"...What?" Kikuko was confused.

"Aye, nevermind," Roderick took out a bowl of peas from out of nowhere. "If ye would like, I have some peas here ye can savor."

Kikuko stared at the bowl, skeptically.

"...Nay, what be the matter?" Roderick blinked.

"...I apologize once again for my ignorance but as much as I appreciate your kindness, I'm afraid I cannot accept your bowl of peas," Kikuko politely declined.

"Nay!" Roderick widened his eyes. "But ye need something to eat if yer getting sick of the chicken!"

"True, but…" Kikuko closed her eyes. "I'm afraid I can't trust a bowl of peas that could very well be poisoned."

Roderick glanced at the bowl of peas, incredulously. While he was slightly offended that she would think that of him, he supposed he understood where she was coming from. He did bring them out of nowhere and since the situation they were in had gotten a little more hectic, he also supposed that suspicion was pretty valid of anyone in Kikuko's side.

Nodding, he removed the bowl of peas from her sight.

"Aye," Roderick lowered his beanie. "I understand."

"...I apologize," Kikuko stated once again.

…

Though Kikuko had some trouble swallowing each piece of chicken, by the time she finished, she tossed her tray of food into the trash bin. Roderick had done the same, leaving the two to remain in the room with an unmoving chicken animatronic for the time being.

It was slightly awkward at first, but Roderick decided it was time to speak to her about something he needed from her.

"Er, if I may ask ye of one thing…" Roderick spoke up. "But do ye have any of those charms that can spare me from monsters?"

Kikuko was taken aback by his sudden request.

There were so many things to try to grasp in what he was asking of her. First off, he wanted a charm? Second, why did he want a charm? Third, what monsters was he talking about? Kikuko let her eyes flash for a second before tilting her head curiously.

"Are you referring to an omamori?" Kikuko questioned.

"Aye," Roderick nodded, slightly confused. He had no idea what an omamori was but assumed it was probably a warding charm. "Yukihiko told me ye be able to help me with a problem."

"He did, did he?" Kikuko hummed.

Given his behavior, she supposed it was natural of him to send this paranoid sailor her way. But what is this thing about monsters? As far as she saw him, there were no monsters hanging around him so–

"Perhaps you could tell me a little more about your situation," Kikuko suggested.

"Aye," Roderick nodded. "As I told Yukihiko, me be having nightmares scary enough that I be unable to sleep at night. Each dream be showing a different monster. That's why I be needing one of these warding charms to help scare away them beasts!"

Kikuko shook her head.

"It sounds like you need a dreamcatcher more than an actual omamori," Kikuko told him.

"Nay," Roderick blinked. "Ye mean ye can't help me?!"

"I didn't say that," Kikuko shook her head. "I was merely suggesting that whatever charms I may have, may not entirely help with your situation."

"So, ye don't have any 'good night' omori charms?" Roderick frowned.

"Omamori," Kikuko corrected. "And no. There is no such thing as an omamori charm that can give you a good night's rest."

"Th-Then, then, what's good are ye warding charms?!" Roderick exclaimed, trembling slightly.

Kikuko eyed him, sternly.

"...Omamori charms are much more than warding charms," Kikuko began to explain. "Each omamori charm that I have has many different uses. They offer to give their wielders success, prosperity, good luck, and/or safety."

She shook her head.

"The closest charm you may be referring to is the yakuyoke, a charm meant to ward off evil spirits," Kikuko closed her eyes. "But…"

Roderick blinked.

"But what…?" Roderick asked, confused.

"I do not believe it will help you with your nightmares," Kikuko explained. "Because as far as I'm concerned, I do not see any evil spirits lingering around you."

"W-What?" Roderick widened his eyes when he said.

"O-Oh, what I mean to say is," Kikuko cleared her throat. "I may not be a dream expert, but it seems to me that these monsters in your dreams are something much more than simple demons. My warding charm will not be able to change your sleepless nights, I'm afraid."

"I'll take me chances," Roderick suddenly declared.

Kikuko opened her eyes and glanced at the sailor. Then, with a nod of resignation, she took out a small little omamori charm from underneath her sleeve. It was red with Kanji letterings slicing through a demonic looking bird.

"As you wish," she nodded.

She bowed her head against the charm itself and closed her eyes once more. Then, she began to mutter a small chant. Roderick felt a little spooked. In his endeavors across the deep blue seas, stuff like this was pretty common… at least in some subcategory of nightmares he had. But the moment the charm started to glow was the moment Roderick stepped back in fear.

"O Seiryuu, I beggeth you," Kikuko chanted. "Please grant this charm your holy power and ward off the demons that dare try to attack anyone who wields this…"

Once she completed her chant, she opened her eyes and held it out calmly for Roderick to take. There was clearly some sort of aura radiating off of the charm and for a moment, the fisherman hesitated to take it. He reached out his hands, swallowed, and then picked it up.

"So, this be the charm that's supposed to help me?" Roderick gulped.

"As I said, it may not be able to change your sleepless nights but… you were the one who was adamant about needing one so…" Kikuko sighed.

Roderick looked at it, doubtfully.

"...If you don't want it, you can simply hand it back," Kikuko politely told him.

"N-No, mine," Roderick kept it by his side and pocketed the charm.

Kikuko nodded her head.

Roderick certainly didn't feel any different. Maybe Kikuko was right. Maybe this wasn't going to help his sleepless nights. But life was all about taking risks and Roderick had taken worse risks than keeping a spiritually-bound talisman by his side.

