Chapter 2: Adventures in Paradise Gloom (Daily Life #6)
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!
Ten-year old Fábio Barbosa shut his suitcase tightly.
He had packed his essentials: Plenty of spare clothing, sunscreen, a towel, some action figures he knew he would never dare leave at home unattended. Everything a ten-year old Fábio Barbosa would need. Locking his suitcase tightly, he admired his room one last time.
Posters of some of his favorite reggae bands hanging over peeling wallpaper.
A framed picture of him smiling with his family by the local ice rink. His family… which included father Pedro, mother Janaína, older sister Karina, and of course…
"Awww man, you took your action figures with you too?"
Fábio turned to see his little brother, João, walk into their shared bedroom. Unlike everyone else who felt happy and proud to see him come to a decision to do this, his little brother was less than ecstatic. In fact, he seemed more or less disappointed that his older brother had to leave. Out of everyone in the family, João was always closest to Fábio. And both of them had always figured that they would be inseparable since João's birth.
Today was more or less a change in those plans.
Fábio smiled to himself and patted João on the shoulder. Unlike his older self, younger Fábio's eyes were practically sparkling. Twinkling. Starstruck. Like an innocent child seeing the rest of the world for the first time, his twinkling eyes were filled with hope and wonder. Something that he didn't know he would grow to lose as time went on.
No surprise there though.
The hope and wonder was more so directed toward João after all. And after what would happen…
Fábio squatted down to his brother's noticeably shorter height.
"Of course, irmão," Fábio chuckled softly. "Can't have you breaking them while I'm gone."
"I wouldn't have broken them…" João muttered before asking, "How long are you going to be gone, anyway? Mãe says it'll be 2 years. Pai says 4. I…"
"Four years, I'm afraid, João," Fábio ruffled his brother's hair. "But hey. Four years isn't exactly a long time. I mean, you can always come visit by the 2nd."
"You mean, if Hope's Peak lets us," João pouted.
"Hey, irmão..." Fábio sternly looked at him.
João stomped his foot on the ground like any typical nine-year old child would.
"It's not fair!" João complained. "I'm a Li'l Ultimate too! Why can't they have me join you?! We're family! We're supposed to stick together! That's what we promised each other! Remember, irmão?!"
The more he spoke about it, the more the frustration seeped in. João kept his arms folded and glanced away, pouting in anger that he was practically being forced to separate from his older brother. Fábio could only give him his sympathies. He placed both hands on his little brother's shoulder, forcing him to look at him.
"João…" Fábio sighed. "This program Pai signed me up for... It's not a program every Li'l Ultimate can get into."
João didn't respond.
"Look, Hope's Peak Brasília is going to train me to become one of the future faces of their school," Fábio told João. "That is good news for not just me but for everyone in our family. Including you, João."
João snuck a glance toward his Fábio.
"Four years, João," Fábio assured his younger brother. "Four years… and you guys can finally get out of this neighborhood. No more gunshots. No more muggers and cartel members and…"
Fábio snapped his fingers.
"...Remember that Cuca you keep telling me to fight when you're sleeping?" Fábio added. "Four years and you'll never have to see her again, irmão. Life will change for the better, I promise. We'll have the money to do whatever we want. We'll be safe and happy. It'll be a New Life… for all of us."
Fábio placed both hands on João's shoulders again.
"That's why I'm taking Pai's advice," Fábio told João. "That's why I have to do this, João. Do you understand?"
João's lips quivered.
He quickly pulled Fábio into a tight hug, practically tearing up over the thought of his brother leaving him. Again, Fábio was the person he was arguably the closest to as a child. So, to have him leave him for four years was arguably heartbreaking for the poor boy.
"I-It's still not fair," João wept. "I d-don't want things to change. I just want my big brother…"
"I… I know," Fábio felt himself break a little. "I-I'm sorry, João… I'm really…"
"I-If you're sorry then don't leave…" João muttered miserably.
Fábio hesitated. He opened his mouth to say something, but nothing came out. He wanted to say that he wanted to stay too. He wanted to say that he was going to change his mind; tell his father that he didn't want to do this anymore. He wanted to stay by his little brother's side and yet…
He couldn't bring himself to say it.
His duty to his family was stronger than his commitment to stay with his brother. And God, it killed him to see his little brother like this. He slowly hugged his brother back, letting himself embrace him knowing that it was going to be a long while till he would see his brother again. And boy, did he have no idea…
"Fábio! Bus is here!"
Fábio could hear his father call out from the hallway. He let go of João and stood back up. Quickly, he grabbed his suitcase and gave one last look at his little brother. Tears were still in his eyes. Tears from his little brother. A weapon that any little brother could use… And boy was it working.
The guilt was practically eating him from the inside out.
"Coming Papai!" Fábio called out.
He squatted down to João's level. His voice turned softer as he patted his little brother on the shoulders for the third time.
"Four years, João," Fábio assured him. "It'll fly by before you know it. After that, let's never separate from each other ever again. You and me? We can attend Hope's Peak together."
"...You promise?" João meekly asked.
"Cross my heart and hope to die," Fábio smiled.
Fábio patted his head.
"And you know what?" Fábio chuckled. "I think all the kids will be especially jealous once they find out your big brother ended up becoming the new face of Hope's Peak Brasília."
João couldn't help but smile at that.
Fábio hoisted his suitcase and ruffled João's hair. Then, he headed straight for the door, eager to get this dream of a New Life started. But before he could take one step, he felt himself get tackled by another hug.
"João?" Fábio blinked.
"...Good luck, Fábio," João warmly told him. "...I… I'm gonna miss you…"
"...Yeah, me too," Fábio simply said, a little solemnly.
When João released him, Fábio stepped outside of his room. He turned back toward his little brother, noting how upset he was yet also… how proud he was… how hopeful João was that Fábio would uphold the promise he made. He didn't know how to respond to that. But it didn't take long for him to notice João's timid little waves.
Fábio simply gave him one last smile.
After that, he turned the corner and headed straight toward the exit. With a suitcase in tow, he headed straight for the bus that was going to take him and his entire family through to a New Life. A New Life away from the ruffians that lurked in their neighborhood. A New Life where their lives were going to meet with guaranteed success.
That was the tagline for every Hope's Peak Academy in the world wasn't it?
'Graduate from Hope's Peak and you're practically guaranteed success in life'
That was the Hope.
That was the dream.
Four years.
Four years and their lives were going to change for the better.
That was what Fábio hoped was going to happen.
But little did he know just how untrue that would turn out to be.
Little did he know how quickly his world was going to turn upside-down.
Little did he know that the last smile he shared with João was in fact…
...
…the last smile he was ever going to share with him.
[Hotel Mirai]
(Fábio's Room)
"Who is João?"
...
...
...
After ten long years, never did Fábio ever think he was going to hear that name again.
When Kikuko asked him that question, he never responded. When he saw Kikuko's face, he was spooked out. When he wordlessly left that night, he could tell that she felt a little sad about it.
Especially since she had entrusted him with her secret.
Fábio placed his hands over his face as he rested on his bed. The morning sun had risen up and the rain had slowly sprinkled away. He didn't get a wink of sleep last night.
How could he?
Kikuko had not only dropped a bombshell that she could see spirits but she had also dropped the bombshell that his own brother was haunting him. Haunting him…
Not looking after him like a Blue Spirit would but haunting him. The hatred and pain wafting off a Red Spirit. It sent shivers down his spine just thinking about it…
He slowly raised up his head and glanced around the room. His… empty room. No one else but him. His expression pained as his eyes started to twinkle with hope. He let a chill escape his lips as he slowly began to speak.
"João?" Fábio called out.
No response.
"João, if you can hear me…" Fábio glanced around, his wandering eyes landing on the lamp in front of him. "…move this lamp or something."
Nothing.
Not like Fábio had an understanding of how spirits actually worked. That was more Kikuko's territory anyway. But, he still wanted to keep trying. He wanted to make contact. He wanted to…
"João…" Fábio grimaced. "Please…"
Silence.
Fábio covered his face, practically laughing at himself in embarrassment. He couldn't believe he was seriously considering this. That the spirit of his deceased younger brother was haunting him. That, according to Kikuko, the spirit of João just latched onto him suddenly. Maybe he just didn't want to believe it…
…Or maybe he was scared to believe it.
João.
A Red Spirit…
Slowly, Fábio sat on the edge of his bed and rubbed his face. No, it wasn't that he didn't want to believe it. It wasn't that he was too scared to believe it. No. He wanted to believe it. He so desperately wanted to believe it. And the only person who had the answers apparently…
His mind thought to Kikuko.
He furrowed his eyebrows as he thought about the person that he had grown rather close to. The person that entrusted him with her secret and practically knew of his brother who had been gone for 10 years. Blinking once, his mind was made up.
Fábio got out of bed and changed into his casual attire. Putting on his white jacket and slipping on into his shoes, he headed straight for the door, desperate for answers.
He needed to know.
He needed to know everything from Kikuko.
He needed to know what his own brother had been saying about him.
He desperately needed to know…
…João…
…What happened to you…?
[Pleasure Park]
(Square)
"I don't understand. How could someone…?"
When Fábio arrived at Pleasure Park to hopefully find and talk to Kikuko, he was met with a pleasant surprise awaiting him at the Park. The Morning Meeting had started a lot later than he would've normally expected. And as far as attendance went, there was a clear lack of people. In fact, the only people at the Park today were:
Alisa, Beauté, Kazuki, Kikuko, Riku, and a very miffed Yukihiko.
"I gave you…" Yukihiko looked about as angry as a very disappointed mother. And for those who don't know what that's like, just know that it's the scariest thing that you can ever experience from a maternal figure.
The child caregiver pitched the bridge of his nose.
"...Not just you…" Yukihiko pointed to Alisa and then to Kazuki. "Both of you… one job. Just one. Protect the monitor and keep anyone from touching it. And what do I see? Whatever this is!"
He directed his finger toward the monitors, showing the new results of the Hangman's Gambit Playtime Event:
The Boy (3) ~ Red
[]A[]A[]I[]E
The Girl (4) ~ Green
FISHERMAN
The Brother (3) ~ Green
TREEHOUSE
The Sister (4) ~ Green
PRIESTESS
"...And on the day of the deadline, no less!" Yukihiko exclaimed.
"With all due respect…" Kazuki sighed. "We left the console the moment the park said it was time to close due to inclement weather…"
He folded his arms and shook his head.
"...Whoever did this must've done it shortly after we left to take cover from the rain…" Kazuki realized.
"And did you two not think to stay until everyone left the park?" Yukihiko frowned at the two.
"How could we know if everyone left the park?" Alisa glanced at Yukihiko with slight irritation. "We'd need to have to have kept tabs on everyone who walked past us to go into the Jungle of Joy or perhaps, even decided to have a snack at Clucks Deluxe or the Pit Stop. If I am not mistaken, our job was to watch the monitors, not do… that…"
"And what a splendid job you did watching the monitors!" Yukihiko folded his arms.
"Enough!"
