Chapter 4: Secrets Revealed
Cave Escapade
The pleasant chimes of the morning bell were interrupted by an abnormal announcement from Monokuma.
"Ahem, this is a village announcement!" He began. "Everyone please make your way to the Inner Temple! The entrance is in a cavern on the opposite side of the village from your living space. See you soon!"
Phoenix furrowed his brow. Monokuma didn't tend to interrupt the traditional morning announcement— if nothing else, that had been one of only a few constants in the village. Whatever Monokuma had planned, it had to have been big.
Phoenix threw himself out of the bed and prepared to face whatever twisted trial Monokuma had prepared for them. He bit his lip as he recalled his three friends that would no longer go through this routine. Ema, Leon, and Peko, all dead within two hours of each other.
His mind continued replaying the class trial. They had been one vote away from their deaths— and the only reason they had survived was because of Maya. Because she had trusted him.
He had already decided to stop running from Monokuma, but his heart still ached for those they had lost. Almost half of their number would never see or feel anything again. And yet, time carried forward.
How were the other students doing?
How was Apollo doing?
He worried for the mental health of the other defense attorney in the village. Out of anyone, he had been hit the hardest by the previous two cases. Both Nahyuta and Peko had murdered someone for Apollo's sake. After Athena's and Nahyuta's death, he had lashed out, his rage supported by Peko's blind devotion to him. What would he do now that she was gone?
Phoenix stepped out of his yurt, averting his eyes slightly from the orange glow of the sun. Monokuma had told them to meet on the opposite side of the village— was he talking about the place Kyoko's group had discovered during the village investigation? He recalled them describing a fairly desolate cave with a locked gate barring much exploration. Maybe they were going to see what was on the other side.
Then again, if Monokuma was the one revealing it, Phoenix was just as worried about there being a motive of some kind in the cave.
He walked down the dirt path, contemplating the possibilities. When he passed the entrance to Fey Manor, he stopped in his tracks, not because there was anything amiss, but because he realized he hadn't eaten in almost 18 hours. After the class trial, he had done little else besides sit in his room and think.
It seemed like he was one of the first to leave for the Inner Temple. Surely he could grab some food and still be on time with the rest of the students.
Not wanting to waste time deliberating, he briskly walked into Fey Manor, making a beeline for the kitchen. He glanced down the hallway that contained the storage room— his stomach churned slightly as he pictured Ema's corpse lying on the floor.
As he walked through the courtyard, he noticed the door to the kitchen was already open. When he entered, he saw Apollo and Chihiro standing near the counter, seemingly in a tense discussion. Chihiro was clutching a laptop close to her chest.
"They aren't really your friends!" Chihiro exclaimed. Her tone was much more fierce than ever before. "They're just approximations!"
Apollo scoffed. "Don't bring philosophy into this. If it looks like Peko and talks like Peko, then it's Peko!"
Chihiro pivoted slightly at the waist, turning her torso away from Apollo but keeping her gaze trained on him. "I didn't mean for Alter Ego to be a substitute for dead people! I made an exception with the approximations of Athena and Nahyuta because you were going down the wrong path!"
"Whether or not you intended it to be a substitute is irrelevant," Apollo declared, pointing fiercely at Chihiro. "You've created the world's best therapist, but instead of using it to help, you're locking it away! Why?!"
Phoenix wanted to speak up, but he instead stood motionless in the doorway, watching the two bicker. From what he had heard, it seemed Apollo was trying to speak to Alter Peko.
Chihiro bit her lip. "Have you ever read Harry Potter?"
Apollo seemed taken aback by the sudden conversation shift. He nodded, a puzzled expression on his face.
"In the first book, the Mirror of Erised showed people their heart's deepest desire, but they stopped interacting with the real world to spend their days in front of the mirror," Chihiro explained. "I don't want the same thing to happen to you!"
Apollo fell into a begging pose, clasping his hands together and bowing his head. "I watched everyone I love die in front of me! Please, let me talk to them again!"
Chihiro's eyes watered. She took a single step backwards. "I… I'm sorry, Apollo. I can't. Talking to them would only make your pain worse. I c-can't let that happen."
Phoenix's heart ached for Apollo. Seeing his friend in such a state was the final push he needed to cross the threshold and enter the kitchen, making his presence known.
Chihiro and Apollo turned their heads simultaneously to look at Phoenix. Apollo quickly stood up and brushed dust off his legs, and Chihiro set the laptop on the counter.
