Danganronpa Midnight: Lantern Lament (Fanganronpa)

Chapter 6 - An Encounter of Destined Despair

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Chapter 6 - An Encounter of Destined Despair
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Darkness. That was all I could see with my eyes shut tightly. It felt like I had been asleep for days with absolutely none of my senses functioning.

My body felt different. As if the one I had been in all this time wasn't actually mine. For the first time in a while, I felt...truly like myself. With real feelings, thoughts and beliefs instead of the artificialness of what the killing game was like.

This bizarre feeling of nothingness. The only word I could find to describe if after what felt like weeks of intense death and torture was just...peaceful.

My momentary silence was abruptly interrupted by the sensation of someone tapping me on the shoulder.

"Hey...Can you hear me?" An unrecognisable male voice asked from above me.

"H-Huh...?" I blinked my eyes open, yet once again was met with the same darkness.

Where am I...? And what the hell is on my face right now?

"Oh, you probably can't see a thing. My bad." The stranger apologised quickly before removing whatever was blocking my vision.

Once he did, my vision slowly readjusted to reveal where I was. It appeared to be some sort of abandoned meeting room, with rusty pipes lining the walls and dust invading every floor tile.

But that's also when I realised who exactly was the boy in front of me, smiling sympathetically as he put the strange headset that had been on me on the table.

It did take me a moment, but the two golden eyes and mole under his lip were enough for me to get it.

"Kei...Kei Shizuka." I blurted out, slowly raising my hand to point at the boy before me.

"Ah. So you do know who I am." Kei nodded with a weak grin. "Good. I thought that you had forgotten everything all of a sudden. But it seems you're ok." He paused to think to himself before sighing in relief. "I'm glad."

Kei proceeded to step back and extend his hand out towards me in an attempt to help me up. I cautiously avoided it and just stood up myself, Kei quickly noticing the gesture a slowly putting his arm down.

"Right. I should give you some time to adjust. You have been in that game for many hours now. Take as long as you need." He offered.

"W-Wait...Hours?" I repeated. "What the hell do you mean hours?!? That killing game was weeks long-"

"The passage of time in the virtual world is greatly accelerated. Less stalling means more killing games and fun for that bastard." The boy before me clenched his fists in frustration. Once Kei remembered I was right beside him, he dropped his fists and thought of an excuse. "Sorry about that...I guess I got pretty worked up."

"No...It's fine?" I replied in a very confused manner.

"Great. Right, you're probably confused. If you've got any questions, feel free to ask me. You do deserve answers." He explained. "If you don't have any well...you can talk to your friends, I suppose."

"Hold on." I stopped him from walking away, grabbing his wrist. "I think you're forgetting to fill me in on the most important detail. What the hell do you mean by a virtual world?!?"

"Right. I should summarise that." He took a deep breath. "In the simplest terms, the killing game all took place in a virtual world - an actual game made by my classmate who is the person really behind this, so you can somewhat trust me. That headset allowed you to take part." He gestured to the object he had taken off of my face and placed it on the table before me. Now that I could probably see it, I realised it looked exactly like one of those virtual reality headsets.

"W-What...? What the fuck?!?" I took a step back, my brain not understanding anything.

"I understand it's a lot." Kei attempted to reassure me. "But trust me. And calm down. I'll try my best to explain it to you all. For now, I suggest you speak to your friends while I try and get the others to wake up."

"O-Others?" I stuttered after trying not to freak out. Momentarily, I glanced past Kei to see my three surviving friends all gathered at the front of the room: Shouko, Kenjiro and Satoshi. Upon seeing that, I looked back at the rich kid. "But everyone else is...dead..."

My voice trailed off as I looked over my other classmates, all sat in chaos with their headsets still attached. They were all completely still except for the occasional twitch.

"Are you going to try and explain that too?!?" I furrowed my eyebrows at Kei, grabbing his shoulders. "What the hell happened to all of them? What...What happened to us? To my class! Why did we have to do this...this fucked up game?!?"

"I-I know you're upset! Trust me, I am too." Kei removed my hands from him, his eyes pleading with me. "But please take it easy! Just for now at least. As I said, I'll explain more when everyone wakes up. I can guarantee that - I'd never go back on that promise."

"Everyone? Everyone alive is already awake! What are you saying?!?" I just continued to exclaim.

"Chiyo." Kenjiro approached us, placing a hand on my shoulder with a small sigh. "Let's leave Kei to do what he has to do, ok? Then we can collect our thoughts before the r-real explanation begins." He tried to calm me down.

Shit. Kenjiro is lucky he has the talent he has. Since he's a psychologist, he could say whatever he wants - but as long as Kenjiro has the right tone and voice, I'd go along with it.

"Fine." I clenched my fists and turned to walk away. "But we better get answers!"

After shouting one last word at Kei, he scurried off to the back of the room while I joined Shouko and Satoshi at the front with Kenjiro.

Satoshi's gaze followed behind the Ultimate Jack of All Trades, seemingly admiring him. "He's pretty cool...W-Way cooler than I imagined."

"Shimura said no fanboying." Shouko bluntly reminded him, shaking her head.

"I-I'm not! I swear!" He defended himself badly.

"Whatever. Cool or not, Kei still needs to give us answers. Our classmates are dead and we have no fucking idea what's going on!" I complained, my arms crossed against my chest. "If he doesn't tell us everything or skips shit out then I'll be so pissed."

"He has no reason to leave stuff out. Shimura said he wasn't the mastermind." Satoshi reminded us.

"So...he might be on our side then?" Shouko asked.

"Might is the definitive word there. Who knows what Kei wants to do." I scoffed. "I do assume we all want to find who is behind this, right?"

"Of course. Justice has to be served to avenge all of our dead friends." Kenjiro determinedly nodded, agreeing with me.

"Yes. Like Hidemi." Satoshi met my gaze. "She had no reason to die like that...So we'll do our best to help her the way she helped others!" he enthusiastically added with a smile.

"The same with Akihiro," Shouko mumbled in agreement.

