"Aha! All the votes have been tallied, so it's time for the results." Monokuma announced. "Please face the screen to the left of me!"
We did as we were told and watched intently as the screen flickered to life, displaying all sixteen of us. One by one, thirteen red bars appeared by Shunsuke's name, signalling thirteen votes.
So we voted Shunsuke as the blackened. Now we just have to wait and see if we were right or not.
But wait...there are fourteen of us, but only thirteen votes? Isn't that weird?
As if the screen read my mind, the final red bar appeared...
By my own name?!?
"What the...?" I mumbled, staring.
Someone voted for me?!? Why?
"Hm? It appears someone voted for Chiyo." Ryoko mentioned. "I wonder who..."
"It...It must have been Shunsuke right?" Hidemi's assumed.
"I'm afraid not. I voted for myself." He replied, shutting her down.
"Then...Then who?"
"Who cares about that now?" Monokuma loudly interrupted. "We've got more important things to talk about! Like the culprit. Now, did you make the right choice, or the dreadfully wrong one?"
The screen then switched to show a large slot machine, all three of its panels lined with one of our faces. Monokuma's paw pushed the lever down as it began to spin around and around before finally landing...
On Shunsuke.
The slot machine's mouth opened and coughed out a bunch of confetti along with music and fake cheers, but was met with no celebration.
I got it right. Shunsuke killed Akemi.
"Puhuhu! Well, would ya look at that! The lot of you were correct." Monokuma laughed at our success. "The one who killed Akemi Furuya was indeed Shunsuke Ketsuyuki, the Ultimate Mortician!"
"N-No!" Kokoro cried. "I don't believe this!"
"Well, I do. I knew it was him from the very beginning!" Yukari huffed and crossed her arms.
"I think we deserve an explanation," Tatsuo spoke up. "Not just for what happened, but for your secret."
"I suppose that's fair." He sighed.
"That also means we deserve an explanation about your secret Tatsuo! Maybe Satoshi's too!" Ryoko giggled.
"I...Er...I'm not ready to tell you about that." Tatsuo looked away dejected. "Maybe...Tomorrow. If I'm comfortable."
"Hmph. Alright then." Ryoko rolled her eyes. "Satoshi?"
"N-Not now..." he repeated the same thing he said during the trial.
"Ugh, you all are hopeless." She groaned.
"No. I want an explanation too, Satoshi!" Hidemi stepped forward. "I mean...I can't believe you would kill anyone!"
"...D-Deal with Shunsuke first! Please!" He pleaded, trying to get it together.
"...Fine." She lowered her head. "Shunsuke, it's your turn."
"Very well." Shunsuke nodded. "It is true. Akemi approached me during the party and gave me the note. And I did visit him afterwards."
"So what drove you to kill him...?" Shouko wondered.
"I suppose it was when he opened his mouth...Akemi began discussing my secret, assuming I was listening. But the whole time, I just kept rewinding the moment over and over again in my head...like endless torture."
"So you lost it?" Yuna presumed.
"...I needed to keep him quiet. I slipped the gloves on and before I knew it, I was standing over his dead bleeding body. What must have taken over me had to have been some intense rage or fear...But even if I wanted to recount what happened word for word, I can't. My mind blanked as soon as I began the attack."
"You were consumed by a desire to shut him up, that's what. That desire clouded your vision, so now you can't remember a thing, huh?" Ryoko laughed. "At least you aren't that boring."
"Then...what about your secret? With the morgue?" Kairi asked.
"That...That was my fault." He admitted.
"H-Huh?!?" Kokoro exclaimed.
"I was patrolling the morgue one night as usual and heard an unusual commotion. When I inspected it, I heard someone still alive, trapped inside. They must have been there by mistake."
"But...?" I said.
"You...You saved them, right?" Hidemi assumed.
"I did nothing."
"S-Shunsuke, please stop!" Kokoro blocked her ears to stop hearing all of this.
"Part of it was morbid curiosity, part was fear, another was simply me just not knowing what to do. So in the end, I just walked away. They were found dead the next morning, and I lied, saying I hadn't noticed a thing."