"H-hey, Mr. Wright," Apollo greeted, attempting to act casual.
"Are you alright, Apollo?" Phoenix asked, though he already knew the answer.
"I'm fine, Mr. Wright," Apollo insisted. "We should get going to the Inner Temple."
Phoenix stared at Apollo. He may not have had Apollo's lie-detecting ability, or Athena's unparalleled hearing, but he knew Apollo was lying. To his credit, Apollo didn't waver under Phoenix's knowing stare.
"We're here for you, Apollo," Phoenix reminded him. "Talk to us if you need anything."
Apollo smiled sadly before walking past Phoenix, the sound of his footsteps fading away as Phoenix looked back to Chihiro.
"Um… how much of that did you hear?" the programmer whispered, averting her gaze.
"Not too much," Phoenix fibbed. "Was he trying to talk to Alter Ego?"
Chihiro nodded. "I moved Alter Ego back to the kitchen yesterday evening, and when I came here this morning, I found Apollo asleep at the door to the kitchen. He… Alter Ego was uncooperative with his demands, and he… I guess he wanted to m-make sure he found me so he waited here all night once the kitchen was l-locked."
Phoenix pursed his lips. "We'll need to keep an eye on him. But we should also try to support him, otherwise he'll fall further into depression."
Chihiro bit her lip and remained silent.
"Well, we should probably get going," Phoenix declared. Chihiro nodded, grabbing the laptop and holding it by her side.
Phoenix grabbed a banana from the fruit bowl and three granola bars from a cabinet before joining her, quickly scarfing down the "meal" as they walked out of Fey Manor and towards the other side of the village.
As they walked through the grassy field next to the lake, Phoenix analyzed the fence surrounding the village. He may not have had Leon— or rather, the Ultimate Imposter's eye for measuring distances, but he was pretty sure the boundary had been expanded again.
Chihiro took note of his shifting gaze, asking: "Did M-Monokuma move the fence again?"
"I think so," Phoenix nodded. "I still wonder what the purpose of it is. Maybe just to reveal more places to investigate?"
Chihiro shook her head. "I don't know… I'm sorry…"
"It's alright," Phoenix placated as he carefully folded a granola bar wrapper and tucked it into his pocket.
"Phoenix…" Chihiro mumbled, her voice barely audible above the rustling of the grass. They had nearly made it to the edge of the village— Phoenix saw a hole of some sort not too far away.
"Yeah?" Phoenix asked, shifting his gaze down to the programmer.
"Was Alter Ego a mistake?" she asked, holding the laptop in front of her. "I've wondered before if it's… dangerous, instead of helpful…"
Phoenix knew he needed to be supportive right now. He may have been hurting, but he needed to be strong for those who were hurting more than him. "I can't answer that for you, Chihiro," he began. "But, in my opinion, Alter Ego is an incredible piece of technology that will certainly do more good than evil. There will always be some people who use new inventions improperly, but if you try to make it so that's not the case, you'll never produce anything."
Chihiro tilted her head. "So… even if some people misuse it, it's okay?"
They had arrived at the entrance to the Inner Temple. Phoenix peered down into the hole— it was about four feet in diameter. A single ladder rested against the edge, descending a few feet through dirt until reaching a stone cavern. It may not have been a long fall, but the height still made Phoenix uncomfortable. He brushed away the fear and turned around.
"You can't control everyone, Chihiro," Phoenix imparted. "There are some people who are always going to be evil. The best thing to do is to prop up those who are good and do what you can to perpetuate hope."
Having given Chihiro his wisdom, Phoenix descended the ladder. He waited for Chihiro to join him at the bottom before they walked into the dim mouth of the cave.
After a minute of walking, they arrived in an illuminated room. Somewhat surprisingly, only Apollo, Kyoko, and Nagito had beaten them. Of course, Monokuma was also standing in the room, bobbing in place as if listening to a tune.
Phoenix took in the room— it didn't really remind him of a temple of any kind. The back consisted of a set of iron bars, a few of which were attached to a hinge. A red box was chained to the door— Phoenix suspected that was the trick lock Maya had explained before. Apart from the enticing mystery of what lay in the darkness behind the door, nothing in the room stood out to Phoenix. The wall held a single hanging scroll depicting some ancient woman, and a mahogany dresser with all three of its drawers hanging open, revealing nothing inside, rested on the opposite side of the room.