"Thank ye, lassie," Roderick tipped his beanie out of respect.

"Of course," Kikuko politely bowed her head. "Though, if you don't mind me asking, could I inquire about what happened two days ago?"

Roderick blinked.

Two days ago? As in…?

"Nay, ye mean when I defeated the Beast of Guantenamo Bay who ate me firearm, yes?" Roderick scratched the back of his neck.

"...What?" Kikuko blinked, confused.

Clearly, she was unaware about the lie that Yukihiko had told him to get him to not freak out. Regardless, she pondered it as a better idea to feed into that lie he had apparently believed. Shaking her head, she continued.

"Nevermind, yes, that incident," Kikuko nodded. "I just wanted to know how you were feeling since then."

"Er, proud, be guessing," Roderick scratched the back of his neck, unsure about why she was asking about such a thing. "I did take down the beast…"

Clearly, he was never around when the Traffic Jam Parades started. Best to keep it that way. Nodding, she seemed satisfied.

"Good," Kikuko stated. "I was worried that perhaps I got a little too rough with you."

"Huh?" Roderick blinked, confused.

"Nevermind that," Kikuko shook her head. "I hope you find solace in that charm."

She stood up from her seat and bowed once again. Roderick had to admit that it was like he was talking to a princess from the Medieval Era. Fitting for someone calling themselves the Ultimate Shrine Priestess. Smiling at her, he tipped his beanie toward her out of respect.

"Aye, thank ye very much for yer help," Roderick nodded.

With another nod of acknowledgement, Kikuko left the room, allowing Roderick to be by himself in a chicken restaurant with a chicken animatronic that was currently unactivated. He glanced at the charm that Kikuko had handed him with intrigue.

"Hrm, I do wonder if this beauty even works," Roderick hummed in thought.

It was clear that despite this being a rather transactional conversation, Roderick certainly learned a lot from Kikuko, and he had hoped that Kikuko learned something about him. Perhaps evidence that Roderick and Kikuko grew a little closer together. Very nice, indeed!

[Hotel Mirai]

(Lobby)

Yukihiko had returned back to the Hotel Lobby rather early after grabbing a snack to eat within the park.

After today's Morning Meeting, he was certainly losing hope. Heck, it would be a little more accurate to say that he had already lost hope. After what he had suggested in the Morning Meeting, even he was a little haunted by his remarks. It wasn't like he wanted to do this, but frankly there was no other choice.

The lives of innocent children came first and foremost.

That was the deal. The lives of children should always be… important.

When Yukihiko stepped inside the Hotel Lobby, he noticed a presence that seemed to have remained at the spot they were always in throughout the entire day. There she was, the discomforting Beauté Morose, trailing her fingers around the brim of an empty wine glass with a satisfied smile on her face.

Frankly, he didn't want to speak to someone like her. Compared to him, she was definitely enjoying their situation to an unhealthy degree. It was very unnerving to say the least. He tried to sneak past her but he of course had a disadvantage to stealth check rolls so…

"Don't try to sneak past me, Yukihiko," Beauté remarked, not even bothering to turn around. "I know you're there…"

Yukihiko froze and cursed underneath his breath. He was not in the mood for an interaction right now…

"It's Free Time right now," Beauté spoke. "Come. Sit by my side. I would be honored to collect Hope Fragments with you."

"What on Earth are you talking about?" Yukihiko raised an eyebrow.

"Ah heh heh heh," Beauté turned to face Yukihiko, setting her wine glass to the side. "We are in a game of sacrifice and betrayal after all. Best we make some accommodations to better understand each other… Am I right?"

Yukihiko was definitely uncomfortable. Everything told him to just decline but there was something compelling him to do as she said. He held onto his teddy bear tightly and did as he was told. Sitting next to her, the two exchanged glances.

She was smiling innocently toward him.

He… looked at her uneasily.

And for a while, they remained silent.

…

"...That's a nice teddy bear," Beauté finally broke the silence after a while. "What's his name…?"

"...Loofah," Yukihiko blankly responded.

"...He's very adorable," Beauté smiled.

"...Yes, he is," Yukihiko glanced down at his teddy bear.

Beauté acknowledged his dry tone. She could easily tell that he would rather be elsewhere. Tilting her head curiously, she clasped her hands together and smiled at him, deviously.

"You don't wish to speak to me, do you?" Beauté chuckled.

"And the award goes to…" Yukihiko rolled his eyes.

"Oh my," Beauté feigned a look of disappointment. "Could I ask why? Did I do something to you that you took offense to? If so, then, I deeply apologize. I would love to be friends with you so please… let me–"

"Oh, honey, cut the prim and proper princess act," Yukihiko deadpanned. "Everyone's seen your actions. All you care about is the drama and allure of the situation we're in."

Beauté did as he told her to. Her feigned look of disappointment shifted into a smirk. She giggled behind her hand as she sat, cross-legged in front of him.

"...Oooh, you're good..." Beauté leaned forward, expectantly. "...So, would you like to know why?

"Do I have a choice?" Yukihiko raised an eyebrow.

"...Are you aware of the website simply titled, The Dark Veil?" Beauté tilted her head, with a smile. She could see that she had caught the caretaker's interest. "Such a compelling site. Elegant and filled with intrigue. It's a blacklisted site so obviously, not many people can gain access to it and it's under the watchful eye of the FBI, CIA, and other global government-sanctioned law enforcements."