"Stop it...Stop it!" Kokoro furiously shook her head.
"What the hell is wrong with you?!?" Yukari yelled at him.
"Put yourself in my shoes! What would you have done?!?" He argued.
"...Tch. Whatever!" She turned around, making her way to the back of the crowd.
"I just...I just didn't know what to do. If Akemi spoke about what I'd done to you all...What would you have thought of me? Especially Kokoro..." he glanced at her.
"So you killed Akemi 'cause of that." Akihiro rubbed the back of his head awkwardly. "Damn..."
"I-I see..." Kenjiro mumbled.
"...It would be rude of me to not compliment your detective work. Especially yours, Hidemi and Chiyo."
"T-Thank you?" Hidemi nervously accepted the praise.
"For sure. If only she was smart enough to ask Ryoko who the hell she saw." Yukari rolled her eyes.
Hidemi noticeably tensed up at her criticism but attempted to calm down with a sigh.
"Even your revelation with your analysis Kenjiro...It was quite impressive."
"H-Huh?!?" Kenjiro jumped at Shunsuke's words. "Um. Thanks..."
"But maybe I should begin to wrap this up. I am starting to sense it." He tried to compose himself.
"Sense...what?" Finn repeated.
"Death. I can sense the cold touch of death right now. It's...enveloping me. Almost welcoming..." he sighed. "My time here really is limited. I just hope I wasn't a disappointment or a burden to you all."
"N-No...No! Don't start with that, Shunsuke!" Kokoro marched over to him. "You are not dying! You can't."
"K-Kokoro-"
"Stop! Just stop it...I can't be here! Not now, not without you...I want to go home!" She cried, her face buried in his chest.
He was speechless, looking down at her state.
"I...I'm sorry." Shunsuke tried to say. "I didn't mean for this to happen."
Kokoro didn't listen, just covering her ears.
Shunsuke continued. "...Part of my duty is to comfort those grieving. But...Don't just focus on me. Please move on and join everyone else, Kokoro."
"Stop it...Stop it!"
"My dear." He lifted her head up and gazed into her eyes. Shunsuke couldn't say anything else, his words seemingly getting caught in his throat. So instead, he shut his eyes and lowered his forehead so it rested against hers.
"Oh god...This is terrible." Yuna mumbled.
"I certainly hope I'm not interrupting anything, but...It's only chapter one! Who knew stuff who get this emotional already, huh?" Monokuma shrugged.
"Chapter...What the hell does that mean?" I asked, but got completely ignored.
"But...I hate to break it to you love sick idiots, but we're on a tight schedule. And everyone is looking forward to this next part the most!" He giggled.
"Next part...You mean-"
"E-Execution..." Satoshi interrupted Kenjiro with widened eyes.
"Aha! You hit the nail right ok the head. Let's execute this killer!"
"N-No...I won't let you!" Kokoro grabbed and wrapped her arms around Shunsuke.
"Hm...?" The bear tilted his head." And what do you mean by that?"
"I mean...I won't let you take Shunsuke away from me!" She yelled.
"If you want to challenge me, go ahead! I could punish you...A fate worse than that toxicologist guy!"
Akihiro appeared to stop at the mention of Shimura before his eyes began to wander elsewhere.
Now, what's up with him?
Why is everyone hiding something in this place?!?
"But I doubt you'd be a match for what I have in store." The bear obnoxiously laughed again. He then pulled out a hammer and a button popped up in front of him. "Now then, I've prepared a very special punishment for Shunsuke Ketsuyuki, the Ultimate Mortician!"
"Shunsuke...You can't go! I won't let you! Please!" Kokoro furiously tried to keep him in place, but instead, he removed her arms from around him.
"You must stop. It's hopeless. As I said, I can sense death coming for me. You may not like it, but here's nothing you can do." He attempted to explain to her.
"N-No..." she shook her head, refusing to believe it, just grabbing him again.
"I may be curious about death but...I'm honestly terrified." He dropped his act yet again and looked earnestly at Kokoro. "If you can pray for me, will you?"
