Chapter 4: Secrets Revealed

Free Time Keeps On Slipping

Phoenix had ended up with the dorm room in the Lawyer House that was closest to the elevator to the Prosecutor House. Choosing a room for each of them had been harder than it needed to be: Klavier had asked for the most "rockin'" room; Makoto had impassively declared that he would take whatever room was left; and Nagito had insisted he was worthless and that the "true icons of hope" should choose their rooms before him.

In the end, an exasperated Apollo had loudly reiterated that all the rooms were the same before storming into the one nearest to the kitchen.

Phoenix had shrugged and taken up residence in the room at the opposite end of the set of 6. The Lawyer House was different from the Prosecutor House in that regard— all of the dorm rooms were on one side of the pyramid, compared to them being split into two sets of three in the Prosecutor House.

Settling into his room didn't take long— he didn't bring any belongings into the cave, considering he didn't expect to be sealed away from the rest of the village. He took a single lap of his room, analyzing the few amenities— a single bed with blue sheets, an oak desk with three empty drawers, and a blue tiled bathroom. Thankfully, the door had a lock, though he hoped there would be no need to rely on it.

Maya had asked him to visit the Prosecutor House when he was done. He deposited his granola bar wrappers that he had been carrying in his pocket in the trash, then performed a final glance over his room before heading towards the elevator.

Nagito had emerged from his room and was pacing aimlessly around the upper floor. He smiled innocently and waved at Phoenix, who had been crossing his fingers that the luckster wouldn't notice his presence.

Phoenix responded with a small wave before obscuring himself under the staircase as he pressed the elevator call button. The ride to the Prosecutor House was as bizarre as ever— despite feeling no movement from within the elevator, the doors opened to the inverted red pyramid. He stepped out of the elevator and walked down to the lower floor, scanning the building for a sign of Maya.

As he glanced towards the kitchen, he heard footsteps hurrying down the staircase above him. He watched as Maya turned the corner, hurrying over to him.

"Sorry to keep you waiting!" She apologized.

"You didn't keep me waiting," Phoenix assured her. "What do you want to do? We could check out the game room."

Maya's stomach rumbled loudly in response. Phoenix realized he was probably the only one to have eaten anything before they had all been trapped in the cave.

"On second thought," Phoenix held up his finger, "How about we go eat?"

Maya smiled sheepishly.

As Nagito had reported, the kitchen was stocked with nothing but oatmeal ingredients inside oak cabinets. Oats, milk, and a few sweet additions.

"Is this it?" Maya griped. "No noodles? No meat?"

"We'll have to live with this," Phoenix sighed. Times like these were what reminded him of the grim reality of his situation. He may have been fortunate enough to have several friends to rely on, but they were still trapped underground by an evil bear, forced to doubt one another for fear of being murdered.

"Well, I guess we should eat what we can," Maya said somberly.

"There are plenty of add-ins," Phoenix encouraged. "Let's make it fun!"

"In what way?" she asked.

"I bet I can make a tastier bowl of oatmeal than you," he challenged, hoping to prod Maya's competitive spirit.

Maya grinned. "No chance!" She smacked her fist into her palm. "Let's do this!"

For a moment, Phoenix's eyes widened. It was like Athena was standing in front of him again. He shook off the effect.

"Y-yeah," Phoenix composed himself.

Maya smiled. "On three! One, three!"

She dashed towards the cupboard, skipping calling out "two" and leaping over one of the tables in the room. Phoenix stumbled after her, fiercely objecting to the rigged countdown.

Phoenix's bowl of oatmeal focused more on fruits and healthy add-ins, while Maya's was crammed full of as many sugary ingredients she could find. Unsurprisingly, they both voted for their own bowl, but Phoenix was at least glad to have something in his stomach, even if Maya had stolen more than half of his to "taste test" it.

"Well, I can't say I won't get tired of that every day, but it could be worse," Phoenix concluded, washing his bowl in the sink and leaving it on the drying rack. "What should we do now?"

Maya shrugged. "Eat more?"

Phoenix chuckled. "Life is more than just eating food. How about we check out the recreation room?"

"Sounds fun!" She agreed.

She placed her bowl in the sink, then grabbed his hand and tried to force him to run with her out the door. He maintained a steady walking pace. She switched to pushing him forward from behind, but he dodged to the side as he felt his legs being forced to pick up the pace.

"Work with me, Nick!" Maya griped.

"No can do," he laughed. "I only run when it's urgent."