A few seconds after Phoenix and Chihiro's arrival, Monokuma stopped bobbing. "What's taking everyone so long?" he pouted. "You kids need to learn some respect!"
The bear pulled out a stage microphone and tapped it twice, sending a thumping sound reverberating through the cavern. "You have 90 seconds!" Monokuma yelled into the microphone. Phoenix flinched and covered his ears as their headmaster's voice echoed through the room, and likely the rest of the village. "Anyone who's not down the ladder by then will be executed!"
Phoenix's eyes widened. He did a mental tally— they were still missing four people: Chiaki, Klavier, Makoto, and Maya. They had to make it in time. They just had to— the students couldn't suffer another death right now.
Phoenix heard a faint set of hurried footsteps approaching the group. As they grew louder, the figures grew into view: Makoto and Maya had made it, though both of their faces showed immense panic. Phoenix breathed a slight sigh of relief.
"Sixty seconds!" Monokuma called out.
10 seconds passed. Then 20, then 30. Phoenix bounced on the balls of his feet. Surely Chiaki and Klavier were going to make it.
Finally, with around 20 seconds remaining, Phoenix heard labored breathing coming from the other side of the corridor. He watched in surprise as Klavier emerged with Chiaki on his back, seemingly half asleep.
"What…?" Phoenix slowly said, taking in the strange sight. Klavier knelt down and Chiaki slid off his back, taking a standing position.
"She… was going too slowly," Klavier panted as he stood upright. "I... insisted."
"I would have been fine," Chiaki weakly protested. "Probably…"
"You're fine with 'probably' being okay?!" Maya gasped.
"Aw, I really wanted to execute someone today," Monokuma feigned weeping. "I guess Klavier here is just too chivalrous. Or maybe he's just trying to get in your 'good graces,' if you know what I mean!"
"Good graces?" Chiaki repeated.
"Don't mock me," Klavier folded his arms and looked down at the bear. "May we hear why you summoned us all here?"
Monokuma groaned. "You kids never let me make any quips! You're all business. This is supposed to be fun!"
"Fun for whom?" Phoenix challenged.
"Everyone! You get to relish in the despair of murdering your friends for your own benefit! I get to put you all through misery! It's a perfect system!"
"If this meeting has no purpose, then I will see myself out," Kyoko snipped before walking away.
"Fine!" Monokuma conceded. Kyoko turned around and marched back. "I've gathered you all here because there's no need to investigate the village this time. I'm only opening one thing, and I wanted you all to be here for it!"
"Are you opening the trick lock?!" Maya asked excitedly.
Monokuma produced a small gold star and leapt up, slapping it onto Maya's forehead. She sat there, momentarily stunned.
"Indeed I am! Now, everyone watch closely!" Monokuma demanded. Maya peeled the sticker from her forehead and gently applied it to her robe like a nametag.
The group of students peered over each other's shoulders in anticipation as Monokuma walked over to the red, ornate box holding the door shut. He rubbed his paws together, and slowly reached forward. Phoenix was interested to see how the lock was meant to be undone.
Unfortunately, he didn't get to see the solution, because Monokuma instead ripped the box from the iron bars, snapping the chains holding it there in half. The iron door lazily swung open, no longer restrained by anything. They could now better see beyond the gate, but all Phoenix could make out was a fairly wide tunnel going deeper into the ground.
"Puzzles are for the weak!" Monokuma declared, dropping the trick lock to the floor. The chains clattered loudly against each other before falling into a curled pile atop the lock.
"Hey! That's not how you do it!" Maya puffed her cheeks.
Monokuma shrugged. "You don't know how to do it either, so why bother?"
Kyoko pulled out her student handbook and tapped the screen a few times, navigating to the menu of rules. "I was under the impression rule #5 prohibited destruction of locks," she pointed out, holding the notebook out for Monokuma to see. "Are you above the rules?"
"Puhuhuhu! I was hoping someone would point that out!" Monokuma chided. "If you'll notice, that rule specifies school property. This cave is officially off-campus, meaning no rules apply here!"
"If that's the case, then allow me this honor," Nagito said without pause, confidently striding forward. Time seemed to slow down as the luckster brought his foot up before smashing it down into Monokuma, who fell prostrate under Nagito's weight.
Phoenix couldn't suppress a gasp, and neither could most of the other students. Nagito leapt into the air before slamming his feet back into the bear, which crumpled slightly under the force. Phoenix couldn't tear his eyes away, but something felt off. Monokuma wasn't fighting back, but there was no way the bear was weak enough to be taken out by a few stomps.
