Danganronpa: Twisted Tragedy (SYOC)

by SilverMark16

[Sequel to Corrupted Hope] Eighteen of Hope's Peak's finest awake to find themselves stuck in an abandoned theme park, Piero's Playground, the joyous place in the world! However, behind the smiles and laughs is a deadly game of tears and tragedy starring a Killing Game hosted by the eccentric Stanczyk and his twisted partner, Monoyena.

6. On Road to Despair (Part 3)

Chapter 1: On Road to Despair (Daily Life #3)

---

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!

---

Tap tap tap.

The orchestra attuned themselves to the A as Alina Summers smacked the tip of her conductor's baton against the metal stand before her. Her music sheets were messily organized. For most maestros, they were just a nightmare waiting to happen. But for an Ultimate Maestro, they served as save spots. They were the clutch that would help her in case she ever got lost in the music.

She snuck a glance behind her.

The main star of the show stood as the centerpiece of Hope's Peak Berlin's grand stage that the entire orchestra was gathered upon. Miranda Mele. Ultimate Violinist. Alina patiently waited for her to get her strings comfortably tightened. Glancing further beyond Miranda were three silhouettes watching, waiting, in a dimly lit crowd.

The practical exam officers waited for both Ultimates to get situated. They bided their time in the same position as they were in when Alina and Miranda had first stepped on stage. And even though Alina was blinded by the bright gleam of the stage lights, she could sense the hardened looks she and Miranda were being given.

Hope's Peak Berlin was the establishment built with a key highlight of harnessing musical talents. It was Germany's greatest pride after their disgraceful role in the war. And most of the greats were born from Germany after all. Johann Sebastian Bach, Ludwig Van Beethoven, Robert Schumann, Richard Wagner, Johannes Brahms, Richard Strauss, the list went on and on.

So naturally, the practical exam officers were not going to go easy on them. They were Ultimates. The new Hope for the next generation of music. The carriers of musical legacy. Why should they go easy on them? Being an Ultimate Musician here at Hope's Peak Berlin practically told you the pressure was going to be high.

So, for the first time in her years as an Ultimate Musician, she was nervous. She swallowed and shared a glance with Miranda. She noticed that the Ultimate Violinist's legs were shaking. She was just as nervous as she was. Then, Alina pulled out her secret weapon:

A forced smile of encouragement.

She turned back to the orchestra she was to lead. She raised her conductor's baton, moved it down, to the left, to the right, and back up.

One.

Two.

Three.

Four.

A deep breath.

The orchestra began and Miranda jumped in right on time, joining the orchestra and leading in as the main melody. She shifted her bow around as she closed her eyes and envisioned herself in the music. Alina snuck glances toward her, smiled to herself, and did the same, keeping her hand movements in perfect rhythm as they performed a work by another German composer:

Felix Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto in E Minor.

…

Alina sighed in relief as she packed up her music from the concert hall. She was given the classic 'thank you's, 'nice work's, and 'amazing job's she often received after every performance. It wasn't surprising that the exam went without a cinch. She and Miranda played with perfect harmonies, perfect rhythms, and perfect synchronization.

They say that nobody can truly be perfect, but that wasn't true for Ultimates. Perfection was essential. Perfection was everything, especially if you were an Ultimate in the musical field.

Sitting on the first violin chair, she made sure to keep her pages intact with one another as she turned page by page, noting the numbers on the corner of each piece of manuscript paper. She did this for a few more times before finally, something slipped out from the next one she had landed on.

A small slip of paper. Plastic by touch. Something she recognized immediately. Picking it up, she glanced at the contents. Her face warmed into a smile…

"Alina!" Miranda hurried over, excitedly.

"Ah, Miranda," Alina quickly tucked the paper in-between her manuscript paper. She gave her a proud smile. "Great job today! All that work we did together really paid off, don't you think?"

"Pfft, the perks of having an Ultimate Maestro that knows how to work with piano reductions," Miranda hummed to herself. "You really helped me out. I really thought I was going to get off-beat a couple of times there."

"Don't let the practical exam officers hear you say that," Alina smiled, teasingly. She tilted her head. "Did you need something by the way?"

"Oh yeah," Miranda twirled her violin bow around. "Professor Forte wanted to talk to you. He had that big, proud dad kind of face. I think he has nothing but praises to give you."

"In other words, we passed," Alina sighed in relief.

"I'm counting on it," Miranda nervously held onto her violin bow. "Anyway. I'll catch you at the reception. The other members of the orchestra are waiting for you too!"

"Got it," Alina smiled at Miranda.

Sharing nods of support to one another, Alina watched Miranda run off. Leaving her behind, Alina slowly opened her music book and almost protectively, took out that small slip of paper once again.

No.

Not a slip of paper.

A picture.

Alina's warm smile faded slightly as she glanced at the picture.

Those were happier times.

And it was happier times like these that made her wonder about her current position here. She glanced around, noting the pristine decor of Hope's Peak Berlin's Grand Performance Hall. Was it really fair for her to be here among the greatest of musicians? Was it really ideal of her to commit her entire time to this instead of… Was it really fair of her to enjoy her New Life?

Alina wasn't sure. She simply tucked the photo in her pocket, packed up her music book, and took a deep breath.

She walked toward the exit but stopped the moment she noticed a shiny Steinway in the corner of the backstage. She walked closer, glanced at the reflection and noticed that she was now staring at an image of herself. She peered closer. Then, she placed two fingers over the corners of her mouth…

…And forced a smile.

---

[Hotel Mirai]

---

(Alina's Room)

Alina opened her eyes softly as she woke up from what little sleep she had gotten. It has been three days since she was abducted by Stanczyk and Monoyena and thrust into a Trolley Problem-themed death game. And yet frankly, all her worries and thoughts were of the boy in that video.

That poor boy.

If she could turn back time and save that poor boy before he ever became a subject of this twisted trial. Slight problem with that dream was the fact that there was still so much she didn't know. Ignorance was the enemy here.

She slowly got out of bed and glanced at the photo that was neatly placed on her nightstand. She watched it with harrowing eyes and sighed, placing it close to her chest. Placing it back, she walked over to the bathroom. The first thing that would meet her there was her own reflection:

An image of Alina Summers exposed for who she really was. She wasn't the happy-go-lucky that just happened to situate herself as second-in-command. She was just Alina. A sad girl with sad beginnings with sad hopes and dreams.

…And she hated that sad girl.

She hated seeing that sad girl staring back at her. She hated seeing that sad exposure. She hated being sad! Shakily, she placed her fingers over the corners of her mouth and curved it up, widening her lips until she forced herself to smile.

Then, she let go.

And the smile remained.

But even a smile couldn't hide the stress and worry in her eyes…

---

(Lobby)

"Alright so we know the plan today, right?" Aidan started the obligatory Morning Meeting every Daily Life must have.

Alina had been among the first to arrive at the scene despite how slow she moved in her room. It was child's play to get ready so quickly. As an Ultimate Maestro, it was imperative that she be on the stage, ready to go at least an hour to 30 minutes before the show actually started. Soundchecks. Making sure everyone was ready to go. So naturally, being early was pretty much second-nature to her.

But at the same time, that didn't mean she didn't want to stay in her room for a little bit longer. She still had so much to think about. So much to wonder and question and theorize and plan. So much to think of some way to save that little boy.

After all… he looked so damn miserable in that solitary room of his.

"I am to check out the Gift Shop and see if it is open today," Alisa stepped up and nodded her head.

"Aye, and everyone else be looking to try to find some more clues on where the laddie be!" Roderick declared.

"Some of us will be going to see ze show again, oui?" Manon pointed out, excitedly.

"Ooh, me me!" Emmeline raised her hand.

"That was on my to-do list today… yes…" Kazuki closed one eye and nodded.

"As for me, I was hoping to check out the roller coaster today," Aidan gave everyone a thumbs-up and a grin. "I missed out on that yesterday. But today is when I want to go and check it out!"

"Just watch your back," Fábio pointed out.

"Oh yeah, I heard it was supposed to be a little rough," Aidan rubbed the back of his neck. Then, shrugging with a smile, he held out a water bottle. "Oh well! Nothing like a bottle of water can't fix!"

"I– I'm pretty sure back pains can't be fixed with water bottles but…" Fábio blinked before shrugging. "...What do I know?"

"Miss Alina!" Emmeline excitedly called out.

Alina, who had been lost in her thoughts for a while, snapped back toward the lepidopterist in surprise. As the second-in-command, she really should've expected that her unusual silence was going to be called out sooner or later. And yet, despite knowing that, she still allowed her mind to wander slightly.

"H-Huh?" Alina blinked. "H-Here! I mean! Yes?!"

"Are you going to come watch the Ultimate Doctor's Show today?" Emmeline asked, bobbing her body up and down.

Oh yeah! The Ultimate Doctor's Broadway Musical. She really wanted to see that. And more than anything, she wanted to convert a particularly stubborn yakuza doctor into loving the art that was Broadway theater. Holding her fists up determinedly, she glanced toward Riku.

"Of course I am!" Alina declared. "And I'm taking Riku with me to watch it too!"

"Yaaaay!" Emmeline cheered.

"Nope," Riku shook his head. "I'm busy today."

"Awwww," Emmeline looked down, disappointed.

"Doing what?" Alina pouted.

"Not watching Broadway musicals, that's what," Riku muttered to himself as he glanced away. "Besides, isn't the entire point of this operation to find some stupid brat instead of being distracted by something as silly as some dumb show?"

"Well, maybe if you attended your own Ultimate Attraction, it might open up a secret passageway that'll lead us directly toward the child!" Alina exclaimed with a smile.

"Now you're just being desperate," Riku grumbled.

"So, in any case, I think we all have our plans today," Aidan smiled. "Meetup time will be the same as yesterday: 9:30 PM. 30 minutes before the park closes. Then, we'll leave the park together and meet back here for a Nighttime Meeting. Does that sound good to everyone?"

No one really disagreed to those terms, but the one person who was still disagreeing was the doctor that was still very adamant about not going to see some dumb musical. In fact, he was practically laying on his couch with folded arms and closed eyes.

"Yes yes, sounds good," Riku waved him off. "Now, if you don't mind me, I will enjoy my day here in the Safe Zone. Where, as the name implies, it is safe."

"You're not going to eat?" Alina walked up to him with a pout.

"I will eat after 5:00 PM," Riku declared. "When the last showing of that atrocity has long passed."

Unbelievable.