"Please...Stop this..."
"How about it everybody? Let's give it everything we got!" Monokuma slowly raised the hammer in the air.
"Well then...Farewell, everyone." Shunsuke glanced at us all and then back to Kokoro. "And goodbye, my dear. Please heed my words and move on, alright? You may keep my memory alive, but don't stay too attached. In the end, I was just a fool."
"Shunsuke..."
"But...I loved our time together. Thank you, Kokoro."
"It's...Punishment time!"
"Shunsuke!" Kokoro screamed one last time, and it was one last time too late. Monokuma smashed the button down, and the screen flickered to show an animated Monokuma dragging a pixelated Shunsuke off-screen...
How is this going to go?
-
Shunsuke Ketsuyuki has been found guilty!
Time for the punishment!
-
Execution:
Funeral of a Sinner: Six Feet Under!
One of the large metal doors burst open, a long chain flying through. It was directed at Shunsuke and flew straight to him, a collar clamping around his neck and pulling him back.
Kokoro desperately tried to hold him in place, but Shunsuke easily slipped out of her grasp, getting pulled back through the door.
She got up and ran after him, the door shutting in her face just as she was about to make it. Kokoro screamed, scratching, pulling and pounding at the door. Yet in the end, it was all useless.
The screen changed over to show us what fate was waiting for Shunsuke. Some of us watched intently while others couldn't and covered their eyes or turned away.
Ryoko's eyes were peeled to the scene, seemingly fascinated with what was about to happen. Kokoro on the other hand pushed to the front of the crowd to watch with soulless eyes what awaited Shunsuke.
He was pulled against the rough and rocky flooring, tearing his clothes. The collar just grew tighter around his neck, his hands clinging and attempting to pull it off but to no avail. His teeth clenched at the force against his throat, but Shunsuke was just pulled further into the darkness.
The hallways transformed into a small graveyard, a group of Monokumas, dressed in funeral attire surrounding a newly fit grave with a dingy wooden casket already inside. Shunsuke was pulled out, forcibly pushing past the group as the collar detached itself, dropping him down into the coffin with a loud thud, landing hard on his back.
Shunsuke had no time to react as the casket's lid was tossed in and shut tightly, sealing him off. The Monokumas wiped fake tears as if they were beginning to mourn while a massive excavator towered over the hole, refilling it by dropping dirt in while Shunsuke was still trapped inside.
When Shunsuke finally awoke, he was completely trapped: buried alive. Dirt and soil were the only things surrounding the coffin he was currently imprisoned in, and the air was running out.
Shunsuke's first thought was to observe his surroundings. He saw the confined space and already figured out he would die soon. This didn't help as he slowly descended into pure panic, breathing heavily and clenching his fists.
Suddenly, he rose his fists and began pounding on the lid, yelling and kicking, trying to get out through sheer brute force. This obviously did not work as dirt started to spill through small cracks between the wooden planks confining him.
As Shunsuke realised his attempts were ultimately meaningless, he began clawing at the lid, scratching at the wood. His nails dug deeply into the material and were dragged behind his fingers, drawing and leaving blood while he went over and over again as he shut his eyes to try and endure it.
While his hands kept going over and over the lid, his legs pushed against the walls surrounding him before aggressively kicking up. Out of nowhere, the lid collapsed on top of Shunsuke, the dirt spilling out and placing pressure on him. Some went in his eyes, others went in his mouth.
Things were looking hopeless. Shunsuke couldn't even breathe for much longer with the casket falling apart further and the soil engulfing him. This wasn't even mentioning the many bugs and worms that started crawling all over his body and up to his clothes.
Some of the bugs assumed he was dead already and started biting at him, slowly eating and pulling at his skin. Shunsuke yelled in pain, but this just made things worse as more dirt entered his mouth and nose fully blocking off his only ways of breathing.
Shunsuke frantically tried to dig away at the soil, wanting to at least get close to the surface, but there was useless as the earth just kept pushing him down and keeping him in place.
Soon, Shunsuke just could not go on any longer, and his panicked and terrified face stayed still.