Maya protruded her lower lip, giving an exaggerated pouty face. "Playing games with me isn't urgent? I'm offended."

"I wasn't built for running," Phoenix shrugged.

"Were you built for desk slamming?"

He smiled. "Bingo."

Maya yielded, resigning herself to walk at a normal pace next to Phoenix. They quickly arrived at the door to the game room. It was the same red as the rest of the pyramid, with the projected prosecutor's badges gently coasting over it towards the floor. Maya pushed it open, revealing an interior with the exact same color scheme as the exterior. Phoenix followed her in, taking in the recreation room.

The center of the room held a pool table, made of the same oak as Phoenix's desk, with a red felt top and a set of only red balls, excluding the 8 ball. A few pinball cabinets were set up against the back wall, nestled in between sparsely populated shelves containing various board games. Three plush couches and several plush chairs (all of which were red) were used to create two lounging areas.

Chiaki was sitting in one of the chairs, seemingly playing Uno by herself. She continually laid the cards from her hand onto a short table, mumbling quietly to herself.

"Hey, Chiaki!" Maya greeted. The gamer seemingly didn't notice her call, as she continued laying cards down.

"Chiaki?" Phoenix repeated. Once again, she remained oblivious to their arrival.

Phoenix walked over to her, waving his hand in front of her face. She finally looked up, noticing their arrival for the first time.

"Oh, hi," she greeted quickly before returning to her game.

Phoenix stared down at her, expecting something else. However, she remained silent. Maya walked over, sinking into a chair next to where Phoenix was standing.

"What, uh…" Phoenix grasped for a conversation starter. "What are you doing?"

"Playing Uno," Chiaki answered. "Want to join?"

Phoenix looked at Maya, who nodded excitedly.

"Sure," Phoenix answered.

"Deal us in, maestro!"

Phoenix raised a finger, but he decided against correcting Maya's made-up colloquialism. Truthfully, he was grateful she was still so peppy— her continued optimism made him happy. Chiaki gracefully shuffled the cards on the table back into the deck. She handed them each seven cards, and they began a very lengthy gaming session.

They spent several hours playing various games together, with Chihiro briefly showing up and meekly joining a few games at Maya's request. After taking the elevator to the Lawyer House and playing even more in its recreation room (the game selection was the same; Maya was just tired of the red walls), Phoenix finally had to call it. He stood up after Maya snagged a victory in Candy Land— a game they had played at her insistence— stretching his arms over his head before checking the time on his student handbook.

"This was a lot of fun," he began, "but I'm ready to stop. It's getting closer to dinnertime, anyways."

"Oh, yeah," Chiaki looked up from the board. "I forgot about eating."

"Forgot?!" Maya repeated, seeming shocked. "How could you forget about the best part of the day?"

"I was playing games," Chiaki shrugged. "I guess time slipped away from me."

"Let's change that!" Maya declared. She energetically grabbed Chiaki's hand and semi-forcefully pulled her to standing. "Time to show you my epic oatmeal concoction!"

Phoenix calmly followed Maya and a reluctant Chiaki to the kitchen. They found Apollo sitting at one of the tables, slowly sipping a glass of milk.

"Oh, hey, everyone," Apollo calmly greeted them.

"Hi, Apollo!" Maya waved.

Apollo made eye contact with Phoenix, who nodded in greeting. He clenched his jaw and returned to his meal. Phoenix noticed his knuckles were growing white as he clenched his fist. Was he thinking about the conversation Phoenix had seen him and Chihiro having?

Phoenix knew Chihiro hadn't let Alter Ego out of her sight, and there was no way Apollo would forcefully take it. Even so, he felt for both of them.

"Hey… Mr. Wright?" Apollo called his name.

"Yeah?"

"Can I talk to you in private?" he asked.

Phoenix looked to the counter— Maya was seemingly showing Chiaki how to pour a metric ton of brown sugar into a bowl. To her credit, Chiaki was entertaining Maya's "teachings" fairly well.

"Of course," Phoenix told him. "Should we go to your room?"

He nodded, standing up and cleaning his dishes in the sink.

"Maya," Phoenix called, "I'll see you later. Have fun with Chiaki."

"See you, Nick," she waved before dumping a carton of raspberries into her bowl.

Apollo guided Phoenix out the door and into the dorm rooms on the opposite side of the pyramid. As expected, his room was identical to Phoenix's, and likely every room in the Lawyer House.

He dusted off his bed before sitting on the end while Phoenix pulled the chair from the desk around, sitting down to face him.