"Then good." I placed my hands on my hips. "Since we all have pretty much the same goal in mind, it's safe to say we've already started taking sides - us four being on the same page of course."

"Got room for one more?" Out of nowhere, an extremely familiar voice asked, stopping right beside me with his hands in his pockets. "What am I even saying?" He chuckled. "Obviously you do. You're going to need all the help you can get. And Shouko is right - I did say no fanboying."

My whole body paused once I heard the voice. The tone, the pitch...Hell, even the shitty sarcasm. I knew it all too well. And I knew exactly who it belonged to.

I sharply turned my head around and up to see him - Shimura Kurayami. He was right by me. In the flesh.

Unless my mind was playing tricks on me, I knew it had to be him. The way he towered over us all and his dishevelled look. It was quintessentially Shimura, without a doubt.

"Shi...Shimura?" I blinked at first, my brain trying to understand how the man in front of me was even here, let alone alive. But when my attempts to get this all crumbled, I just stepped back in surprise, nearly tripping on my own feet. "W-What the fuck is this?!?"

Kenjiro stared wide-eyed with his mouth agape, his glasses threatening to fall off his face. Satoshi was silent at first before the realisation slowly settled in, causing him to scream momentarily, startling even Kei who remained at the back of the room.

Shouko appeared to be the only one not shocked at this.

No...It was rather that her initial shock had immediately transformed into strange excitement.

"A ghost! Shimura's ghost too!" She cheered, clapping her hands together. "Wow...This is so cool! I wish I had my equipment right now...C-Crap, I-"

"I'm not a ghost." He calmly responded, pushing his glasses up. "Though, I wished you other three greeted me with such enthusiasm. I have to say, Shouko...That was quite the...spirit."

"Fuck." I sighed, face palming immediately. "Yes, this is definitely Shimura if he's cracking shitty puns at a time like this."

"I-I see." Satoshi took a calming breath but stopped. "How?!? How is he alive? I thought-"

"That I died. Well, so did I. And I was fully prepared to." He looked away but sighed. "If you're searching for answers then you'll have to wait for Kei to give them apparently."

Shimura seemed somewhat impatient, his foot tapping on the floor as his eyes focused on one particular girl, still sitting in the corner.

Ryoko.

Oh shit, things were probably either pretty awkward or insufferable between the two of them in purgatory. That's not even acknowledging our other classmates who were there!

I'm kind of curious though. I wonder what happened just a few moments ago.

"Well...We are still waiting on Kei." Kenjiro readjusted his glasses. "Why is that?"

"It's simple." Shimura's attention was redirected to us once again. "We're still waiting on someone. And it looks like she's deciding to take her damn sweet time. Typical."

"H-Her?" Satoshi repeated, apparently confused until a giggle was heard along with two pairs of footsteps.

The first was Kei's as he stood before us all beside the large whiteboard at the front of the room, taking a deep breath as he prepared to speak.

The other however belonged to someone more...controversial as she stood between me and Shimura.

"Ah! It feels like I've been asleep for weeks. How rejuvenating!" She cheered with an overdramatic and overbearing smile. "It's like I've woken up as a brand new person. Well, I suppose that is true." As chuckled at her own morbid joke.

But as she did, all of our eyes - except for Shimura's since he apparently already knew about this ordeal - widened.

Back from the death or lack thereof was Ryoko Tadashi, grinning as if she had not been a victim of a horrific murder just a couple of hours ago. In fact, the smile plastered on her face as she glanced at us all was unnerving enough to remind me why Ryoko was such a threat.

"Eh? A-Another gho-" Shouko was about to exclaim.

"Don't even finish that sentence." Shimura visibly tensed up once she arrived, clutching at the sides of his arms. "The only things ghostly about her are her presence and face. The rest is just a nightmare."

"Good to see you too, Shimura! Didn't I tell you? I knew we'd meet again!" Ryoko grinned, clasping her hands together. "Oh, and how could I forget to greet the rest of you! I'm sure you all missed me. Isn't that right, Chiyo?" she began to walk towards me with her arms out for a hug.

"Don't you even try it!" I yelled, smacking her hands away. "I'm glad Shimura is somehow alive - but you?!? You should have stayed dead!"

"Oh my!" she gasped overdramatically, clasping her hands over her mouth. "That's no way to talk to me. Although..." she chuckled. "I suppose I shouldn't tease you anymore! You see, Shimura and I are going steady, so I don't want to upset-"

"We're not. Never in a million years would I do something as masochistic as that." Shimura harshly and coldly rejected her, avoiding her gaze entirely.

"Ah, he doesn't mean that-"

"No, I really do."

Kei just sighed, his imposing presence being a signal for us to stop arguing and look at him - even if Ryoko couldn't initially contain her laughter.

"It seems I've got a lot of explaining to do." Kei began. "I'm not the person best certified for this...But I don't have a choice, do I?"

"Of course you don't," I replied.

"We deserve answers, Kei," Satoshi spoke up before stammering. "O-Oh, I'm Satoshi - a big fan! I-"

"I know who you are. And I'm flattered, really!" Kei nervously chuckled before folding his arms. "But now is not the time for that."

"Oh...yeah. Right." Satoshi nodded with a deep breath.

"I did tell you." The toxicologist just rolled his eyes.

"I should start with the basics. Then, we can build upon that."
Kei led us all, taking a seat in the office chair that was stationed at the front of the room in front of the numerous screens. "As I told each of you as you all woke up, the killing game you experienced all took place in a virtual world inside those headsets you all wore which allowed you to take part. Of course, you were all unfortunately forced into this game against your will as a class, with my classmates taking you all hostage."

"A...virtual world. So a real video game, huh?" Satoshi seemed to be in disbelief.

"If that's what you want to call it then...essentially, yes." The boy in the white uniform nodded.

"Taken hostage?" I repeated with a scoff. "It was way worse than that! We were kidnapped! Attacked, even. And you wanted to say we were just taken hostage...Don't make me laugh."