Soon, the camera cut to black and then back to the graveyard scene. This time, the excavator tried to dig Shunsuke's body back out in front of all the dramatically weeping Monokumas but it was too late.
By the time Shunsuke's body was discovered and the soil was dug away, all that remained were piles of bugs eating away at his corpse as his clothes were torn away and left as dirty pieces of fabric. His body was exposed and already decaying with his blueish skin clung to the bone, the whole corpse rapidly and abnormally decomposing. But his face was stuck, mouth full of dirt and wide open to express his shock and fear that had to remain with him even after death.
And that was the last time we ever properly saw Shunsuke Ketsuyuki as his body was taken away.
-
All the screens which were displaying his execution were shut off as we were all left speechless.
Oh my god...Did...Did that seriously just happen???
That was sick! Disgusting! What the fuck?!?
"Well, wasn't that fun?" Monokuma tilted his head. "Why all the long faces? I thought you would enjoy watching that weirdo get buried six feet under! It would've happened either way, considering he was dead meat."
"That...That was...So revolting." Yukari stepped back, clutching her stomach and trying not to vomit. "Please tell me that was fake!"
"N-No...That was real alright." Tatsuo struggled to even speak.
Satoshi just went pale, his body rigid as he stared at the screen, unable to understand it all. "How..."
"S-Shunsuke..." Kokoro's voice was absolutely empty, all of her drive and soul having left her body as she fell to her knees. She gripped the sides of her head and furiously began to shake it, refusing to believe anything as she yelled and screamed with tears streaming down her face, startling some of us.
"Kokoro...!" Hidemi tried to call out to her but got no response other than more screams.
"I-If you need help...I can talk..." Kenjiro kindly offered but yet again, nothing.
"Hey..." I tried my best to shake off the execution and gain composure before attempting to kneel down and put a hand on her shoulder. "Look, it-"
"N-No!" Kokoro immediately slapped my hand away with an ear stabbing shriek, causing me to stumble but quickly regain my stance. She scrambled to back away from me and the rest of us. "Don't touch me!"
"K-Kokoro...? What's gotten into you?" Finn asked, her lips trembling.
"You...You all killed him! You killed Shunsuke!" She pointed her finger toward us all.
"H-Huh...? How?" Shouko wondered. "Monokuma is the one who-"
"If it wasn't for you lot, Shunsuke would still be here! But...You voted for him! You sentenced him to death...I...I...I hate you!" She cried out loud.
"Kokoro...You don't really mean that." Yuna sighed.
"Yeah. Shunsuke got executed 'cause he had to die. It was either us or him." Yukari said.
"No! Stop with the excuses! I hate all of you!" Kokoro then glared at me. "Especially you, Chiyo. You stabbed him in the back!"
"Huh?!?" I exclaimed, taking a defensive step forward. "What?!? You're not thinking straight! Shunsuke killed Akemi, so he got executed since we found him out. It's not anyone's fault! We would've died too if it wasn't for me and everyone's thinking."
"S-Shut up! You took him away." She slammed her hands against her ears and shook her head, refusing to hear more. "I can't be here...Not anymore!"
After yelling all of that, Kokoro got up and rushed for the elevator, pushing buttons so she could leave as quick as possible, leaving us in silence.
"Well, after that, I suppose it's a good time to announce the end of this trial! And would you look at that, it's already nighttime. I'll see you lovely campers tomorrow morning!"
Monokuma bowed before disappearing in thin air. None of us really acknowledged him though, since we were too busy thinking to ourselves.
"She...hates me?!?" I repeated after she left. "But...We had no choice!"
Wait, if she really meant that, then she must have been the one to have voted for me!
But Kokoro is the nicest girl here...She has to be shaken up and this is just temporary, right? She will get over it...right?!?
"...I think you did the right thing," Tatsuo spoke up. "Deep down, we all knew an execution was coming. Whether ours or the killers."
"You're correct but...That was so terrifying!" Kairi replied.
"That's true...But we have to keep looking forward." He continued.
"Hm?" Ryoko perked up. "What is this, some pep talk?"