"How are you doing?" Phoenix asked, possibly too bluntly.

Apollo looked at his hands. "I hate it here, Mr. Wright. We haven't even been here for 12 hours, and yet… I know I can't go on like this. This cave… This village… I want to leave!"

Phoenix was stunned by Apollo's ferocity. He normally suppressed his true feelings, only letting them slip in small bursts. This time, however, he was letting his emotions speak.

"Our current situation leaves only two options: live here forever; or leave someone— likely Nagito— to commit murder and let us out with two fewer people. Personally, I hate both of those choices." Apollo took a deep breath. "So… that's why I'm going to try the First Life Room."

Phoenix stood up in shock, knocking his chair backwards.

"I knew you'd react that way," Apollo smirked to himself.

"Apollo, you really shouldn't try that. Who knows what Monokuma has beyond those doors?"

"There's no way it's insignificant," Apollo argued. "Every time a murder has occurred, Monokuma has given us a hint relating to how we got trapped here, or something about the people in our class. But, this time, we've got nothing. He's definitely hidden it beyond the First Life Room!"

"It's not worth risking your life!" Phoenix maintained.

Apollo stood up as well, looking up at Phoenix with ferocity in his eyes. "My life has caused nothing but problems in this village. I'd rather die than have a third person commit murder because of me. If I can find something from the First Life Room, I'm going to take the chance!"

"We can't keep falling for Monokuma's games," Phoenix slammed the desk behind him. "We all care about you! I'm truly sorry for how much pain you've had to go through, but do you think the people who have died would want you to die, too?"

"I'm sorry, Mr. Wright," Apollo shook his head. "My mind is made up. Out of respect for you, I will wait until tomorrow evening. If you haven't found a compelling reason to stop me by then, you never will."

Apollo turned away, walking towards his door. He looked back to meet Phoenix's gaze with his right eye. "For what it's worth, I know you're right. But I'm out of options, and if no one else is willing to do it, then I will."

Phoenix stood in stunned silence for a few moments, before leaving Apollo's room and returning to his own. What was he supposed to do now?

The rest of the day was uneventful— Apollo clearly wanted to be left to his own devices, and Maya and Chiaki were gone from the kitchen by the time Phoenix had returned. He ate a bowl of oatmeal— it was already getting tiring— before retiring to his room for the night.

Phoenix pulled his e-handbook out of his pocket and tapped the screen, activating it. The time read 10:20— the time for the nighttime announcement had come and gone, but Monokuma had been silent. It seemed he truly was going to be out of the picture, at least for the time being.

Which raised a question— there were no cameras or screens in the cavern as far as Phoenix could tell— how was Monokuma seeing and speaking to them? Were the rooms bugged?

Or is someone working with Monokuma?

The thought sent chills down his spine. Surely no one left was a traitor. Who was the most likely candidate?

No one came to mind. Nagito was the only one Phoenix could think of, but he was far too unpredictable, and his assault of Monokuma all but proved he loathed the bear.

The list of the other surviving classmates cycled through his mind. Part of him wanted to create a list of most to least likely, but he knew it was a fruitless exercise. Instead, he rested his suit jacket on his desk before flopping onto his bed, quite uncomfortable with the fact that he seemingly would only have the outfit he brought with him to wear for the rest of his time in the cave.

Even with his eyes closed, the blue light from the walls never dimmed, permeating even the dreams he wouldn't remember.

Something was waking Phoenix up. As his eyes slowly opened, he felt an odd sense of incompleteness at not hearing the morning announcement.

Then again, whoever was shaking him was doing just as good a job at disturbing his slumber. He squinted, trying to make out the figure as his eyes adjusted to the light.

The long lavender hair made it immediately apparent that the culprit was Kyoko, who was standing over him, a disapproving look on her face.

"K-Kyoko!" Phoenix stammered, sitting up. "What are you doing here?"

"You didn't lock your door," Kyoko observed. "I shouldn't have been able to get in."

Phoenix rubbed his forehead. "Okay… And why are you in my room?"

"It's 11AM. You should have been awake 4 hours ago."

"Did something happen?"

"No."

"Kyoko…" A grin slowly spread across Phoenix's face. "Were you worried about me?"

She turned around. "I came here after Maya indicated she had not seen you today. That's it."

Phoenix could tell Kyoko wasn't telling the whole truth, but he didn't want to push her. For now, he could work with her at least showing some care for her friends. "If you say so. I'll get dressed, then."