Kei was silent for a moment upon hearing that but then met my gaze intensely. "If I had known that's what they did to you all...I never would have allowed it. I never wanted harm to come to you guys in any shape or form. Maybe that's why he never told me what he was actually up to. If I was aware of his malicious and murderous intentions, I would have put a stop to this." He clenched his fist.

"He? W-Who is he?" Kenjiro wondered.

"And you mean...you didn't know we were in a killing game? Even I find that hard to believe." Shouko pouted at his words.

"I-It's true! I swear." He insisted. "But...I'm getting to that part. As for the game itself, it was mainly developed by my classmate, Ryuto Gijutsu, the Ultimate Hacker. He, along with my whole class made it."

"You mean...your whole class created this death game for us to enjoy?" Ryoko smirked. "I'm almost honoured!"

"No. They...they didn't know what it really was. To me, my peers and even my father, Ryuto convinced us that this game was to improve ourselves. To develop and enhance our talents for the better of society. That's why he got funding from my father, was able to get my classmates to help him with development and got me to...oversee this beta test."

"So he even got funding. Typical from people like you and your family." Shimura rolled his eyes.

"I...I understand why you would feel that way. You can blame me - I deserve most of it after all for not managing to help you all." Kei replied.

"It...doesn't sound like it's entirely your fault," Kenjiro interjected.

"Well..." he breathed deeply. "Believe what you want, I suppose. As for the game itself, it had principles of its own, such as the accelerated sense of time. What feels like a day in the virtual world can transform into mere minutes in the outside world. That's why it's felt like it's been ages for you all - in reality, it's only been a couple of hours."

"N-Now that is freaky," Satoshi admitted.

"That's not the worst of it." He continued. "When your friends died in the virtual world, they were sent to purgatory. There, the statuses of their avatars would be set to 'deceased'. Because of that...upon the game shutting down, in some sick attempt at realism, the headsets electrocute whoever is wearing them."

"W...What?!?" Kenjiro perked up, his glasses nearly falling off again in shock from what he had just heard. "Those headsets are practically murder weapons! How was this even allowed?!?"

"It shouldn't be. Everyone was fooled!" Kei informed us.

"So that's why purgatory and the void looked so...glitchy." Satoshi connected the dots. "Because...It was basically a game! A murderous video game."

"Now doesn't that just sound fun!" Ryoko grinned at the news. "But I believe now you should get to explaining to these lot how me and Shimura are alive!" She attempted to link arms with the toxicologist.

"Yes. The sooner you go through that, the less they'll all be confused." Shimura harshly turned away from her. "Even if you felt like you had to save her too..." he mumbled that last part through clenched teeth, refusing to look at Kei.

"Well, we had planned both Ryoko's death and Shimura's execution. The two of these events would bug the game enough momentarily to allow me to force my way into the files and initiate the shutdown sequence to get all of you out." Kei then looked back at Ryoko. "It felt...wrong to let the two people who helped me end this just die. So, with the chance I had, I was able to change the status of their avatars so they'd survive."

"Without telling them," Shimura added on after that, glaring at Kei.

"Shimura, I...I should have told you. That you'd get to live. But-"

"But where's the fun in that?" Ryoko scoffed. "Besides, if Kei had told you, I would have refused to go along with your silly plan and you'd all be stuck in the killing game still! So be grateful for what he did, ok Shimura?"

"You don't understand: I was prepared to die. So now...everything is different." He sighed.

"I'm sorry, Shimura. Really, I-"

"Save it. Don't bother...I helped you, so it's not like we still have to be friendly." The toxicologist shut him down, leaving Kei dejected.

"U-Uh..." Kei hesitated with that information, yet slowly nodded in understanding. "If that's what you want."

God, I hate to say it but Ryoko was kind of right. Kei is not like what I was expecting at all. He is like a pushover, just like she said.

I still do not know the guy all that well, but I don't like him already. Especially since we're both in this mess together.

"Right! A-Another thing I noticed during the activity spikes were all the files - including stuff like assets, code and something known as an...ai folder?" He listed.

"Ai? What does that have to do with us...?" Shouko asked.

"I don't know. I didn't have enough time to thoroughly look through it, but..." With a small smile, Kei pulled something out of his pocket, waving it at us all. "I managed to get it all on this USB stick. I'll be able to analyse it all when I get the chance!" He attempted to cheer us up with the news.

"I...I guess that's something." Satoshi shrugged.

Kei took note of most of our grim expressions and just went quiet once again, slipping the stick back into his pocket. He then changed the subject. "I...can't get a hold of Ryuto."

"Ryuto?" Shimura repeated the name. "You mean..."

"That's right. Ryuto Gijutsu - the Ultimate Hacker, my classmate and the true mastermind behind your killing game." He announced. "The bastard has been ignoring all my calls...And with the only one he bothered to answer, he just made fun of us the whole time!"

"He really does sound...difficult," Kenjiro murmured.

"Ryuto is more than difficult. He's outright complicated. I should've seen this coming from him a mile away. I...I guess I valued my classmates too much so my suspicions never got to me." Kei sighed. "If only I did something..."

"It's too late to be thinking stuff like that now," I informed him. "We now know exactly who we have to stop to put an end to this. You can feel up your deserved guilt later."

"That is fair." Kei slowly nodded. "I still can't reach him, even though I know exactly where he is."

"Uh." Shouko just blinked in confusion after that sentence. "If it was so important and you knew where he was, why didn't you just...go?"

"Of course, I considered that!" He defended himself. "But...when Ryuto told me you'd all die if I even left this room, I...I couldn't just leave you all here to die. So I stayed here and helped you all out."

"So that's what he pulled. And you...picked us!" Satoshi weakly smiled. "That's sweet, I suppose."

"Like I said, I didn't want you all to die. And I didn't want to feel guiltier than I already am. So...So I really tried my best." Kei nodded before furrowing his eyebrows. "But Ryuto is probably still finding ignoring me to be one of the funniest things ever. Jerk..."

"Well, where is this Ultimate Hacker then? You did say you had an idea where he would be." I asked, placing my hands on my hips.