Only when Phoenix heard the sliding of stone did he realize the trap they were falling for. He turned around just in time to see another Monokuma grinning maliciously as the way back to the surface was blocked by a sliding stone door. Phoenix stood frozen for a second as the door quickly descended, blocking Monokuma from view.
Phoenix whirled around. "NAGITO!" He roared. "STOP!"
Immediately, the luckster straightened himself up and turned around to face Phoenix with a disturbingly excited expression. Beads of sweat had gathered on his forehead; he brushed them aside as his vision focused on Phoenix. Then, his eyes moved past Phoenix to the now-closed wall behind them.
He began cackling.
"Well, I probably should have seen that coming," he giggled.
The rest of the class turned to see the source of Nagito's mirth. Phoenix watched as each of their faces turned from confusion to terror.
"N-no!" Makoto was first to break the short-lasting, yet tense silence. "The cave! We…"
"We're trapped," Kyoko finished simply.
"That's right!"
Everyone's heads jerked to the battered Monokuma lying on the floor, but it was not the source of the voice. Instead, the voice of Monokuma was playing over the seemingly invisible speakers, taunting them for falling hook, line, and sinker for his trap.
"Now, there are technically no rules in this cave, since you're no longer on school property," Monokuma began. "But there's also 'technically' no way out. Aside from, of course, committing a murder! If someone dies in that cavern, I will open the door."
"We'll find another way out!" Phoenix shook his fist at the ceiling. "We're done playing by your rules!"
"I just told you there were no rules!" Monokuma groaned. "Which is why, although it hurt me emotionally, I can look past Nagito's assault on my body! And by the way, I've heard that line more times than I care to count. It gets tiring, Nicky boy."
"Will there still be a class trial for a murder?" Nagito inquired.
"Of course! Although that's more of a loose guideline than an actual rule."
"But you're still going to enforce it," Kyoko deadpanned.
"Of course!" Monokuma repeated. "Now, get exploring! Maybe something you find in that ol' cavern will help give you some incentive to get out!"
With that, Monokuma ceased talking. Phoenix looked down and saw the Monokuma that Nagito had assaulted had vanished sometime while they were occupied with talking to the Monokuma over the speakers.
Chihiro began hyperventilating. She curled into a ball and clutched her laptop to her chest.
Maya immediately bent down, gently holding the programmer's hand. "We'll be okay," she soothed. "Look at who we're with! Everyone here is going to work together."
Chihiro shivered, but her breathing slowly resumed to a normal pace.
Phoenix looked at Apollo, who was gazing at Chihiro with a haunted look on his face.
"S-sorry," Chihiro apologized as she recomposed herself. "I, um, don't like feeling trapped. At least in the village I could pretend there was no boundary."
"Worry not, Fräulein Fujisaki," Klavier placated. "We are all in disbelief at the moment."
"What do we do now?" Chiaki questioned.
"We have nowhere to go but deeper into the cave," Kyoko answered. "This is an entirely new location, and we need to figure out its secrets."
"Should we break into groups?" Apollo suggested.
Kyoko shook her head. "Let's see what we're dealing with, first."
Klavier clapped his hands together. "Well, no in sense waiting. Let's go forward, ja?"
Kyoko nodded. She turned towards the dark tunnel revealed by the open door and began marching forward, waving her hand to signal the rest of the group to follow.
Phoenix exchanged a glance with Maya as they walked into the cavern. The gold star on her robes stuck out against the rest of her outfit. She seemed to be handling the situation well, but he was pretty sure they were all struggling to hold themselves together.
He also briefly examined Apollo and Chihiro. They were walking on opposite sides of the group— perhaps intentionally distancing themselves from each other. Chihiro was still holding the laptop with Alter Ego close to her body, while Apollo's movements looked somewhat stiff.
The light level in the rugged stone corridor steadily decreased until Phoenix could barely see in front of him. Fortunately, there was still enough light for him to see Makoto stop in front of him.
"Anyone have some sort of light?" Makoto asked.
Phoenix heard some movement from behind him, and suddenly a dim glow filled the corridor. He glanced behind him to see Chihiro holding her laptop open. Her digital double stared blankly forward, seemingly taking in the scene.
"Let's keep moving forward," Kyoko commanded.