Alina had never met someone as stubborn as this guy. He may be a doctor. He may be a member of the yakuza. He may very well make good of his threat of dissecting his subjects. But Alina wasn't about to give up so easily like this. Standing before him, she placed her hands on her hips as everyone started to shuffle out of the Lobby to head straight for the park.

Opening his eyes, he narrowed them with a frown.

"What?" he glared.

---

[Happy Highway]

---

(Hollywood)

"...and then I said, 'Just Kitting!'" Stanczyk bursted into laughter. "Get it?! Cause Mrs. Claws is part-cat?!"

"By the time I'm done with ya, yer cat parts is about to get as fucked up as Gandhi's flip-flops," Monoyena growled, clearly agitated.

"Huh?" Stanczyk blinked. "But I'm a boy."

"Not when I'm done with–" Monoyena snapped his head toward the clown before hearing a ruckus coming straight from the entrance of the park.

The jester and hyena had long seated themselves against the Lady Radiance statue as they talked about whatever they were talking about. Whatever conversation they were having was clearly not as interesting as what they were seeing: Alina dragging a clearly uncomfortable Riku toward the Ultimate Doctor's Attraction with her surprisingly large amount of body strength.

"Unhand me!" Riku exclaimed. "Your filth is rubbing off against my favorite jacket!"

"Hey, I didn't want to have to go through such desperate measures!" Alina exclaimed. "But you gave me no choice! You will watch the show!"

"Noooooooo!" Riku cried out in agony.

Monoyena's mouth remained open as his non-jagged eye narrowed. Stanczyk's eye on the other hand was now a small circle and his mouth had curved down as a frown.

"...Wut the fuck…?" Monoyena deadpanned.

---

[Ultimate Doctor's Attraction]

---

(Outside)

"Oh cool…" Kazuki smiled. "You brought him."

Kazuki had gathered himself at the front entrance of the Ultimate Doctor's Attraction. Also waiting to watch the show were Manon and Emmeline. Perhaps they wished to guide the first-timers on how the show worked, or perhaps they just enjoyed the show so much that they wanted to actually watch it.

Whatever the case was, both girls were pleasantly surprised to see how much effort Alina had put in to drag Riku to his own Ultimate Attraction. The Ultimate Doctor himself grumbled obscenities as he desperately wiped a cloth over his body in hopes of cleaning off whatever bacterial mess Alina had potentially passed on to him.

"Not by choice, but by assault and desecration of my body, I assure you," Riku grumbled.

"If you run, I will catch you, and I will sully you further," Alina teasingly told him.

"W-What?" Kazuki popped an eye open in bewilderment.

"Ooh la la~" Manon twirled around with a giggle. "How devious, Madame Summers!"

"Let's not encourage this…" Kazuki placed a finger gun to his head with a slight grimace.

"Tch, foul-brained skinwalking bitch," Riku muttered underneath his breath before speaking up. "Guess I have no choice but to comply or risk catching a pesky disease…"

"Alright!" Emmeline cheered. "You did it, Miss Alina! You got Mister Riku to officially join us!"

"Just because I'm joining you doesn't mean I have to like what outrageous blasphemy I am forced to experience!" Riku grumbled.

Despite how much Riku was heavily against wanting to visit his own Ultimate Attraction, Alina knew that a part of him really did want to check it out. Cause if he truly didn't want to do it, he'd have just bailed right there on the fly despite her warnings. It was the little things that she was able to notice.

"What time is it by the way?" Emmeline perked her head. "The doors will open at 1:00 PM so…"

"Right," Alina rubbed her chin, remembering the information from the pamphlets being handed out at the ticket booth.

---

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

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

---

"Showtimes are at 1:00 PM, 3:00 PM, and 5:00 PM," Alina surmised.

"Oui!" Manon smiled. "Mais, ze showtimes are not entirely accurate."

"What do you mean…?" Kazuki turned to the actress, curiously.

"Ze timestamps given are actually times in which ze door opens for guests to enter," Manon explained. "For example, at 1:00 PM, ze doors to ze Waiting Room will open and zen we will be able to enter and wait for approximately… dix minutes!"

"Ten minutes?" Alina blinked, translating it for the non-French speakers amongst them, which was probably just Riku to be honest.

"Oui!" Manon nodded. "After ten minutes, ze doors to the stage will open and zen ze show will start after everyone is seated accordingly!"

"Just how long is this show by any chance?" Riku folded his arms, raising an eyebrow.

"I'm not Miss Alisa," Emmeline shook her head. "But just based on yesterday's show, I think each show is about… 45 minutes?"

"So…" Kazuki closed both eyes with a grim smile on his face. "In other words… We have fifteen minutes of seating time before the show actually starts. I guess that would make sense if this place was once open to the general public…"

"Ten minutes to gather up guests," Alina deduced. "And then five minutes for everyone to find their seats. And then 45 minutes of showtime."

Her face crept into a smile.

"I'm feeling a lot more excited for this now!" Alina pumped her fists in determination.

"Let's not forget that the main point of this adventure is to find some sort of clue to where the boy may be…" Kazuki reminded the group.

"It is?" Emmeline curiously popped a pill into her mouth.

"Has your pills already turned your brain to mush?" Riku snapped his head toward Emmeline, displeased by how forgetful she had been about what they had agreed upon during the Morning Meeting.

"Nope!" Emmeline innocently answered with a cheerful grin.

"Th-That was rhetorical!" Riku narrowed his eyes.

Almost immediately, the door leading to whatever awaited them inside the Ultimate Doctor's Attraction had opened up, catching the three first-timers by surprise. Manon and Emmeline were relatively unfazed and hurried on inside, excitedly. Following behind them was Kazuki, who kept his eyes closed and simply trodded in, leaving Alina and Riku behind.

The Ultimate Maestro turned to the doctor with a smile.

"You know, I guess you can walk away if you really really want to," Alina shrugged.

"After all that hard work you put in to infect my body with your feminine viruses?" Riku scoffed. "Pass. I might as well check this out while I'm here. But only once!"

Riku stormed off into the room where the door led, leaving behind a coyly smiling Alina. She was right on the money. Deep down, this stubborn bastard really did have some form of curiosity when it came to seeing what exactly they may have done to his Ultimate Attraction.

And knowing that made her feel very pleased…

---

(Waiting Room)

The Waiting Room was designed much like your average everyday doctor's waiting room. This included comfortable cushion-y seats lined up against the light blue walls and white baseboards. Decorative newspaper clippings of Doctor Eternos' accomplishments… or crimes… According to some of these headliners, they were taped and pinned right against those same walls. There was also a receptionist desk where the five could hear a classic 80s receptionist say lines such as:

"You've reached Doctor Eternos. Please leave a message after the beep: Beeeeeeep."

"Hello. Welcome to Doctor Eternos. Please be seated. The doctor will see you soon."

"Good morning. Welcome to Doctor Eternos. Please wait to be tested."

(For more voice references, just think Lois Griffin from Family Guy.)

"So, this is the Waiting Room," Alina noted, impressed by the attention to detail.

By attention to detail, she referred to the obligatory potted plant that every doctor's waiting room had sitting in the corner of the room for some reason.

"My waiting room is better," Riku muttered.

"Do you even have a waiting room?" Manon asked.

"Tch… No…" Riku scoffed. "But I would have had I not been kidnapped and taken to this disgusting amusement park."

Riku glanced at a seat and took out a disinfectant wipe. Then, as rough as he could, he wiped the seat thoroughly before sitting on it and waiting patiently for the next set of double doors to open.

"So… we have to wait ten minutes right…?" Kazuki had taken his time at examining the room's newspaper clippings but all of them shared rather similar headliners:

'DOCTOR ETERNOS STRIKES AGAIN!'

'DOCTOR ETERNOS MONSTER SIGHTED?!'

'MODERN DAY DR. FRANKENSTEIN!'

"Oui!" Manon answered with a smile, taking a seat at one of the chairs. "After ten minutes are up, ze doors to the auditorium will be open! And zen you will see ze greatest show ever!"

"Greatest show ever is a high honor," Kazuki remarked, giving Manon a weak smile. "I will just have to be the judge of that I'm afraid…"

"Quoi?" Manon tilted her head, catching the weakness in his smile. "Is everything alright, Monsieur Nobukatsu?"

Kazuki remained silent for a brief moment. He lowered his head down for a moment before raising it up to face Manon with open eyes.

"Just something on my mind is all…" Kazuki answered.

"So, what can we expect from this show?" Alina smiled at Manon and Emmeline. Though, with the actress distracted by what was clearly Kazuki being troubled about something, only Emmeline answered her in response.

"Musical numbers!" Emmeline cheered. "And there's some really cool fun moments! And a lot of great effects too!"

"And what about the story?" Alina questioned. "Is that any good?"

"Nope!" Emmeline nonchalantly declared. "The story didn't make any sense! But the music makes up for it! And so do the effects!"

"So you've said," Alina sat back against her chair with a small chuckle.

She had to admire the lepidopterist's ecstaticisms. A handful of people could learn from it, Alina had figured. Especially Riku, who Alina could tell was keeping quiet and trying hard to not be impressed by the decor of his Ultimate Attraction's Waiting Room.

"Miss Alina, can I ask you something?" Emmeline suddenly asked, nibbling on a pill curiously.

"Huh?" Alina blinked, tilting her head. "What is it, Emmeline?"

"For the longest time, you seem really familiar to me," Emmeline noted. "Why is that?"

Alina blinked. That was a strange question for her to ask. She didn't expect to be put on the spot like that from someone as childish and excitable as Emmeline was. Perhaps the drugs she was casually taking really was starting to get to her head. Shaking her head, she smiled at Emmeline.

"Have you already forgotten?" Alina giggled. "I'm your classmate and I guess fellow prisoner…"

She rubbed the back of her neck sheepishly regarding that last statement.

"No no," Emmeline shook her head, feeling slightly drowsy. "More like, I've heard your name somewhere. Are you famous…?"

"Oh!" Alina realized. "You're talking about my accomplishments as the Ultimate Maestro, right? Alina Summers? Master of the Orchestra?"

Kazuki raised an eyebrow at this.

"Ahhh… that's where it was from," Emmeline giggled, slightly growing more and more tired. "Yeah! I remember listening to you when I was younger! You were really good!"

"Oh, thanks…?" Alina tilted her head. The more Emmeline talked, the more she started to grow concerned over how lethargic she seemed to look. "Um. Emmeline. Are you okay?"

Emmeline stretched out her arms and yawned.

"Huh?" Emmeline blinked. "O-Oh. Yeah. Of course. Why do you ask?"

"Oh, um, no reason?" Alina blinked.