"New clothes should be laid out in your bathroom," Kyoko informed him. "And, before you ask, none of us know where they came from. It appears Monokuma did it during the night."

"Uh… right," Phoenix nodded slowly. "Is that everything?"

"If you have nothing else to say, then yes."

Phoenix snapped his fingers. "Wait a second. I should probably tell you."

Kyoko turned back around, raising her eyebrows expectantly.

"Apollo is going to try to clear the First Life Room tonight," Phoenix told her. "He feels we're out of options."

Kyoko sighed— or, at least, exhaled louder than normal. "He may be right. I spent every waking moment yesterday combing through as much of both houses as I could, but I came up empty. If he wishes to do so, I do not think we should stop him."

Phoenix finally stood up from the bed. "It's got to be a trap of some kind! Monokuma said it was a deadly gauntlet!"

"And indeed it may be," Kyoko agreed. "But, in a scenario like this, sometimes playing the mastermind's game is required to move forward. We can take control back by deciding not to kill one another based on whatever is found beyond the First Life Room."

Phoenix pursed his lips. "If that's what you think," he said coldly, "I guess I won't try to change your mind."

At this, her face changed almost imperceptibly, but it was enough for Phoenix to be pretty sure she was furious with him. Her next words made it abundantly clear his deduction was accurate.

"I don't want Apollo to risk his life," she seethed. "However, we have to get out of here at some point. There's a nonzero chance whatever lies beyond the gauntlet will contain something to help us get out, and we need to capitalize on it. It's certainly a better option than moping around until we die from malnutrition and lack of sunlight. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to continue searching for something to help us, instead of lying in my bed."

"Ky…" Phoenix was tempted to call after her, but she had already walked out. He sighed. That was just what he needed— another friend of his to be angry at him.

He changed into the new outfit left in his bathroom and left his old one clumsily folded on his bed. He had woken up much later than he was used to, but the consistency of the light emanating from the walls made it impossible to tell.

He opened his door to find Makoto and Maya waiting anxiously just outside.

"Um… hi," Phoenix greeted awkwardly.

Maya gently punched him in the shoulder. "Were you hibernating in there?"

"I only slept in a little bit!" Phoenix protested. "Besides, there's no morning announcement to wake me up."

"We had wondered why you weren't at breakfast," Makoto added.

"Why didn't you just come into my room, or knock on my door?" Phoenix asked.

"We did knock," Makoto blushed. "But we didn't try the handle. We assumed you locked it. When we told Kyoko we hadn't seen you, she walked straight here and opened the door."

Phoenix smiled weakly— he needed to apologize to Kyoko at some point. "Well, I'm here."

Maya nodded. "Now, let's get you some breakfast!"

This time, Maya didn't bother trying to force Phoenix to move faster. She had managed to slow her walking pace as the three students made their way to the kitchen near Apollo's room. Breakfast was, unsurprisingly, more oatmeal. Phoenix forced it down, but every passing bite made him feel more exhausted with the food, and it was only his third time in a row having it.

After breakfast, Maya and Makoto went to the recreation room. Phoenix felt he had played enough games yesterday, so he decided to find Klavier to speak with— he felt he had more to learn about the rockstar.

Before leaving, Makoto had told him to come to dinner at the Prosecutor House Kitchen at 7PM— the luckster had invited everyone to arrive at the same time, because he wanted to share a meal with everyone present. Phoenix agreed to show up.

Phoenix found Klavier in the Outer Hall. He had knocked on Klavier's door and checked the Prosecutor House, but when he discovered the door to the Outer Hall was locked from the Prosecutor House's side, he knew to check from the Lawyer Side.

The purple lighting of the cylindrical chamber was a gentle respite from the harsh red lighting and piercing blue lighting of the other two chambers in the cavern. Klavier had been walking up the spiral staircase when Phoenix had arrived, and Klavier reversed his steps to come greet Phoenix.

"Guten Morgen, Herr Wright," Klavier smiled. "What are you up to?"

"I was looking for you," Phoenix answered. "What are you doing here? You're not going to attempt the First Life Room, are you?"

Klavier laughed lightly. "Of course not. I was merely intending to try to break through the doors up above to the Prosecutor House. There's no rule saying we can't!"

Phoenix tilted his head. Technically, Klavier was right. "Just for fun?" He inquired.

The rockstar nodded. "Care to join me?"

After a dizzying climb up the spiral staircase, the two spent a painful amount of time ramming, tugging, jumping off of, and pounding the doors on the second floor of the Outer Hall, but to no avail. Phoenix's shoulders hurt from running into the doors, and his hands hurt from tugging on the handles. Eventually, Klavier called a time-out.