A chill ran through both Yukihiko, Alisa, and Kazuki's spines as what felt like a stream of spirits flew past the three, silencing their miniature argument. Turning their heads toward Kikuko, whose eyes glowed an unnatural shade of blue and whose hakama and hair fluttered in frustration… It was honestly a scarier side of Kikuko that no one had really seen before.
Fábio couldn't help but feel just as intimidated as everyone else.
"No no, please, carry on," Riku smirked. "I'm quite enjoying this…"
Kikuko snapped her demonic gaze toward Riku.
"...Erm, just kidding?" even Riku was flustered by this.
"Awwww, and to think that the morning drama was going to be just as elegant as yesterday's," Beauté pouted. "Party poopers."
Slowly, but surely, the obviously frustrated Kikuko sprite slowly settled down. Her hair, that was wildly and violently spirited, slowly settled back into how her hairstyle normally looked. Neater and serene. Same with Kikuko's face. No longer did she look downright angry and mad, but her face was regaining that calm and polite expression she always wore on her face.
Closing her eyes, Kikuko tipped her head down, apologetically.
"Pardon me…" Kikuko apologized. "But can we please stop this unnecessary squabbling? The culprit has already achieved their purpose of activating two buttons. What's done is done. There is no need to blame each other for what has happened…"
The main three looked amongst themselves, uncertain. In fact, it was Yukihiko who looked as if he were ready to throw hands once more.
"K-Kikuko's right," Fábio stepped forward, regaining his confidence to speak up.
He noticed the shrine priestess sneak a glance toward him. When he turned to meet her gaze, she swiftly turned away. Oh man…
She's still upset over last night.
"Y-Yeah," Fábio nodded, repeating himself. "Kikuko's right. Look, today's the deadline. Whatever happens today is it, alright? It doesn't matter who did it or why it happened. What matters is that we need to adapt to this situation. Three buttons are activated so…"
Fábio pocketed his hands.
He wasn't exactly sure what he truly wanted in this situation. Like many, he's someone that did want to keep those children alive. As it stood, three of the children's lives could be spared. Only one, the Boy's, was marked for death. No one was able to solve the word for the Boy's so even if they miraculously find the Boy's button, would they get back in time to activate it…?
Was it really a lost cause for them to even try for the Boy…?
Fábio grimaced.
"...I think we should stick to guarding all the buttons that are activated," Fábio's eyes sparked a slight twinkle. "What are the locations? I know one of them is at the Exit of Kikuko's Attraction."
"The Brother's Button is at Stanczyk's Secret Clubhouse…" Beauté smirked. "That is the only place with an actual Treehouse."
"And the Girl's Button is located at Roderick's Attraction," Kikuko nodded.
It took a moment for Yukihiko to respond to all of this. The child caregiver had been slowly trying to hold back his frustrations over how this would have happened thanks to Alisa and Kazuki's negligence. By the time he was able to dial his emotions back, Yukihiko forced a smile and clapped his hands together.
"Fantastic idea, Fábio, honey," Yukihiko smirked. "Yes! That was exactly what I was thinking! Guarding the buttons that have been activated!"
Fábio called bullshit on that but didn't want to say anything about it.
"There is no need to worry about Roderick's Attraction," Yukihiko clapped his hands together. "As far as I'm concerned, I did figure something like this would've happened so I had the liberty of making Roderick stand guard at his own Attraction. In fact, that's where he is currently."
"I'll take the Treehouse," Fábio immediately said.
"Oh?" Yukihiko blinked. "Honey, I would've thought that you would've taken the one at Kikuko's Attraction instead. You've seen that button firsthand, haven't you?"
"I… have my reasons," Fábio glanced at Kikuko, giving a look that was practically inviting her to join him.
This was the one time Kikuko didn't try to look away from him. She understood what he had meant and slowly gave him an acknowledging nod. This was her chance to get the answers she had been waiting all night for. She stepped forward and bowed her head politely.
"If I may…" Kikuko began. "I would like to assist Fábio in guarding the Treehouse button. Two bodies are better than one after all…"
"Indeed," Alisa nodded. "And I suppose Kazuki and I will–"
"You two are staying here," Yukihiko narrowed his eyes toward the clockmaker and philanthropist. "Nothing personal but…"
Yukihiko glanced at his nails with displeasure.
"...You two have proven just how unreliable you can be with guarding important matters such as a simple computer monitor," Yukihiko distastefully stated. "But at least Kazuki here has shown usefulness in solving the actual Hangman puzzles. So… you two are in charge of trying to figure out the word for the Boy."
"And why would we do that?" Alisa folded her arms. "If we activate that button, everyone dies…"
"And if you don't, a child dies," Yukihiko twirled the tip of his braids. "Go out with your head held high or go out with a guilty conscience. It's your choice, sweetie."
Alisa was about to bite back but Kazuki held her by the shoulder. He simply shook his head, wordlessly urging her to not pursue this matter any further. D-Days were always the tensest days. Yet, Alisa knew she was right in what she had said about Yukihiko just yesterday. He truly was veering from the path he had started his leadership in…
"Tch, does this mean that I'm stuck guarding the roller coaster button with this… thing?" Riku jerked his thumb toward Beauté.
"What's wrong?" Beauté tilted her head. "A monster like Marabel Garcia is enough for you to hang out with but I'm not? That's very hurtful, Riku…"
Beauté feigned tears.
"Tch, just stay quiet," Riku muttered, stuffing his hands inside his pockets as he turned toward the Jungle of Joy. He was clearly not happy having to spend his time with this red-headed bitch.
"Oh, staying quiet is far from my strengths, ah heh heh…" Beauté skipped alongside him.
Once Riku and Beauté ventured off, Fábio glanced toward Kikuko and then to Yukihiko.
"I'm going to go to that Treehouse now," Fábio said. "So, catch you guys until the Deadline…"
Then, jogging off toward the Jungle of Joy's Gift Shop, Fábio left the Park. Soon, Kikuko did as well, but not before giving the remaining three a threatening look, urging them to not erupt into a fight as soon as she left. Kazuki got the memo. Yukihiko and Alisa on the other hand?
Yukihiko simply shook his head at the two in disappointment and walked off toward the Jungle of Joy. Watching him leave with an irritated glance, Alisa bit her lip.
"...Miss Zachary…?" Kazuki blinked.
"...I have patience for many people," Alisa pushed her glasses up. "But Yukihiko is not one of them."
She turned back to the monitor.
Just another tense day at Piero's Playground. This time, even more so. Because ticking down like the clocks she had with her, was the deadline of their decision. Three kids spared and the Boy's button yet to be activated.
Who knows what could happen now?
[Central Plaza]
(Beach)
The last time she was on the Beach like this, Yumi had skipped out on wearing her cowgirl gear and stuck to wearing her sleepwear.
Today was different.
Yumi was still wearing her cowgirl gear like any other day. But instead of feeling sad and somber about her past, this time, she felt hopeless. She had spent so long trying to get that golden gun. Trying to get her gun back. But ultimately, it was all for naught. That blasted Stanczyk feller went ahead and beat his own score like it was nothing.
A bad joke at her expense.
As she let the ocean breeze blow against her hair, she could feel a presence behind her. A familiar presence that met her here once before. She blinked and turned back to see who else? Manon Vivienne Levesque. The Ultimate Actress that had so helped her out with her issues the first time around.
She tipped her hat, smiling slightly.
"G'day to ya, bambina," Yumi greeted. "Catchin da waves ah see?"
"Oh, non non," Manon shook her head, a soft smile creeping over the corners of her lips. "More like wondering why you are here again, Madame Gundo."
She tapped the bottom of her chin.
"Could it be zat you are…" Manon looked concerned.
"Sad once again, eh?" Yumi chuckled, finishing her thought. "Naw, far from it, actually. Just been thinkin a lot."
Manon pursed her lips as she slowly sat next to Yumi. She didn't care about the sand staining her shorts, nor the ocean smell wafting at her face. All she really cared about was sitting next to Yumi and just… being there for her.
Thumping heartbeat.
She tried her best to contain it as she allowed her presence to comfort the cowgirl. She hesitated touching Yuumi's hand though. Because this time, she knew that if she did, she'd spiral out of control. Her heart just…
"Um, you can always talk to me, non?" Manon tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear. "Sœur, remember?"
Right.
Thanks to those Hope Fragments, Yumi remembered the talk about her and her sister. She remembered Manon mentioning that if she ever needed to vent her frustrations to anyone, she'd always vent to her sister. She also recalled that Manon practically invited herself to be her sister for occasions like these…
…Heh.
She couldn't help but appreciate the actress's efforts.
"…Well, if ya insist, bambina," Yumi lowered her hat. "Ah guess ah'll tell ya…"
"Is it something very…" Manon tilted her head, maintaining her concern.
"Ya remember dat golden gun at mah Ultimate Attraction?" Yumi grimaced.
Manon simply nodded.
"Well, da high score changed," Yumi frowned.
"Oh la la~" Manon clapped her hands excitedly. "Does zat mean you—"
"Not by me, bambina," Yumi softly chuckled, though still appreciating her enthusiasm. Her appreciation shifted to slight disdain. "By dat Stanczyk feller…"
"O-Oh," Manon looked defeated. "So zat would mean…"
"Yea," Yumi sighed. "High score is higher dan before."
"Mais, zat is no worry at all!" Manon encouraged, pumping her fists with a smile. "You are ze Ultimate Gunslinger! A game like zat should be easy for you regardless, oui?"
Yumi simply shook her head.
"Appreciate da sentiment, bambina," Yumi sighed. "But ahm afraid ah gotta call it quits."
"…Q-Quoi?" Manon gasped. "Pourquoi?!"
"Well, bambina, da dick of it all is da fact dat ah've been playin dat same game for days now and every time… ah came very dang close to beatin da score," Yumi lowered her hat to cover her eyes.
She began to chew on a strand of wheat that appeared out of nowhere. Probably her mouth or something.
"So, imagine mah frustration when dat clown went and beat his own score no problem…" Yumi practically grinded that wheat strand through her teeth. "Ah just…"
Yumi was clearly frustrated. Manon knew all too well how much Yumi spent her time trying to win her gun back, so for Stanczyk to come in and ruin all of that. Admittedly, Manon would be pretty frustrated too. She bit her lip and thought twice of even placing a hand on the cowgirl's shoulder.
"Do not worry, Madame Gundo," Manon tried to assure her. "You will get it again. It is no problem, oui?"
"Ya say dat but today is da deadline…" Yumi muttered. "Everyone will be stressed outta their high horses today… So…"
Manon glanced away.
She knew all too well how those deadlines worked. It wasn't a good feeling. Especially since Manon had decided to mess around during the last one and as a result… played into the hands of the woman who practically desecrated the body of her friend.
"Ahhh… but ya know what?" Yumi sighed, fixing her hat and looking forward with newfound optimism. "'Nuff bout dat. Let's talk 'bout somethin else…"
The cowgirl glanced toward Manon with a soft smile.
"You were da actress dat played Riley Destiny, right?" Yumi smiled. "Mighty fine work, ah must say. Did the real Riley justice!"
"I did?" Manon blinked before shaking her head and flushing in embarrassment. "O-Oh la la~! I did! Oui! You make me blush, Madame Gundo!"
"Just speaking da truth," Yumi smiled.