"I-I'm just saying. We have to keep our heads high if we want to get out of here together. And I doubt we all want another trial so...Can we at least try not to kill? For everyone's sake." He suggested, looking amongst the group.
"I agree. Although we were all friends with Shunsuke, and I'm sure it was terrible watching what just happened to him...But we have to stick together!" Hidemi tried to cheer us on.
"And do you really think this little motivational speaking will help?" Ryoko continued to try and stir the pot. "I mean, the man just got buried alive! And you're telling us to keep our chins up? It's like the two of you are self-appointed leaders trying to get us to forget what just happened."
"That is not what we're doing!" Tatsuo defended himself and Hidemi.
"Exactly! What are you trying to say, Ryoko?" Hidemi asked.
"Nothing! Nothing at all. I'm only speculating." She laughed but stopped once her eyes caught something shining in the distance. "Hold on a moment..."
Ryoko broke away from the crowd to approach a corner of the room. She kneeled and began searching the floor. Once she was done, she gasped and then grinned, holding something in the air.
"Well, would you look at that...A new ring!" She proudly showed it off, getting back up. "I wonder who was so clumsy that they left it here..."
"Are you kidding?!? You threw that ring yourself!" Akihiro mentioned.
"And you can't just take that. It's Shunsuke's family heirloom." Finn told her.
"For an heirloom, it doesn't seem to be well looked after. It was on the floor!" She gave a dumb excuse.
"Because you took it from him and threw it!" I reiterated.
"Hm...Oh well. Shunsuke doesn't really need this anymore, does he? His poor soul left this pretty little thing here and it's just begging to be loved! Finders keepers!" she laughed.
What is wrong with her?
Ryoko slipped the ring on and confidently posed it around, showing it off when she returned back to the group.
How can she just go around showing that off when it belongs to a dead guy?
"But who cares. We have more pressing matters to talk about now that Shunsuke has been executed. Isn't that right, Satoshi?" Ryoko looked over at him. Satoshi raised his head, his eyes widening when he realised it was time to explain.
"...She's right. Satoshi, what happened?" Hidemi's asked, crossing her arms.
"I-I..."
"Yeah! Why'd you kill someone?" Yukari leaned forward. "Were you like Shunsuke?"
"N-No! I...I didn't want to..."
Hidemi focused on him. "Then explain what happened. Everything."
"...It was a year or a half ago."
"T-That long ago?!?" She gasped. "And I'm only finding out now..."
"...I was coming home after investigating a large ongoing case. T-Then...I heard some commotion. This...This weirdo guy harassing this girl. I couldn't just stand there."
"Wait...you helped?" I said. "You don't seem like the type to be bothered."
"I...I guess I was more into fixing injustices properly back in. I managed to get the girl away and to safety but...h-he had a weapon! I tried to get it off him...I swear! B-But...during the scuffle I-I...my finger slipped on the trigger. A-And-"
"You shot a guy?!?" Kairi gulped. "No way..."
"I-I didn't mean to! The...The sound a-and his body...The blood...I-I had to get rid of it! But...I froze. I-"
"But you eventually did cover up the crime, didn't you? That's what your secret said, did it not?" Ryoko tilted her head.
"I..." Satoshi was too panicked to continue. His breaths were quickened and his hands were sweaty.
"I take that as a yes."
So...Retelling and remembering the moment seems to get Satoshi all frightened and rigid.
Shit. Now I get it!
And now I feel like more of an asshole for threatening him earlier! If he gets like this by just thinking about it...
When Finn almost got shot at the beginning of our stay here, he was even scared then. Like he froze at the sound and sight of it. I should've realised something was up!
But...is Satoshi really going to be ok? Especially on a camping grounds about murder?
"I don't think he can continue. He's too shaken up." Tatsuo stood up for him. "But you just must have gotten a general idea."
"Yeah...I'm glad he wasn't actively looking for someone to kill, I guess." Yukari shrugged.
Hidemi walked up to a trembling Satoshi and put her arms around his shoulders. "Oh...I'm so sorry."