"I think I'll stick to desk slamming," Phoenix joked as he leaned against the wall.

Klavier chuckled. "I have noticed you and Herr Forehead seem to enjoy that. I greatly prefer wall slamming."

"OBJECTION!" Phoenix protested. "Why would you slam the wall?"

"Is this not an incredible sight to see?" Klavier asked before steadying himself.

"OBJECTION!" He cried before breaking out into an air guitar. Phoenix was yet again appalled at the sound somehow being played despite nothing being in Klavier's hands. He didn't bother questioning it at this point— Nahyuta controlled butterflies, Franziska had her whip, and Klavier was able to make guitar sounds with his hands.

After finishing his riff, Klavier slammed the wall. He stood there for a moment before looking down at Phoenix, who politely applauded.

"That was quite impressive, yes," Phoenix admitted, though not because of the wall slam.

"In addition, walls are more accessible," Klavier continued. "You can't always rely on having a desk around in the real world!"

"HOLD IT!" Phoenix protested. "You won't always have a wall around, either!"

Klavier smirked. "Tell me, Herr Wright— what are you leaning against right now?"

Phoenix felt his face heat as he stood up straight, no longer leaning against the wall. "Either way, in court, you'll always have a desk in front of you, so the relative availability in the real world doesn't matter!"

Klavier tutted, shaking his finger. "I have seen many desks be broken by overenthusiastic lawyers such as yourself. However, slamming the wall creates just as much noise and is just as menacing without damaging courtroom property."

Phoenix desperately wished he had a desk to slam, but he had to emphasize his point with just his words this time. "Objection! That's not the fault of the desks! The lawyers need to be more careful! The only reason walls haven't been broken is because not as many people do it!"

"I'm ahead of the curve, then," Klavier smiled.

Phoenix shook his fist at Klavier. "You won't get away with this slight! Next time I face you in court, you'll see why desks are superior!"

The lighthearted mood between the two suddenly vanished. "Next time we face each other in court, there will only be podiums," Klavier whispered, his face falling. "Sixteen podiums in a circle."

Phoenix bit his lip. "Hopefully not. If we work together, we can get out without any more class trials."

"I hope you're right," Klavier sighed.

The rockstar pulled out his student handbook, checking the time. Phoenix did the same.

"It's getting late," Klavier noted. "Let's go our separate ways until dinner."

Phoenix agreed, and the two walked back down the staircase to the Lawyer House. Phoenix was uncomfortable the entire way down, and not just because of the height difference— he had unintentionally reminded them both of the morbid reality of their situation, and it had been a major mood deflator.

He mentally kicked himself. At least he had managed to spend more time with Klavier— although he didn't learn too much more about the glamorous past of the prosecutor, he did get to experience a spirited yet friendly debate, and learn that Klavier preferred the far inferior method of emphasizing his points.

When Phoenix returned to his room, he felt conflicted. Spending time with Klavier had been nice, but he felt as though he had been extremely clumsy with his wording today— first Kyoko, and now Klavier. He hoped he'd be able to make it up to them.

Everyone made it to dinner except Kyoko, who Phoenix saw entering the elevator as the rest of the students showed up to the Prosecutor House kitchen. His stomach clenched slightly at the icy stare she had given him while passing— he knew he needed to reconcile with her, but he didn't know how.

Tomorrow, he resolved. I'll wake up on time and talk to her then.

Makoto had prepared all their food by the time they arrived, and although it was the same meal Phoenix was already sick of, it was much more enjoyable with his friends to share it with.

Klavier ended up sitting next to Phoenix, who breathed a sigh of relief, realizing Klavier held no ill will towards him. Although conversation was mostly light, the mood of the room drastically changed when, as he was putting his bowl in the sink, Apollo announced that he was going to clear the First Life Room tonight.

For a moment, everyone in the kitchen sat in stunned silence. Eventually, Chiaki stood up and walked over to Apollo.

"Why?" she asked.

"It's the one place we haven't looked," Apollo elaborated. "I know there's a deadly gauntlet of some sort, but I want to try. Not for me, but for all of you."

"Apollo, don't go into the First Life Room." Her voice was stern and commanding, projecting much more confidence than normal. "You won't find what you're looking for."

Apollo clenched his fists in front of his chest. "It might contain the way out! Why shouldn't I try?!"