She reckoned it wasn't something she should pry into. Perhaps it was the side effects of the drugs she so casually took like a snack. She did wonder why she took those but again, it seemed like something she shouldn't really pry into.

Soon after, the double doors leading into the auditorium opened. Ten minutes had passed and Riku was surprisingly the first person to walk through the door, eager to get this done and over with. Kazuki stood up as well, gesturing toward the girls.

"Door's open…" Kazuki glumly smiled toward the three. "Ladies first."

"Oh la la~" Manon smirked, winking toward Kazuki. She placed a hand on his shoulder, causing him to tense up slightly. "Such a gentleman."

Letting go of his shoulder, she strutted into the stage, helping a profusely yawning Emmeline toward the closest seat as well. Instinctively, the philanthropist placed a hand over the shoulder that Manon had touched, grimacing slightly. He hid that discomfort well when Alina walked up to him.

"After you… Miss Summers…" Kazuki told her.

He caught the slight concern in her eyes.

"Oh… Is something wrong?" Kazuki blinked.

"Are you okay?" Alina clearly caught the moment he looked a little unnerved by a single touch.

Closing his eyes with a chuckle, he meekly smiled at the maestro.

"I could ask the same about you…" Kazuki laughed. Just as Alina had caught his little moment of vulnerability, he caught the red handed look of concerns on her face.

"...Just a little worried about Emmeline," Alina revealed.

"Hmmm…" Kazuki rubbed his neck. "Well… Whatever her issue is… is for her to battle alone unless she specifically requests assistance… Don't you think so?"

Alina said nothing. She noticed Kazuki gesturing for her to enter first like a classy gentleman. Giving him a small, appreciative smile, she nodded and walked in. By the time Kazuki had entered, the double doors shut on their own…

---

(Auditorium)

The auditorium itself was unlike your typical Broadway musical theater auditorium. While a typical Broadway musical theater auditorium had curtains, an apron, and exit stage right and left, this stage was propped directly in the middle of all of the seats. While there was only one entrance which served as the exit, the seats of the auditorium circled around a square-shaped stage.

On the stage was what seemed to be a doctor's office with relatively strange objects strewn about the cabinets and cupboards. This included jars of strange unknown creatures that could evidently pass for some fantastical creatures in the Harry Potter universe. X-Ray images were plastered on makeshift walls but whatever had been X-rayed did not look human. All in all, it was enough to give the three first-timers a good indicator of who Doctor Eternos was.

"I see…" Kazuki mused. "It's a Theater in the Round."

"It's a square," Riku muttered.

"No…" Kazuki shook his head. "...More like that's what it's usually called. It's a type of theater in which the audience surrounds the stage."

"Is this true, Manon?" Emmeline yawned, rubbing her eyes.

"...Quoi?" Manon seemed to have slightly blanked out for a moment. "O-Oh! Oui! Zat is completely correct, Monsieur Nobukatsu!"

"So, it's a stage where the audience surrounds it," Alina surmised. Then, she smiled brightly. "Well, this already makes this place pretty unique! Let's take our seats! I can't wait to see the show begin!"

Together, the five took their seats.

There were three different sections of seats. The one closest to the entrance, which was where Manon and Emmeline sat next to each other, directly on the front row. Riku took the seat sections on the right, where he sat in the far back, making sure to wipe his seat with disinfectants before actually sitting. And finally, at the left section was Alina and Kazuki who sat next to each other at the front row. Though, Alina did kind of wish she sat next to Riku as seeing his reactions could have been pretty fun to see.

It didn't take long for the lights to slowly dim. Sure enough, this all took place five minutes after the Waiting Room doors had opened. And as soon as the lights began to dim, the Waiting Room double doors closed and a male voice appeared. It was smooth and crispy and seemed to come directly above them.

But with that smooth and crispy voice was a hint of sinisterness behind it as he chuckled at his humble… patients?

"So, you're here for the show. Excellent. Welcome dear patients. What you are about to witness is a show unlike you've ever seen. The stage will move and shift as it pleases and to prevent any accidents and operations by my hand… Hmhmhm… Trust me, you wouldn't want that… Please remain seated at all times, do not touch the performers, and of course, no filming or flash photography is permitted. Got that?"

The voice chuckled again.

"Good. Now then, on with the show!"

All too suddenly, the lights closed, immersing everyone in complete darkness. Alina felt her heart skip a beat as she desperately tried to get her eyes to adjust to the darkness. But the darkness was a distraction from the true star of this shadowy image: the music that began to play.

Orchestral music began to begin. It began with the strings. Then the brass. Then the woodwinds. All of them slowly added themselves onto one another as they ascended a scale. Gradually, the music crescendoed, until finally they reached the final chord and rested. Rested for about 4 beats.

Alina made sure to count.

Drums started to simmer, and a piano was played in the background. Together, both instruments led up to a point in the music until finally, the brass instruments returned…

The lights flashed onto the stage, revealing no walls but a human animatronic dressed in a torn doctor's attire. Over one of its eyes was a monocle and its movements seemed to be just as fluid as the Lady Radiance animatronic from the Parade they saw yesterday.

…The brass instruments returning also meant the original orchestral piece had now turned into a relatively quiet yet jazzy tune. And much to the awe of Alina, the doctor animatronic started to move around and sing, dancing around his operating as it sang with such fluidity.

Hey!

The name is Doctor Eternos

The doctor shrouded in the gloom

I make deals to be struck with miniscule values

Come join my waiting room

We have seats for all the sick and crazed

And I help patients avoid their doom

A saxophone was added in, paving the way for the chorus line. It was here that the animatronic Doctor Eternos animatronic, placed on a top hat and carried a cane out of nowhere. Then, it began to slide across the stage, partaking in a fun little Cane Dance as he sang his chorus line.

They say an apple a day

Keeps good doctors away

But we all know that's just a bogus phrase.

So bite that core, spit out that seed

I'll have exactly what you need!

Alina heard the instruments come together almost perfectly as Doctor Eternos extended out his arms. The spotlights above the stage flashed a different assortment of colors, giving him an immersive presence to his show. And the music continued to grow louder and louder, becoming much more grander with each chord.

The spotlights turned blue, as Doctor Eternos waltzed his way off the stage and started to move closer to the front row seats of every section. In fact, Alina was pretty sure through his travels off the stage, she could hear Riku scream out toward the animatronic.

"Back away, you oil-filled machine!" was what she definitely heard even through the music.

Her guess was that he was naturally mortified by how realistic this thing moved. And honestly, to hear a yakuza doctor scream like that made her appreciate and enjoy this experience all the more while.

As for the music? It was joined with an opera singer's cadenza at ¾ rhythm. Made sense considering that the Doctor Eternos animatronic had been waltzing around the stage for a good while now. Finally, Doctor Eternos stopped right directly in front of Alina and Kazuki, bowing his head and tipping his hat like an 1800s gentleman.

Then, the music started back up once again as the animatronic faced Alina with a robotic grin on his face, this time speaking his lyrical lines instead of singing.

So what will it be today?

A shot? A pill? Just a check-up?

He moved toward Manon and Emmeline, speaking to them as well. Manon clapped her hands excitedly as Emmeline giggled.

How about some insurance you gotta pay?

Broken heart? Broken bones? How badly did you screw-up?

He moved toward Riku's section but the doctor didn't even want to look at this thing. He had kept his arms folded and glanced away as the animatronic spoke to the empty seats at the front row.

Disease. Chickenpox. Fret not. Don't you worry.

Doctor Eternos will make the pain go away.

A piano's cadenza line brought the music for a violin solo to catch. Doctor Eternos then moved back onto the stage as a choir began to sing their verse. It sounded slightly haunting but with the jazzy tune, it definitely kept things more lighthearted. And all the while, the animatronic vibed to the music, using its cane as a crutch.

Doctor Eternos

The doctor in the shadows

The doctor who will cure you from pain

They say it hurts…

Doctor Eternos

A doctor so callous

They say he may just be insane.

Hahahaha!

The music was slowly grinding themselves into a grand finisher to the piece. Doctor Eternos burst into laughter as he extended his arms. And suddenly, every instrument and voice over the course of the piece joined him in singing for the grand finale of the piece.

An apple a day

Keeps good doctors away

But we all know that's just a bogus phrase.

So bite that core, spit out that seed

I'll have exactly what you need!

Then the piece ended with Doctor Eternos leaning over the edge of his stage and grinning.

"Doctor Eternos will like to see you now…"

The lights shut off as Alina stood up and applauded excitedly.

"Yeah!" Alina giggled. "Woo! That was great! That was fantastic!"

"Alina… sit down please…" Kazuki remarked, gently pulling her back down into her seat.

Giggling excitedly, Alina sat back down, feeling very invigorated after that beautiful musical number. The person who wrote the lyrics should feel very proud of themselves because mm-mm, those lyrics are fire! Oh wait. That's me! The writer! Ahem.

The lights slowly turned back on as the Doctor Eternos animatronic was now accompanied by a new animatronic: a rather large and beefy animatronic. However, the hell someone made this certainly deserved a raise because they looked pretty great.

"Oh Doctor Eternos," the beefy animatronic greeted. "You must help me. My name is Liam Masston. I think I am sick."

"What seems to be the problem, Liam?" Doctor Eternos asked on stage with his grin.

"There is someone my heart beats loudly for," Liam told Doctor Eternos.

Alina watched with intrigue, slightly leaning over the railing of the auditorium seat. She was completely immersed in the story… despite the shoddy acting and terrible lines they were saying. In fact, it was really funny. For animatronics that can sing and dance, they really couldn't do anything to stop themselves from sounding as inhuman as possible…

"Hmmm…. Alina…." Kazuki leaned closer to the maestro. "What's going on here exactly…?"

"Shhhh," Alina told him. "I'm trying to watch."

She was way too far gone into this.

"Who is this someone that your heart beats for, Liam?" Doctor Eternos extended his arms.

"Her name is Aluki," Liam stated. "But unfortunately, she seems to be in love with someone else named Shadow."

"Oh no!" Doctor Eternos feigned a gasp. "That's horrible!"

"Booooooooo!" Riku called out from his section. "What is this terrible acting?! Hey! French girl! You actually like this level of acting?!"

"P-Please, Monsieur!" Manon called out from her section. "Do not interrupt! Zey are robots with little acting experience!"

"Yeah!" Emmeline called out. "They're trying their best!"

Alina completely tuned out Riku's complaints and Manon and Emmeline's defense, remaining focused toward the actual story. Just based on her understanding, apparently this Liam character was jealous that his love interest was interested in someone named Shadow. She paused.