She sighed when she got no response and glanced back to the rest of us. "If you guys don't mind, I'm going to talk to Satoshi and take him to his room. "
"Of course, you can." Finn gave a weak smile.
"W-Wait!" Kenjiro spoke up. "Um...Satoshi, if you want to talk to me or something...my lab is always open-"
"N-No!" He cried.
"I-I'm sorry." Kenjiro lowered his head, but then looked around. "That...That goes to everyone too. Like...If you want to talk about whatever h-happened, Tatsuo."
The motorcyclist perked up at the reference to his secret, a flash of worry crossing his face, but he just shook his head. "Nah...I'm good. The offer is appreciated though."
"A-Alright..." Kenjiro nodded.
"We'll see you guys tomorrow. Good night everybody!" Hidemi waved and said goodbye for both herself and Satoshi as he stood still in the elevator. Hidemi soon entered after him and pushed one of the buttons.
I watched the elevator slowly ascend with the two of them inside as Hidemi began trying to talk to a quiet Satoshi.
"Now that the two of them are gone, I say I bring up an issue we have to discuss!" Ryoko raised her wrist up and pulled her glove down, revealing her unusually loose wristband. "These wristbands! I believe everyone in possession of one should follow my trend and reveal them. It will make this experience far more easier, don't you agree?"
I instinctively clutched my wristband, but let go immediately to not draw suspicions. "Why do you say that...?"
"We all have seen how dangerous they are. I believe it will be much safer if it's out in the open!"
"That's exactly the opposite of what we should do!" Yuna chimes in. "Come on Ryoko...After what happened to Shimura, do you really think any of us will just admit that?"
"That would just make things more dangerous...So of course not!" Kairi backed Yuna up. "What if people knew each other's rule? That's too risky."
Ryoko sighed. "Very well. It's good to see I'm the only one not afraid though." She then smiled after giving us all a backhanded insult. "We have no more business here, cowards."
"Right." Tatsuo nodded. "Let's all go back to our cabins and get some much-needed rest. We'll see each other in the morning. Then we can talk about the next course of action."
"Good idea." I agreed.
"Perfect! We can talk about your secret then, Tatsuo." Ryoko clapped her hands as he just sighed.
"Look. I...I don't want another killing to take place. So...Please try to stay calm everyone. We'll get out eventually." Tatsuo then reiterated, looking at each one of us. A bunch of mumbled responses replied to him as the rest of us boarded the elevator to leave.
-
As I approached my cabin, I found someone already waiting for me.
"Ah, Chiyo!" Ryoko clapped her hands while I climbed the stairs to the front door. "Just the girl I wanted to see."
"You were the one standing at my door, so I assumed you wanted to see me in the first place." I rolled my eyes.
"Ha, whatever. Why stress the little details that don't matter?" She waved her hand, dismissing what I had said. "So, what did you think?"
"...Of what?"
"Of the trial, obviously!" She laughed. "Wasn't it fun and full of tension? Just what I expected. I didn't think I'd enjoy myself that much...However, I hope to crank things up even bigger next time. Then we all could have a much better time-"
"What the hell do you mean next time?" I lowered my hand that was just about to unlock my door.
"I mean next trial, duh. There's no way these guys won't eventually kill again. I just can't wait to see it! If you thought the tricks I pulled this trial was all I was capable of, then you were sorely mistaken-"
"What do you even want to win out of this?" I glared at her.
"Win?" She paused and then giggled. "Ohohoho! Chiyo, it's not about winning or losing right now. It's about the thrill. I want to enjoy myself!"
"You're...kidding right. There's no way this is just for your enjoyment-"
Suddenly, Ryoko pushed me against my front door, her hands on either side of my shoulders. I gulped while she leaned in close and with a devious smile then whispered.
"Of course not. I'm only going to start thinking about winning later on. For now, all I care about to entertainment. No need to rush things...I want to lavish in my well-deserved win at the end after all-"
I pushed her away and shook my head. "Just...Stop talking. You don't even know what you're saying. There's no way someone could actually think that."
"...I see." She nodded, seemingly taking notes of what I had just said. "Well, it appears I must take my leave. Good night Chiyo!"