She tipped her hat down and placed a hand over her hip.
"But…" she continued. "What exactly was dat like? Working on da show and da sets. It must've been amazing, yeah?"
Manon blinked for a moment before deciding to ponder how exactly to answer that question. It took a bit longer than Yumi expected, but eventually she came up with…
"I suppose it was exciting, oui," Manon looked unsure.
"You sure 'bout dat, bambina?" Yumi pressed. "You don't look very excited talkin about it."
Manon paused for a moment before shaking her head.
"I guess it is because ze work was a little hard, oui?" Manon chuckled sheepishly. "I may be ze Ultimate Actress, but working on ze Riley Destiny TV Show was… Well, a lot of work."
"Ah guess you'd be right 'bout dat," Yumi fixed her hat. "Thirteen forty-minute episodes per season. Ain't dat right?"
"Oui," Manon nodded. "Zat is absolutely ze case."
Yumi noticed just how vague the girl was being about her own line of work. If she didn't know any better, she'd probably think that Manon just wasn't at all interested in her own Ultimate Talent… or rather talking about Ultimate Talent either.
"Erm, Manon," Yumi blinked. "Is there any thang uncomfortable 'bout yer line of work? Don't seem like ahm getting much response from… any thang 'bout yer career…"
Manon tensed up before shaking her head. She softly smiled toward Yumi.
"Well, to tell you ze truth, Madame Gundo…" Manon glanced away.
She paused for a moment before smiling brighter than ever.
"…Acting isn't some zing I am exactly interested in…" she revealed.
"Huh?" Yumi blinked. "But yer da main actress fer all kinds of movies! How can ya—"
"Because my passion wasn't to be a movie star," Manon explained.
She slowly stood up from the pile of beach sand on the floor and spun around like she was some Disney Princess. Right then and there, Yumi could see just how strong that disinterest in acting truly was when the sunbeams shined against her.
"It was to be a musician!" Manon smiled, placing her hands behind her back. "Zat was my real passion!"
"H-Huh," Yumi watched her in disbelief. That... would explain why she was pretty obsessed with that Dr. Eternos Musical Attraction. "If dat was yer real passion den…"
She glanced at her, confused.
"Why in tarnation did ya get into movies?" Yumi asked, genuinely curious.
"You can blame my famille for zat," Manon looked down. "I was always interested in ze music programs rather zan ze theater programs. But Maman and Papa always said zat an acting career was more viable zan a music career…"
Yumi lowered her hat.
"And ah guess ya got good at it, huh…?" Yumi softly concluded.
"Sad to say, oui," Manon had to confirm. "Becoming ze Ultimate Actress was definitely not my intention but…"
She shrugged.
"What can you do?" Manon sighed to herself. "I suppose ze world would always have a different fate lined up for all of us, non?"
A different fate lined up, huh?
Yumi was admittedly surprised that Manon didn't even seem that interested in her acting career or the fact that she was an Ultimate Actress. To Manon, it just seemed like another duty she needed to fulfill. But her interest in music…
That was yet another surprise on the list of ongoing surprises when it came to Manon Vivienne Levesque. Every conversation with Manon always had some surprise to them. And for Yumi, that made things all the more intriguing about the French actress standing in front of her.
"Um, what about you, Madame Gundo?" Manon tucked another piece of her hair behind her ears, blushing in embarrassment. "What got you into becoming ze Ultimate Gunslinger?"
"Well, ah can say dat it was completely mah choice," Yumi rubbed the back of her neck.
"Zat is already good," Manon seemed to approve.
"But ah guess da most simple answer is…" this time, it seemed like Yumi was a little embarrassed by what she was about to reveal. "…Ah just really like watching old Westerns."
She lowered her hat far enough to the point it was covering her face.
"There!" Yumi gulped to herself. "Ah said it! Ahm a big fan of da West. Ya can't blame a gal fer havin tastes though!"
Manon blankly stared at Yumi for a brief moment before giggling to herself.
"Madame Gundo," Manon smiled. "Zere is nothing wrong with being inspired by ze movies. Besides…"
Manon gave her a teasing look.
"I am pretty sure everyone here already knew zat~" she smirked.
"Huh, ah guess it is obvious based on everything 'bout me…" Yumi slowly removed her hat from her face in realization.
"Ah, but zen again, you also did mention zat you watched ze Marcus Avventira series, oui?" Manon blinked before softly smiling. "I imagine he was a big inspiration."
"Well of course, bambina," Yumi clicked her tongue and shot a finger gun toward her direction. "Watched every single one of his movies. Mah favorite? 'Da Adventures of Marcus Avventira: Da First Adventure!'"
Her eyes glanced toward the sky as if she could see some sort of glamorous star.
"Woowee!" Yumi grinned. "Now dat was a movie! Talked 'bout Marcus's time as a Western soldier fighting in da Cold War and how he became da Ultimate Explorer we all know and love!"
Yumi paused for a moment to see Manon's surprised expression.
"E-Erm, sorry," Yumi cleared her throat, embarrassed. "Got a little carried away there, bambina."
"Non, non, non," Manon shook her head, smiling at her. "It is fine! You clearly have a fondness for zese movies! I will not ruin it for you!"
"Yea well…" Yumi rubbed the back of her neck, chuckling sheepishly. "Even den… It's kinda embarrassin dontcha think? Just talkin 'bout stuff ya like, like this…"
"Oh la la~" Manon giggled. "I felt ze same way Madame Gundo. When I talked about my interest in music zat is!"
"Yea, well yours actually makes some sense," Yumi sighed. "Fer me, ah come across as some Eastern country bumpkin too into all of them nerd stuff."
"I… do not zink zat way about you," Manon blinked, tilting her head to glance at Yumi.
When Yumi heard what Manon had said, she admittedly felt a little touched. It wasn't everyday she heard that the stuff she liked could be considered cool and not the equivalent of an American indulging in too much Japanese content. So, to hear Manon say that was a nice change of pace.
She tipped her hat toward Manon, appreciatively.
"Well, thank you fer dat, bambina," Yumi smiled.
"O-Oh, oui!" Manon tensed up, feeling her cheeks blush.
Another heartbeat thump that she thought she had managed to hide away.
Yumi glanced around for a moment before standing from the pile of sand that she had sat on. Fixing her hat, she tipped it down once more for Manon's sake. And just based on her expression, it was clear that she was leaving this area with higher hopes than she did before this Free-Time Event began.
"Anyway, ah dink ahm feelin better already!" Yumi smiled. "Ah'll be in da park if ya need me, bambina! No use in sulkin around, so… thanks fer keepin me back in line!"
"O-Oui," Manon simply nodded.
Turning to leave toward the entrance to Piero's Playground, Yumi softly waved toward the actress, content with how their interaction went. And in Manon's case…
…her heart was practically pounding.
For once in her life, she actually met someone who didn't seem to think that her interest in something other than acting was a joke. She actually met someone who seemed like… they would honestly support her dreams if she ever decided to pursue them.
And that just made her heart pound even louder.
A pounding heart to dictate that Manon and Yumi had grown closer together.
But in Manon's case, as she placed a hand over her heart, nervously…
"…Ahhh, zat is not good," Manon gulped, her face reddening just thinking about Yumi. "What will Maman and Papa say…?"
[Ultimate Deep Sea Fisherman's Attraction]
(Queue)
Nothing interesting really happens when you're stuck on watch duty, making sure that no one could get into your own Attraction.
Roderick learnt that the hard way.
Sitting on the golden throne that was used as the Queue's photo-op moment, Roderick rested his chin on his elbow. In fact, he looked like one of those kings that were just bored having to sit on a throne this entire time. But Roderick didn't mind. As the deep-sea fisherman, patience was a skill that he had to have if he wanted to catch the best prey out there. But that didn't mean that every once in a while, he'd get tired of doing absolutely nothing…
Roderick sighed heavily.
"I'm sorry for how much this bores you, handsome."
Roderick perked his head, hearing the voice of the person he was admittedly the closest to: Yukihiko Yuno. The perks of being his second-in-command meant he got to hang out with her quite a lot and frankly, the fisherman wouldn't have it any other way.
He jumped out of the throne he sat in and gave Yukihiko a salute.
"C-Capt'n!" Roderick exclaimed. "I– What are ye doin here?!"
Yukihiko handed him an Oolong Punch. Similarly, he held a similar drink in his own hands, sipping away to his heart's content.
"Thought you might be thirsty, honey," Yukihiko gave his second-in-command a forced smile.
Roderick accepted the drink, sipping through the straw curiously. Never mind the fact that this guy just accepted a drink on D-Day, a day where the paranoia would reach an all-time high, and not knowing whether the drink was poisoned or not. Shows how far his trust in having Yukihiko as the captain was…
"Thanks, Capt'n…" Roderick smiled at the child caregiver.
Yukihiko let out a breath of exasperation as he continued to sip his drink. He stood next to the fisherman for a while. The cavern ambience did little to shield the awkwardness between the two. And every time Roderick was even near Yukihiko, he, like Manon, would feel his heart beating a little louder than it normally would.
But even then, loud heartbeats didn't stop Roderick from noticing how quiet his captain was today…
"E-Er, Capt'n…" Roderick blinked. "Is something wrong?"
"On your way here, did you by chance notice anyone messing with the computer monitors?" Yukihiko simply asked, nonchalantly.
"N-Nay," Roderick shook his head. "Course not! If I had, I'd have told ye first!"
"...I see…" Yukihiko noted.
"What this be about?" Roderick blinked.
"...Well, honey, someone is trying to play me like a fiddle," Yukihiko folded his arms, biting the tip of the straw. "We have someone going around activating buttons and yet no sign of where the Boy's Button may be. Even worse, is that the deadline is sometime today…"
Yukihiko squeezed his cup, frustrated.
Roderick folded his arms and glanced away. He thought back to the events of yesterday's Morning Meeting. The fact that Issac would just go and accuse Yukihiko of… doing whatever it was he was doing. Sacrificing all of them for the sake of the children? Roderick didn't want to believe it. This was why he was volunteering so…
"Er, Capt'n…" Roderick frowned. "If ye don't mind me askin… Is it true? Are ye really tryin to…?"
"Oh honey," Yukihiko sighed to himself with a small smile. He turned to Roderick and placed a hand over his cheek. "Don't let Issac manipulate you like that. Of course, I'm not trying to do something as outrageous as that. I care about everyone's lives here too. But… the children. They are the number one priority."
Yukihiko patted him on the cheek.
"...And I will do whatever it takes to make sure no child dies," Yukihiko promised, his gaze practically serious.
When Roderick felt Yukihiko's warm hand against his cheek, he could feel himself burning up. He quickly scooted away from him and lowered his beanie, embarrassed and conflicted.
"A-Aye, agreed," Roderick grumbled. "The children are what matters but…"
Roderick folded his arms once more.
There had been something on his mind when it came to Yukihiko. Something he was pretty desperate to know about. Given that he was his second-in-command, it only made sense that he'd be able to have this heart-to-heart with him at some point. That point… was now.
"Aye, Capt'n…" Roderick scratched the side of his beard. "Can I ask ye a question…?"