"No, no. No 'woulds' or 'maybes.'" Kei firmly said with a determined glare. "Ryuto is definitely at Nozomu Academy right now. Since the beta test is done, he must want to force all my classmates to get ready. I can't let that happen!" He concluded with an exclamation.

"B-Beta test?" Satoshi gasped. "That Ryuto guy must really be treating this like an actual video game."

"That's just...sick." Kenjiro huffed in disapproval.

"Oh, really now?" Ryoko spoke up, chuckling from the table she sat on to the side of the room along with other pieces of abandoned furniture. "Give this poor, sad Ryuto guy some credit - the guy has both will and passion! Now with that knowledge of his character, I can be...extremely excited. The man sounds like a genius - that's my kind of thing." She smirked.

And to think I nearly forgot this annoying big-mouthed girl was here. I was fully ready to return to how I acted when I seriously enough she was dead.

Gah...Fuck! Why did she have to come back?!? Ryoko will just make things worse.

"Whatever you think about what Ryuto is planning, you can't go to Nozomu." Kei then warned us. "In fact, you all are staying here until help arrives."

"H-Huh?!? What the hell do you mean?" I exclaimed. "We have to go! We need to put that bastard in his place-"

"No." Kei firmly said, placing his hand on the desk before him. "I'm going alone. I can't put you all in danger again."

"What sort of danger is at your rich school?" Shimura folded his arms with an unimpressed glare.

"Why do you think Ryuto wanted to test this game? To make his own class play it!" Kei revealed. "That's what he's doing with my classmates at the academy - preparing for their own game in just a couple of hours. And like how I was, they're all under the impression that this game is innocent. That is exactly why I need to go and shut it down before it even starts. I've got the proof, they'll have to listen to me." He intensely stared at each of us. "I won't let any more deaths happen. That, I swear. If I couldn't help your friends, then I'll at least try to save my own."

"But what if you're one of them?" Ryoko suggested, a sly smirk appearing on her face.

"One...of them?" The boy repeated.

"You know what I mean! What if you're in on it? Hell, what if all of your Nozomu friends are?" She giggled. "Did you not even consider that? Why would we blindly trust someone like you?"

Kei fell silent at that thought but clenched his fists in determination. "You can believe what you want about me. No matter what you're thinking, that won't stop me from doing what's right and trying to put a stop to Ryuto."

"Spoken like a true leader." I heard Satoshi murmur beside me. "I told you he was admirable." He then whispered once he caught me listening in.

"I'll need more evidence to even consider agreeing with you on that." I dejectedly sighed at the events happening around me.

"That's basically everything major," Kei concluded, meeting our eyes with a small sympathetic look. "I know that wasn't enough to provide you any comfort in the slightest, but at least you have a little bit of context." He then turned away towards the door to leave the abandoned room, pulling his phone out and typing in some words.

"W-Wait," Kenjiro spoke up, calling out to Kei and making him stop in his tracks. The taller boy slowly looked behind him with a confused expression.

"Did I forget something? Or...Oh, I should've asked if you had any questions. How rude of me." He quietly scolded himself.

"It's not a big question." The psychologist reassured him. "I- Er, we all want to know...what are we meant to do now?"

"You don't need to worry about that or any possible risks if that's what you're scared about. I'm about to prepare one of my top drivers to escort you all home while I get to the bottom of this. Until they arrive, you can...do whatever, really."

"No need to tell me twice." Ryoko grinned as soon as she heard that, getting up off the table she sat on. Without turning back, she made her way to the door just as Kei attempted to do earlier.

"Hey! Where the hell do you think you're going?" I interrogated her, not giving Ryoko the time to even try and joke around.

"I just want to walk around and explore the facilities here!" She acted innocent as she said it. "Don't tell me that's a crime now. I'm a perfectly fine upstanding member of society, mind you."

"As if." Shimura scoffed beside me, shaking his head at her nonsense.

With that being assumed as her signal to leave, Ryoko smirked before grandly pulling open the door and stepping out of the room we had been confined in for the past few hours.

"Uh...Well, I guess you can leave- N-Not the building!" Kei informed us, stumbling over his words. "I wasn't done yet though..."

Jeez...he really does sound like a pushover. How is this guy the heir to a massive company?

"What is this building anyway?" Shouko bluntly asked, fiddling with the strands of her hair that were over her face. "Is it some murder ground?"

"What?!? Of course not!" Kei exclaimed then tried to reassure us. "This is one of my father's abandoned buildings. It was intended to be used a few years ago, but after some budget cuts and reviews, it was eventually cut from the company's plans." He paused for a moment. "I suppose it's not entirely abandoned. My dad does come here every now and then as a retreat from his work."

"Your dad - the CEO of one of the biggest technology companies in the world - seeks comfort in...a dump like this?" Shimura blinked. "I'll never understand people like you."

"H-Hey!" Kei got defensive. "It's not like he wanders around abandoned buildings...He just likes to spend time in the conservatory here. We can't have one back at home and all our other main buildings are located in the city, so it's not like he'd have the best view. Since this building is outside the big city, it's...perfect for a break, I'd assume. That's why he gave Ryuto permission to use it - under the impression it was to experiment with his so-called 'harmless' game."

"The does sound nice." Satoshi hummed a low-effort reply before hesitating. "But...Uh." His eyes just drifted over the bodies of our now-dead classmates, all stationary in their seats.

"You want to know what's going to happen to the bodies?" Kei assumed.

"Yeah...I-It's just kind of unnerving." Satoshi sighed.

"That's fine. I'll get people to deal with them as soon as possible with the utmost care. As for memorials and such, I'll try to get those arranged too." Kei nodded, making notes on a piece of paper he had found on the desk of all his self-imposed tasks.

"Are you really going to handle all of that?" I furrowed my gaze towards him, cocking my head to the side.

"Of course I will." He nodded with an air of determination. "It's mostly my fault for just...letting Ryuto do what he wants. So please stay put here until help arrives." He gave us all pleading glances. "I just have to call the driver for you guys and they'll arrive as soon as possible."

"I-I was just wondering...shouldn't you be calling someone else?" Kenjiro subtly tried to hint towards something else.