"There is no way out!" Chiaki raised her voice— not quite yelling, but certainly the loudest Phoenix had ever heard her. "There's only whatever twisted prize Monokuma has concocted."

"How do you know?" Apollo demanded.

"Think about everything Monokuma's done. He'd never give us a way out as simple as this. The First Life Room… is just another motive."

"Another motive?" Apollo repeated skeptically.

"The first motive is us being trapped in this cave," Chiaki explained. "The second motive is whatever lies beyond the First Life Room. It will be dangerous information, or a weapon, or something along those lines. Something that will encourage… a murder."

Apollo hardened his jaw and looked to the side. "You think I'll fall for that?"

Chiaki shook her head. "But why risk your life to clear the deadly gauntlet if there's nothing that comes afterwards that will benefit you?"

Apollo hugged himself slightly, his jaw growing even tighter as he continued avoiding eye contact.

Chiaki extended her hand to Apollo. "If all of us work together, I'm sure we can come up with something better."

Apollo stared at Chiaki, seemingly contemplating her invitation. After a few tense moments, he extended his hand and grasped Chiaki's.

Phoenix breathed a sigh of relief. Apollo wasn't going to risk his life.

Apollo returned to his table, and Chiaki returned to hers. The rest of dinner passed uneventfully, and the students eventually returned to their dorm rooms, reflecting on what Chiaki had declared.

Phoenix was unsurprised to see that, in the hours he had been absent from his room, the clothes he had laid out on the bed had disappeared. It was somewhat worrying— clearly Monokuma was still able to manifest himself in the cavern, so why hadn't he shown up to any of the students yet?

As Phoenix slowly drifted to sleep, he pondered on what tomorrow would bring. The First Life Room seemed out of the question, so how would they escape now?

Technically, the destroying school property rule no longer applied, as Klavier had reiterated. Maybe they could break their way out?

Regardless, Phoenix was sure that, if they faced the threat united, they could find a way to pull through.

He also considered Kyoko's sudden anger at him after she had woken him up. He hadn't considered her to be quick to anger, but maybe the stress of the situation was getting to her?

Tomorrow morning, he repeated to himself. He had to apologize then.

Tomorrow morning.

Ding-dong, dong-ding. "A body has been discovered! Everyone, please report to the Outer Hall via the Prosecutor House!"

Phoenix flung himself out of bed on instinct. The chimes of the body discovery announcement echoed in his brain. Surely, he was still dreaming, right? There was no way a murder had already occurred.

He bolted out the door of his dorm room. A frantic scan of the first floor revealed that Apollo and Klavier were also outside, horrified looks on their faces.

"M-Mr. Wright!" Apollo exclaimed. "Wh… Who is it?!"

Phoenix struggled to stay standing. He wasn't dreaming. Someone had died— been murdered— during the night.

"It was probably one of the girls," a new voice entered the conversation. Nagito had emerged from his dorm room, as nonchalant as ever. "Considering we have to go to the Prosecutor House to even reach the body, and most of the boys are right here, surely there's no alternative. Then again, where's Makoto?"

"Right here!" Makoto's voice called. Phoenix looked to his door, and saw Makoto stumbling out of his room, his hoodie halfway over his body.

All of the boys had survived. That meant one of the girls had died. Who was it? Chiaki? Chihiro?

…

Maya?

"Let's get to the elevator!" Klavier exclaimed, his German accent slipping away in his panic.

The group dashed to the elevator underneath the staircase, but when they arrived, they found the call button completely obliterated. Pieces of the drywall supporting the button were on the floor, and the wiring was exposed. Phoenix desperately prodded the wiring, hoping to cause an electric current of some kind to activate the elevator, but Klavier pulled his hand back.

"Are you trying to electrocute yourself, Herr Wright?!" Klavier roared.

"What do we do now?" Makoto asked desperately.

Before anyone could respond, Phoenix heard a distant ringing sound. It took a few moments for him to identify it as a phone.

"The phone!" Apollo exclaimed, sprinting towards the other end of the chamber. The rest of the group followed suit.

When they arrived, Apollo held his hand over the receiver for a moment before stepping aside.

"M… Mr. Wright. You do it. I can't take any more of this."

Apollo then backed away from the phone and slumped against the wall. Phoenix looked at him miserably before stepping forward. His hand shook has he brought the phone to his ear. Klavier, Makoto, and Nagito all leaned in to listen in.

"Wh… Who is it?" Phoenix forced himself to ask.

Kyoko's voice was the one that answered. He felt his heart threaten to break in half as she answered:

"Chihiro."