Entertaining a Small Thought

Arc 6 Part 4: Into the Realm of Angels and Demons

Shuichi rushed out of the Ultimate Cosplayer's Lab before stumbling when the building once again shook from the explosions outside. There was no time to waste. Noon was approaching, and Shuichi couldn't let anything stop him from investigating as much as he could.

Before he could take another step, though, Tenko burst into the room, having rushed up the stairs. She spun around before she spotted Shuichi and dashed toward him.

"Shuichi! T-There...you are!" The Aikido Master yelled as she panted from exhaustion.

"Tenko? Did something happen?" Shuichi asked.

"Y-Yeah! W-We...We found something! Kokichi and I!" Tenko told him in a rush. "In Kaito's lab! Part of the wall was destroyed...by Keebo's attacks! New room...opened up...!"

"A new room?" Shuichi blinked in surprise.

"Yeah...and it's a really weird room, too," Tenko said as she managed to catch her breath. "Kokichi left to see if he could find any other secret rooms like it, but I went to find you to show you the room."

"Hmm..." Shuichi hummed as he put a hand to his chin. "This is pretty convenient, actually. I was planning on going to Kaito's lab anyway to investigate another clue. Maybe this is related."

"Wait, really? What do you need to investigate in Kaito's lab?" Tenko asked.

"Something involving that clue Rin left for us. He left that message for us for a reason, so I want to see if I can find this 'truth' he might have seen. It might explain what he was doing before he died." Shuichi told her.

Strangely enough, though, Tenko reacted with a slight frown when Shuichi mentioned Rin's name.

"About that...what do you think about that? Rin's will, I mean." She asked.

"...You aren't talking about the riddle, are you?"

"No. I mean...I miss Rin. I wish he didn't die...but...I'm so angry that he would let himself die like this if that was his plan!" Tenko shouted with a glare. "He's so selfish...ignoring all of our feelings if he really did plan this out."

"..." Shuichi couldn't find words to answer with. In truth, that subject was something he was hoping to avoid, at least until the trial. He didn't want to think that Rin had somehow killed himself or tricked someone into killing him. So, instead of answering Tenko, he just moved past her. "Let's just hurry to Kaito's lab. We don't have time to waste."

"...Right." Tenko relented, her frown still remaining as she followed behind the detective.

It took a lot of walking, but Shuichi and Tenko quickly arrived at Kaito's lab. Immediately, Shuichi noticed the strange room Tenko mentioned. In contrast to the space-theme room of the lab, this separate room was a clinical white with machines that looked better suited for a sci-fi movie. Tenko seemed to notice how Shuichi's expression shifted from pure confusion the moment he looked upon the room.

"Yeah! It's totally weird, right?! What even is it for?" Tenko asked with a stern, suspicious gaze aimed at the room.

"...I'll try looking around," Shuichi told her as he prepared to move toward the room.

The moment Shuichi walked through the opening in the wall, he was able to take in the complete strangeness of the room. It didn't feel as though it belonged in the Ultimate Academy. It was as though someone had taken some room from some other building and shoved it into the Ultimate Academy without any thought as to how it would all blend together.

The room was completely white except for the desk in the middle and the strange machines and pods lining the walls. Yes, the pods...another thing completely out of place. There were seventeen of them, eight on both sides and one in the center of the back wall in front of the giant computer or generator or...whatever it was.