"Call...someone else?" Kei blinked, seemingly clueless. "I don't think so. No one is injured, so we don't need an ambulance. Er- Well...they wouldn't understand the bodies-"

"I mean the police!" Kenjiro corrected the boy.

"Police?" Kei repeated, his head whipping up at the suggestion. "No. Not a chance." He immediately shut it down.

"What?!?" Satoshi took a step back. "I'm sorry but...Are you saying we have to stay quiet about this? T-That's impossible, we've lost so many people!"

"Exactly! You can't expect us to keep this a secret." I placed my hands on my hips and called him out. "My dad is a detective - I can't just not tell him this information! Actually, that gives me more of a reason to tell him. I could even write an article to expose this whole shitstorm."

"N-No! Don't-"

"I expected this from you." Shimura rolled his eyes. "Typical. Wealthy guys like you would do anything to keep a scandal like this buried. So what are you going to offer? Money?" He then flared through the lenses of his glasses. "Don't you even bother or dare."

"I...I can't believe that!" Shouko appeared disgusted. "After everything we've gone through too..."

"You guys aren't getting it." Kei tried to reason with us. "They can't get involved yet. First of all, they can't be trusted - if Ryuto was able to manipulate my whole class and even me and my father, who knows who else he could trick? That's why I want to keep this situation to a small group of people I can trust such as myself, you guys, my father and even my classmates if I'm lucky."

"So...You want to put a stop to this with just the people who already know about it and are involved basically." I summarised.

"Right, exactly." He nodded. "But not only that...but it is my responsibility to put an end to this foolish game of his. I was the person who let him do this and caused the deaths of your classmates. If he made me responsible for that, then I'll take it upon myself to put a stop to whatever he's planning. So...please, for now, let's keep this between us." Kei then pleaded. "It won't be for long. I'll end things tonight, then we can expose everything if that's what you want."

"...He's telling the truth," Kenjiro informed us after taking a glance at the boy. "A-And he does seem determined."

"Uh, well," Satoshi thought for a moment. "Keeping it to ourselves for now isn't a bad idea..."

"Seriously?" Shimura scoffed.

"Kei says he'll stop this! And he did save our lives." Satoshi defended him.

"And you're really going to take his word for it?" The toxicologist chuckled. "Like I said, how typical. You actually are a massive fanboy."

"H-Hey! That has nothing to do with this-"

"I guess it's not the worst idea..." Shouko yawned. "Uh, I didn't know I'd be so tired after that."

"You too?" He turned to look at her and sighed. "I assume Kenjiro does too."

"E-Er...Yeah, I do." The psychologist admitted.

"Then do what you want then." Shimura turned away. "No matter what Chiyo thinks, I'd be in the minority. So fine! Let's let this stranger get justice for our friends and loved ones. What a great idea." He dragged that last sentence out with extra sarcasm.

Shimura definitely doesn't trust Kei. And to be fair, neither do I.

But thank god I didn't have to contribute - the truth is, I don't know what to do.

Of course, I'd love to expose all of this shit and get the cops involved. Arresting the bastard who did this sounds like a dream.

But Kei is right...Keeping this to ourselves for now and letting him sort things out is also an option - an option that can at least put an end to things quicker if he really does do it tonight.

"Thank you." Kei exhaled a sigh of relief. "I promise I'll stop things. I won't disappoint you all."

"Stop making big promises like that and just get to work." Shimura criticised him once again. "You may have been able to end our killing game with my help, but you've got a lot more shit to deal with."

"Alright, alright!" Kei nervously laughed in an attempt to reassure himself. "Just-"

"W-Wait! Before you go, uh..." Satoshi cleared his throat, interrupting Kei and attracting all of our attention. "I was wondering if I could ask you something. O-Obviously there are more important matters! Sorry, I get that - but-"

"You don't have to apologise." Kei gave the boy a reassuring look. "After what you've just gone through, I'm sure your questions are all relevant and valid. You're free to ask whatever. I do owe you that much at least."

"Well, if I have your permission, then I was wondering about what...is going to happen to, uh...me." He asked, hanging his head low.

"To...you? What do you mean?" Kei blinked.

"I'm probably going to get arrested r-right? You all know I killed someone...So I understand. I'm still a murderer even if I survived. If you all want to report me or send me to prison...I-I get it. It's-"

"No, Satoshi." Kei cut off his rant with a sigh, shaking his head. "You're not going to prison. In fact, you're fine."

"What?!? No...You must not have heard. I k-killed someone! I-"

"No. I heard everything." Kei interrupted once again, trying to calm the situation down. "In the end, you're not going to prison, Satoshi. You don't have to worry."

"I...I don't understand." Satoshi held his head in confusion.

"I don't understand as well. I don't want Satoshi to go to prison but...He did actually kill someone, right?" I searched for clarification.

"No, he didn't," Kei explained. "There is a possibility he did, but I doubt it. Satoshi couldn't remember where, when exactly or what happened to the body after he killed that man. Sure, it sounds like his memory is just foggy after such a traumatic experience, but in actuality, it's because no crime took place. Saves me time from checking the news on any found dead bodies around the time."

"I-I'm...innocent?" Satoshi widened his eyes. "That's impossible! I-I remember shooting him, I...I remember the gun! Hell, I remember telling Kenjiro and Hidemi about it!"

"Satoshi may enjoy writing stories, but he wouldn't make this up." Kenjiro defended him. "The murder changed Satoshi - I remember Hidemi noticing it. Are you saying he changed out of nowhere then?"

"No. That's because Satoshi didn't change until the start of your killing game." He added.

"I'm...still confused," Shouko mumbled. "And that doesn't help."

"Let me explain. You all recall how at the beginning of your game, you had forgotten all of your classmates?" Kei asked. "That was weird, right? You'd been classmates for years, so forgetting them completely out of nowhere seemed impossible. You guys were never told how that happened."

"Right. It was like some guy messed with our heads or some shit." I agreed.