"Well, of course, sweetie," Yukihiko smiled, placing his drink on the floor. "What would you like to ask?"
"Yer very serious when it comes to children," Roderick muttered. "I know ye to be the Ultimate Child Caregiver but… Yer resolve to make sure every child be safe. It's…"
"Honorable?" Yukihiko smiled to himself. "Charitable? Heroic? Valiant even…?"
None of those words were words that Roderick wanted to say. He wanted to say that when it came to Yukihiko's views on saving children, he was very… gung-ho. Like an 'ends to a means' kind of person. Roderick wasn't sure how to describe it. But what he did know was that Yukihiko was serious about this, and as his second-in-command, he needed to understand his viewpoint.
"Ye be working the hardest of all of us to get the job done," Roderick noted. "Ye came up with ideas and steered the ship well. And as yer first mate, I gotta know why you fight so hard fer this…"
Yukihiko twirled the end of his braids for a moment.
"Well, sweetie," Yukihiko sighed. "What can you expect from someone whose title is the Ultimate Child Caregiver?"
Yukihiko glanced at his nails.
"Children are quite literally the start of a new generation," Yukihiko spoke. "They are the youth that is constantly learning and growing and adapting to the world around them. Their innocence… is often very inspiring."
"So, ye seek to protect their innocence…?" Roderick blinked.
"Oh honey," Yukihiko curled his fingers into a fist, smirking at the fisherman. "Protecting a child's innocence is nearly impossible in this day and age. There's nothing one can do to stop a child from accessing adult content or getting involved with shifty people trying to indoctrinate them with silly ideas."
Yukihiko shook his head.
"But what they do today can in turn shape our tomorrow... a new generation of our world," Yukihiko revealed. "Now, doesn't that sound familiar…?"
It… honestly did.
But in Roderick's case, he didn't know where exactly he heard it first–
"Of course it should," Yukihiko continued, smirking. "It's the very foundation of which Hope's Peak was built off of. I believe it was one Izuru Kamukura who once said that a person's Talent, if developed in its entirety, could be strong enough to change the world. That ideology is no different when it comes to children."
Yukihiko twirled his braids around.
"Teach a child the most valuable lessons in life, and they start to learn," Yukihiko explained. "Teach them how to think, and they become their own person with their own ideas and opinions. Teach them to work together and they'll be the building blocks that'll shape our world for the better."
Yukihiko softly chuckled.
"At least, that's the working theory…" he smirked to himself.
He glanced toward Roderick.
"Now, as the Ultimate Child Caregiver…" Yukihiko smirked. "It is my duty to make sure the children of today are well-protected and nurtured enough to become a functioning part of our new generation. Youth and innocence are important for the growth of a functioning society."
Yukihiko frowned.
"But take away that youth… and threaten their innocence…" Yukihiko grimaced. "Then, not only have you ruined their future, but you have threatened the foundation of society itself."
"A-Aye…" Roderick tried his best to understand. "So, yer reasons are… philosophical, eh?"
"Only half," Yukihiko corrected. "The other reason is simply for the fact that I just hate seeing children get hurt. I mean, who would? But here, the children aren't just getting hurt. They're being threatened. Their lives are on the line and my empathy towards children... Well, I can't just sit by and let this all slide..."
Yukihiko narrowed his eyes.
"...E-Empathy, aye?" Roderick questioned.
"Hm, some may say that empathy is a weakness," Yukihiko shrugged. "But to me, I suppose it's the price you pay when the only innocence you ever got to know is… being held within others."
Roderick blinked.
What did he mean by that?
From the looks of it, it didn't seem like Yukihiko wanted to go into much detail about that comment. But that was enough for Roderick as it was. He just wanted a reason as to why Yukihiko cared so much. And based on what the child caregiver said, it was mostly through a philosophical standpoint. That children are quite literally the driving force of a new generation…
"So… that be meanin…" Roderick folded his arms. "The reason ye became an Ultimate Child Caregiver… It was fer all of that?"
"Oh, honey," Yukihiko smirked to himself. "I can see that you have trouble understanding. I don't really expect you to. As it turns out, not many people here actually do share my opinions. Considering most of them are so willing to let a child die… and all for what? A sick clown and hyena's entertainment…"
Yukihiko narrowed his eyes.
"In a place like this, it is the oldest that should be responsible for the lives that are being threatened," Yukihiko glanced at his nails. "In that scenario, the oldest are quite literally all of us. The children's lives are in our hands. And what we choose to do here, will determine the fate of not just those kids but… quite literally our future."
Yukihiko folded his arms.
"What I do here… What I'm willing to sacrifice…" Yukihiko narrowed his eyes. "It's for the good of the youth everywhere. It's for the good of the new generation. Now… if that doesn't get you to understand my point of view, then I suppose I don't know what will…"
"N-Nay, I think I got it," Roderick folded his arms.
This time, he did.
Truly, Yukihiko was that "ends to a means" kind of character. Roderick supposed that the correct term would be "a necessary evil", but even then, Roderick couldn't see the poor lassie as "evil" or "malicious". Yukihiko was just doing what she felt was right. And honestly, the fisherman could respect that.
Respect her… as he has been for the past few days.
"And what about you handsome…?" Yukihiko tilted his head, trying to grasp what Roderick's story was. "What's your story…?"
Roderick blinked.
He had to admit that of all the times and Free-Time Events he's actually gotten to do, not once was he ever asked about his past and backstory. All people really knew of him was that he was just some paranoid nut who believed the Loch Ness Monster existed. No one really got to find out what was hidden behind that scurvy scallywag persona…
…quite literally, it didn't seem like anyone cared.
Not until…
"E-Erm, what do ye mean, Capt'n?" Roderick asked.
"Why are you so scared of monsters…?" Yukihiko raised an eyebrow. "It's been something that was on my mind for quite a bit. Just never really got the chance to ask…"
Ah.
He didn't blame Yukihiko for wanting to ask that question. It would probably be the first thing anyone would ask Roderick. So, fixing his beanie and glancing around warily, he sighed to himself, feeling slightly anxious just thinking about it.
"M-Monsters may not be the best word for the beasts that plague me dreams…" Roderick grumbled. "If anything, they are eldritch beasts, hidden somewhere in the deep oceans."
Yukihiko immediately regretted asking.
"...Ye know that over 80% of the oceans be left unexplored?" Roderick folded his arms.
"Well, of course," Yukihiko raised an eyebrow. "I believe everyone knows that."
"Then ye know that hidden in that 80% could be a beast waiting for someone to discover it," Roderick grumbled. "The ocean be a scary place. Ye can never forget that…"
Roderick glanced away, slightly nervous over what he was about to reveal.
"...The first time I saw me first beast…" Roderick shuddered. "It be when I was a wee lad of 10. I be manning me boat fer the first time. Course, me pops was there to help out but… At the time, it felt like I be all alone…"
Roderick grimaced.
"...It be late at night," Roderick recounted. "Seas be calm. Me pops be sleepin away. Told me to take the shift in case we ever got a bite. That be when I heard it. Something fluttering in the water. Now, I be thinkin it may be a fish of some sort. Some lonely sea pup that just got lost from the school. But when I peered overboard…"
His face paled and his body started to shake.
"It be a stingray," Roderick revealed. "But not yer normal stingray. A stingray the size of me boat. The tail longer than me fishing line. Its wings, larger than sailboat's mast. It be big. Really big. And it bucked me boat, like it be playing with it…"
Roderick rubbed his head.
"Then I… Then I hit me head…" Roderick muttered. "After that, I woke up to me pops. Pops be a heavy sleeper, so I imagine he didn't wake up to any of that but…"
"Oh, handsome," Yukihiko sighed, placing a hand on his shoulder. "From the sounds of it, you just had a really bad dream–"
"It be not a bad dream!" Roderick exclaimed. "It be not!"
Roderick slowly hugged himself, practically shaking himself for comfort.
"I know it be not…" Roderick shivered. "Because… It felt so real. That day… I be remembering it clear as day…"
"A giant stingray, though?" Yukihiko raised an eyebrow.
"N-Nay, Capt'n…" Roderick looked hurt. "Please don't disregard me claims as some old wives' tale. I know what I saw. I know it. But…"
Roderick glanced away, lowering his beanie to cover his eyes.
"...No one ever believes me," Roderick grimaced. "Not even me pops…"
Truthfully, Yukihiko didn't either.
And honestly, Roderick was definitely telling this to the wrong person. Any other person would've felt sorry for the poor fisherman and the amount of fear he had to go through. But Yukihiko had little patience for such childish drivels. Boogeyman, monsters, and the likes were something children had the liberty of experiencing. Not grown men like…
"...You said this was the first time you saw a beast," Yukihiko raised an eyebrow. "Does that mean that…?"
"Aye," Roderick confirmed. "Shortly after that incident, the beasts be coming more and more… A fish with thirty eyes… a giant squid the size of the Mariana Trench… And worse… Gourdy…"
Yukihiko kept his arms folded.
"Gourdy?" he asked, with an 'are you serious' look.
"Aye," Roderick folded his arms. "Ye know the Loch Ness Monster? Gourdy be like that. Only smaller yet just as vicious as the Ogopogo. Makes a loud splash noise when it swims by too…"
Roderick noted Yukihiko's look of disbelief.
"...I have many more of them beasts," Roderick continued. "I just need to go and get me journal logs about them first."
"Journal logs?" Yukihiko blinked.
"Aye," Roderick nodded. "Me journal. A book filled with drawings of the many beasts that I be encounterin during me trips to open sea."
"So, you're an artist," Yukihiko perked up, finally hearing information about Roderick that painted him in a more realistic and normal light.
"Aye…" Roderick confirmed. "Pretty good with a pencil. As I be accurately recreating the very beasts that I be meeting…"
A really good artist then.
It was at this point that Yukihiko could see that behind that giant sack paranoia and childish superstitions, there was at least some form of normalcy within. Just taking a glimpse of that artist background was enough to confirm it for him. But as it stood it now, his own second-in-command still believed in seafaring boogeymen. If he wanted to continue to work with him…
…something needed to change.
Yukihiko took his empty cup and gave the fisherman a forced smile.
"...This is all very intriguing and all, honey, but…" Yukihiko hummed. "I think I must head off."
"Aye," Roderick noted. "Going to continue to find the Boy's button, eh?"
He supposed he could share more about his story another time then.
"Oh, you know me so well, handsome," Yukihiko smirked.
Turning toward the entrance of the Queue to leave, Yukihiko noted Roderick giving him a small wave. The child caregiver gave him another forced smile, just enough to ease his slightly disappointed look at him having to leave him alone. Poor guy was going to be stuck on guard duty for another few hours.
Another few hours until…
Yukihiko shook his head as the worst thought came to his mind. He quickly left Roderick's Attraction. He needed to find that Boy's Button, whatever the cost…
At least in Roderick's case…
He knew for a fact that he and Yukihiko grew closer together. Because at least for the first damn time, someone was actually willing to ask about Roderick himself rather than comment on his paranoia…
[Pleasure Park]
(Square)
"CARADINE…" Kazuki muttered. "MADARINE… MADALINE… MANATEE…"
Kazuki sighed to himself.