"...So, it's on the Deep Web," Yukihiko concluded. "And you're claiming to be a user on it?"

Beauté was impressed.

"Very good," Beauté nodded. "The Deep Web is a fascinating place with hundreds of posts not fit for the common man. But it was on that I found the most elegant of topics: A Killing Game that had occurred years ago in which supposedly, everyone involved did not survive… Spooky, isn't it?"

Yukihiko folded his arms.

"You're joking," Yukihiko frowned.

"That is the mystery, isn't it?" Beauté shrugged before smiling. "But that was my first introduction to the concept of Killing Games. And as I dove deeper into that iceberg, the more I learned about how they worked, what they were trying to achieve, and the rules of each game."

Beauté's cheeks started to redden. Her pupil started to turn into the shape of hearts as she held her hands to her chests.

"Did you know that behind the scenes of our so-called happy world, lies hidden tragedies that only few ever get to know about?" Beauté tilted her head. "Killing Games are played every day and yet, no one seems to realize it."

Beauté giggled as she placed her hands over her warming cheeks.

"And each Killing Game retains the same principle," Beauté explained. "16 people trapped in a location with a choice. They either live in a society for the rest of their miserable lives or they can choose to risk it all and kill someone in order to escape. But to differentiate themselves from everyone else, there's always something different about each one. There's always a concept that is to be taught and learned. Sound familiar?"

"...It's just like the game we're in," Yukihiko merely answered.

"Exactly," Beauté bit her lip. "And most compelling of all, rumors say that behind these Killing Games is a secret organization that masterminds the game. Sort of like… the investors that fund the games so that they can be a reality."

Beauté turned to Yukihiko, leaning forward.

"This game is one such game," Beauté told him. "And we should be honored that we're here now. We were chosen to participate in an once-in-a-lifetime event! Isn't that amazing?!"

Yukihiko shook his head.

"Or, you're delusional, lying, or both and what this really is that fanboy's of the Stanczyk Says' shows' idea of a bad joke," Yukihiko stated.

"Is that truly what you believe?" Beauté smirked.

Yukihiko said nothing.

"...Because as far as I'm concerned, Yukihiko…" Beauté began. "I think you know all too well that my story makes perfect sense. After all, you can't really expect one person to have the funds to keep all these special attractions inside the park running so smoothly now can you?"

Once again, Yukihiko refused to believe this.

"But of course," Beauté giggled. "Rumors are just rumors. And my word isn't law. But to be in a Killing Game as elegant as this one has always been a dream of mine. And I can't wait till it happens…"

Yukihiko said nothing in that regard. He knew she was crazy but for her to just outright state how much of a fangirl she was about these 'Killing Games' was a whole new level of crazy.

"Speaking of which… I wanted to ask…" Beauté smirked. "Just how much do you really care about those poor children?"

"Do you even have to ask?" Yukihiko folded his arms. "More than my own life."

"Oh, how direct!" Beauté gasped.

"...Hmph," Yukihiko folded his arms. "Honey, you remember that little tangent you went on in the Morning Meeting? About the societal norm of saving women and children first?"

"How could I not?" Beauté smirked. "It was me who spoke up about that after all…"

"You can exclude women from that principle because I am an avid person who believes in saving the next generation of humanity," Yukihiko declared. "That is why I will do whatever it takes to save those children."

Beauté laughed.

"Whatever it takes?" Beauté questioned.

Yukihiko blinked. That was when he had realized he had said it out loud all too confidently. When he had first walked into the Lobby, he had felt haunted about what he had suggested during the Morning Meeting. But now, it was as if he was relishing what he was saying. As if he was all confident about what needed to be done…

"Ah heh heh heh heh," Beauté smirked before sing-songedly adding, "I saw right through you this morning~"

Beauté leaned forward and gave him a haunting stare.

"Welcome to the Killing Game," Beauté told him.

Yukihiko looked down, bitterly.

Welcome… indeed…

…

The television inside the Hotel Lobby suddenly turned on to reveal Monoyena, sitting on a chair with a shrimp cocktail in hand. With a snarl, his voice echoed through the monitor and if one listened closely, throughout the entirety of Piero's Playground.

"Attention all wankers," Monoyena began. "Get ya lazy asses out of whatever toilet ya'll are sitting on and go directly toward Pleasure Park for a special announcement. We expect to see ya there in five, so don't keep us waiting!"

Monoyena took out his Barbie Blade, threateningly.

"Got it?!" Monoyena leaned into the frame, drooling seeping from his sharp teeth.

The television monitor shut off, leaving Beauté and Yukihiko alone in the Lobby once more. Beauté was the first to exit her chair before giving Yukihiko a warm smile. Then, she gave him a curtsy.

"I suppose it's time to leave," Beauté smiled. "I had quite the fun time speaking to you, Yukihiko…"

She leaned forward.

"If anything, I can verily say that we grew closer together," Beauté whispered. "Don't you think?"

Retracting back, Beauté walked off, leaving Yukihiko behind to his own vices. And although Monoyena said to meet at Pleasure Park within five minutes, Yukihiko couldn't help but ponder the conversation he had with Beauté. Although she spoke about a lot, the thing he had on his mind the most was what he had meant:

He was willing to do whatever it took to save those children. Whatever it took. That haunting feeling came back. He held onto Loofah, his teddy bear, tightly, as those same words repeated in his mind. He would do whatever it took to save those children.

…Yes.