With Chihiro's laptop as their light, they continued walking deeper into the tunnel. Phoenix couldn't be sure, but it felt like they had been slowly descending downward the whole time. And yet, the tunnel never changed in size or direction.
Finally, after several minutes of walking in silence, they emerged into a rather enormous, pyramid-shaped chamber. The stone walls gave way to drywall of some kind, with a psychedelic light blue projection on every surface. As Phoenix took in the structure, he realized the projection displayed countless attorney's badges drifting slowly towards the peak of the pyramid, which was at least sixty feet high. A single staircase near the back led up to a second floor which formed a sort of ring around the wall. Finally, he saw a single doorway underneath the staircase; though he wasn't close enough to be sure, it looked like an elevator.
"What is this place?" Makoto wondered aloud.
Right on cue, the irritating sound of their ursine headmaster blared through the pyramid. "This is the Lawyer House!" Monokuma's disembodied voice declared. "Befit with lovely dorm rooms and other various rooms for your entertainment, the Lawyer House is the perfect lodging for young men looking to despair!"
Phoenix continued surveying the structure. It seemed the second story was actually the roofs of several small buildings, presumably the "dorm rooms" described by Monokuma.
"Let's split up," Kyoko told the group.
"What's our objective?" Nagito inquired.
"This 'house' seems fairly small," Klavier observed. "If we split up, we should be able to get a feel for it rather quickly."
"Let's gather back here in a few minutes," Phoenix decided, "and report what we found."
Maya followed Phoenix as he walked towards the back of the room; the remainder of the students similarly broke off into groups and started combing through the pyramid.
"What are we looking for, Nick?" Maya asked as they approached the staircase.
Phoenix sighed. "I don't know. Nothing in particular, I guess."
As they arrived at the back of the pyramid, Phoenix was able to confirm his suspicion that underneath the staircase did indeed lie an elevator door. The metallic doors stood out against the blue wall, and a single button lay on the right side. Upon closer inspection, Phoenix realized the button was in the shape of a prosecutor's badge; a familiar white cross with a red center.
"An elevator?" Maya questioned.
"Should we see where it goes?" Phoenix suggested.
Maya shrugged. "I bet it just goes to the second floor. But this button looks fun!" She dashed forward and forcefully pressed the call button, the prosecutor's badge lit up as the doors to the elevator immediately opened.
Phoenix glanced around— he saw a few students milling about the first floor. They probably had it covered; he felt fine stepping into the elevator with Maya. The doors closed, and for a moment Phoenix was reminded of the elevator which led them to each class trial. Neither of them had buttons, although this one was much more akin to a hotel elevator.
"Are we moving?" Maya asked, poking the doors. "How do we make this thing go?"
Phoenix looked around the elevator for any sign of a button. However, it was then that the doors opened, revealing something entirely different to where they originally entered.
Whereas the Lawyer House had been entirely blue, the place they stepped out into was a light maroon. Phoenix looked around in confusion as they emerged onto the second floor of an inverted pyramid, with red walls decorated with prosecutor's badges descending towards the bottom.
"I guess the elevator moved without us feeling it," Phoenix commented.
"I had hoped more of you would be here to see it, but welcome to the Prosecutor House!" the voice of Monokuma called out. "There are more wonderful dorm rooms in this place, perfect for young ladies longing to languish!"
Maya rushed forward to the edge of the balcony, peering over the handrail. Phoenix joined her, and realized they were in the complete inverse of the Lawyer House. All of the dorm rooms seemed to be on the second story, while the first floor held a few smaller rooms.
He stepped away. The first floor was a bit too far away for his liking.
"Should we head back and tell the others about this?" Maya proposed.
"Let's look around a little bit," Phoenix decided. "There are enough people in the Lawyer House already."
"I bet I can search more rooms than you!" Maya challenged before sprinting towards the nearest dorm room, her topknot flowing behind her.
Phoenix allowed himself a small smile as he watched Maya depart. Part of him cried out to thank her for believing in him during Peko's trial. Did she realize she had been the reason they had all survived?
He needed to give her more credit. She was definitely astute enough to realize that. He supposed she just didn't want to dwell on the events of the previous trial, instead preferring to focus on what lay ahead.
As he stood there, lost in thought, he saw Maya burst out of the door she had entered. He realized he still needed to do some kind of investigation, so he waved to Maya before walking at a normal pace to the opposite side of the pyramid, making sure to stay away from the edge.