"Jeez… what could the word be…?" he mumbled.
Just as Yukihiko had ordered the two to do, Alisa and Kazuki had spent all the time in the world just trying to figure out that last word in order to activate the Boy's button. The only problem was trying to figure out what exactly that word could be. And if Kazuki had trouble yesterday, he was definitely having trouble today.
He had already exhausted most possibilities yesterday.
Today, he… went back through the list of possibilities he had already excluded from his list of vocabulary.
"...I don't see why exactly you are following Yukihiko's instructions here," Alisa frowned, folding her arms. "We should be going inside, trying to assist the others in guarding the buttons."
"True… but someone has to stay behind and solve the word… right?" Kazuki smiled.
"If you do solve it, you would be activating the Button that'll save the Boy, correct?" Alisa raised an eyebrow.
"That's right…" Kazuki nodded. "After that… We find where that button is and press it…"
"Which will cost everyone's life in doing so," Alisa sighed to herself.
Once again, she found herself in a position in which she had no idea what to do. The only source of entertainment she had was with Kazuki, in guarding the monitors. But even then, Alisa felt like she needed to do more. She was the goddamn clockmaker for god's sake. She was someone who valued using her time wisely…
…And being forced to stay here was not wise.
"...You know…" Kazuki chuckled. "If you hate just sticking around here… You can just leave… I can handle trying to solve the word myself…"
"That is not the issue," Alisa shook her head. "The issue is trying to figure out what to actually use my precious time on…"
Kazuki raised an eyebrow.
When it came to the Ultimate Clockmaker, Kazuki wasn't really surprised that she would be so focused on trying to do anything that would be worthy of her time. Her sense of time management was outstanding. But with that keen sense of managing time came that knack of…
"...I suppose you quite enjoy playing around with hands-on type activities… yes?" Kazuki closed his eyes, glancing away from the monitor for the first time in a while.
"How did you know?" Alisa smiled to herself.
"...Powers of observation..." Kazuki remarked. "At least... I suppose you can call it that..."
"Then, indeed," Alisa simply nodded, practically grasping her hands intently. "You'd be right about that. Though, I do admit, it can be seen as an issue, but the truth is, I am someone who requires distractions daily in order to function. Otherwise…"
"...You feel like you're wasting your time…" Kazuki folded his arms.
Alisa nodded once more.
"I suppose the correct term is that I am a workaholic…" Alisa noted, fixing her glasses. "Married to my work and among other things…"
Alisa took out an alarm clock to wind up incessantly.
"The point is..." Alisa frowned. "My hands require something to do. Otherwise, I become restless."
Noting the job well-done she did with that alarm clock; the clockmaker slowly pocketed it away and pushed her glasses up toward the bridge of her nose.
"Back where I'm from, my source of comfort was making clocks nonstop," Alisa revealed. "To anyone else such as yourself, it may seem boring. But for me, it's an art form and a good use of my time. Because at the very least, I feel like I am contributing to something in the hours of a day I have…"
Alisa's glasses' lens reflected a flash of light into the air.
"Unfortunately, that is not the case here," Alisa frowned. "The only clocks I have are finished clocks I keep in my pockets to make sure all time is synchronized..."
Well, no wonder she didn't really like sticking around at the monitor during watch duty. She was quite literally not used to just standing around doing nothing. And even though she had a duty to attend to, it must've been hard for Alisa. Especially…
"...Heh…" Kazuki opened one eye, chuckling. "...If you did not like it… Why choose to volunteer anyway…?"
"...A poor decision on my part," Alisa fixed her glasses, disappointed. "I figured the role would have been much more exciting…"
"...You could've asked someone else to swap roles with you…" Kazuki pointed out. "I believe Mister Cutler would've been willing to do so…"
"I suppose I could've…" Alisa sighed. "But unfortunately, I did not. And instead, I wasted approximately 37 hours, 48 minutes, and 52 seconds of my life doing this job…"
When Alisa folded her arms, Kazuki kept a close eye on the clockmaker. He noted just antsy she's been getting when it came to standing around and doing nothing. And after hearing her explain her little OCD-like condition, it certainly made sense why she had been pacing around every so often.
"Just how much time do you spend making clocks…? If you don't mind me asking… Miss Zachary…" Kazuki smiled to himself.
Alisa pushed her glasses up but kept her hands on the bridge of her eyewear. She kept herself thinking about this for a moment, as if she were trying to calculate the amount of hours, minutes, and seconds in her head. Truly, someone who was very particular about time…
"...Quite a lot," Alisa simply said. "But if you would like my best record…"
Alisa returned to folding her arms, but this time with a small smile.
"28 hours, 23 minutes, and 12 seconds," Alisa answered.
"Th-That's… more than a day… Miss Zachary…" Kazuki opened both eyes, incredulously.
"Indeed," Alisa nodded. "But it just shows how committed I am to my craft..."
Alisa seemed very proud of herself right there.
"In fact..." she continued. "There were also times in which I worked so much on my clocks that I passed out and woke up 8 hours, 6 minutes, and 34 seconds later."
Admirable! This is exactly what her creator should do when writing Danganronpa SYOCs! No matter how sick you are or how tired or just how much time you're lacking, you should always devote yourself to writing Danganronpa SYOCs! Get those chapters out like wildfire! That is the way to do it!
…What has my life become…?
But regardless, Kazuki was absolutely surprised by how much commitment Alisa showed when it came to her Ultimate Talent. She seemed to be someone who actually… took her Ultimate Talent seriously. So, if that was the case then why…?
"There is no reason for you to feel apologetic," Alisa blinked, perking her head to the side. "It may seem unhealthy, but when you feel like time is never on your side… It ends up being quite a splendid way to use the time you have to your advantage…"
Kazuki… supposed he could agree with that.
But even when Alisa said there was no reason for him to feel sorry, Kazuki just couldn't help himself. He knew he had his own problems when it came to his health and wellbeing but for Alisa to push herself through her work like that… Kazuki wasn't sure if he should respect it or berate her for doing something so dangerous.
Heh.
He was beginning to sound like his brother…
"I am confused…" Alisa furrowed her eyebrows. "But isn't that the same with you, Kazuki? Exerting yourself in your line of work even though it remains highly unrecommended?"
She definitely saw through him there.
That right there was something he could be impressed by. He chuckled to himself and closed his eyes once more. His eyes remained crossed and he kept his head down. Imagine that one Byakuya Togami sprite where he does the same but instead of him looking like a piece of shit, he actually looks like he found it amusing in the nicest way possible.
"I suppose you are correct…" Kazuki smiled. "...I too often exert myself to the point where it could very well destroy my health…"
Kazuki tipped his head back up.
"...Only difference is that I don't commit to an activity till I pass out…" Kazuki pointed out. "Instead… I exert my strength until a doctor… a colleague… or a family friend tells me to cease…"
Kazuki softly chuckled.
"...But even then… it's usually never enough to stop me…" Kazuki smiled.
"By any chance…" Alisa tilted her head. "...What exactly do you do that uses up so much of your time and energy?"
Kazuki paused for a moment.
Alisa wondered if she had asked a bad question, but it was just a moment. The philanthropist was trying to figure out the best way to answer this. As if he knew that whatever he said would almost certainly disappoint the clockmaker. He shook his head.
"Well… if you're asking about the one that gets the doctors to disapprove of my activities…" Kazuki chuckled. "...Resolving conflicts in my community would be on top of that list…"
"Resolving conflicts?" Alisa blinked, surprised.
"Correct…" Kazuki folded his arms.
Pause.
"Would you like to see something…?" Kazuki raised an eyebrow.
"What exactly is it?" Alisa pushed her glasses up, looking at him with slight suspicion.
"...Well… it is something very graphic so… best to warn you on that first…" Kazuki chuckled.
If it was graphic, Alisa wasn't sure if she did actually want to see it for herself. But curiosity was getting the better of her. She bit her lip, contemplating whether or not it'd be good for her to see what Kazuki was showing. By the end of her thought process, she complied.
"V-Very well…" Alisa nodded. "What is it you wish to–"
She froze.
The moment she nodded, Kazuki had wasted no time unbuttoning his shirt. Alisa widened her eyes, and then quickly shielded them. Jeez, Kazuki! What kind of woman did you take her for?! There was no way she was–
"Oh… do not worry Miss Zachary…" Kazuki simply told her. "It's long healed… So… It's not as ugly as you may think it may be…"
Alisa blinked.
Healed?
As in…?
Alisa slowly opened her eyes to glance at what exactly Kazuki wanted to show her. Kazuki wasn't trying to show her his bare body or anything. In fact, the only bare skin he showed was his right shoulder. It was as Kazuki said. It had long healed… probably even years ago. And what was on it? An old stitched scar from what seemed to be…
"...a gunshot…" Kazuki smiled to himself.
He was smiling?!
"O-Oh, K-Kazuki…" Alisa looked slightly troubled by the philanthropist's wound.
"...Mmmm… I did warn you it was going to be graphic…" Kazuki shrugged, before fixing up his attire.
He buttoned his shirt back up and hid his gunshot scar immensely well. It may have healed but even so, it did look rather gruesome.
"W-Was that…" Alisa bit her lip.
"On purpose?" Kazuki blinked, before shaking his head with a smile.
"Thank goodness…" Alisa sighed in relief.
"The ones that were on purpose are on the other parts of my body…" Kazuki dropped.
"H-Huh?!" Alisa recoiled in shock.
"That specific gunshot I showed you was an accident…" Kazuki folded his arms. "There was a discourse in the community between two men… And obviously... As you can imagine… One of them was armed with a gun…"
Kazuki closed his eyes as he recounted that incident in detail.
"...I stepped in…" Kazuki noted. "...Attempted to disarm the situation… The other man… Well… He was going to fire anyway… So instinctively… I went ahead and forced the man to drop his weapon…"
Kazuki folded his arms.
"Unfortunately…" Kazuki frowned. "...By forcing the man to drop his weapon… The firearm discharged… And struck me in the shoulder…"
"Right in the shoulder with such precision?" Alisa widened her eyes. "That's…"
"Insanely lucky?" Kazuki smiled. "...Indeed it was…"
"That was far from what I wanted to say," Alisa deadpanned.
"But you have to admit that for that bullet to pierce my shoulder instead of… any other vital organs…" Kazuki chuckled. "Especially from something like a gun discharge… It was a miracle…"
Kazuki sighed and shook his head.
"Unfortunately… many of my peers did not see it that way…" Kazuki frowned. "Many of them thought I acted quite erratically… Getting involved in an argument that did not concern me… But what was I supposed to do…? Let that man shoot the other…? If that happened…"
Kazuki clutched his neck, instinctively. His expression was riddled with pain as he clenched his teeth.
"...I would never forgive myself…" he frowned.
At that point, Alisa understood what exactly Kazuki was exerting his time and energy on. It was like he said. His time and energy was spent "resolving conflicts". Because Kazuki Nobukatsu was the "Man of the People" and someone who wanted nothing more to help the community he cared about. That was what he loved doing…
…And just like her, he didn't care if his physical well-being was on the line. As long as he did what he loved, that was enough.