Because that was who he was. That was his promise. He would never leave the children that needed him. That was his life's purpose after all…

…as the Ultimate Child Caregiver…?

[Pleasure Park]

(Square)

When Yukihiko and Beauté arrived at Pleasure Park, the two had noticed that the other 14 playmates were already gathered there. The moment Aidan spotted them, he avoided looking at them. Clearly, he had not forgotten about the messed-up thing they had suggested that morning. And it was clear that everyone else was a little conflicted with their presence as well.

Some felt that deep down, they were right. Others felt they still had a chance to save those children.

Yukihiko didn't blame them.

After all, it had just been moments prior that he realized just how serious he was about what he had said. To save those children, he would do whatever it takes. Even after a short trek to Pleasure Park, his mind still thought back to those words replaying in his mind.

But despite their conflicts, they upheld Monoyena's orders of meeting at the park. And at the very least, all of them agreed that they needed answers. Who was the girl? Where were they at? And what was the meaning of that Survey question?!

Without much delay, a familiar jingle with different lyrics began to play from the speakers surrounding the park's square.

…

Stanczyk says

Stanczyk does

Stanczyk plays

With all of us

Let's all smile and sing a cheer

Because Mister Stanczyk is here!

(Yeah!)

What Stanczyk says

You should do

Stanczyk's ways

Are our rules

Let's be happy, go and play

Because he is here all day!

(Yaaaaaaaay!)

…

Almost on cue, Stanczyk jumped out from behind his own statue and extended his arms out like a theatrical showboy. His mask showed off a happy grin, much more joyous than in previous days. Monoyena, on the other hand, simply walked out, hands behind his back with a sinister toothy grin.

"It's showtime!" Stanczyk declared.

…

"Sh-Showtime?" Aidan asked, incredulously. "What do you mean by that?"

"Isn't it obvious?!" Stanczyk tilted his head. "Don't you know what time it is?! It's my most favorite time of the day! It's TimE t0 pLaY…"

His voice distorted for that last sentence.

"That jingle," Yukihiko hummed to himself. "That was the Playtime Jingle wasn't it?"

"Yes!" Stanczyk declared. "Ohhhh! You remembered! Truly, not enough fans out there who appreciate my work!"

He started to tear up.

"Bless you, little girl!" Stanczyk ripped off a layer of his jabot and began to wave it in the air. "Oh bless you!"

"I'm a–" Yukihiko tried to correct and then decided against it. Clearly, the clown said that on purpose. Whether or not to rile him up, he just wasn't sure.

"Hey, what do you mean by Playtime?" Fábio folded his arms, curiously. "Because as far as I'm concerned, I think we all had enough of your games here."

He kept his distance from the clown as Stanczyk immediately stopped crying.

"Games?" Stanczyk blinked, his grin shifting into a frown. "B-But we haven't even started the fun games yet!"

"Yes, I too would like to know what is being referred to as Playtime," Kikuko raised her hand politely.

"Then, please allow me to explain," Yukihiko stepped up. Hugging his teddy bear intently, he began. "In every halfway mark of an episode of Stanczyk Says, is a Playtime Event. This is when Stanczyk interacts with viewers back at home for a fun little activity for the children to play with. Small little 'Do-It-Yourself' activities to go along with the theme of the episode."

"That's right!" Stanczyk exclaimed. "Oh! You know my show so well! It's getting me close to tearing up!"

Stanczyk looked up, tears starting to form from the corners of his mask's eye sockets.

"Nope!" Stanczyk exclaimed. "Hold it in! Hold it in! Hold it in!"

It didn't work.

Stanczyk started to bawl.

"W-Wahhhhhhh!" Stanczyk wailed, tears spilling out of his eyes. "I'm so touched!"

"Aight, guess it's my turn to speak since the shithead clearly can't handle the spotlight," Monoyena gritted his teeth. "Yeah. What the femboy over there said is completely right on the mark! These past few days have been a fucking snoozefest! So, I'd thought we'd spice things up with a jolly, good Playtime Event! Something fun for ya kiddies to enjoy!"

"Question," Alisa spoke up. "Does this have any relation to the Survey question?"

"I was just getting to that ya disruptive, ghostly goon!" Monoyena snarled, his jagged red eye glowing. "Yea! I sure hope ya answered the Survey question because as of five minutes ago, time is up!"

"There was a deadline?!" Daisuke exclaimed.

"Oh, piss off," Monoyena twirled out his Barbie Blade, a little annoyed. "Do we have to explain everything to ya? Course there's a deadline with Survey questions! They're the easiest fucking questions in the world! You pick one over the other! No need to spend days trying to wrinkle those smooth brains!"

"And just based on inference alone," Issac seriously stated. "Deadlines are usually happen in times like now, when you announce a Playtime Event?"

"Right, you are…!" Monoyena grinned at Issac, before slyly adding, "...Ya toy-fucking freak."

Issac was not amused by that remark.

"So, before we get to the Playtime Event, it's time to see what fuckery ya all chose!" Monoyena cackled. "Course, since we don't have television screens in this area of the park, we'll just send the results to yer Survey Apps!"

Almost immediately, everyone's eTickets pinged, notifying them of the information that was set.

"Hope ya enjoy what bullshit yer so-called pals chose!" Monoyena grinned before cackling. "Bwa… Bwahahahahaha!"

Yukihiko took the initiative of quickly checking the results. He opened his eTicket and began to scroll through before landing his finger on the Survey Application. He breathed a sigh of hesitation as he desperately wanted to see what everyone chose.