"But that's exactly it. I know this sounds weird as hell but the headsets used to project the killing game to you all also gave Ryuto the gateway to upload memories to you all. That goes in hand with overriding memories. Ryuto could basically rewrite someone's whole personality with this technology just by uploading whatever he wants them to remember." Kei described.

"You mean to say that this Ryuto guy tampered with our memories and made us forget everyone?" Shimura summarised.

"Correct. That's as far as the tampering goes for most of you. But in Satoshi's case...Ryuto took some liberties." Kei sighed. "Up until the start of the game, Satoshi was passionate about forensics - he always was. He and Hidemi were close as ever and he...was an innocent man."

"D-Don't tell me..."

"The headset and the memories uploaded from it are what changed you, Satoshi. Because of them, you are under the impression that you're a murderer. But I can tell you now - you're innocent." He reassured him. "Even Hidemi had her memories tampered with to believe you had changed two years ago. Ryuto was thorough."

"But...But why me?!?" Satoshi clenched his fists, raising. "E-Everything was a lie? All that pain and distress I felt? Why did I have to go through that?!?"

"Because Ryuto found you boring," Kei replied, his eyebrows creasing in pity.

"W...What?" His anger was repeated by another instance of confusion with that answer.

"B-Boring?!?" Kenjiro repeated.

"I remember when Ryuto and I were reviewing your class in preparation for the game. Upon reading your file, he was so...bored. He said so himself. To him, you had no qualities that would be fun to observe. At the time, I didn't know what he meant but now I do. He gave you those memories to make you more interesting for the killing game - as morbid as it sounds."

"So he gave me all of that suffering...because I wasn't interesting enough." Satoshi summarised, his voice deflated and defeated.

"I'm sorry, Satoshi. I can't imagine how conflicted you must feel. In my opinion, you should take some time to think and collect your thoughts." Kei suggested. "Maybe that could help...somehow."

"I'll also help as much as I can, Satoshi," Kenjiro added, taking the boy's hands in his own.

Satoshi couldn't reply, any words being trapped in his throat as he desperately tried to comprehend everything he had learned.

"Well, I'll step outside for now. I need to make some calls and sort things out before leaving and giving you all a heads-up. In the meantime, do whatever. W-Within reason, of course! Like talking and stuff...like that." He wrapped up his messy exit with a quick smile of assurance before leaving the room, pulling out his phone on the way.

I suppose he isn't that much of a pushover. However, when it comes to acting tough and just his general personality, he's definitely leaving a lot to be desired in that department.

We were left by ourselves once again. At first, we all were hesitant to move around the room - it was filled with corpses after all, but that didn't dismiss the strange feeling in the atmosphere.

Eventually, we split up. Satoshi and Kenjiro walked hand in hand towards where Hidemi sat while Shouko remained at the front of the room, sighing and taking a seat by the computer screens Kei stood by. Shimura made his way over to Akihiro's chair unsurprisingly while I was left with my thoughts.

As for where Ryoko is...well, I don't know and I don't care. I have no intentions of speaking to her right now - especially not with her attitude towards our situation.

So now we've finally escaped...but what comes for us all?

I suppose I should talk and catch up with my friends. They're probably as shaken up as I am. Hell, maybe even worse.

In the short walk to where Shimura stood, I was harshly interrupted by the sensation of something crawling at my feet. Initially, I was terrified until I realised that the thing at my feet wasn't a piece of scrap paper or some ball of dust - it was Archie.

"Oh shit." I blinked in shock as I crouched down to the little guy. "You must feel like shit." I picked him up with the palms of my hands, initially shivering and sighing once he was in my hands. "I can't believe I'm doing this..."

It's not like Archie had his own headset. He doesn't know about anything that just happened to us all. But he must know about what happened to Finn - the faint solemn expression I could mark out on his face was evidence enough of it.

"I bet you miss the guy already huh?" I smiled weakly at the creature. "Well, so do I. So I guess that's one thing we have in common for now."

I tucked Archie in my bag yet again. But I suddenly stopped. My hands had brushed past a certain object I had not seen in ages.

My phone!

I worriedly pulled it out, but any excitement I had immediately vanished when I saw the intense scratches and cracks all over the screen.

"You have got to be kidding me?!?" I grumpily groaned, throwing my head back.

Right - when I tripped trying to run away from my kidnappers, my phone broke. I just further confirmed my theory since the screen remained black no matter how many times I pressed the on button.

Well, shit. I was planning on checking up on my dad, but now what?!?

My eyes then landed on the man I was initially walking towards - Shimura.

Duh...just use his phone of course.

I approached Shimura from the side, clearing my throat to get his full attention.

"I was wondering when you'd come up and talk to me." The toxicologist spoke with his hands in his pockets, facing me fully. "You probably have many questions, don't you? I suppose I can't stop you from asking them then."

"Oh, I definitely do. But first...you do have a phone, right?" I asked.

"Indeed I do. But it's not like I use it that often anyway. I only use it for messaging really." He explained. "Why do you ask? What's the issue?"

"Can I use it real quick? Mine is totally busted." I lifted my broken phone up to show him.

"And how did that happen?" He wondered.

"That's...a story for another time." I sighed. "Look, can I use it or not? My father is probably worried sick right now."

"Oh, so that's why you need it." Shimura connected the dots, pulling his phone out and handing it to me. "Then I understand your urgency. Go ahead. Take as long as you need."

"Great. Thanks so much, Shimura." I showed him my gratitude before taking the device from his hands, swiping it on and quickly rushing to dial the number I had memorised years ago.

Then, it rang and I waited.

The wait was excruciating. With every ring, the pit in my stomach only grew as my mind was clouded with thoughts that reminded me of how much I missed him.

So if anything happened to my father...hell, if anything happened to me...we'd both be ruined.

So, please. He has to be alright. He has to be.

And then, he answered.

"Hello? Who is this?" I heard his voice speak up, the distant barks of my dog in the background echoing throughout our apartment.

"H-Hey! What do you mean who is-"

I mentally slapped myself. Of course, he doesn't know whose calling! How could I already forget I was using Shimura's phone?