But at the same time, Kazuki's scar was an accident. And apparently, he had more like it that was much different than a simple gun discharge. Wounds and scars inflicted purposefully. She wanted to know about that but…
"I must say…" Alisa glanced away. "Your line of work sounds much more…"
"Oh… no need to compare…" Kazuki shook his head with a smile. "If anything… I find it quite nice to see how connected we truly are…"
Kazuki rubbed his neck instinctively.
"...Though… I must owe you an apology…" Kazuki began.
Alisa blinked, confused.
"F-For what?" she questioned.
"I believe I showed some disappointment in how you spent your time and energy and the effects it had on your health…" Kazuki closed one eye. "...Please forgive me for that. I believe I was being a little hypocritical with my judgments…"
Ah, because he…
Alisa shook her head and gave him a reassuring smile.
"There is really no need for you to do that," Alisa assured him. "I understand. Similarly, I would have to apologize too. Simply for the reason that I would've most likely shared the opinions of the doctors, colleagues, and families."
Kazuki couldn't help but smile in amusement over that.
Because once again, Alisa and Kazuki grew a little closer together. Fitting for them as most of this chapter pretty much involved them getting stuck next to one another.
…
With that conversation having drifted off, Alisa felt a little more relaxed knowing that she had at least used up her time at the monitors doing something active. But as the Free-Time Event ended, Kazuki's eyes had trailed up toward the board, now eager to figure out the last word once again.
Or, would've… had… there… not…
Kazuki furrowed his eyebrows.
"...Mmmm…. Miss Zachary…?" Kazuki asked.
"Yes?" Alisa blinked.
"Does the board…" Kazuki squinted. "...look different to you…?"
"The board?" Alisa blinked once more.
Now it was her turn to glance at the board. She didn't know what Kazuki was talking about at first but it didn't take long for her to realize that Kazuki did have a point. That there was something different about the board. But given the fact that the most iconic part of the monitors was quite literally the words…
…it took a bit before they finally understood what that difference was:
The Boy (3) ~ Red
[]A[]A[]I[]E
The Girl (4) ~ Green
FISHERMAN
The Brother (3) ~ Green
TREEHOUSE
The Sister (4) ~ Red
PRIESTESS
[Stanczyk's Secret Clubhouse]
(Treehouse)
When Kikuko arrived at the Treehouse, she could see that Fábio was already there, waiting for her.
She held her breath.
Last night was a whirlwind of emotions for her. She dropped a bombshell on him and tried to get him to stay in the best way possible and after that… She spent the entire night and morning thinking she blew it. She hesitated trying to walk up to speak to him, but at the same time, she remembered the looks that Fábio gave her.
The looks that basically invited her to join him. The looks that gave her the courage to actually go through with this so…
…Why was she hesitating now?
This was what she wanted wasn't it? The excuse to trust Fábio. The satisfaction of knowing that she was making the right choice here. This was what she wanted so, why was she approaching Fábio like he could attack her at any point… at any time? He couldn't… be that bad of a person, right?
She watched as Fábio rested his back against the Brother's button podium. She gave him a wary glance, feeling hesitant with each step that pulled her closer to him. It was like getting sucked into a black hole. The path to the unknown was right in front of her…
…in the image of a figure skater that she quite enjoyed hanging out with.
She felt a chill run through her spine.
Familiar and comforting yet cold and otherworldly.
She knew it was Eiji.
In fact, Eiji had practically popped up beside her, giving her a look of encouragement.
"You got this, sis," Eiji grinned at Kikuko. "Tell him. Tell him about me…"
Kikuko didn't say anything.
She knew right then and there that Eiji was correct in what she should be doing. She shook off the last of her doubts and picked up the pace. By the time she reached Fábio, she could see his expressionless face. His mind had been wandering for a very long time. Choosing the Brother's Button to protect was perhaps the correct decision on his part, since what this was really the only place where they could call private…
Kikuko opened her mouth, but to her surprise, it was Fábio who started the conversation…
"...What did he say?" Fábio grimaced.
"...João?" Kikuko tilted her head.
Who else?
"...Yeah," Fábio simply responded. "What has he… What exactly has he…"
"...He has… done nothing but call you a liar," Kikuko bit her lip.
She noticed his disappointment grow further.
"Fábio," Kikuko looked at him sympathetically. "I don't understand. Who is João and what does he mean to you? Why does he… hate you so much?"
Fábio shifted uncomfortably. If he really was a Red Spirit, then according to Kikuko, that would mean that João truly did hate him. Realistically speaking, he could also think of many reasons why he would. In other words, Fábio didn't exactly blame him. After all, if he had just been…
Fábio struggled to say something at first. He felt Kikuko's presence grow near as she placed a hand on his shoulder. And almost instantly, the courage he felt to say it came out right then and there…
"...João's my little brother…" Fábio grimaced. "...He… died… ten years ago."
Kikuko felt her heart waver. She wasn't surprised by the fact that João was dead. Of course not. But what she was surprised by was…
She turned toward Eiji, whose eyes widened in shock. For once in his spiritual purgatory, he kept his mouth shut, processing the information at hand.
Kikuko sat down next to him as Fábio continued.
"I don't really know how it happened," Fábio shook his head. "One day he was home. The next I find out that he just… died. No warning. No nothing. I just… I just had to find out the hard way, I guess."
Fábio placed his wrist on his knee.
"He was an Ultimate too, you know?" Fábio revealed. "A Li'l Ultimate. Just like me, ten years ago. Only difference was, I actually got accepted into a program that Hope's Peak Brasília was offering. Some intense program. Meant to be an intensive training of my Ultimate Talent. Gave me a free ticket into Brasília. And all to get me to become a future face of the school. As you already know… It worked."
Fábio grimaced.
"But at what cost…?" Fábio looked down.
"...Is that why…?" Kikuko carefully asked.
"Why I left?" Fábio softly smiled at that. "Yeah…"
Fábio nodded to himself.
"João and I?" Fábio continued. "We made a promise. After I finished the program, we would always stick together and take on the world. Side-by-side as brothers. We always planned to attend Brasília's Main Course together. Do a bunch of things together. But after he passed… being the new face of Hope's Peak Brasília had no meaning anymore."
"But he died ten years ago and you just recently–" Kikuko tried to grasp the timeline.
"Doesn't mean that I haven't been finding ways to quit," Fábio simply said.
Kikuko glanced at Fábio as she listened to his story. The more she listened, the more she recognized that Fábio wasn't truly a bad person. Maybe she was wrong to judge him from the Red Spirit alone. Or maybe this was just what she desperately wanted to see Fábio as. She bit her lip.
"Fábio, do you… perhaps know why João would hate you?" Kikuko asked. "Did you do something that would make him hold a grudge against you? Do something that would…"
"...He's not mad at me because of something I did," Fábio revealed. "He's mad at me over something I should've done."
"What do you mean?" Kikuko blinked.
"On the day I left…" Fábio frowned. "...João asked me not to go. No. Sorry. He didn't ask. He begged. He begged me not to go. He begged me to stay, because he couldn't bear the thought of his older brother leaving him. Right then and there, I had a choice. And maybe… Maybe if I had just listened to him and stayed, maybe…"
"Fábio…" Kikuko looked at him sympathetically. "You can't blame yourself–"
"And why not?!" Fábio snapped. "If I had chosen to just skip out on that stupid program and stayed, I would've been there to protect my little brother! But I wasn't! He needed me and I wasn't there!"
Fábio's frustrated expression slowly softened when he realized who exactly he was yelling at. Kikuko was taken aback by his outrage. She's seen it once before, but to have it be directed at her was an entirely different story. She felt slight fear, but it was his look of regret that really made her crack.
"I… I'm sorry," Fábio glanced away, shamefully. "I…"
Kikuko grabbed his wrist and pulled him into her arms. For a moment, Fábio thought that she was getting ready to knock him out for yelling at her. Feeling her hands on his back, it was then that he realized that she had actually pulled him into a comforting hug.
God.
He needed that, didn't he?
"I… I wasn't there…" Fábio returned the gesture and gritted his teeth. "I wasn't there to protect him…"
"...Fábio," Kikuko closed her eyes in thought. "I meant what I said. You cannot blame yourself for this. You do not know whether or not history would've changed if you had chosen an alternative option. It's just impossible to know…"
Kikuko released herself from the hug and slowly placed her hand on Fábio's cheek. The moment she realized what she was doing, she quickly yanked it away. Her face flushed slightly. She gave herself a moment's breath to compose herself once more.
"...I know this…" Kikuko grasped her hand, nervously. "...Because I was in your exact position, once upon a time…"
Fábio blinked.
"I lost my little brother too," Kikuko revealed, turning back toward the figure skater. "My twin brother."
Eiji perked up from the side. His eyes met that of his sister's. Despite this being what he had been wanting her to do, instead of him exploding into spiritual butterflies in excitement, he instead gave Kikuko a warm smile. As annoying as he was, at least he knew how to read the room… 25% of the time.
"Kikuko… I…" Fábio held up his hand but she shook her head with a soft smile, assuring him that she was alright.
"...His name was Eiji Unmei," Kikuko told him. "And growing up, we were close. Very close. Just like you and João were. And when he died, I felt an emptiness inside me that would never go away…"
Fábio glanced away, a pained expression on his face.
"...I'm sorry to ask but…" Fábio frowned. "How exactly did he…"
"Drunk driving incident," Kikuko immediately said. She had her eyes closed and head tipped down, remembering the bitter details of that time. "Ten years ago. I… wasn't looking at both sides of the road one day and… Well, a drunk driver sped down the street. I didn't see it coming. Next thing I knew, my brother jumped in front of me and shielded me… After that, it was a blank."
Kikuko opened her eyes, looking somber.
"...My brother died immediately," Kikuko revealed. "He had taken the full force of the vehicle. As for me… I miraculously survived but in return, I had lost three months of my life and awakened my ability to see spirits."
"...I'm sorry, Kikuko," Fábio winced. "I…"
He figured he was being a little selfish with his emotions here. He didn't realize that Kikuko had suffered a similar loss back then as well. And unlike him, this one was a little more tragic. To have lost her brother due to his sacrifice. In a way, Fábio wished he could've done the same to his own sibling…
He noticed Kikuko shaking her head.
"...Fábio, ever since then, I too have blamed myself for the incident," Kikuko told him. "There were so many times when I wished that I had noticed that car sooner or even that I was the one who was hit in that accident. But that's the point. What has already happened, happened. There is no way to change the past…"
Kikuko gave him a small smile.
"...But we can always change the future, can't we?" she concluded.
Fábio blinked.
He realized that was pretty much the same thing she had said to Yukihiko and Alisa during her argument. He shouldn't be surprised that someone like her would be so mature with her feelings on death and what comes after. She's been constantly surrounded by stuff like that since she was a child. She had the experience to back her comments, so for Fábio…
"...Eiji Unmei," Fábio said. "Did he… Is he…"
"...He's a Blue Spirit," Kikuko smiled. "Has yet to pass on, however, and instead has been looking out for me for 8 years now."
"So… he's here, here," Fábio blinked.
"That would be correct," Kikuko nodded, before muttering. "Even if I don't want him to be sometimes..."
