Chapter 2: She who Sups with the Devil, Part III (Daily Life)
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When I got to the mess hall, I discovered an awful sight. Everyone was staring like a deer in the headlights towards Haruhi, who was most likely coughing her guts out. Bloodstained rose petals were strewn around the floor. I just couldn't help but feel sorry for her - and of course most others were concerned for her wellbeing. They didn't want another death on campus, even if Monokuma wanted it.
Umiko: Oh, no no no no no...
Hirou: Something's not right with her.
Kozue: Yeah. She looks so pale and sickly now.
Masao: ...Like she's dying.
Daigo: Is... is there anything we can do about this?!
Haruhi: (cough) No. (cough cough cough) There's nothing you can do.
Of course, there were some people who disregarded the gravitas of the situation.
Madoka: Uh, why are you so bothered about her cough? We all know she has it, so why is it such a big deal?
Kaiji: It's not a game, Madoka. That cough's getting worse every hour, and I'm worried that-
Madoka: She's going to die? If she dies, she dies. End of story.
Umiko: (sob) I'll still miss her...
Souta: Hmm... She's not long for this world, from the looks of it.
Hirou: I wouldn't be so flippant about the possibility of someone dying, if I was you.
Luka: Look, you made poor little Umiko cry!
Souta: My apologies, then. Kuhuhu~
Yukiharu: What the hell is going on?
Hirou: She's sick. And she's most likely dying. Maybe because of something to do with her medication? That's my theory.
Yukiharu: And just why did she go cold... tack... ticky... what'cha call it again?
Luka: Cold turkey, that's what you call it.
Haruhi: Outside- (cough cough cough) There was a boy... (cough) Who... didn't judge me by what I said...
Yura: And what does that have to do with the death flags you're hoisting up?
Haruhi: (cough cough) I think... he's forgotten about me now. (cough) He bought my flowers, without even thinking about who I was. (cough)
Yura: Listen, Haruhi. I don't care about your sob story. Go die somewhere else, please.
Kozue: Hey! Isn't that a little, y'know, insensitive? She's sick.
Yura: Shut your mouth, you.
Haruhi: That was what- (cough cough) -I was planning. Maybe a rest in the garden will help- (cough cough cough)
In the midst of her coughing up even more rose petals out of her mouth, Haruhi stumbled her way out. We were all shaken by what had just transpired before us, but Ayane was quick to try and maintain some order.
Ayane: Listen. She wants to go to the garden to spend some time in peace.
Yura: So?
Ayane: Respect her wishes and give her privacy. That's what I would do.
Daigo: But Ayane, we've gotta help her! She's gravelly ill, on the verge of death!
Ayane: And if she wants to die with what she regards as dignity, then so be it.
Yura: ...But... but then what will happen to our stuff? She...
Ayane: If anyone has any concerns, feel free to talk about them to me. I'll stay here. The rest of you, go.
Daigo: Whatever you say, Ayane.
Ayane: My pleasure.
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(Free Time Event #7: Ayane Mitsurugi)
The only one who didn't leave the mess hall upon her urging was me; I had several questions I wanted to ask her. She came across as a no-nonsense leader of the pack who would be reluctant to give out such personal information, but that proved to be rather unfounded once I approached her.
Ayane: Kaori Hotaru. Do you have any questions?
Kaori: I do.
Ayane: Are they about our fellow students? Or do you want me to answer some... personal questions?
Kaori: The latter. More specifically, how you became the Ultimate Prosecutor.
Ayane: How I became the Ultimate Prosecutor? It's a rather simple story.
Kaori: Right then.
Ayane: My father used to be the Chief Prosecutor in Japan. He was quite similar to me in a way; he always secured a conviction, no matter the crime. Robbery, drug dealing, murder... no criminal was safe from him.
Kaori: And he must have taught you how to follow in his footsteps.
Ayane: That is the case; he retired a few years ago, shortly before I took my first case, in order to teach me law. He also gave to me a motto which I live by to this day: "The most important thing about every case is the truth."
...I still have some doubts about her career path, but I just can't get the words out.
Kaori: Simple, yet effective...
Madoka: And that is how I became a prosecutor. Do you have anything else to ask of me?
Kaori: I, uh... Ayane... Give me a moment.
Ayane: For what?
Kaori: To leave and think about the path you have taken in life.
Ayane: ...Be on your way, then.
Kaori: Yeah... Bye for now.
Ayane and I grew a little closer.