But it seemed my outburst was enough for him to realise who I was right away.

"Chiyo? Is that you?" He sighed in relief, mumbling a quick 'thank god' under his breath before his voice raised. "I've been waiting for you forever! I know you sometimes stay back at school but come on! It's nearly midnight! Did you know how worried I was?!?"

"Dad...I-"

"I've been calling you non-stop - but they never went through! Not to mention the fact you always let me know when you stay behind. I was going to report you missing!" He carried on. "You know very well that-"

"Dad." I cut him off, my voice trembling just from how concerned he sounded. "I'm fine..."

Right. For me, it's been weeks. But to everyone else on the outside? It's only been a couple of hours. For my dad to be this worried...

My dad paused and for a moment, was silent. That was until I heard him mumble something yet again before speaking up. "I'm...I'm glad that you're ok. You know how easily worried I get."

"Yes, I know." I weakly chuckled. "But...I'm fine. I promise."

"...Alright. But you'll have a lot of explaining to do." He took a deep breath. "Now, where are you right now? And what happened to your phone?!?"

"My phone is a long story. As for the other question...Uh..."

Shit, that is actually a good question. I am in some abandoned Shizuka building but then there's an even bigger question - where is this building?!?

"Don't worry about it," I reassured him, trying to make my voice sound as brave as possible. "I've got a way home."

"Well...If you say so." His voice got softer. "Your ramen is probably cold by now. I'll heat it up for you when you get home."

"Y-You actually got it?"

"Is that an actual question? I said I would, remember?"

"Right...Y-You did." I attempted to hold back my tears. "Thank you, dad. I love you."

"I love you too, kid." I could imagine his smile just by his tone. "Get back home safe, ok? And quickly. As soon as possible actually. Steak has been missing you too, barking non-stop."

"Of course - I'll be right home...hopefully," I replied. After exchanging goodbyes, I ended the call and handed Shimura back his phone.

"Wasn't that heartwarming?" He commented, slipping his phone back into his pocket. "The relationship the two of you have is...charming."

"Right. Thank you again, Shimura."

When I lifted my head back up, I got to properly look at Shimura for the first time in a while.

Twice I thought he had died. Twice was I taken aback by his dead body. And twice he had exceeded my expectations and managed to live.

"I'm glad you're alive - again," I told him, avoiding his gaze.

He's going to say something sarcastic or smug, isn't he?

"Oh really?" He pushed his glasses up and smirked. "And here I was thinking you'd yell at me for how dumb I was for doing what I did or something. What happened to the usual loud, bossy Chiyo?"

"Loud? Bossy?!?" I repeated, crossing my arms against my chest. "What the hell do you mean?!? Here I am complimenting you and that's what you reply with?"

"I was only kidding." He chuckled. "I...I think I'm also glad."

"You think?"

"I should be, right?" Shimura began. "This is what? My second chance at living? And after I was convinced I was going to die in purgatory...Kei apparently had other plans."

"You were ready to die?" I pointed out, tilting my head.

"I had spent the entirety of the night before mentally preparing myself for it so...I thought it was. But look how that came out." Shimura gestured to himself. "But I suppose now I can't complain."

"So then what are you planning to do now? Obviously, you didn't think this far ahead, did you?" I inquired.

"Correct - I didn't." He pondered my question for a moment. "But I think this is a chance to properly live. The whole killing game never was a place for me to actually talk or interact with the other three. But I think now I can change that. Along with helping everyone put a stop to that freak running these games."

"I respect that." I nodded.

"But...I need to thank you again, Chiyo." He took a deep breath and avoided my eyes. "I'm sure you read my letter. I just want to say that everything in it was true...as disgustingly sweet as that sounds. I might not act like it, but you are my closest friend, Chiyo."

"Wow. Now look who's not acting like himself!" I snickered at this behaviour. "But you're also my closest friend, Shimura. I do owe you my life, after all."

"I guess both of us are out of it then." He stated, causing us both to chuckle.

After that, I remembered another question that was on my mind. "Speaking of dying...what happened in purgatory?"

"W-What?" He suddenly stammered.

"You know. Before the void? Before we escaped and you got to see all our dead friends. What happened?" I asked again.

Shimura avoided the questions entirely after his checked flushed red and he cleared his throat, apparently recalling something very interesting. "That's...not important right now.

"Oh, come on! Just tell me!"

"It's a story for another time!" He insisted, further hiding his face.

"But-"

"Another. Time!" Shimura demanded.

"Fine, fine." I sighed, laughing at his reaction.

My life wouldn't be the same without Shimura. And I do owe him for the fact that I'm alive right now.

So once again...thank you,  Shimura.

Eventually, Shimura and I parted ways as I moved on to talk to the others.

Satoshi and Kenjiro were now joined by Shouko, all three of them standing amid the crowd of our dead friends.

"Are you guys alright?" I asked the trio, receiving mixed feedback; Kenjiro soon met my gaze, Shouko hummed a quick reply while Satoshi just didn't reply at all.

"I'm fine...Uh, as fine as I can be, I guess." Shouko shrugged as she kneeled down by Akihiro's still corpse.

"I'm also fine," Kenjiro replied from the wall he leaned on. Then, he stepped forward as his eyes drifted onto the other boy. "I'm more worried about Satoshi right now than my own well-being though."

"I get that." I weakly nodded. "I mean, to hear that what you thought was true about yourself was all a lie? That what you thought were years old your life was just...memories implanted by some sick freak? I'd be fucked up too." I sympathised.

"That's exactly what it feels like..." Satoshi spoke up, finally lifting his head up. "Like...What am I supposed to do?!?"

"I was thinking about that," Kenjiro admitted. "You do have plenty of options. And you don't have to rush - you can always take your time."

"You can do forensic stuff." Shouko bluntly mentioned. "Since you never actually killed anyone-"

"N-No!" He quickly turned down that idea.

"I saw that coming," I mumbled under my breath.