Shadow.

What a delightful and mysterious name!

"I know it's horrible doctor!" Liam sighed. "I'm afraid there's nothing I can do to make her love me in return."

Doctor Eternos started to chuckle.

"Oh, don't you worry Liam," he said sinisterly. "I know of one way this could work. As a doctor who can achieve anything his patient requires, I believe Aluki will fall in love with you once I grant you…"

Doctor Eternos paused.

"...super strength!" Doctor Eternos declared.

"Super strength?" Liam questioned.

"Yes, super strength," Doctor Eternos stated. "Women love strong, muscular men. The more muscles the better. So, I will do just that. Give you muscles that will turn your pecs hard… give you muscles that you can wiggle around… give you muscles that will steal Aluki away from Shadow… Give you muscles that will rip any shirt you try to wear! It will be glorious!"

Doctor Eternos turned to Liam.

"What do you say, Liam?" Doctor Eternos asked.

Liam paused and nodded.

"I like what you are offering, doctor," Liam nodded. "When can we start?"

The lights shut off.

"Now," Doctor Eternos chuckled.

Alina glanced around for a moment. She had to admit that this auditorium certainly loved to play around with the pitch-black darkness quite a lot. Any more of that and it would get quite redundant, she'd imagine. But that thought was snapped out of existence when electric guitars began to slowly pave their presence into the next musical number.

The lights turned on, with the spotlights consistently changing colors. This time Liam was on the operating table and Doctor Eternos was now overlooking him, grinning as he began to sing once again.

To start his verse, he sang in a soft whisper. The bass guitar in the instrumental played two eighth notes with every offbeat as Doctor Eternos sang his lyrics in a quick and upbeat rhythm.

Pack a syringe, bring the brace, go and call the nurse

Time's a race, gonna burst, need not for the hearse.

Get in bed, well and tight, keeping you immersed.

Don't you fear, nighty-night

The Doctor will make you feel alright.

A soft piano played at his last line but was quickly overtaken with a heavy electric guitar instrumental to accompany this chorus line. This was especially when Doctor Eternos sounded his most sinister as he extended his arms and danced around Liam on the operating table.

Liam, count to three

You're gonna feel a pinch

Insurance policies

Are a bloody cinch

No need to pay

With my greatest cure

It's time to play!

Synthesizing pianos ended the chorus and brought Doctor Eternos into the second verse, who moved toward his X-Ray images and tapped on them with his robotic finger. Much like Verse 1, he sang in that soft whisper with that bass guitar accompaniment and quick and upbeat rhythm.

Muscle mass, chemicals, none of them can pass.

Weakened bones, sticks and stones, super filled with gas

Break a leg, eyesight good, don't be kinda crass.

Really good, blood pressure

And I really would give you pleasure.

Then, the chorus line returned with that heavy electric guitar instrumental. Doctor Eternos turned back and began to dance around Liam on the operating table once again.

Liam, count to three

You're gonna feel a pinch

Insurance policies

Are a bloody cinch

No need to pay

With my greatest cure

It's time to play!

This time, the soft piano overtook everything, making the piece sound much more heartfelt than its darker and edgier overtones. Doctor Eternos even made sure to crouch down on one knee as he pulled up a mirror for the Liam animatronic to look at.

And Aluki will love you to the end

Not Shadow, not pretend

She's all yours

Aluki may be scared at first

But she will break the curse

And give you a true love's kiss!

The music had gradually gotten louder slightly before cutting back down to a softer version of his chorus line. Doctor Eternos had stepped away from Liam and was now singing out to the audience sitting in their assigned seats.

Better count to three

You're gonna to feel a pinch

Insurance policies…

The heavy electric guitars came back as Doctor Eternos turned back to Liam. He raised his robotic arms into the air. A projection of lightning came down, almost as if this scene had turned into a reenactment of Frankenstein. The operating table began to glow and the Liam animatronic began to shake.

…Are a fucking bitch

(What?)

No need to pay

With my greatest cure!

Ingredients' so damn pure!

It's time to play!

The lights shut off.

"Wow!" Alina applauded once more. "That was amazing! Another great–"

SLAM!

Alina had been interrupted by a loud noise coming from the stage. Then, almost immediately, the sound of thunder stormed the room and the spotlights started to flash like crazy. By the time the lights came fully on, a large monstrous animatronic was now standing there.

For a moment, time began to freeze as Alina realized just how familiar that monster seemed. Just where had she seen this monster before? It was a monster with a lizard's head and bat wings attached to its back along with very brawly muscles and scaly skin. Kind of like a cross between Godzilla and– Wait a minute.

She widened her eyes.

This thing was–

---

The last of the Parade Floats was much larger and grander than the other ones. Not because it just looked better or had an intricate design or anything like that… But because this parade float had a large 32-foot-tall monster on top of it. Matching the heights of the buildings of the Happy Highway's Street section, unlike the other Parade Floats, this one just exhibited a feeling of terror…

The monster itself looked to be a cross between a dragon and person. With its muscular arms and lizard-like head, one could easily imagine this as some sort of crossbreed between Godzilla and John Cena. Which is the only time I will ever mention those two in the same sentence by the way! It hovered over a decorative set of cardboard, painted to represent the Empire State Building.

And most interesting of all…

RAWRRRR!

It roared.

It tilted its head, lowering its upper body down to Parade Float. It opened its mouth up and down. Clearly, all the budget went into designing this Giant Monster Parade Float.

"N-Nay, it's the Beast of Guantanamo Bay!" Roderick exclaimed. The fisherman's face turned exceptionally blue. Reaching into his overalls, he took out his gun and waved it around like a maniac, his forehead sweating. "W-We need to take it down! W-We need to shoot it! K-Kill it!"

---

So, this was the origin of the supposed "Beast of Guantanamo Bay"?! But this one had wings!

Whatever time had frozen was now up. Because the cackling of Doctor Eternos had erupted and the roar of Liam the monster sent chills up her spine. The monster leapt toward Alina and Kazuki, both of whom were taken aback by the sudden presence of the monster.

"It's alive!" Doctor Eternos declared. "It's ALIIIIIIIVVEEE!"

"W-Whoa…!" Kazuki responded, shrinking back.

"Eep!" Alina gasped, leaning back against her seat roughly.

Then, the monster started to glide around the stage, making full use of the round, yet square-shaped stage. It first glided over to Manon and Emmeline.

"Bravo!" Manon clapped excitedly. "Magnifique!"

"This is so cool!" Emmeline giggled, feeling that rush of energy pop back into her system.

Then it glided over to Riku who nearly leapt out of his seat.

"B-Back you germ-infested beast!" Riku exclaimed, really glad that he made the smart choice of sitting in the back.

Then it moved back toward Manon and Emmeline, then to Alina and Kazuki and then back to Manon and Emmeline, and so on and so forth until finally it stopped at the middle of the stage and let out a–

RAWRRR!

–roar.

Then, the lights shut off.

There were the sounds of glass shattering, a building crumbling, and painful screaming. Honestly, it was a little disturbing just how crazy and cacophonous the sounds in this auditorium were. Then slowly, but surely, the lights came back on with deep blue lights shining over an entirely new stage now.

The walls had since toppled over the Doctor Eternos animatronic. A blue moon was raised in the sky, shining most of its blue light over the destruction. All of the other props on the stage were either scattered about or simply toppled over. Even the monster animatronic itself seemed to have been buried underneath another set of walls. Alina had to wonder if something did happen or if this was just part of the show.

She received her answer with a synthetic opening to a new musical number.

It began with synthetic keyboards. Then, there was the return of an acoustic guitar and drums in the background before Doctor Eternos started to sing from the ground he was laying on.

Do you hear me, in the moonlit night

Calling out my sins on the ground?

A doctor, caught in his own plight

Waiting till his soul has been found…

The guitars overtook the synthetic keyboards as the wall that had toppled over Doctor Eternos suddenly moved off of the animatronic. The wall straightened itself off. Alina realized all too well that the wall was just another prop that could move down and up whenever it was required to.

Then, Doctor Eternos stood up and sang his chorus line.

A monster of creation

A monster in our nation

A monster made from a man

Of his flesh and blood.

A monster with no master

A monster we're all after

A monster so much faster

Curse the doctor, the monster, the caster!

The synthetic keyboards came back to lead into the second verse. This time, Doctor Eternos started to walk amongst the ruins of his own operating room.

Good beliefs, were the final straw

Every material gathered rather raw.

The Devil, whispered in my ear

And all the sins piled up over the years.

The acoustic guitars returned for the chorus line. And this time, Doctor Eternos stepped off of the stage and began to traverse toward the audience members, singing his lines once again.

A monster of creation

A monster in our nation

A monster made from a man

Of his flesh and blood.

A monster with no master

A monster we're all after

A monster so much faster

Curse the doctor, the monster, the caster!

A new melody appeared as Doctor Eternos moved back toward the stage. He stood still and extended his arms as he continued to sing. With each line, he slowly lowered his head lower and lower and lower…

They say an apple a day

Can keep good doctors away

But maybe there's some truth

In that accursed phrase.

So go and bite that core

Spit out that tiny seed

I might just have exactly

What we all might need!

…And as Doctor Eternos lowered his head, the lights slowly started to dim, as if the show was coming to a close. The music started to slow. The singing started to stop. Was this really how the show was going to end–

Nope!

The music picked back up as the chorus line returned one more time for Doctor Eternos to look back toward his audience. This time, he was joined with orchestral strings and backup singers, who helped sing the chorus.

A monster of creation

A monster in our nation

A monster made from a man

Of his flesh and blood.

A monster with no master

A monster we're all after

A monster so much faster

Curse the doctor, the monster, the caster!

The music continued in the postlude as the lights slowly began to dim once again. This time, the music now had a satisfying resolution as the instrumental grew quieter and quieter. The words, 'Curse the doctor, the monster, the caster' were repeated in haunting whispers. And the final instrument to end the show was the synthetic piano that the music had started with.

…Then all lights were off.

After a few minutes, the lights slowly turned back on to reveal everything was back to the way it first started. There was no ruin in the operating room. There was no animatronics on stage. All the decor and props were back in its usual place. It was as if the show had yet to start. There was silence amongst the group.

"...That's it?" Kazuki finally spoke up, raising an eyebrow.

"Wow…" Alina was in complete awe. "Ugh! Let's watch it again!"

"I agree!" Manon called out.

"I want to join too!" Emmeline raised her hands, enthusiastically.