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I went through the first floor in order to investigate afterwards. As I passed through a hallway, I felt the loose tile I discovered long ago underneath my boot. Was it just a coincidence that this particular tile was the only one that would budge? As I knelt down and prepared to lift it up, I felt as though my questions would be answered.
But when I heard the sound of footsteps inching closer towards me, I had to turn around to see who was making them. And then I noticed his red eye. His jagged grin. His monochrome body. None other than Monokuma had caught me in the act. Yet he seemed as though he wanted to talk, not to kill me on the spot.
Monokuma: Hey. Lemme ask you a question. Do you consider yourself an introvert, or an extrovert?
Kaori: Uh... An introvert. I'm not one for talking.
Monokuma: I get that. You're conveniently one of the last people at those stupid, pathetic breakfast meetings. So then why do you even bother hanging out with those lost souls?
Kaori: To see if I can trust them, and to see if they can trust me. This is a life-or-death situation here... a situation you've put us in.
Monokuma: Don't blame me, I'm just a pawn of the mastermind! Heard a really good quote once: don't hate the player, hate the game! That's my advice!
Kaori: ...
Monokuma: Now then, another question. Was you trying to see what was beneath that loose tile?
Kaori: ...No, sir.
Monokuma: ...
Did he see through my lie?
Monokuma: I'll give you a refresher. You might wanna check out your e-Handbook now.
I took my e-Handbook out of my pocket. A feature of it was that it contained an electronic replica of the same initial set of rules that Monokuma once handed to us on little slips of paper. Lo and behold, there was a new rule at the bottom of the list.
Rule #11: Unless you have authorisation, do not attempt to remove the loose tile in a hallway of the first floor.
Monokuma: And do you have authorisation?
Kaori: No.
Monokuma: Exactly. Now scram! Run for the hills! Get outta here, be-yotch!
And that's what I did; turned around and walked away to avoid any further interaction with that god-forsaken bear.
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(Free Time Event #8: Kozue Sumiyoshi)
When I heard the sound of a bouncing ball coming out of the gymnasium, I just had to go there and find out who was making it. Unsurprisingly, it was the blue-haired girl in the gym uniform who directed me through the second floor, Kozue. She had been throwing a volleyball over a net, and turned her head around to acknowledge me. I naturally wanted to know more about my potential new friend.
Kozue: Hey there! Came to talk to me?
Kaori: Yes.
Kozue: Heh! You betcha'! What do you wanna talk about, Kaori?
Kaori: In all fairness, I don't know...
Kozue: Huh? You don't know? Not much of a talker, eh?
Kaori: No...
Kozue: Right, so let's talk about our school lives before we got here! If that's okay with ya.
Kaori: Okay, then?
Kozue: Ah, goodie, let's get right to it! Life was good when all I had to worry about was maintaining my position on the volleyball team. Everyone looked up to the team captain, including me! We all called her "senpai", because that was what she was! Our senpai!
Kaori: So, I assume you was nicknamed a "kouhai"?
Kozue: Yeah! Everybody got nicknamed "kouhai", 'cause at first she blew everyone else out of the water! But even then, we were like a sisterhood. Nobody and nothing would be able to tear us apart!
Kaori: At first... So eventually, you became the star player, I assume.
Kozue: Yeah... Hey, uh... did you get any nicknames at school, Kaori?
Kaori: Well, after they figured out I was rather good at textile works, they started calling me "Kaori-hime". After the weaving princess from the Tanabata story.
Kozue: Oh really?! Guess I learn something new every day, huh? By the way, that's totally swell! I bet you felt like a goddess!
Kaori: No. I think of myself as humble, to be honest.
Kozue: And there's no shame in being true to yourself, trust me on this.
Kaori: Yeah. You're right. ...Ran out of things to say.
Kozue: You know what. Me too. Let's spend some more time together later, okay?
Kaori: Yeah, if that's fine with you.
Kozue and I grew a little closer.
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After that conversation, I went over towards the staircase that led up from the first floor to the second, upon hearing some sort of commotion coming from there. Madoka was on the middle of the staircase, gripping onto the railing, and Daigo was standing at the bottom, staring up towards her. It appeared that they were arguing.
Daigo: Madoka. We need to talk.
Madoka: About what, Daigo? Kaori just arrived here, what about her?
Daigo: Oh, Kaori! Well - I don't feel as though Madoka can be trusted.
Madoka: What?! Kaori trusts me enough to have made a deal with me! About the note, you know?
Daigo: And what will you do with it, huh?!
Madoka: Daigo. That note may be the key towards me finding out my talent. You know that I can't remember mine, right?
