Danganronpa Zero Vol. 1

10

There was a deep rumbling sound and a cloud of dust flew up into the air. The paint cans fell on the ground and colourfully dyed the walls and floor as if they belonged in a magical world.

I breathed in the dust even while coughing, as my coughing eased my chest relaxed. After hearing of a dust explosion and seeing the vacuum cleaner there there was no reason for that cautious, strong man to just leave it there. It was the exact result I had predicted.

I opened the window to the warehouse, picked up a shovel that had fallen nearby and went to ask the crushed Madarai a few questions. As I faced him I tried to remain strong, but my legs were trembling and my hands were covered in sweat.

"Hello theeeeeeeeeeere......" Timidly, I looked through the gap under the shelf into it's depths. Madarai was trapped between the fallen shelf and the ground like the filling in a sandwich. Though it looked like he was still conscious, he looked at me with weak eyes.

"I r-really played into your hands...." It might be just because his chest was being crushed, but his voice sounded strained. "B-But... why wasn't there an explosion? When the shelf fell.... t-there should have been enough static to create a spark..."

I tightened my grip on the shovel and responded.

"Ah, that powder was cement powder, it's not flammable...."

".... Cement powder?"

I readjusted my grip on the shovel so I could open my notebook with my now free hand.

"Uh, let's see... the requirements for a dust explosion are combustible dust, oxygen and a source of ignition... Cement powder isn't oxidized so it doesn't burn. In other words you can't have a dust explosion without the dust... or something like that."

"So then... you knew that..."

"It says here the old man who owns this warehouse is awfully talkative... it seems like he enjoys holding very onesided conversations with whoever he sees... and he forces high school girls to listen to his stories? It's seems like thanks to him I was saved, though I wonder if I should really be greatful..." As I flipped through my notebook I continued to speak. "As it turns out, this old man has an interest in DIY, and enjoys making things himself. So it looks like all the cement powder he buys is stored here."

"S-So... you mentioned it as a decoy..."

"Yes, so I could get you to tug the vacuum cleaner." As I continued looking at my notebook I nodded vigorously. "Ah, by the way, have you seen a movie called Home Alone? The trap I used came from that. It's a gimmick where there's a rope placed in just the right spot so when you pull the vacuum cleaner, the shelves fall down. Oh yes, and I sprinkled some of the cement powder on the rope to hide it. But since the rope I used was already kind of whi-"

".... That's enough." Madarai interrupted me with his weak voice.

"I-In the end... your real trump was that trick... ?"

"Hmmm, maybe not quite a trump. I mean, at the end of Home Alone it's actually a passing adult who get's the finishing blow on the robbers and not Culkin-kun. It's the same in the sequel as well. So in reality my real trump was for someone to come save me-"

"I get it... so shut it already..." Madarai looked like he was sick of me talking. "B-But... isn't it still too early to celebrate your victory?"

".... Yes?" Surprised I made a strange reply and the mood changed. "Um... what do you mean?"

"I s-still... haven't shown you my trump card... is what I... mean..." As he said those words, Madarai fell into silence.

I tried questioning him some more, but he didn't respond. It seems like he's lost consciousness. Left with a somewhat indecisive feeling, I read in my notebook that breathing large amounts of cement powder can leave you with pneumoconiosis, I should get out of here.