Alina turned to Riku, who had so warily climbed out of his seat and was making a beeline for the exit. But before the doctor could leave, she slyly walked up to him and placed her hands on her hips. There was a teasing smile on her face. And she could tell all too well that the experience had to have been enjoyable for the young man.

"So, Riku," Alina smirked. "Still think musicals are a waste of time?"

Riku stopped, glanced at her, and the lower half of his face with his jacket collar.

"...Yes," Riku muttered. "The show was terrible. The story didn't make sense. And the effects were atrocious."

"And the music?" Alina raised an eyebrow.

"Nonsensical," Riku scoffed. "Now quit asking me questions. You got what you wanted. I watched the show. So, leave me alone, fleshbag. Bye bye now."

Riku had walked off. But Alina could tell that the doctor was a little too lax about what he had just witnessed. He had stuffed his hands in his pockets and with her ears, she was able to hear the doctor hum a tune underneath his breath. The tune to 'Curse the Doctor, the Monster, the Caster'. Her lips curled into a smile.

"Hmph, he definitely enjoyed it," Alina smiled to herself.

"W-Wait, Mister Riku!" Emmeline called out. "Aren't you going to stay for the photo-op?!"

"Photo-op…?" Kazuki walked up to the lepidopterist, curiously. "There's a photo-op?"

"Oh la la~" Manon slapped herself on the side of her head. "Mon dieu! Did we forget to mention zat?"

"I think you did, yes," Alina blinked. "Um, what's this about a photo-op?"

"Oui!" Manon gave the two a mock curtsy.

Emmeline walked back to the actress's side as Riku had already left the scene. Clearly, the doctor didn't want to stay and expose himself any longer, which was understandable for someone as stubborn as the criminal doctor. So, at the moment, it was just the four in the room now.

"After every show…" Manon began to explain as she stepped onto the stage. "...For 20 minutes, you are allowed to step onto ze stage to examine its contents and take pictures!"

"Oh wow!" Alina looked surprised.

"So…" Kazuki began to deduce. "In other words… After the show… It becomes a miniature museum of sorts… That is fascinating…"

"Oui!" Manon spun around with an enchanting smile. "I could not describe it any other way, Monsieur Nobukatsu!"

"I guess that is a pretty fun addition to the show," Alina giggled.

With no warning, she immediately stepped onto the stage and began to look around. Though, the moment she did, she immediately realized that aside from everything she's already seen on stage, there was virtually nothing else that was noteworthy enough to check out. She took out her conductor's baton and tapped her chin.

"Um, actually, I fail to see the point," Alina chuckled sheepishly.

"Well, you can lay back on the operating table and pretend that you're being operated on!" Emmeline smiled. She took out her eTicket and instantly went directly toward the Photo's App. "That's what Miss Manon and I did!"

To showcase, she showed Alina and Kazuki, the latter of which had walked up to examine it out of curiosity, a picture she had taken with her and Manon:

It was a picture with Manon on the operating table, acting as if she was going to be experimented on and Emmeline closer in the frame as she tried to take a selfie of the both of them. The background looked almost the same as it did on the stage they were currently standing on. Though, a slight difference was a strange blue boulder-sized ball popping out from behind the operating table.

"...What's this blue ball?" Kazuki asked, tilting his head.

"Monsieur!" Manon gasped, placing her hands over Emmeline's ears. "You cannot say such vulgar things in front of ze Madame like zis!"

"...What?" Kazuki blinked.

"I think he's referring to this blue boulder-sized ball in the picture," Alina smiled at Manon. There was a clear sweatdrop on her brow.

"Ohhh…" Manon instantly understood, taking her hands off of an otherwise confused Emmeline's ears. "Oui. Toutes mes excuses. Zat ball you are referring to is ze moon."

"Th-The moon?" Alina was taken aback by that.

"Oh!" Emmeline smiled. "The moon!"

She walked behind the wall. And given the fact that it was hidden in the audience's blind spots, she brought out the boulder-shaped blue moon. Upon closer inspection, it had a hook in which a rope was tied to it. Almost instantly, Alina recognized it from the play. After all, it was there in the final musical number. But what Kazuki was more surprised by was…

"I-Isn't it heavy?" Kazuki had closed one eye in shock.

"Is it?" Emmeline blinked. "Mmm… not really. It's like holding up a backpack with hard textbooks. It's heavy but not that heavy."

She dropped it onto the floor and began to eat her pills with an innocent smile on her face.

"Miss Manon and I played with it yesterday so we kind of left it in the picture," Emmeline giggled. "But we made sure to put it back! Mister Stanczyk said it was important that we do that or future shows will be ruined!"

"Oui!" Manon smiled. "And we didn't want that to happen!"

"And yet… Stanczyk never made a rule about that?" Kazuki opened his other eye.

"Non!" Manon shook her head, folding her arms with a small smile. "Monsieur Stanczyk is more trusting of us zan zat terrible hyena is!"

"Yeah!" Emmeline frowned. "That mean Monoyena needs to learn to treat others the way he wants to be treated!"

"I don't think Monoyena really cares…" Alina rubbed the back of her neck.

With the explanation and introduction to the museum aspect of the attraction now finished and complete, Emmeline had placed the moon back where she had retrieved it and stood by Manon's side. With shared enjoyment of the show, Manon gave a nod toward Alina and Kazuki.

"Well zen," Manon gave them another mock curtsy. "We hope you enjoyed ze show as much as we did!"

"Oh, it was fantastic!" Alina pumped her fists with a smile. "I would totally go and watch this again for sure!"

"I… didn't understand the story," Kazuki scratched the back of his neck.

"And so will Kazuki!" Alina nonchalantly exclaimed.

"That was no invitation to make me the new Riku…" Kazuki closed one eye, incredulously.

"Then, let's do this again for the next showing!" Emmeline suggested, popping another pill into her mouth. She slowly started to yawn and rub her stomach. "But after I eat. I'm kind of hungry."

"Oh la la~" Manon giggled. "I forgot to eat under ze excitement of watching ze show! Madame Swan, let us be off to Clucks Deluxe!"

"Okay!" Emmeline happily exclaimed.

Together, the two avid Doctor Eternos fangirls began to leave. But before they left, Emmeline had waved toward Alina and Kazuki with joyous excitement on her face. It was clear that her earlier lethargic state had been replaced with that energetic, childish demeanor she always sported.

That was always good to see.

"We'll see you later, Miss Alina and Mister Kazuki!" Emmeline beamed.

"Of course," Alina politely smiled at the lepidopterist.

"Don't stay here too long, by ze way!" Manon exclaimed. "Ze attraction will close in preparation for ze next showing in about quinze minutes!"

"That's fifteen…" Kazuki translated.

"I know French, Kazuki!" Alina pouted.

With that last piece of advice in mind, Manon and Emmeline left, leaving Alina and Kazuki behind on the stage for them to continue to check out if need be.

…

"Welp, I think it's time I leave too," Alina smiled at Kazuki. "I'll see you around, Kazuki?"

Or, I guess not.

"Just a moment…" Kazuki fixed his tie as he glanced at Alina with intrigue. The maestro blinked, confused.

"Oh, did you… need something Kazuki?" Alina asked, tilting her head.

Kazuki had almost regretted stopping Alina. But they did have fifteen minutes left to spare in this room. There were some things about the young maestro that he was admittedly curious about. And they were things that he certainly felt could help him with his own troubles.

"...I think I just need a moment to speak to you about something…" Kazuki politely stated. "If you would allow me the opportunity… that is."

Now it was Alina's turn to be curious. What business could the gloomy Ultimate Philanthropist want with her? It scared her, not going to lie. Did he want something from her? Did he…?

"Earlier today… when you spoke with Miss Swan…" Kazuki began. "You mentioned your accomplishments as the Ultimate Maestro…"

"Me being the Master of the Orchestra?" Alina softly smiled at that. He wanted to ask about that? "Why do you ask? Are you interested in me?"

She gave him a teasing grin.

"I would be poor company to have if I was…" Kazuki closed his eyes and smiled to himself. Though, that smile was noticeably somber. "But no… This is not me trying to seduce you in any way. I was just… well… confused…"

Alina blinked.

"Tell me… What exactly are the requirements for you to be the so-called Master of the Orchestra?" Kazuki glumly asked.

"Well, I don't think the title itself matters," Alina politely smiled at him. "I was just a naturally gifted musician who spent so much time practicing so many different types of instruments. To be a maestro, I kind of had to understand the fundamentals and basic technique of every instrument in existence."

"...I see…" Kazuki grabbed his wrist, somberly. "So… You are clearly someone with so many achievements and accomplishments in her name. You have committed yourself to hours and hours of hard-work and dedication to your Talent…"

"Well," Alina blinked, rubbing the back of her neck. She wasn't sure where this was going. "If you put it that way, I guess you can say that."

"...If that is the case…" Kazuki began, before his face darkened. "...Then what reason did you have to offer yourself up as a sacrifice during the Hot Potato game?"

Almost instantly, Alina felt her face turn blue and a cold shiver run down her spine. She finally figured out where exactly Kazuki's interest had been going. She understood all too well what he was curious about. And yet, she couldn't bring herself to answer.

"...I apologize if this is a topic you are not comfortable discussing over…" Kazuki closed his eyes with a frown.

"Y-Yeah, it kind of isn't," Alina bit her lip.

Kazuki paused before continuing.

"...But I have to know…" Kazuki said. "You are someone who has achieved so much and yet at the same time… you were willing to throw away your entire legacy for people you've just met. I have to know… I just have to know…"

Kazuki's eyes grew hollow and black as he instinctively placed his hand over his neck.

"...Was it foolishness or was it for a good cause…?" Kazuki questioned.

Alina did in fact feel comfortable by Kazuki's questions but she also felt as if she was obligated to answer. So, instead of walking away, she stood her ground and sighed. And today was going so well too. She forced herself to smile at him, though her smile was noticeably grim.

"Before I answer, if I'm not mistaken, you're kind of in the same boat as me, aren't you?" Alina tried to smile through her discomfort. "You're the Ultimate Philanthropist. You have to have done so much for your community and yet, you were just as willing to throw your life away for people you've just met too."

"...Ah… good point…" Kazuki chuckled to himself as he closed his eyes. "But the fact is… I ended up giving up that opportunity to a man I thought would make the right decision…"

The philanthropist's face twisted. Alina could tell he was still haunted by that incident.

"...If I could die right now… I would gladly welcome death with open arms for failing to commit to my resolve…" Kazuki extended his arms out as if he were ready. He muttered under his breath. "Maybe it is for the best if it can help get that prize that riddle was talking about…"

Alina heard it way too clearly. He was referring to the riddle that claimed that if the blood of one was spilled, they would get some sort of prize. But she wasn't amused by what he was saying in the slightest.