Daigo: I do.
Madoka: And me and Kaori are thinking - just why are you trying to elevate yourself to a position of leadership? You intend to betray our trust, much like how you think I'll betray hers?
It was at that point that the three of us had ascended up the stairs and onto the second floor of this facility. We walked through a hallway, with both Daigo and Madoka continuing to argue.
Daigo: Alright, mark my words, both of you. I'm staying strong for everyone here. They need a leader; someone to guide them to safety no matter what!
Madoka: ...What optimistic nonsense.
Kaori: Let him continue, Madoka.
Madoka: Honestly, that suicidal blockhead's going to get himself killed sooner or later. He'll learn that here, in this world, the bad guys can win and there's nothing we can do about it.
Kaori: Daigo... Daigo's one of our best shots of escaping the Killing Game.
Daigo: That's right! I won't give up and I will save you all! I'm doing this for the sake of everyone! For Mugen! For Ren! For-
His fiery speech was abruptly stopped when we stumbled across a far more troubling discovery while walking through the hall. Right outside of the garden, Kaiji was laid out on the floor. Thankfully, he was still breathing and his eyes were open. He was still alive, and he began talking as Daigo lifted him back up to his feet.
Daigo: Oh, what the-
Madoka: Hey, Kaiji. What are you doing?
Kaiji: Look, Madoka. Someone hit me over the head around 20 minutes ago and I couldn't move at all!
Madoka: Someone hit you over the head? Kaori, it appears something's amiss. Let's take a peekaboo.
Madoka opened the door to the garden, and quickly pointed out to us what she had just noticed. In the midst of the green grass was a ominously freshly dug patch of dirt, with a shovel having been hastily discarded next to it.
Madoka: ...Crap.
Daigo: What do you mean by that?
Madoka: Hey, Kaiji. Go get the others - this is serious business.
Daigo: I'll go with him as well! It's the least I can do.
Kaiji ran off in an effort to gather the rest of the students to tell us about our discovery, with Daigo swiftly following him. Me and Madoka stepped into the garden together, waiting for the rest to arrive.
Madoka: Kaori. Remember our deal? You still have his note?
Kaori: (Mugen's note. I still didn't know why she wanted it, but a deal was a deal.) I do.
Madoka: Well, uh... This looks to me like murder. Guess it's time we have to cooperate.
She stopped speaking once Kaiji and Daigo returned with everyone else they could find. Ayane was the most prominent of them all, standing forward like a leader even as Luka made a beeline for the shovel. I noticed one glaring absence in the crowd: Haruhi.
Ayane: No interfering with the shovel, for potential contamination of evidence.
Masao: Gah...
Luka: Oh. Oh...
Umiko: Uh... What's going on?
Ayane: Kaiji and Daigo have reported a potential murder on campus and it appears to be the case.
Yura: Damn. Who could have done such a thing?
Masao: Listen, Ouka-san. We have no idea whether or not it was murder.
Yura: No sign of Haruhi among us, which is pretty concerning if you ask me. Dummy.
Ayane: But we need a way to dig up this patch of land and find out what happened. Hirou, if there's another shovel in the garden shed, go get it out ASAP. Got that?
Hirou: I've got that, Ayane.
He went over to the garden shed, and emerged a few seconds later with, you guessed it, another shovel in his hands. And he offered it over to... me?
Hirou: Kaori? May I ask you to dig it up?
Kaori: ...No. It's better that you do it. I'm too weak for this.
Yukiharu: You're built like a bear and you've already got it! You do the "honours", Hirou.
Masao: Shinju-kun. Please.
Daigo: Hey! Hirou, I'll do it-
Hirou: Thanks, but no thanks. If it falls upon me, it falls upon me. Do you understand.
Daigo: (scratching the back of his head) Yeah, I guess so.
So it was that Hirou began to dig up the patch of land, using the shovel he had taken from that garden shed. When he abruptly dropped it beside his knees and put his hand over his mouth as he gasped in shock, we had to gather around and peek into the hole that he had unearthed. We weren't prepared for the sight that awaited us within that shallow grave.
Her eyes were closed and overall her face looked as though she was at peace, only betrayed by the copious amount of rose petals clogging up her mouth. Her body was fairly intact, if obviously covered in dirt, aside from a pair of noticeable wounds to her knees. We could all come to the conclusion that...
Haruhi Hanazawa, the Ultimate Florist, was dead.
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Chapter 2: She who Sups with the Devil, Part III, End
13 Remain