She left with a wave and a skip on her step that I did not return as I just shook my head and entered my cabin.
I threw my bag to the side so it hung off my chest of drawers and collapsed on my bed, realising how exhausted I was.
In a day, we lost three people.
Akemi got murdered...
Shimura got poisoned...
And Shunsuke got executed.
I didn't think his punishment would be that gruesome. I guess it's lit a fire under all of our asses. We really have to get out of here.
But Ryoko...Did she seriously mean what she said? Just what is she scheming?
I...Should focus on getting a good night's rest. After the torturous day the others and I had, I suppose we deserve it.
But Ryoko's words kept playing in my head even while I was struggling to fall asleep.
...When are we gonna get out of this dump?
-
PROTAGONIST SWITCH!
Chiyo Yagami -> ???
Cold...
Strangely cold...And dark?
Wait. I know what this is. What am I even thinking? I should've checked those chemicals before rushing...Then I wouldn't be as tired.
I opened my eyes to see a massive blur.
Shit. Wait a moment.
I stuffed my hand in one of my pockets full of garbage to pull out my spare glasses before slipping them on, pushing them up so they properly fit.
Monokuma must have taken me from my room. He definitely left my glasses there then. Glad I always carry spares, even if my pockets are a mess.
My eyes adjusted to see I was in a confined space, full of chilled air. I moved my legs to feel a steel door which imprisoned me here.
So...This is a morgue, huh? It's tighter than I expected. It's lucky I planned all of this.
I carefully turned my body around so my head faced the door. Then, I dove my hand into my pockets again and pulled out two hair pins that I borrowed from Akihiro.
He's been a surprisingly good help. From agreeing to my plan to supplying these pins. As long as his big mouth doesn't reveal that I'm alive, I can trust him.
As I pulled my hand back, I noticed it.
My wristband...It's gone?
Right, it detached from my body. Monokuma must have taken it. I wonder if the others saw...
I ignored it and fiddled with the lock with the pins for a few moments, applying different amounts of pressure before hearing a click.
So all those hours procrastinating on paperwork and watching useless videos seemed to help. I knew all the lock picking tutorials had to be important eventually.
Pushing the door open, I fell out of the small compartment, adjusting my messy lab coat and fixing my glasses yet again. I turned around to see fifteen other compartments.
So sixteen in total. One for all of us...
They all had open doors, ready for victims. Except for two.
I walked up to the closed doors and read the names.
Akemi Furuya...
Shunsuke Ketsuyuki...
So these two died. Must have been a busy day for everyone.
I would mourn, but I've got to get going. I have no clue what time it is and I have to find out where the hell I am before it's too late.
In this room...there are no cameras or monitors. Perfect. Monokuma has no need to monitor this morgue anyway.
I walked over to the door and pushed it open, revealing stairs.
Looks like the only way is up.
I climbed the stairs for what seemed like hours, but that was probably just me being unfit. When I finally reached the door, I tried to open it. Instead of it working as a normal door, it moved forward before sliding to the side to show...
The clock tower's lounge?
I didn't step out, wary of the lounge's camera seeing me but watched as the door closed on its own a while later.
A secret door disguised as an ordinary wall. Interesting...What else do Monokuma and this mastermind have hiding?
There's no way I can investigate by myself though. I've got to get Akihiro.
My fingers brushed against my handbook, still in my pocket.
So...Monokuma left me with the handbook. Weird.
I can't worry about that now. I need to just message him. I'll be lucky if he even responds. The guy must be asleep.
After writing a message explaining everything, I hit send. Now all I had to do was wait for Akihiro.
I slumped down and took a seat on one of the steps, looking down at my handbook.
...I'm more of a realist than an optimist, but I really hope this plan works.
----------
Chapter 1 - A Sad Party of One
- END -
----------
Surviving Students: 14/16
Pink - Victim
Dark Grey - Culprit
Orange - ???
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New Items Acquired!
- Theorist's Limited Edition Gloves
- Ketsuyuki Family Heirloom Ring
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To be continued...