It took only a few minutes for the two of them to search the entire second floor of the Prosecutor House. The only rooms they found were five identical dorm rooms, all with the same red color scheme. Each one contained a single bed, desk, and bathroom with a sink and toilet.
"Lame!" Maya griped upon hearing every room was the same. "Let's go look at the first floor!"
Once again, Phoenix was left to follow behind her as she dashed down the stairs. He descended to the first floor, which was noticeably narrower than the first. Although he couldn't see it, he suspected the lower point of the Prosecutor House intersected with the peak of the Lawyer House.
As Maya ran into one of the doorways on the edge of the pyramid, Phoenix checked underneath the stairwell. The Lawyer House had the entrance to the elevator under the stairs, but it seemed the Prosecutor House held a short hallway instead. The eclectic red projection continued down the length of the hall, stopping at a set of gray double doors.
Phoenix walked down the length of the hallway, feeling an odd sense of foreboding as he approached the doors. He tentatively reached for the handle, but upon turning it he found it to be locked. He tested both handles, but it seemed the doors would not open by force.
What lay beyond these doors? Was it something they would discover later?
Maya's voice interrupted his theorizing. "Nick! Get over here!"
He sighed, resolving to come back to the doors another time. Maya was on the other side of the pyramid; he jogged over to her. She held a corded phone out to him as he approached, which was connected to the wall. Instead of a dialing pad, the base of the phone held only a large button with an attorney's badge on it.
Clearly, this phone was a way to call the Lawyer House. He picked up the receiver from Maya and held it to his ear.
"Hello?"
"Where are you, Phoenix?"
Kyoko was on the other line. Her tone made him picture her with a rather unamused expression— he was glad she wasn't able to glower at him in person. Maya held her ear up to the receiver, trying to listen in.
"Maya and I got on the elevator," Phoenix explained.
"I know," Kyoko interrupted. "But where are you?"
Phoenix felt slightly taken aback. "It took us to the 'Prosecutor House,'" he elaborated. "It's a pyramid, too, but flipped on its head. There are five identical dorm rooms, and a hallway that leads to a locked doorway. Maya found this phone, and that brings everything up to date."
"This doorway," Kyoko said without pause, "was it a set of gray double-doors?"
"Y-yeah," Phoenix affirmed. "How did you know?"
Kyoko paused. Phoenix imagined her putting her fingers on her chin and contemplating what to tell him.
"Those doors lead to a central cylinder," she elaborated. "We found two floors with little of note, but the Lawyer House had a very similar hallway to the one you described on the top floor. The doors led to the first floor of the cylinder, and we found an identical locked set of double doors on the second floor."
A new voice interjected from the phone. "When she says 'we,' she means 'me,' Herr Wright."
"Hi, Klavier!" Maya chirped.
"Hello, Fräulein Fey."
"Is that Phoenix?"
Now Nagito had butted into the call.
"Phoenix, get back here, please," Kyoko asked. He heard a hint of pleading in her voice— it seems even she was fed up with their situation.
Before Phoenix could respond, the line went dead. Maya looked up at him.
"I guess we're going back," he shrugged.
Maya grabbed his hand. "Let's not keep them waiting!" She tugged him back across the room.
Phoenix let himself be dragged to the elevator. Maya's relentless cheeriness was a much-needed light in his life, but he wondered how much of it was because stopping to think for too long would lead to dark thoughts.
Even thinking about dark thoughts caused them to rise up. As they entered the elevator, he wondered if he and Maya had been friends at Hope's Peak. Would he ever know the answer, or would his memories be forever lost?
He also considered that just yesterday, their number had been 12. Now, it was only 9. Would they be able to find a way out of this absurd cavern, or would someone resort to murder again?
The ride back to the Lawyer House was as smooth as the ride from it. The doors opened to reveal the 7 other students waiting, all staring directly at Phoenix and Maya.
Maya waved, and Phoenix smiled awkwardly. "Sorry about that," he apologized. "I didn't realize it would take us to an entirely new location."
"Worry not, Herr Wright," Klavier waved his hand. "Shall we summarize our findings of this location?"
"There's not a lot to this place," Apollo sighed. "We could summarize our findings in a sentence."
"I heard there were five identical dorm rooms," Phoenix shrugged, "but I'm interested in hearing about the other rooms, as well as this central cylinder."