"Hehe~" Eiji grinned.
Fábio glanced to Kikuko's right and waved his hands, as if he were waving toward Eiji. Kikuko closed her eyes.
"Your other right," she corrected him.
"O-Oh!" Fábio cleared his throat in embarrassment.
He turned to his right and waved his hand, as if he were waving toward Eiji. This time, Eiji waved back. Not like Fábio could see him anyway. But just feeling that made her giggle to herself.
"I-Is he waving back–" Fábio asked.
"He is," Kikuko opened her eyes and smiled.
She watched as Fábio tried his best to feel and see Eiji wave at him like she could. But unfortunately, Fábio had no spiritual power, meaning such a thing would be impossible for someone like him. And yet, he was still doing it anyway. Whether or not he was messing with her, she didn't care. Because it was… honestly, really cute.
Kikuko blinked and shifted around.
Cute… huh?
Kikuko glanced down, smiling to herself.
With their conversation, it was safe to say that both Kikuko and Fábio grew a little closer together. And in Eiji's case, he was taking some baby steps in actually interacting with someone other than Kikuko, even though the guy couldn't really hear, feel, or see him.
…
Kikuko nodded her head.
"...You're a good person, Fábio," Kikuko finally said. "After hearing your story, I think… I think I should be the first to apologize to you."
"Apologize?" Fábio blinked. "Apologize for what?"
"For judging you," Kikuko confessed. "When I saw João's Red Spirit, I immediately assumed that you were a terrible person. I immediately assumed that you may have done something to him or have done some sort of terrible crime back home… But I… I can't see that person in what you've told me."
"...You thought I was some horrible person and still told me about your powers?" Fábio blinked, shoving his hands in his pockets.
"...I took a risk," Kikuko bit her lip.
"A crazy risk," Fábio berated. "Don't do something like that again next time, alright? It… It wouldn't be safe."
Fábio glanced away, slightly embarrassed.
This was the person who had a Red Spirit hovering over him, calling him a liar? Can't be. She could see that he was genuinely concerned for her wellbeing. Such things were a paradox. A contradiction in itself. There was no way Fábio could be a terrible person if he cared this much, right?
Kikuko bit her lip.
She hoped desperately that his little brother, João, heard what Fábio had said. That Fábio really did blame himself for what happened to him. That when doing that, perhaps João's spirit would ease up. But it was never as simple as that, was it?
She felt a chill run down her spine as the spirit of João stood beside Fábio, pointing his fingers and repeating the same thing he kept saying over and over again.
"He's a liar."
"He's a liar."
"LiarLiarLiarLiarLiarLiarLiar!"
Kikuko narrowed her eyes. No. João was wrong. He didn't truly know how much pain Fábio was in when he lost João. He didn't know the full extent of the story. The Red Spirit was so overcome by hatred from his brother that he wasn't going to be so easily satisfied by this… That was what was going to happen, wasn't it?
Kikuko started to shake, catching Fábio's attention.
"H-Hey, Kikuko," Fábio blinked. "Are you–"
He noticed that Kikuko was glaring at an empty space. Understanding what this meant, he furrowed his eyebrow.
"I-Is it…" Fábio widened his eyes. "Do you see…?"
BANG!
Kikuko blinked.
Fábio jumped.
João faded away.
"W-What was that?!" Eiji yelled out, taken aback by the sudden noise.
"What was that?!" Fábio widened his eyes.
"I… I don't know…" Kikuko felt herself shake, but this time, it wasn't due to the cold feeling of spirits passing by but the terror of what that single bang could mean. "B-But, it sounded like it came from…"
"Come on!" Fábio grasped Kikuko's hands, taking her by surprise. Her face flushed red, and she tried her best to hide it from the figure skater. "We need to check it out!"
"W-What about the button?" Kikuko questioned.
"If that bang is what I think it is," Fábio grimaced. "I don't think the button will matter much anymore!"
No argument there!
Kikuko gave him a nod of understanding and allowed herself to be pulled by him into trying to figure out what that was. And together, including Eiji, the two actual playmates and plus one left the Treehouse and headed straight for…
[Ultimate Karate Master's Attraction]
(Queue)
When Mara had exited the building, she furrowed her eyebrows in confusion.
She had just gotten done eating some food at her own Ultimate Attraction and had begun to exit the restaurant. Today was the deadline of the Playtime Event. Judging by the results, it was obvious that the Boy was going to cut it. One life for the price of many others. As cruel as it may seem, it was fine by her. One life in comparison to more than that?
Yeah.
At this point, it was one big complex numbers game she couldn't give a crap about. More or less when others gave a crap about it, especially that bastard, Yukihiko. One life in comparison to more was obviously the way to go in a game of sacrifice. And yet, she had to be surrounded with altruistic people like Yukihiko and Aidan that wanted to do more…
God…
It was annoying.
As she made her way through the queue line of her restaurant, she was equally confused as when she came out when she saw Fábio and Kikuko hurrying over, hand-in-hand. She folded her arms, remembering her last encounter with these two didn't exactly end… well.
"Er, look, I don't want any trouble," Mara spoke up, folding her arms and glancing away.
"Mara!" Fábio exclaimed. "Is everything alright?!"
That was when the karate master looked even more confused than before. She raised an eyebrow, wondering what the heck they were going on about.
"Same old days in hell, so not really," Mara folded her arms. "Why?"
"We heard a loud bang and thought…" Kikuko trailed off.
She glanced at the two, warily.
"A loud bang?" Mara narrowed her eyes. "At my Ultimate Attraction? Sorry to tell you but I didn't hear anything of the sort. And I was here for most of the day."
"Nothing at all?" Kikuko pressed, looking at her in disbelief. "You didn't hear… anything?"
"No," Mara repeated. "And besides, nothing in my Attraction causes a loud bang noise, so I don't know why you guys came here in the first place."
Fábio and Kikuko glanced at each other, confused.
They knew they heard a loud bang noise, and they knew that it had come from this general area. But Mara claims that she didn't hear anything. So, who here is really telling the truth…?
Noticing the doubtful looks on both people's faces, Mara sighed and opened the door to her Cafe for them to enter.
"If you guys don't believe me, you can go check out the inside of this place," Mara frowned. "Everything's gonna look exactly as it always is."
More doubtful looks, but this time from Fábio.
"And for me to kill you both is by far the stupidest thing I could ever do," Mara rolled her eyes. "Jeez, I know I messed up that other day but—"
BANG!
Mara was cut off by another loud noise. And this time…
"W-Whoa!" Mara widened her eyes in shock. "W-What was-"
"That came from the right side of the Jungle!" Fábio narrowed his eyes. "Come on!"
Fábio grabbed Kikuko by the hand and hauled her with her to check out what was going on. Of course, this was all by instinct and Kikuko couldn't help but feel a little touched that he was pretty much dragging her along to check out what was happening.
Mara stayed put for a moment, processing that loud bang. But after a moment of deliberation, she swiftly followed behind the two.
The two said they heard a loud bang and shortly after, a second one rang out.
This can't be a coincidence.
Someone was deliberately doing something here!
She clenched her fist.
If she wanted to help, this was the perfect time to do it. So, after a moment of deliberation, she followed behind the two…
[Ultimate Gunslinger's Attraction]
(Queue)
"W-What the–"
The pathway toward Yumi's Ultimate Attraction felt much longer than it actually was thanks to the constant winding walkways. They not only had to sprint through the walkway, but they also had to run past the Village in order to reach the Attraction. And what they found was something they wouldn't have imagined was possible.
"Th-The Attraction…" Kikuko widened her eyes.
"Wow…" Eiji blinked, standing beside Kikuko equally in shock. "What…"
…a mess.
Glass shards were strewn across the floor. The high score had been changed from its classic 1,575,800 points to a whopping 1,843,600. But that wasn't the kicker that caused them to stand there in shock. Because the most shocking thing was what was missing…
"H-Hey, w-wasn't there supposed to be some golden gun there?" Fábio widened his eyes.
Indeed.
The golden gun that was normally on display was nowhere to be seen. Perhaps it may have been scattered on the floor somehow thanks to… whatever happened to here. But the point of issue now was that it was just not there. Could it be…?
"Yeah, supposed to be…" Mara looked disturbed.
She folded her arms, thinking closely to that loud bang she heard. While she didn't hear the first bang, Fábio and Kikuko did hear it. And a couple of minutes after the two had run into her, a second one rang out. Two bangs and a missing golden gun. In other words…
"...Damn!" Mara gritted her teeth. "You don't think those bangs were…"
"Gunshots?" Kikuko concluded, her eyebrow furrowing. "Unfortunately… That may be the case in this matter."
"D-Damn it," Fábio stuffed his hands in his pockets as he glanced away. "So, you're telling me someone has been going around shooting that golden gun? If that's true…"
"We need to go find them, immediately…" Kikuko's eye flashed blue.
She was absolutely right.
The bangs they've been hearing were definitely the sounds of gunshots. If there really was someone on the loose with a gun, that was enough red flags to have the three take some initiative here. And yet…
"You say that…" Mara folded her arms. "But here's the problem. We don't know where they are now. We heard a gunshot somewhere in this general area and no one's here. They've definitely skedaddled somewhere. But…"
Fábio rubbed his chin before glancing toward the minecarts, each of them moving in succession as it normally did. He didn't know exactly how this ride worked, given the fact that he never actually checked it out, but at the very least, an idea was brewing in his head.
"...Could it be…" Fábio rubbed his chin. "Did the culprit… hop aboard one of these minecarts to hide?"
"If they did, that'd be stupid," Mara folded her arms. "A loud noise like that would've obviously attracted someone. Case in point, us. So, if they were on this ride… Gonna say that it wasn't a very well-thought plan on the culprit's part…"
Right.
She did have a point.
So, if that was the case, all they really needed to do was stay here and wait until whoever was on the ride would reveal themselves.
Or…
Fábio turned to Kikuko.
"H-Hey, actually," he spoke in a hushed tone. "C-Can't Eiji go through walls? It'll save us a lot of time if he could just–"
Kikuko shook her head.
"I'm afraid that's not how that works," Kikuko responded, hushed as well. "Eiji can only stay near me. Whatever he sees and finds has to be in the same room I'm in. After all, it wouldn't make sense for a spirit like Eiji to just blindly wander a location he's not familiar with. Why do you think spirits in haunted houses stay contained in those houses?"
Fair point.
Fábio felt a little bad for having to suggest taking advantage of Eiji/Kikuko's gift like this. She didn't seem to take much offense to him asking, but Fábio still felt as if it was a little uncalled for. He stuffed his hands in his pockets and glanced away.
"R-Right…" Fábio muttered. "S-Sorry…"
"...Do not worry about it," Kikuko gave him an assuredly small smile. "And please don't feel guilty over asking me such things. I don't mind."
Hearing that he got permission, Fábio smiled to himself.
"Hey, if you two are done flirting over there," Mara folded her arms. "What's the game plan? Wait here and check to see if the bastard who took the gun is in there or–"
BANG!
Another gunshot.
Perfect timing on Mara's part.
The three turned back toward the Queue, having heard the distant noise seep through the cavern. It didn't take long for them to hear where exactly that came from.