"See?" Alina folded her arms. "Even now, you're willing to die for other people. What gives you the right to question me about it when you're doing it too?"

Kazuki paused to ponder that question. He then opened his eyes.

"...Because as far as I'm concerned…" Kazuki began. "...Nothing will change if I die… To the community I care for… I am Kazuki Nobukatsu… The CEO of Nobukatsu Enterprises. But in reality… I am just a tiny meaningless crumb of bread floating in the vast and open sea…"

He glanced up toward Alina.

"...Not like you… Miss Summers…" Kazuki stated. "I guarantee it now… If I die… no one will bat an eye… But if you die… millions will weep over the loss of a rare talent…"

Alina's face softened over what he was implicating. Was she really that amazing that she would be considered a rare talent? She frowned.

"So I ask again…" Kazuki continued, closing one eye and glancing at her intensely. "Was your choice to sacrifice your life right then and there an act of foolishness or was there truly a good reason for it all…?"

Alina clasped her hands together. She avoided looking up at the philanthropist. Her mouth was moving. At first, Kazuki thought she was trying to form a response but the moment she looked back at him, he realized what she was trying to do:

Force another smile.

"...Would you believe me if I said that it was in my nature to make sure others are happy no matter what?" Alina smiled. "I guess at the time, I thought that if I sacrificed my life so quickly, people would move on…"

"...So in other words…" Kazuki looked disappointed. "It was foolishness that manipulated your behavior that time…"

Kazuki nodded.

"I understand now…" Kazuki bowed with elegance. "Thank you for enlightening me… Miss Summers. I believe I understand what kind of person you are…"

"...And what kind of person is that?" Alina asked, warily.

"...A person who cares so much for others that she forgets to look out for the most important person in her life…" Kazuki explained. "...Herself…"

Alina blinked. She was for sure waiting for some twisted form of insult but instead, what Kazuki had described her as was surprisingly insightful and intuitive. It honestly replaced those discomforting feelings she had about how creepy Kazuki's questions were with actual intrigue.

"Once again…" Kazuki bowed, apologetically. "I apologize for the rude discomfort I have displaced upon you. I will take my leave now…"

Kazuki began to walk past Alina, but the maestro placed a hand on his shoulder. Kazuki tensed up. It was that same reaction he had when Manon did the same thing to him earlier. Instinctively, she let go and lowered her hand, looking at him apologetically.

"Sorry but…" Alina looked down. "I just wanted to correct one thing you've said about me…"

Kazuki glanced at her, curiously.

"...Just because I have a legacy doesn't mean I enjoy it," Alina cryptically told him with a small smile. Kazuki paused to consider her response before nodding and preparing to walk off. But Alina stopped him again by walking in front of him. "And don't call yourself a crumb of bread. You're more than that here."

"...Somehow… I highly doubt that…" Kazuki laughed softly.

"Kazuki," Alina seriously told him. "You say that if you die, no one will bat an eye. I don't think that's true."

"...Hmph… and who do you think will mourn a wounded dog…?" Kazuki seemed slightly amused by Alina's attempt at comfort.

"If it's not anyone back home, then I can name you fifteen people that will be deeply upset with you…" Alina told him, seriously.

Kazuki glanced away, contemplating that answer. Then, allowing his eyes to trail back to the maestro, he smiled kindly toward her.

"...I'm touched…" he smiled, weakly.

"You should be," Alina gave him a genuine soft smile.

"...I guess I have another thing to add to what I know about you now…" Kazuki nodded.

"And what's that now?" Alina's smile shifted to a teasing one.

"...A truly kind person who needs to remember to tend to herself…" Kazuki kept it short and simple.

Satisfied, she allowed the philanthropist to leave. She had to admit that when Kazuki started to question her about all this, there was a tinge of fear in her body. But throughout it all, she noted just how polite Kazuki tried to be about it all. True, he may be someone with negative thoughts on his mind but deep down, he was just like the rest of the playmates stuck in this Killing Game.

He was someone who still actively cared.

Truly, Alina and Kazuki have grown closer together. And not only that, but both of them now have a good understanding of who the other person was. Knowing that, Alina prepared to leave but not before stopping herself, and taking out something from her pocket.

That picture…

Just because I have a legacy doesn't mean I enjoy it… Alina let her words replay in her mind as her small smile shifted into a somber frown.

With a sigh, she pocketed the picture and placed her fingers over the corners of her mouth.

Then, she forced a smile…

---

[Pleasure Park]

---

(Square)

Mara stuck her hands in her pockets after she had examined the locks on each of the three gates. Whatever it was, it was probably some sort of titanium or something. She may be the Ultimate Karate Master, but slicing her hand through titanium wasn't as easy as slicing through wood. She should know.

She had just tried it for herself.

Taking out her right hand from her pocket, she grimaced as she rubbed the side of her stinging hand with slight bitterness in her eye. There was no reason for her to be here. She made it clear on Day 1. She had no intention of saving this child. Why should she? It's not like her worldview was going to change forever if she did.

All of this Trolley Problem stuff… It was bullshit. Bullshit of her to think that she could…

She stuck her hands back into her pockets. She let out a swift sigh. The last Parade had just ended moments prior. Time today was quickly passing by. She already had her meal. She already let her curiosity get piqued regarding these locks. So, why was she here?

If she truly didn't care about the child… If she truly didn't have any intention of saving this child… Then why was she still hanging around Pleasure Park? Why was she still inside this Killing Game Arena?

Those were questions she'd asked herself from time to time. Her mind was clouded with uncertainty after all. But all answers led to one conclusion…

"Trying to break them locks with yer fighting skills, eh bambina?"

Mara narrowed her eyes out of annoyance as Yumi arrived. The cowgirl had an optimistic smile on her face as she tipped her hat courteously toward the karate master. Tch, optimism was annoying.

"Do not call me bambina," Mara folded her arms, avoiding eye contact.

"It's just a title," Yumi chuckled sheepishly, rubbing the back of her neck. "Urban dictionary describes them as an attractive young woman. And ah can't picture anyone more than the gal standing right in front of me."

Yumi took off her hat and placed it over chest, politely, yet teasingly. Mara turned her head away from her. Either it was out of embarrassment or frustration, Yumi wasn't sure. What she was sure of was the fact that she was definitely playing with fire here. The fire that was an honest-to-goodness murderer standing right in front of her.

"I-Is that why you're here?" Mara never looked back. "Just to flirt? I expected that kind of behavior from degenerate males."

Mara clearly learned aikido too.

"Naw, ah ain't as shallow as you might take me to be, bambina," Yumi fixed her hat with a grin. "Ahm here cause ya seemed kinda lonely. Thought ah give ya company!"

The cowgirl gave the martial artist a wink.

"And what makes you think I'd want the company?" Mara turned back, suspiciously.

"Call it a Devil's hunch," Yumi grinned.

Mara didn't say anything in response to that. She just eyed the cowgirl closely. She wasn't sure whether it was how blindly optimistic the cowgirl seemed or what, but she didn't trust it. She couldn't trust it. There was no way in Hell anyone would be dumb enough to hang out with a monster like her.

"So, tell me about yer self," Yumi leaned against the gate that Mara had tried to unlock earlier. "Ahm interested."

She was definitely dumb enough to hang out with a monster like her.

…

There was a moment's silence when Mara begrudgingly agreed to hang out with Yumi for the time being. It didn't hit Yumi right away until she realized that Mara wasn't the type to start an icebreaker conversation. Chuckling to herself, she smiled at the karate master.

"Well, we ain't gonna get anywhere in silence," Yumi laughed. "I'll go first, aight bambina?"

"I told you, do not call me bambina," Mara frowned.

"Name's Yumi Gundo, Ultimate Gunslinger, and ah like playing good ol' Texa Hold'Em, chocolate, fried foods, and classic rock," Yumi grinned. "Now, it's yer turn!"

Instead of responding with her personal information, Mara turned toward her confrontationally. For the first time in this conversation, she faced the cowgirl head-on. Her eyes sparked a fiery red complexion as she seemed a little annoyed.

"What are you trying to do here?" Mara frowned. "Get me to lower my guard? I get it. You're just trying to get me to invite you to some stupid sleepover in the park and then, bang, you'd shoot me with that gun in your holster."

Mara got into a fighting position, ready to strike if need be.

"Whoa Nelly!" Yumi raised her hands up in the air, slightly offended by that accusation. "Yer just jumping to all kinds of conclusions, bambina! Do ya really think ahm dat much of a needle in a cactus?"

"What does that even mean?" Mara raised an eyebrow.

"Nevermind dat," Yumi shook her head, lowering her hands. "Ah just think yer thinking way too much about dis. Ah really just wanted to get to know ya. Dat's all."

She rubbed the back of her neck before chuckling sheepishly.

"But ah get it," Yumi laughed. "Life hasn't been entirely easy on ya. It'd be hard to get yer trust in the first place."

Mara lowered her stance. It made her think back to her troubles just moments before she was forced into a conversation with this silly cowgirl. Why was she even standing around here in the first place? Scoffing, she glanced away.

"If you knew it'd be hard, why bother trying?" Mara muttered. "The more I listen to you talk, the more I think you're an idiot."

"No one ever claimed Eastwood was the smartest in the cattle ranch," Yumi shrugged.

"You're not Clint Eastwood," Mara narrowed her eyes.

"True, but dat don't mean ah ain't gonna try," Yumi smiled. "Look. Ya may not trust me or mah intentions, but ah just hate seeing bambinas like you all lonely-like. Kills me on the inside knowing ah can do something about it."

"So, that's it then?" Mara muttered. "I'm supposed to believe that the only reason you want to talk to me is because I'm lonely?"

Mara cursed under her breath. She closed her eyes, wrapped one hand in a fist and placed it onto the palm of her other hand. Then, she bowed her head.

"Lao Shi once told me that blind optimism will undermine the weight of success," Mara recited. "In other words, keep this up, and you're going to get yourself hurt."

Yumi's ears perked up.

"So, in other words, the reason ya choose to be lonely is so ya don't want others to get hurt," Yumi grinned. She flicked a finger gun to her. "Ah knew ya couldn't be all bad!"

"W-What?!" Mara clenched her fist, taken by surprise by her own slip-up. "N-No! I'm lonely because I choose to be lonely. Just give it up, cowgirl! I'm not in the mood to be friends!"