"I found a recreation room," Chiaki yawned. "There are a few games, nothing digital though…"
Nagito went next. "There's also a kitchen, but it doesn't seem to have nearly as much variety as the one in the village. It's pretty much just oatmeal and its mix-ins— fruits, honey, things like that."
Phoenix was glad to hear they wouldn't starve to death, but he was saddened he couldn't continue trying to learn cooking from Alter Ego. Which reminded him…
"Chihiro, what will we do about Alter Ego?" He asked. "Are there any other batteries here?"
Chihiro looked at the floor. "I looked, but didn't find any… It's at about h-half battery right now. We s-should only use it when we need to."
Apollo inhaled and held his finger up, like he was about to protest Chihiro's claim, but a fearful glance from Chihiro was enough to silence him.
"Klavier and I went down the hall on the second floor," Makoto spoke up after an uncomfortable silence. "It led to a purple cylindrical room without any weird projections."
Klavier nodded sharply. "Monokuma called it the 'Outer Hall.' The cylinder had two floors. The first one held only a map of this place, but a spiral staircase to the second floor revealed something rather… interesting."
Phoenix raised his eyebrows.
"There was, of course, a set of locked double-doors, which seemingly lead to this 'Prosecutor House' you found." Klavier began, brushing his hair drill behind his shoulder. "But there was also a set of doors with an image of Monokuma's face split down the middle. It's called the 'First Life Room,' and Monokuma's voice explained to us that it's a deadly gauntlet containing a prize of some kind for those who complete it."
"Wh-what kind of prize?" Chihiro asked nervously.
Klavier shook his head. "He didn't say. But I doubt it's anything 'wholesome.'"
"What if it has a way out?" Nagito proposed. "Or something to do with our lost memories?"
"Can we bet on that?" Makoto questioned. "It might also just contain a motive."
"And it's dangerous!" Maya added. "It's a 'deadly gauntlet!'"
"We should stay away from that room," Chiaki declared with an abnormally forceful tone. "It'll just end up trapping and dividing us."
He waited for her to end her statement with a "probably" or an "I think," but for once, Chiaki seemed confident in herself.
"If that's everything, we should go to the Prosecutor House now," Phoenix suggested. "Maya and I only got to explore the dorm rooms, all of which were the same. The doorway to the Outer Hall was locked."
"There's one more thing," Kyoko held her finger up. "The way back to the Inner Temple has closed."
Phoenix inhaled sharply. Their only known exit was now even further cut off than before.
After delivering her disparaging discovery, Kyoko quickly strode past Phoenix and pressed the elevator's call button. The prosecutor's badge briefly illuminated before the doors slid open.
"Let's go," she called. The rest of the class quickly complied, filing onto the elevator. The doors closed on the nine students, temporarily cramming them into the chamber.
"This is too squished!" Maya complained as she forced Phoenix further back into the corner.
"Are we moving?" Makoto questioned. "Where's the button to go to the Prosecutor House?"
Phoenix explained, "There is non-OUCH!" A sudden pain shot through his foot. Maya had stepped on it.
"Sorry!" Maya yelped, before addressing Makoto's question. "The elevator goes automatically, Makoto."
Sure enough, the doors opened to reveal the red glow of the Prosecutor House. The group quickly stumbled out of the elevator, enjoying the sudden freedom of movement.
"Ah, now this is my kind of house," Klavier quipped. "It felt like you lawyers were getting all the credit nowadays."
"Looks like the Lawyer House flipped upside down," Nagito noted. "Could this be a commentary on the roles of lawyers and prosecutors in society?"
"That's a stupid theory," Apollo scorned.
"My apologies," Nagito bowed. "Please ignore my worthless input."
"So, should we investigate this place?" Phoenix interrupted, stepping in between Apollo and Nagito.
"We should get going," Chiaki agreed. "I think…"
"Herr Wright, would you mind showing me where these locked doors are?" Klavier inquired.
Phoenix guided Klavier down the staircase in front of the elevator as the rest of the group split off to investigate again. Klavier ran his hand along the red walls as they descended, weaving his hand around each moving prosecutor's badge they passed.
Once they reached the bottom, Phoenix turned and showed the rockstar the hallway underneath the staircase.
Klavier casually walked forward, leaving Phoenix to catch up before they arrived at the doors together.
Phoenix reached down, intending to demonstrate the doors were locked. Instead, the door easily swung open, revealing a purple room beyond the threshold.
He did a double take as he looked between Klavier and the doors.
"Well, they certainly don't seem locked," Klavier shrugged.