And sure enough… there it was.

His choice along with everyone else's:

Aidan: Girl

Alina: Boy

Alisa: Girl

Daisuke: Girl

Emmeline: Boy

Fábio: Boy

Issac: Boy

Kazuki: Boy

Kikuko: Boy

Manon: Girl

Marabel: Boy

Beauté: Girl

Riku: Boy

Roderick: Boy

Yukihiko: Boy

Yumi: Boy

Results:

Boy: 11

Girl: 5

Well, needless to say, it seemed that 11 people had chosen to save the boy rather than the girl. Only 5 decided to save the girl. And of course Monoyena had only one thing to say about that. Picking his teeth, he let out a soft chuckle.

"Wow, 11 of ya would rather save the little boy over the little girl?" Monoyena laughed. "So, yer saying the little girl's life is less important than the little boy's? What a fucking group of misogynists!"

Some of the members who chose felt a little bad with how much Monoyena was shaming them. But at the same time, it wasn't something they should feel shameful for. It was just… Well…

"Now, hold on a minute here," Riku seemed annoyed. "What is the meaning of this, you pest? I never voted for the boy! I never voted at all!"

Monoyena stopped laughing. His face was now of indifference.

"Oh, yea, right…" Monoyena brushed back his neon-colored mohawk. "You were one of them fuckers who chose to 'abstain from voting'."

Course, he said this in a mocking tone.

"Yeah, sorry bud, but abstaining ain't an option with the Survey," Monoyena laughed. "If ya choose to abstain or run out of time, yer vote just ends up tying into what ya voted in the first Survey!"

"W-What?" Riku blinked, slightly confused.

"Oh my," Beauté smirked. "So, let me guess this straight and think back to the results of the first Survey…"

"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.

"In this second Survey, his vote defaulted to Boy, simply because he chose to save the Boy in the last Survey," Beauté's eyes fluttered. "Therefore, in future Surveys, if he chooses to abstain, his vote will always be in the Boys favor."

"That's right!" Monoyena exclaimed. "Gee! For a slutty little bitch like yerself, you sure got some smarts!"

"Ah, heh heh," Beauté chuckled. It was unknown if she was amused by that comment or not.

"That's bullshit," Riku narrowed his eyes. "How was I supposed to know that my vote would have defaulted to saving the boy?"

"Yeah, well, maybe next time don't abstain, asshole!" Monoyena flipped him off. "Ya snooze, ya fucking lose!"

Riku grumbled obscenities under his breath. Something about dissecting the hyena when everyone escaped or some crap like that.

"So, just to get this straight," Fábio spoke up. "Everyone except Mara would default to Boy if we abstained or ran out of time. And for Mara…"

"She would default to whatever choice went against the Boy, yes," Beauté nodded. "That's some elegant information, indeed!"

"Wish we knew about that sooner…" Riku muttered under his breath.

He definitely wasn't going to let that go.

"So, what now?" Emmeline pouted, clearly not looking happy about what was going on. "You said this was supposed to be related to the Playtime Event!"

"Yes, I did," Monoyena marched around, hands behind his back as he gave his peers a toothy grin. "So, based on yer choices, it goes without showing that ya clearly don't care about saving the girl, like the women-hating trash y'all are! So, I guess I should give ya guys what ya truly want!"

Monoyena stopped and pointed his Barbie Blade toward the playmates with a crazy grin.

"I've been itching to get my hyena balls all riled up!" Monoyena crassly stated. "So, in three days time, counting today, I'm killing the bitch with my own hands!"

"Y-You're going to do what?!" Aidan clenched his fist.

"N-No!" Alina covered her mouth.

"O-Oh non!" Manon exclaimed, looking close to fainting.

"N-Nay!" Roderick exclaimed. "Ye can't do this!"

"Y-Ya can't be serious," Yumi's eyes widened.

"What the fuck is up with all yer reactions?" Monoyena leaned against the Stanczyk statue. "I'm sorry but ain't ya the ones who chose the boy's life over the girl's? Why bitch and moan now? Oh wait, don't tell me. Ya suddenly remembered to respecc women…"

Monoyena's red jagged eye glowed brighter than ever as he burst out laughing.

"Bwa… BWAHAHAHAHAHA!" Monoyena cackled. "What a fucking joke!"

"Th-This isn't fair!" Aidan pointed his finger toward the hyena. "We didn't know this was going to happen! If we did, maybe we would've–"

"You're just kidding yourself at this point," Mara finally spoke up after a moment of silence. She kept her arms folded and looked dead serious. "Even if you had chosen the girl, it would've made no difference. What's happening now would've happened to the boy. In the end, he was always going to kill someone with his own hands regardless of whomever we chose. Tch, he had this planned out from the very beginning."

"Spoken from like-minded individuals," Monoyena chuckled. "Ya got the brains of a killer aight! Bwa… Bwahahahaha!"

Mara winced and glanced away, regretting ever speaking up in the first place.

"Now hold on, pardner," Yumi stepped up, eyes sparking red. "Ya claim that we're da bad guys for our choices. And all ya been suggestin that it be our fault for what's bout to happen to dat poor gal!"

She fixed her hat, roughly.

"But all ah know is dat da real bad guy here is you!" Yumi declared. "We just chose whatever felt right! Therefore, ya have no gall to accuse us of being sexist! If we had chosen da boy, ya would've called us... er, misandrists!"