Yumi whistled a tune as she chewed on a wheat strand. She was clearly enjoying this moment. Whether or not this was just a result of some thrill-seeking syndrome, it was clear that Yumi wasn't going to stop petting the tiger that was clearly trying to intimidate the cattle rattler.

"Sure," Yumi coyly smiled. She was unconvinced by Mara's demand. "But ah'll just let ya know. Ahm da type of gal who never gives up. When ah put mah mind to somethin, I intend to finish it till da very end!"

"Grk, so… annoying…" Mara seethed.

Hatred. Fear. Being the social pariah was all she ever knew and all she was rather used to. So, how in the world did she end up meeting the most frustrating person she's ever met in a while? How can this girl not get it?! She was Marabel Garcia! The Queen of the Iron Fists! A murderer…

"Just, leave me alone…" Mara muttered under her breath as she avoided looking at the cowgirl. "Or I'll seriously hurt you…"

This time, Yumi knew her boundaries. She smiled softly at the girl and tipped her hat. Despite the obvious threat, Yumi wasn't the least bit scared. There was something about Mara that intrigued her. Perhaps it was the level of danger and thrill she liked. Or perhaps it was something else. Whatever it was, Yumi smiled and winked at the girl, even though she wouldn't be able to see it.

"If dat's what the bambina wants then, ah'll do it," Yumi laughed.

"It's what I've been wanting for the past ten minutes," Mara turned back, her eyes growing fierier by the second. "And quit calling me bambina."

"Ah make little promises, pardner," Yumi grinned, tipping her hat. "Ah'll see you around then!"

The cowgirl turned around and began to leave. Typically, this would be the time for Mara to sigh in relief. It's what she's done for anyone who even tries to approach her. But for some reason, she was curious about one thing. One thing that she needed an answer to.

"Wait," Mara instantly regretted what she was about to ask.

Yumi stopped and turned around expectantly. She could see that the karate master was looking down, avoiding all sorts of eye contact with her.

"...You never answered my question," Mara frowned. "Am I really supposed to believe that the only reason you even approached me today was because I was lonely?"

Yumi softly smiled at her. She winked. She held out a cactus cocktail and sipped it, toasting it like it was some sort of celebratory event.

"Ah just think that everyone deserves at least one friend," Yumi grinned. "Especially someone as cute as you."

She winked. Mara turned away.

Regret sank in for the karate master.

"L-Lao Shi says an exchange of truths should be fair and balanced," Mara suddenly stated. "You asked about the locks earlier, right?"

"Yes?" Yumi smiled, tilting her head.

"...They're made from titanium," Mara stated. "Even my skills won't be enough to open them."

Yumi tipped her hat.

"Ah thank you for that info, bambina," Yumi smiled, appreciative of the information.

Mara kept her eyes glazed over to the opposite direction of where Yumi was standing. She listened intently for the cowgirl's booted footsteps to gradually fade away before turning back. Yumi had walked off. And all that experience really filled her with was hop- Nope!

Nope. Nope. Nope.

She shook her head, frantically. The thought of her acquiring any friend was nonexistent. The thought of her being happy, surrounded by people, and being in an environment where she wouldn't be judged for her past… All of that was impossible. It wasn't something she could hope for. It wasn't something she needed. It wasn't something she deserved…

…And yet, if it wasn't something she deserved, how in the hell did she and Yumi get closer together? How could she let this happen? And how could she put a stop to this instantly?

---

[Happy Highway]

---

(Pit Stop)

Imagine a gas station in the 1980s. That was precisely what the Happy Highway's Pit Stop was. A gas station with a small convenience store, the gift shop, and decorative gas pumps near each pillar holding up cover. There was a large spinning neon sign that simply read:

'PIT STOP'

But aside from that, there wasn't anything else to note besides the decor. Course there were the trash cans here or there but sure enough, just like yesterday and the day before according to Mara, Alisa could see that the gift shop was still closed.

She checked her pocket watch.

5:50 PM.

This was perhaps the fourth time she has been back here. And yet no matter the speed of time, the gift shop just never opened. Still plastered at the front of the door was the unlit neon sign reading, 'CLOSED'. And no matter how hard Alisa tried to peek through the window, she couldn't really make out anything that could be inside.

She sighed to herself.

"Still not open, huh?"

Alisa quickly turned to see Issac leaning against one of the pillars behind her. It seems that he had spotted her and had decided to join her company. Folding his arms, he gave the clockmaker a small smile. In return, the clockmaker looked at him with slight irritation.

"Are you trying to take ten hours from my life?" Alisa held her heart for comfort.

"Oh, sorry for scaring you," Issac chuckled slightly, holding his hands out in defense. "It's a really bad habit of mine."

Calming down, Alisa sighed.

"Nevermind that, it's fine," the clockmaker shook her head. "To answer your previous question however, yes. It's still not open."

"Huh, that is strange," Issac cupped the lower half of his chin with a frown. He tilted his head to the side. "What do you think Isolde? Any ideas as to why that could be?"

There was an awkward silence.

Then, nodding his head, Issac chuckled and brushed his hair to the side, much like a famous KPop singer from some famous KPop group.

"Heh, yeah, sorry," Issac shook his head. "Even Isolde has no idea why this could be the case."

"...So, in other words, neither of us have a clue as to when this store will open…" Alisa sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose.

"...Or how it will open," Issac added.

He had taken out a yo-yo and began to swing it around as he thought carefully to this curious conundrum. Tucking one of his hands into his pockets, his eyebrows remained furrowed. His yo-yo continued to spin near the ground before shooting right back into his hand. Then, turning to Alisa, he smiled.

"Maybe it's just for decoration?" Issac shrugged. "Cutler mentioned the police station being a prop. Why can't the gift shop be there just for show too?"

He had a point. Perhaps she was just wasting her time investigating a wild goose before the great chase had even started…

…

Alisa felt faint.

Wobbling forward and holding her head, she allowed herself to sit down by a nearby bench. Her face was a light shade of blue and her eyes were growing weary. Naturally, the sight got Issac to follow behind her.

"Whoa there, Zachary," Issac blinked. "You alright?"

"Tired," Alisa answered. "I've been trying to find a way to get the Gift Shop to open for a long time now."

"You try asking Yena?" Issac raised an eyebrow.

"Hmph, that hyena wouldn't give me an answer," Alisa leaned back against the bench. "Insulted me and left. As per the norm of that time wasting creature."

"Sounds like someone I know, haha," Issac remarked with a chuckle. He started to sweat and glanced toward Isolde bashfully. "W-What? No. I wasn't talking about you, Isolde. Haha."

"Why do you do that?" Alisa spoke up.

"Huh?" Issac blinked. "I'm sorry. Do what?"

"Act like your toy caterpillar is actually speaking to you," Alisa said.

Blunt. Straight to the point. Wasted absolutely no time trying to consider how to ask a possibly sensitive topic as carefully and politely as possible. It took Issac by surprise by just how nonchalant she was about it that it took him quite a while to garner a response.

"...I'm afraid I don't understand your question," Issac chuckled sheepishly.

"Your toy caterpillar is just a toy," Alisa stubbornly stated. "And yet you treat her like she's real. Why is that?"

"Just a toy?" Issac blinked, patting Isolde on the head. He chuckled and shook his head, brushing his pink hair to the side. "No. Isolde is more than just a toy. She's real. And she's been my best friend for a very long time."

Alisa pursed her lips.

She wanted to question the viability of having a toy be someone's best friend but chose against it. Just based on Issac's reaction, it seemed that he was deeply serious about this. Treading that ice even further might just submerge her right under.

"Zachary…" Issac closed his eyes. "As the Ultimate Clockmaker, do you remember the first clock you've ever made?"

"...Of course I do," Alisa slowly reached into her right pants pocket to take out the golden pocket watch she loved to wield around every now and then. Opening it, she raised it for Issac to see. "It would be this one right here."

"And yet, you still carry it around with you," Issac smiled at her. "Why?"

"Because it is important," Alisa twirled a lock of her hair as she glanced down at the ticking second hand of her pocket watch. "It is the first watch I successfully crafted without the guidance of my grandfather."

She closed the pocket watch and placed it back into her pants.

"What meaning is it to ask about that?" Alisa perked her head.

"Because what that watch means to you is exactly what Isolde means to me," Issac smiled, rubbing Isolde's neck as if she were an actual living creature.

"She was your first creation?" Alisa assumed.

"Far from it," Issac shook his head. "She was a gift. The first and only gift I ever received from anyone. And ever since then, she's never left my side."

Issac caressed his cheek against Isolde's cheek. Alisa hid her slight face of discomfort.

"There was a time in my life in which I felt like I lost everything," Issac began, his eyes glazing toward the ground. "All my happiness and hopes and dreams were completely shattered, and I felt little need to go on… But Isolde was there for me even then. She showed me that happiness can still be achieved as long as she remains by my side."

Alisa started to feel slight regret over feeling uncomfortable around him after hearing that.

"I owe my life to Isolde," Issac placed his hand over his heart as he showed off a relatively pained expression. "It's the least I can do after everything…"

The strange toymaker slowly kissed his toy caterpillar on the head.

"Isn't that right, Isolde?" Issac smiled.

Silence.

"Oh, I love you too…" Issac suddenly said with a blink.

The first thing that came across Alisa's mind was that the guy she was stuck with, this incredibly handsome young man, was clearly not right in the head. But after hearing his story, she had to admit that there was an air of sadness surrounding his past. Could she really bring herself to pry more into his story? Even after being so rude as to judge him for how creepy, he was…?

"I know that look," Issac spoke up suddenly.

"What?" Alisa blinked.

"That look you're giving me," Issac seriously glanced at her. "Everyone has it after I tell them how much Isolde means to me. I'd like to think it's a look of regret but…"

He brushed his hair aside and shook his head, once again.

"...I take it more as pity," Issac smiled innocently toward Alisa.

"I'm… sorry," Alisa bit her lip.

"Don't be," Issac chuckled, shaking his hands. "I'm used to it."

"Still doesn't make it right, unfortunately," Alisa fixed her glasses.

"Perhaps," Issac folded his arms. "But what can you do? In a world where the strange are outcasted and the normal become as mindless as any toy made in China, that's just the way things work around here. That's just life, am I right?"

Indeed.

That was just life in general. Alisa cursed herself for being such an idiot and questioning him as a person. She noted the eyes of Isolde, watching her every move. Though it did creep her out, it really did feel as if she really was alive. Perhaps she was beginning to understand Issac a little more.

Could this be an example of Alisa and Issac growing closer together? Two of them essentially share a brief past regarding their two most important items in possession: Alisa's pocket watch and Isolde. And in the end, despite one being more normal than the other, they were truly not as different as Alisa would like to think.