"They were last time!"
"Calm yourself, Herr Wright. I believe you. Perhaps the doors have unlocked since the last time you came here."
Phoenix stepped into the cylindrical room. The purple room was almost entirely empty, save for a hole in the floor which presumably led to the first floor, and the more notable entrance to the First Life Room. Klavier's description didn't do the doors justice— from across the room, Phoenix could tell they were enormous. The left half held Monokuma's white facial portion connecting with the black half on the other side, his red eye almost glowing.
Klavier stepped into the room after Phoenix. "This is indeed the top floor," he confirmed. "Shall we see if we can enter the Lawyer House from here?"
"Yeah, let's go."
The two attorneys walked to the center of the room, descending the spiral staircase. Phoenix admonished himself not to look down, instead maintaining a death grip on the handrail and watching Klavier follow him down.
"Do I have something in my hair?" Klavier asked once they reached the bottom.
"What?" Phoenix asked, confused. "Oh, no. It looks fine." He decided to change the subject, shifting his gaze towards the map on the wall across from the doors. It showed an inverted red pyramid labeled "Prosecutor House" atop a blue pyramid labeled "Lawyer House." The map also showed the elevator he and Maya had taken, as well as the purple cylinder in which he and Klavier currently resided, labeled the "Outer Hall."
"So, about this entrance to the Lawyer House?" Phoenix asked, returning his focus to Klavier.
Klavier guided him to a set of gray double doors, which were in the same location relative to them as the ones a floor above. He gestured to the handle, signaling for Phoenix to try the door. Phoenix crossed his fingers before tugging on the handle.
They were locked.
"I guess this answers our question," Klavier shrugged. "It seems you can only enter and leave the Outer Hall from whence you came."
"That's a weird rule," Phoenix observed. "Why did Monokuma require it so that you had to use the elevator to get between the houses?"
"I'm unsure," Klavier responded. "But, since Herr Naegi and I have already investigated this portion of the cavern, I suggest we head back."
Phoenix nodded, and as he ascended the staircase to the second floor, he found himself wishing he could take the elevator instead.
All told, the investigation of the Prosecutor House revealed little of note. All rooms that existed in the Lawyer House existed in the Prosecutor House, only on different floors. The kitchens were prepped with the same food, and even the game room had identical sets of games. Lastly, as Maya and Kyoko had discovered, there was a single phone linking the two.
"Now that we've investigated this place, I suggest we decide who will sleep where," Klavier suggested. "I am partial to the Prosecutor House, naturally, and I imagine Herrs Wright and Justice are interested in the Lawyer House."
Phoenix bit his lip as he thought of the attorneys who didn't get to live in either. Was Klavier lonely without Franziska or Nahyuta? Phoenix certainly missed everyone who was gone.
"Let's not overcomplicate it," Chiaki declared. "The boys can stay in the Lawyer House, girls in the Prosecutor House."
"I agree," Phoenix input.
The rest of the group shrugged or nodded their heads.
Klavier seemed slightly disappointed, but he did not object.
"Uh, c-could…" Chihiro spoke up, struggling to get her sentence out. "M-maybe…"
She briefly glanced up to see everyone staring at her, waiting to hear what she had to say.
"Never mind," she mumbled. Phoenix saw her knuckles tighten on her laptop.
"If there are no objections, let's go choose our rooms," Phoenix decided.
"Nick, come hang out when you're done," Maya requested.
"Will do," Phoenix said as he pressed the elevator call button. He and the other four boys stepped onto the elevator and returned to the Lawyer House. Phoenix did a mental headcount of the group: Makoto and Klavier both seemed to be faring well enough. Apollo was putting on a brave face, but he was much more curt than usual— especially towards Nagito, who Phoenix knew would be just as happy sleeping on a pile of rocks as in a dorm room. He also worried about how Apollo would continue to interact with Chihiro— their argument in the kitchen seemed to have left Apollo even more drained.
Worryingly, they hadn't discovered a way out. All they had succeeded in doing was trapping themselves deeper in the cave. They wouldn't starve, for the time being, but what would happen if food supplies ran out, or tensions got too high?
Would someone resort to murder to leave the cave?
As the doors opened to the Lawyer House, Phoenix decided he would take it upon himself to keep the group together. Monokuma had delivered a major shake-up of the status quo, but he had faith that the people he was trapped with could stay strong.
He just hoped he wouldn't be proven wrong again.