Monoyena scoffed and picked his teeth.

"Whatever makes ya sleep at night…" Monoyena shrugged, indifferently. "...Ya sexist pig."

Yumi was not amused by that comment.

"Enough," Kikuko seemed to be holding back her own frustrations on the matter. "Regardless of your words, just what exactly does this have to do with the Playtime Event?"

"Right!" Monoyena cackled. He turned to his partner. "Oi, Stanshit. Got yer knickers all cleaned up, eh?"

"Yep!" Stanczyk suddenly stood up from the floor he had spent the past few times bawling. He fixed his jabot, and his mask was back to that usual grin, as if nothing had happened. "It's time for today's Playtime Event! A fun game of..."

Stanczyk paused.

His yellow plus-shaped eye flashed and his grin widened. His face distorted and his single jagged red eye glowed. He leaned forward:

...

"...ReD LiGhT, GReeN LigHT…"

...

"R-Red Light, Green Light?" Yukihiko seemed taken aback upon hearing at what the Playtime Event was.

"That's right!" Stanczyk exclaimed as he began to explain. "I'm sure you all remember those collars around your necks, right best friends?!"

"How could we not?" Fábio retorted, tapping on it, uncomfortably. "It's been suffocating me for a while now."

"Well, in about 30 seconds, it's going to be 7:30!" Stanczyk declared. "And at the top of every 10 minutes, a jingle will play and the back of your collar will light up into one of two colors: Red or Green!"

"At ze top of every 10 minutes-" Manon blinked, slightly confused, until she was interrupted by yet another jingle.

Red Light

Green Light

One, two, three!

It was short.

Concise.

And it was chanted by a choir of children.

Creepy.

Everyone looked around, confused about what was supposed to happen. But, it didn't take long before Aidan noticed that on the back of Daisuke's neck was the color 'Green'.

"Wh-Whoa, Daisuke, the back of your collar…" Aidan widened his eyes.

"The rest is obvious!" Stanczyk exclaimed. "If the back of your collar is Green, you are free to move around as you normally do. But if the back of your collar is Red, try not to walk because if you do…"

Aidan took a step forward to take a better look at Daisuke's neck. However, the moment he did, he yelled in pain.

ZAP!

"AGH!" Aidan exclaimed as he fell to the ground, twitching on the floor and eyes widened. "W-What the hell was that?!"

"...That happens!" Stanczyk exclaimed, throwing his arms up in the air. "A painful shock courtesy of the manufactured shock collar!"

Aidan tried to stand up but was immediately met with another shock.

"AGH!" Aidan started to shake. "OW! Wh-What the–"

"Aidan!" Daisuke gasped as he rushed to help Aidan up from the ground.

Aidan winced from the pain of being shocked and as soon as he was helped up, he immediately took another step forward with clear discomfort.

"O-Okay, expla– AGH!" Aidan fell back to the ground, as another painful shock caused his body to spasm slightly. "O-Ow! Ow ow ow! Make it stop!"

"Quit moving, you moron!" Yukihiko glared at him. "The back of your collar is Red!"

"W-Well, how was I supposed to know that?!" Aidan winced, holding the back of his neck, instinctively.

"Well, I don't know, maybe after you got shocked as you stepped forward?" Yukihiko retorted.

"And I imagine the choice to put our colors on the back of our neck instead of the front was intentional…?" Kazuki didn't dare step forward.

"That's right!" Stanczyk clapped his hands happily. "You are free to use whatever method to find out what your color is! Whether it be by risking it or asking your friends to tell you, it's all up to you! But better beware…"

Stanczyk tilted his head.

"Because the more shocks you take in…" Stanczyk's mask distorted. "...ThE LeSs oF a cHanCe yOu'LL mAKe iT…"

"And, what's the point of having us endure a shocking game of Red Light, Green Light?" Alina folded her arms. "Pun not intended!"

"Course, I guess it's time to talk about that now!" Monoyena jumped in to explain. "As ya know, at the top of every 10 minutes, ya collars will be either 'Red' or 'Green'. There's no promise that yer color will change at all, so don't go assuming after ya got 'Red' that'll it just be 'Green' next! For all ya know, ya could be 'Red' for the entire day! Bwa… Bwahahahaha!"

Monoyena started to pick his teeth with his Barbie Blade.

"Now, after 9 PM, the collars turn off," Monoyena continued. "Give ya blokes a time to take a breather and leave the park. But after 7 AM, opening time, they reactivate! So, if yer gonna step into the park in the middle of day or somethin, ya best be prepared to know what color yer collar is unless ya want a good zappin!"

Monoyena twirled his Barbie Blade around.

"With that said, the collar also only turns back on if yer inside the park," Monoyena stated. "It won't do anything if yer in the Safe Zone. So, ya have that going for ya at least!"

"And how long do we have to endure this twisted version of Red Light, Green Light?" Kikuko frowned, not daring to step forth.

"That's where it ties into the Survey!" Monoyena continued. "This game will only continue until someone dies! Whether it be the girl I'll kill in three days… or one of you wankers!"

"So, in other words, we have to endure this for about three days, counting today," Fábio folded his arms. "Until someone… dies…"

"N-No!" Aidan yelled, standing up and storming up to– He never learns, does he? "We won't– AGHH!"

Aidan fell back to the ground, feeling electricity course through his veins. And for some reason, it was much more painful that it was the last three-four times he was shocked.