In short, the answer to that question was: yes.

---

(Hollywood)

…

"Attention all guests at Piero's Playground. It is currently 9:30 PM. All rides, restaurants, and gift shops will be closing. Please make your way toward the exit as staying in the park after hours is prohibited. Thank you for visiting and we hope you continue to have a fun time all around, even after visiting Piero's Playground."

…

Time certainly moved quickly in the park as most of the playmates had ventured around trying to find clues to where the boy was being held.

Of course, no one found anything. If they did, this story would end much earlier but we can't have that! We have a lot of content to get through so struggle to find a boy they will! As promised, once 9:30 hit, everyone had gathered up at the Happy Highway. Unlike yesterday, today it was the full cast.

And no one was more pleased to see this than Aidan himself who had committed himself to a headcount.

"...fifteen and… sixteen!" Aidan had pointed to himself. He gave a thumbs-up. "Well, we're all here!"

"All accounted for, yes," Alina nodded with a smile. She too had done her own headcount. "Should we all head out and share any new information we may have required?"

"Yep!" Aidan grinned.

Though, despite his shit-eating grin, Aidan was a little worried. It was Day 3 and given their progress the past two days, he wasn't entirely sure if the information they were going to get today was going to be helpful in the slightest.

However, his Hope had yet to waver.

Maybe someone did find something! Maybe there was something worthwhile to talk about in today's Nighttime Meeting! So together, he led the other fifteen straight out of the Killing Game Arena and straight toward Hotel Mirai…

---

[Hotel Mirai]

---

(Lobby)

"So!" Aidan clapped his hands together with a hopeful smile on his face. "Has anyone found anything that can help us find the boy?"

He was met with silence. That told him everything he needed to know. His hopeful smile faded into a frown as he hunched over, distraught and disappointed.

"Come on, really?" Aidan frowned.

"Ugh, it's been three days and I'm sure we have searched every nook and cranny for clues to where the boy may be," Yukihiko frowned, glancing at his nails. "I'm almost about ready to give up here."

"No, we can't give up so easily!" Aidan declared.

"I know, honey," Yukihiko deadpanned. "That's why I said, 'almost'."

"Nay, Yukihiko be right," Roderick shook his head. "At this point, how do we know if the laddie being locked up there ain't some wild goose chase?"

"I don't think it is," Alina sighed.

"And how can you be so sure about that?" Riku muttered.

"Because as far as I'm concerned, I know there's still other parts of the park that have yet to open," Alina pointed out. "Maybe the boy is hidden in a different part of the park!"

"An elegant theory," Beauté smirked. "Only problem with that is that the other sections of the park are blocked off with gates and giant locks. So, maybe if someone here with martial arts skills could break those open…"

She trailed off and snuck glances toward the karate master distancing herself from everyone else in the corner of the room. Of course, Mara knew Beauté was talking about her but she didn't even dare contribute to the conversation.

"Naw, ah doubt it," Yumi shook her head. "Ah asked about dat earlier. But apparently da locks are titanium steel. Pretty much impossible to break without actually unlocking it, I figure."

"Oh, and did she tell you this, herself?" Beauté smirked. "How can you honestly trust the words of someone like her…?"

Mara folded her arms and grimaced.

"Easily, if ah may be frank," Yumi smiled.

Mara blinked, glancing toward Yumi before turning back and shaking her head in disapproval. Clearly, she figured Yumi was doing stupid, idiotic Yumi things again.

"Hmm, interesting," Beauté smirked to herself.

"So, if gates can't be unlocked by force, guess that leaves one other place," Aidan folded his arms. He turned to Alisa. "Alisa. Any status on that gift shop?"

"Still closed, I'm afraid," Alisa shook her head, fixing her glasses.

"Isolde and I can attest to that," Issac nodded. "When we met up with Zachary at the gift shop, the sign was closed and all the lights were out."

"And it was locked if I may add," Alisa pointed out.

"So once again…" Kazuki sighed. "We have nothing to work with…"

Aidan grimaced. Seriously? Nothing to work with? Alina could tell that the track star was visibly upset. And honestly, who could blame him? Three days have passed since Piero's Playground was open for them to explore and yet the only clue they did get was those damn riddles. Those damn riddles that say that killing one person would give them some sort of prize…

But did they really have to resort to such extremes?

"Damn it…" Aidan frowned. "No… We can't give up. There has to be something. There just has to be something! We have to find a way to save the kid!"

"Well… there is one way…" Beauté called out from the bar that she had all to herself. Placing the side of her head onto her hand, her lips curled into a twisted smile. "...If you know what I mean…"

Aidan clenched his fist.

"No!" Aidan grimaced. "We are not going to listen to some stupid message on a plaque! There has to be another way!"

"Hey, if you still choose to believe in your own ignorance…" Beauté giggled, enjoying Aidan's dedication to his cause. Then, darkly, she kept her elbow off the counter and leaned forward, giving Aidan a ghoulish look. "...Then by all means, be my guest. However, I'm sure everyone else here feels that there is truly only one way to save that child…"

A ping from everyone's eTicket simultaneously sounded together. This caught everyone by surprise, even Beauté, who had decided to lean back and check her own eTicket. She smiled to herself. Not because she saw what exactly the notification was– she had yet to open her eTicket –but rather because she noticed a handful of faces pale.

"W-What the hell is this?!" Fábio widened his eyes.

"W-W-W-W-W-WHAT?!" Daisuke exclaimed, his face blue.

"I… I believe you will need to correct your statement, Beauté," Kikuko was equally flustered by what she was seeing on her eTicket.

Now the mysterious Ultimate was curious. And so was Alina, who had yet to open her own eTicket. The moment she did however, she noticed that one of the apps, the Photo App, had a red '1' on its top right corner, as if it was the application that was recently updated. Tapping on it, she too felt her blood run cold.

And just like everyone else, her face paled.

Because now in her photos were two videos:

A video of that boy that had been their primary focus throughout their past three days.

And a video of a young ten-year old girl with glasses, cradled up on a bed. Similar to the boy's, there was also a television set playing an episode of Stanczyk Says.

"...Now we have to save those children…" Kikuko nearly felt her soul leave her body.

"B-B-But how could this be?!" Daisuke exclaimed, panicking. "W-Wasn't one kid enough?!"

Another ping.

And this time, it came directly from the Survey App.

If Alina's face had turned pale enough just from seeing the video of two children, she couldn't begin to imagine what awaited her in the Survey App. She raised her finger toward the Survey App and hesitated slightly. She bit her lip. Was it fear stopping her from tapping on the screen… or was it something else?

Something else entirely?

She tapped on the screen. So, did everyone else. And what awaited everyone, to their horror, was a simple question:

Would You Save The Girl or The Boy?

A. Girl

B. Boy

"No…" Aidan widened his eyes.

"Oh my, how elegantly interesting," Beauté smirked.

"N-NO WAYYYYYYYY!" Daisuke screamed.

Alina grimaced.

How could anyone choose? How could this game take a turn for the absolute worst? How could this have happened? How could there be two children now? How could there be…? And for the first time all day today…

…She didn't even feel like forcing herself to smile anymore.

---

DANGANRONPA: TWISTED TRAGEDY

---

Here it is! Daily Life 3 of Chapter 1! Sorry for the wait guys! As you can imagine, writing lyrics for three different musical numbers plus the added work on Trial Part 1 really slowed the light of progress!

By the way, I haven't even finished Trial Part 1 and I might have to rewrite it... again :D NOOOOOOOOO. Ahem. Either case, I have some things to say! The three musical numbers you have in the music weren't entirely original. They are all based to the tunes of different songs I thought worked well with the moment, but you can literally sing it however way you want :0 For fairness, here are the songs:

Se mettre sur son trente-et-un! from Genshin Impact (The Name is Doctor Eternos)

Brand New Day from Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along-Blog (It's Time to Play)

Our Little Horror Story from Aviators (Curse the Doctor, the Monster, the Caster)

Copyright me all you want, but this is Fanfiction and I have the right to base my creativity off of other people's works! Beethoven did it too! Speaking of Beethoven, this was a very Alina heavy chapter which is very fitting considering this is the most musical I'm ever going to get in Twisted Tragedy. Plus, you got three FTE's this chapter! Exciting ain't it?! Also, another thing I gotta do, shoutout to nekoja! It would've been Otterplay but he chose not to give me a shoutout in his recent chapter, so this is my revenge :(

So, please check out Danganronpa: Honeymoon Havoc! It's basically Dangaronpa but with LOOOOOVVVEEEE...

Now, one more thing before I say my usual. That final cliffhanger of Would You Save the Girl or The Boy... Here's what I'm going to need from everyone who have submitted a character into this Killing Game. Or rather, those that are still alive! Sorry Hope and Alvin!

Please PM me what choice your character will choose. Would your character rather save the girl or the boy? :D Keep all responses private! Anyone who doesn't respond by the time the next chapter comes out... Well, I'll just choose for them! :0

Why do I want to do this? Because I wanted to make this pretty interactive too for funsies :D So have fun! Or don't. Up to you really ;-; Also it'll just make things pretty easy for me :D But that's a minor thing!

Anyway, hope you guys enjoy this chapter! I truly hope I get Trial Part 1 finished by the time Daily Life 4 comes out and I can't wait for what's next to come ;D Also, please let me know who you think is gonna die, let me know if you have any constructive criticisms regarding character depictions, theories, thoughts, opinions? Let me know them all! I always love to hear what you guys have to say and catch you guys in Daily Life 4 ;D

---

Playmates Remaining: 16

---

Aidan Brighton - The Ultimate Track Star [Omakin]

Alina Summers - The Ultimate Maestro [Otterplay]

Alisa Zachary - The Ultimate Clockmaker [ExtraMeme]

Beautè Morose - The Ultimate ? [Grandma Sue]

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

Emmeline Swan - The Ultimate Lepidopterist [Prince PokePersona]

Fábio Barbosa - The Ultimate Figure Skater [Rayy12]

Issac Santiago - The Ultimate Toymaker [oddlyillregular]

Kazuki Nobukatsu - The Ultimate Philanthropist [emberblitz321]

Kikuko Unmei - The Ultimate Shrine Priestess [WolfieRed23]

Manon Vivienne Levesque - The Ultimate Actress [Sempi]

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

Riku Arakawa - The Ultimate Doctor [theotakureader101]

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

Yukihiko Yuno - The Ultimate Child Caregiver [Weekaro]

Yumi Gundo - Ultimate Gunslinger [MrUtenaHolic]