"That came…" Fábio widened his eyes. "...from the left side of the Jungle!"
"Oh great," Mara grumbled. "We got a slippery culprit now…"
"Come on!" Kikuko exclaimed, dashing straight out of the Attraction's cavern.
And wasting no time, Mara and Fábio followed behind…
[Jungle of Joy]
(Village)
…And as they ran through the Village, Mara and Kikuko instinctively went directly on the path to the left, heading straight back to where they started and going from there.
That was when Fábio skidded to a halt.
He blinked.
He turned toward the Exit of Kikuko's Attraction. He remembered that there was a much easier way to get to the left side of the Jungle of Joy. Right! He just learned about it yesterday! It was…
"I see," Fábio rubbed his chin. "Kikuko's roller coaster is basically one big train station."
"How'd you figure that?" Aidan blinked.
"Think about it," Fábio explained. "Two ride control panels? A loading dock identical to the one we just came from? The coaster we boarded took us to the right side of the Jungle. But I imagine if you set it to Automatic like what you just did, it should take it back to Issac…"
"On the other side of the Jungle, ohhhh, like a big train station!" Aidan widened his eyes.
"W-Wait!" Fábio called out to Kikuko and Mara. "G-Guys! Th-There's a much faster way to…"
Too late.
The two girls were long gone. Fábio glanced back and forth, trying to decide whether to follow the two and take the shortcut. Time was ticking down as he did so. They were going to reach Mara's Attraction and for all he knew, the two might run into the gunman on the way there. Mara and Kikuko were admittedly two people who could obviously take care of themselves…
…but against someone with a gun?
Fábio grimaced.
He ran straight toward the direction that Kikuko and Mara went in…
(Ruins)
…The sprint toward the left side of the Jungle of Joy was a perilous one.
Unfortunately for them, they never did get to hear Fábio call out to them, telling them that there was another much easier and faster way to get to the left side. So consequently, both girls were out of breath. And not just them but also…
"Whew, that's a lot of running!" Eiji panted.
"You can't even feel fatigue," Kikuko narrowed her eyes, breathlessly.
"Hey, let me live a little, jeez!" Eiji pouted.
"W-What did you say to me?" Mara raised an eyebrow toward Kikuko, heavily breathing.
Kikuko felt her surroundings warm up a bit as Eiji's presence disappeared. The poor spirit was very wary of being around Mara. Especially since his presence nearly caused Mara to snap his poor sister's neck. Regardless, that didn't help Kikuko's case, who instead cleared her throat and responded the best she could.
"It was nothing," Kikuko shook her head. "I was just–"
She paused.
Her eyes slowly widened.
Mara was about to open her mouth in response as to why the shrine priestess was keeping quiet. But noticing her eyes shake, the karate master turned around to see exactly what the girl was looking at. And at that moment…
…
…Fábio caught up.
"W-Wow, you guys run fast," Fábio panted.
He noted the girls' silence and them unmoving from their precise location. He raised an eyebrow and placed a hand on Kikuko's shoulder. He gave her a concerned expression.
"H-Hey, is everything…" Fábio was about to say.
Kikuko shook her head, snapping out of her trance, her expression much more frantic than it had ever been. She turned to Fábio, fear in her eyes. That was the moment the figure skater figured out that they had seen something.
Seen something… drop through the final drop of Roderick's water ride.
"We need to go, now!" Mara ordered, racing into the Queue of the Attraction.
"Mara's right," Kikuko grimaced. "N-No time to explain. We just have to go!"
Kikuko raced off into the Queue.
"H-Huh?" Fábio was confused. "O-Okay then!"
Fábio wasted no time and followed after the two once more…
[Ultimate Deep Sea Fisherman's Attraction]
(Queue)
…
…
…
Roderick kept his arms folded as he sat on the golden throne of the queue line.
Since his Free-Time Event with Yukihiko, the only excitement of having to guard his own Attraction had withered away into nothingness. Here he remained, seated on the throne, having felt his legs wobble after standing around so much. He kept his arms folded and face pointed, ready to stop anyone who dared enter his Attraction and attempt to ride it.
Exhibit A.
Kikuko, Fábio, and Mara ran into the Attraction's Queue line.
Finally, some excitement.
"Arrrrgh!" Roderick growled as he lept off of the throne and blocked the three from entering. "What do ye think ye landlubbers be doin?! Don't ye know that the Attraction be off-limits?! Me thinks Capt'n Yukihiko already told ye about it…"
"Roderick!" Kikuko shot him a determined look. "Please move! We have to get through!"
Roderick blinked.
That… was not the reaction he was expecting. At most, he'd thought he'd have to kick out the three and gain Capt'n Yukihiko's favor. But given the weariness in their eyes and their frantic looks of desperation… Something was off.
Something was very, very off.
"Er, n-nay?" Roderick lowered his beanie, raising an eyebrow. "W-What be this about?"
"W-We… We saw them," Kikuko grimaced. "Someone. On one of your boats!"
"On one of me boats?!" Roderick blinked, surprised. He frowned. "Nay! That be impossible! I be here the entire day! No one could've slipped by me! I bet me lucky doubloons on em!"
Pause.
"...D-Does this guy even have doubloons?" Eiji blinked.
Kikuko waved him off, her determined glance never fading.
"We don't have time for this," Mara grumbled, shaking her head and shoving Roderick to the side.
Honestly, for someone that was 5'2 doing it to a muscular guy like Roderick who was ten inches taller than her and looked stronger than her… It was pretty impressive how she was able to do it with such ease. It was even enough to take Roderick aback in surprise, his back practically resting on the throne in amazement.
The three marched forward, with Fábio sharing his sympathies toward the deep-sea fisherman. That was enough to get him to regain his composure.
"N-Nay!" Roderick shook his head. "If this be a trick to reach the Button, ye be havin the curse of Poseidon be laid upon ye!"
Chasing after them, Roderick joined the three in entering the next room of the cue: the Loading Dock, where the boats would be gathering and leaving…
…
…and the moment they entered the Loading Dock, the franticness of their afternoon stopped all too suddenly.
There was nothing but a chilling ambience as the four reached the row of boats that were automatically taking off through the ride one at a time. It was the ambience of the cavern's water, trickling down with drips and drops. The ambience of the conveyor belt that moved each boat forward and pushed each boat into the water one at a time…
…But the nightmare wasn't the chilling ambience.
The nightmare was what was seated on one of the boats. Or rather, who was seated on one of the boats. A person… And not just any person but a person they knew all too well. With the boat slowly passing by, like a dead product moving across a factory belt, the person remained motionless.
"N-Nay…" Roderick widened his eyes. "How could this…"
"N-No…" Fábio grimaced.
"W-We were too late," Kikuko covered her mouth.
Mara folded her arms and glanced away, uneasily.
Because when they had inched closer, they could see that the reason the person remained motionless was because right in their forehead was a bullet hole. A bullet hole practically trickling with blood and mixing with the water of the Attraction. They were naturally soaked from the Attraction… but water, blood, and a bullet hole weren't enough to hide the identity of the person.
Because the person was someone they knew…
Because the person was someone they recognized…
Because the person…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
…was Riku Arakawa, the Ultimate Doctor.
DANGANRONPA: TWISTED TRAGEDY
Yes indeed! Here it is! The last Daily Life of Chapter 2: Adventures of Paradise Gloom! And indeed, it was Riku Arakawa who died! And funny enough, I believe the only person who actually predicted this death was Riku's creator himself! And he only said it as a joke! You manifested your boy's death my dude! You manifested it so well :D
AKA think Riku died too soon? #Blametheotakureader101
Trial Updates: Lots of editing is required and I'm nervous on whether it's gonna be good or not. Best case scenario is that it's really good and better than Chapter 1's Trial... if not! On par with it. Worst case scenario... Chapter 1's Trial is better. Hoping it's not terrible though D:
With that said:
Riku Arakawa. Thank you so much to theohiorizzler101 for submitting this character :0 Oh. I'm sorry. Is your name theotakureader101? Well, not anymore fool! But yeah, Riku is our second victim of the fic and the fifth person to fall in the Piero's Playground Killing Game. And I must say, what a change I took him in when I first made the death order. Originally, Riku was supposed to be SURVIVOR. Like, literally, a SURVIVOR. I... don't exactly know what I was thinking there. But I do know that the reason he ended up as the victim of Chapter 2 was for two reasons:
1. No one would've seen it coming by the time this chapter came out (Which I was right XE)
2. Riku didn't really have much plot that could help take him into finale/Chapter 6 territory.
In fact, Riku's plot was always meant to help Mara's plot in the Chapter 2 Daily Lives and give her someone she can interact with rather than her just constantly lurking about. I guess Riku's what you would call a plot device but hidden so well that everyone thought he was living a little longer and had more plot potential with Mara. And while that would've been cool, sad to say that this death order was more or less finalized. Hence, Riku is dead D:
And goddamn it, I actually loved writing Riku! Definitely one of my favorite characters to write! He's always so creepy and so morbidly disgusting but you can also tell that deep down, there's like this... tsundere-kinda level of him wanting a person to interact with. And I'm also very glad that other people seem to like him too! Because let's face it, yakuza characters are always the coolest characters! And soon, ProjectDrama will learn to love Fuyuhiko like he learned to love Mondo :D
Here's something else:
Hangman Questions are now over! Whatever you have finalized as your guess... which everyone has pretty much finalized, yeah, that will be your answer! What is it for? Who knows! Probably nothing but a nice little shoutout to whoever gets the final word :)
Also means that you are free to discuss what the words are with one another. Don't think I put a rule saying you weren't allowed to do that but everyone chose to do it because of good sportsmanship... whatever that is -.-
Anyway...
Today's shoutout goes out to Sempi's Danganronpa: Cold Blooded Revenge! I meant to shout her out earlier but Otterplay's hardhitting Algorithmic Alteration Trial boosted that up on the priority list. Anyway, there's your shoutout Sempi!
May I read Danganronpa: Cold Blooded Revenge now? :D
Anyway, Investigation is next! I am so nervous for how this Trial will turn out :D I think it has potential but... We... We will have to see if the logic and structure flows well D: Regardless, I'm coming back to NY on the 29th! 28th technically, since that's my flight, but 29th is when I actually land :0 So, until then, I'll be trying to get the Investigation chapter out!
As always, let me know what you think about the chapter! Like it? Hate it? Feel free to let me know! Always like to hear what other people have to say and do tell me! Who do you think killed Riku Arakawa?!
I swear to God, Candle, if you say Daisuke Kido one more time-
Playmates Remaining: 13
Aidan Brighton - The Ultimate Track Star [Omakin]
Alisa Zachary - The Ultimate Clockmaker [ExtraMeme]
Beautè Morose - The Ultimate ? [Grandma Sue]
Daisuke Kido - The Ultimate Fast-Food Employee [CandleFire45]
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]
Roderick Cutler - The Ultimate Deep Sea Fisherman [Orlando Butler]
Yukihiko Yuno - The Ultimate Child Caregiver [Weekaro]
Yumi Gundo - Ultimate Gunslinger [MrUtenaHolic]