"A-Aidan, please, stop!" Daisuke exclaimed.

"Yeah, keep moving kid," Monoyena laughed. "Maybe we don't have to wait long after all. Gonna enjoy seeing his till his heart blow up into tiny fleshy pieces! Bwa… Bwahahahaha!"

"Y-You guys are scumbags," Aidan glared at Stanczyk and Monoyena on the ground. "Y-You guys won't get away with this! We'll find the kids! We'll find them!"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," Monoyena was definitely amused.

"So, just to reiterate," Beauté seemed very excited about this event. "At the top of every 10 minutes, our collars will show a color. If it's 'Green', we are free to move around as we usually do. If it's 'Red', we have to stay in one place lest we get a painful shock. Collars turn off at 9 PM and if we enter the Safe Zone and turn on at 7 AM or if we re-enter the park. And this Event lasts until someone dies, whether it's one of us or the girl you are set to kill. Did I get everything right?"

"That's right!" Stanczyk exclaimed, excitedly.

"Ah heh heh heh," Beauté smirked, swooning as she felt more excited by the minute. "Oh, how fun this will be!"

"Well, ya have about 7 minutes till the next jingle!" Monoyena laughed. "So, to those with 'Red' collars, have fun standing around like idiots! And to those with 'Green'... go fuck yourself! Bwa… Bwahahahahaha!"

"Have fun!" Stanczyk waved his hand, with a grin. "And thank you for participating in the Playtime Event! Oooh! This is gonna to be fun! Weeeee!"

Then, with their announcement over, the two left the scene, content with what the new struggles they had added onto the group.

A painful game of Red Light, Green Light.

Three days until the girl is to be killed.

And no leads onto where the boy and girl are at…

They looked amongst themselves. Regardless of what color they were, no one moved a muscle. Aidan was helped up, but he had finally learnt his lesson and kept still. They had seven minutes till the next color change.

And yet, they had little idea on what to do now…

[Hotel Mirai]

(Lobby)

The gathering at the Lobby took much longer than required. After all, because of the Red Light, Green Light game, the 16 playmates were pretty much forced to wait till 9 PM in order for their collars to deactivate. Once that had happened, everyone was able to scurry out of the park without any more of those painful shocks.

So, that's where they are now.

The Nighttime Meeting.

And today's Nighttime Meeting was definitely much more hectic than the last. Funny. It always did feel like these Nighttime Meetings got more dramatic than the last…

"What in Sam Hill are we gonna do now?" Yumi frowned, trying her best to pry off the collar around her neck. "Lookin for dem kiddies are gonna get so much harder now!"

"Aye!" Roderick thrust his fist, angrily. "Going into the Safe Zone be like sailing in the middle of the Bermuda!"

"Y-Yeah," Emmeline looked down. "I don't want to get electrocuted…"

"Hey, maybe we should look for the girl outside of the park, right?!" Daisuke suggested with a sheepish smile. "That way, none of us can get shocked and we can still be contributing to the search!"

"That's not how this works!" Alina widened her eyes. "We have to go inside to look for them!"

"And how, pray tell, do you suppose we do that with new hindrances being added every day?" Kikuko frowned. "We had the Survey. We have a time limit. And now we have this sick event on top of that to hinder us further."

"Ah heh heh heh," Beauté smirked. "I wonder about that... Is this really so much of a hindrance?"

"Oh no, not you again," Riku remarked what mostly everyone was thinking about. "You certainly get off on this, don't you?"

"And you don't?" Beauté feigned a gasp. "To think a member of the yakuza doesn't relish in exciting moments like these…"

Riku folded his arms and scoffed.

"What is it, this time, Beauté?" Fábio frowned, bracing himself for what outrageous claim she was about to make.

"Oh yes," Beauté grinned. "Right. I was wondering whether or not this is a hindrance or merely a simple advantage for all of us."

"How on earth is this an advantage?" Mara questioned as stood in the backlines.

"Well, think back to our current motivation at hand," Beauté took out her hand fan. "That poor girl is set to die… in, well, two days' time now. Obviously, if we want to save her life, it's going to require a sacrifice."

"No!" Aidan yelled. "Enough of that! We're–"

"Do not interrupt me," Beauté coldly told Aidan, her eyes darkening. She had closed her hand fan and smacked it against the palm of her hands. "I wasn't done speaking yet."

Aidan was taken aback by her sudden behavior before letting Beauté continue her little explanation. Her expression reverted back to that look of pleasure she often had.

"Ah heh heh heh," Beauté giggled to herself. Letting her hand fan extend out once more, she covered the lower half of her face as she spoke. "Anyway, as I was saying… Monoyena is clearly tempting our desires. After all, he knows how much we wish to save the girl despite it being our choices that placed her in these most unfortunate circumstances…"

Closing her hand fan, she pointed it toward her peers.

"Therefore, the Red Light, Green Light game was created as a method to feed into these desires," Beauté stated.

"Er, excusez-moi but am I ze only who is confused on what she is talking about?" Manon asked, clearly not following.

"Then, perhaps let me ask you a question to help you understand what this all means," Beauté smirked. "Why do you think the colors are on the back of the collar rather than the front?"

It took a moment for someone to respond, understanding where the mysterious ultimate was going on with this.

"I see," Alisa folded her arms, uneasily. "The Red Light, Green Light game was created… to make killing someone much easier…"

The reality sunk in for everyone else as soon as she explained this.

"You mean…" Alina covered her mouth in shock.

"Exactly!" Beauté giddily exclaimed, placing her hands over face with a crazy grin. "Isn't it genius?! How else are you supposed to know what color you have on the back of your collar?! You clearly need someone else to tell you what it is! And all that someone needs to do… is lie about what their color is in order to incapacitate them… It's a game of trust and chance! But who'll take the bait I wonder! Oh, I just can't wait to see!"

"This girl… is crazy…" Riku grumbled under his breath.

"A motive to kill the girl if nothing happens within the coming days…" Kazuki hummed to himself. "And an event to assist someone's beastly desires… They clearly thought of it all…"

"W-What are we going to do now?" Emmeline was clearly terrified after hearing Beauté's take on what the Playtime Event really was.

"Isn't it obvious?!" Aidan tried not to let any of this make him waver in his set decision. "We go back! We find that girl and put a stop to that clown and hyena's plan!"

"Oh please, this again," Beauté sighed. "I would have thought that after four days, your spirit would be broken. But clearly, you're still just as ignorant as ever."

Beauté pointed her hand fan toward him, condescendingly.

"Everyone here has spent four days turning the entire place upside-down," Beauté stated. "No one has found a thing. When will you finally realize that there is only one way to save those children?"

"No!" Aidan pointed his finger toward Beauté. "There's always another way! There's always another answer to the problem! We just… We just haven't found it yet!"

"Ugh, how tiring," Beauté folded her arms.

"Guys, come on," Aidan rallied up his uncertain peers. "We can't let Monoyena and Stanczyk win! We just need to keep trying! So, they threw an obstacle in our way! It's alright! We can always run around it! Th-There's still hope… right?"

Aidan looked around, but this time, no one was sharing his optimism. Even the most optimistic of the group, Yumi, looked downright uncertain about what was going to happen going forward. He turned to his second-in-command.

"Alina, come on, tell them it's not over yet," Aidan pleaded.

"Huh…?" Alina tried to force a smile. "Um, Aidan… I… I mean…"

"Daisuke?" Aidan turned to his friend.

Daisuke merely shrunk back.

"G-Guys, you can't be serious," Aidan started to waver. "You can't give up so easily! This is exactly what those psychos want! We can do this! We just need to try harder! There's another way! There's always another–"

"Enough."

Yukihiko spoke up after a long period of silence and consideration over their debacle. And it was clear that he had enough with Aidan's childish charades. He stood up, holding his teddy bear like a mother getting ready to storm off with her infant child. After a long consideration of his own words, it was clear that he knew he was right. He knew he had to embrace it now. Because the inclusion of Red Light, Green Light has changed the way the game is played...

"Aidan, it's over…" Yukihiko distastefully glared at him. "It's time to stop acting like a child and start acting like a grown-up. Beauté is right. We spent four days looking around and found nothing."

"Y-You can't give up, it's–" Aidan tried to say but Yukihiko cut him off.

"Look around, Aidan," Yukihiko seriously told him. "Everyone's given into the reality of the situation. So, why is it that the only person who has yet to leave his own delusions… is you?"

Aidan widened his eyes and stopped arguing.

Yukihiko shook his head, standing up and turning to his peers.

He noticed everyone's look of abandonment and resignation to the facts. For the longest time, optimism had been pulling the wool over their eyes. And it was clear that everyone was thinking the same thing. Everyone except Aidan.

Yukihiko caught Beauté's expectant stare toward him. And what's more, she was smiling all throughout everything.

He grimaced.

"...It's time to face the facts," Yukihiko began. "There's only one thing we can do now…

…

…

…

We need to think of someone to sacrifice."

DANGANRONPA: TWISTED TRAGEDY

Whew! This took a bit but Daily Life 4 of On Road to Despair is now out and ready about! And right now, wow, this title is fitting in so many different ways, it's crazy hahahaha XD But either case, here's the next chapter!

Updates: Trial Part 1 is still not finished. Once again, I apologize for how delayed it is. It might actually hinder the progress of the next chapter since I need to write out the entirety of Trial Part 1 AND Trial Part 2 as well because goddamn, it's for some reason, a little difficult writing it and making it good. I'm trying to devote some time into finishing at least Trial Part 1 up before Daily Life 5 can come up D: Sorry bout that!

As for the chapter itself, the biggest thing about Twisted Tragedy that I really wanted to explore and show how different my Killing Games are thematically was in fact, the Playtime Event. And now, it's finally here, starting off with Red Light, Green Light, which I'll have you know, had went through a lot of changes. Originally, the punishment for moving on Red was an administration of a knockout drug but that... just led to other problems. And then there was the time limit. It originally went from; the jingle plays every two hours... to every hour... to every 30 minutes... down to every 10 minutes. All because I felt it was unnatural for someone to just stand around for 30 minutes waiting for Red to change to Green. So, changing it to 10 minutes, felt much better!

That was the creative process for this Playtime Event so I'm hoping things pay off in the end! Of course, thank you to everyone who voted in the Survey ;D Glad I gave y'all an existential crisis! I live for that :D

Speaking of existential crisis, shoutout to Otterplay's fic, Danganronpa: Algorithmic Alteration! He's published a new chapter so go show him some support!

Hope you guys enjoyed the FTE's this time around! Once again, please let me know what you thought about the chapter! Need something changed? Just loved it? Have theories on who's going to die soon? Let me know!

I love hearing your truths and ideals :D

Wait...

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]