"I might have just figured out I'm innocent...but that doesn't mean I still don't have the memories of all the suffering and pain I went through." Satoshi shivered just thinking about it. "S-So even if everyone else thinks me abruptly stopping forensics is weird, then...oh well. They wouldn't understand."

"That makes perfect sense." Kenjiro then tapped his finger against his cheek as he was deep in thought. "Since forensic science is off the table, then you should spend your time pursuing something you're truly passionate about now."

"Like writing?" Satoshi suggested.

"If that's what you want, then you should go for it." The psychologist smiled.

"Eh?" I blinked once I heard Satoshi begin to murmur. "Try to speak up."

"...Botany is cool." He admitted.

"I guess that explains why you were so sad about Ryoko killing your plant." I chuckled, standing beside him.

"Speaking of which, I did promise to get you a new one." Kenjiro took a mental note. "But I think botany is a great idea. Still in the science field, but something new and engaging."

"So like forensics for plants." Shouko made a shitty comparison.

"No...Not at all." Satoshi shook his head. "But I still don't know yet. What am I meant to do with my life now? Writing, botany...or maybe something else entirely?"

"Like I said, take your time." Kenjiro attempted to comfort the taller boy. "I'll help you no matter what." He then took Satoshi's hand in reassurance and clasped it with a smile.

Satoshi blushed momentarily before wearily smiling back.

Kei walked back into the room clearly stressed, rubbing the bridge of his nose as his free hand typed furiously at his phone.

"Any updates?" I asked, stepping towards him as Kei just sighed.

"Barely...The person I've arranged to take you home has been informed. As for my classmates and their situation...I'm getting nothing." His face had an expression of defeat.

"That is better than nothing I suppose," Kenjiro said.

"But I should have made more progress by now." Kei momentarily furrowed his eyebrows before taking some calming breaths, looking at each one of us. "Is...Ryoko not back yet?"

"Nope." Shouko immediately replied, getting up from Akihiro's side. "You should've known that."

"I just wanted to assume the best. But I suppose that was the wrong move." Kei's eyes scanned the room, meeting each of our gazes for a second before he looked at me. "Can you please go get her?"

"M-Me?" I blinked, pointing at myself. "Why the hell should I have to go get that...that devil?!?"

"Uh..." Kei thought for a moment, attempting to think of a justifiable reason. "You were stood closest to me...so that's why. Sorry."

Shit. For a supposed pushover, he's so conniving!

"You have got to be kidding me," I complained under my breath, crossing my arms. "Where even is she? Am I meant to look around this whole ass building or something?"

"Oh, no. I wouldn't let that happen; this place is a maze." Kei reassured me. "I assume she's at the conservatory - I did hear footsteps from it while I was making my calls. It's just down the hall to the right."

"I see." I clenched my jaw. "I don't have a choice, do I?"

"Not really...sorry." He apologised once again.

"I seriously doubt you are sorry." I groaned before reluctantly leaving the room.

Right. So this conservatory...Down the hall and to the right.

I followed Kei's directions until I finally found it. I entered the conservatory to see a beautiful large room - each wall constructed from dusty glass with some parts shattered carelessly, yet I could still clearly see the stars scattered across the dark night sky. The rusty, broken and sharp-edged pipes that lined the walls framed the landscaping somehow perfectly.

The room was decorated with some planters all filled with colourful yet folded-over flowers and plants that just proved how abandoned this whole building was. With heavy, grime-filled air floating around the room, it was almost intoxicating.

Yet as much as I wanted to be distracted at this moment, I couldn't as my eyes naturally were fixated on the girl standing at the end of the room, blankly staring out at the view before her with an empty expression.

"...Hey," I called out to her, cursing at myself for not arguing with Kei more.

Anyone else could've done this! Why did it have to be me...?

Actually...No, none of us could've done it. Shimura and I would've been pissed, Satoshi and Kenjiro would have been greatly uncomfortable and Shouko...god knows what she would think.

But still! This is just...shitty.

Ryoko didn't turn around to greet me. Instead, the blank expression on her face vanished and was replaced with that twisted smile that anyone would've assumed was permanent.

"The stars look beautiful tonight, don't they?" She asked, her voice practically begging for me to walk over to her side.

I roll my eyes and force myself forward, begrudgingly standing beside Ryoko.

"You're still going on about that?" I loudly sigh. "At the start of the killing game would were obsessed with the stars and apparently you still are..."

"Why, of course! Compared to the stars, we're practically nothing, aren't we?" Ryoko looked at me. "Murder, betrayal, anger. No matter what happens, the stars will always be there and remain. And from where I am right now, they're absolutely gorgeous. Like...Like I'm meant to be here."

"Look, I didn't ask." I looked away from her. "Kei wanted me to get you - not for you to annoy me with your bullshit."

"Oh, so you all missed me! That must be it!" Ryoko cackled. "I'm honoured, really-"

"God, just shut up, will you? You're delusional." I shut her down.

Ryoko ignored me and turned around, observing the empty space at the centre of the room. "This conservatory has so much potential! It would be an absolutely lovely place to play chess! A chess table in the middle with some tea, surrounded by flowers and with that view...Irresistible!"

"Cut it out!" I exclaimed. "We're getting out of here, and Kei wants you with everyone else. So can you shut your mouth and get moving?"

"Huh? Who said I was going to follow you back to meet with everyone else?"

"Wha-"

"I'm leaving by myself, thank you very much!" She pulled her phone out. "I've already organised everything, so don't worry your little head. I could always give you a ride though!"

"As if I'd go with you!" I shook my head. "But wait- how special do you think you are? Why can't you go with the rest of us?"

"Well, I can actually think of a number of reasons." Ryoko playfully posed as if she was deep in thought with her finger tapping against her chin. "Firstly, I'm sure none of you want me around. Sharing a car with me sounds like a nightmare, so I'd rather go by myself. Secondly, I'm sure whoever comes to pick me up will be much better than whatever Kei has arranged! And thirdly...I want to find Ryuto. By myself."

"H-Hold on! You want to find that bastard?!?" I clenched my fists.

"We all do. It's just my intentions are different to everyone else's. You all want to put a stop to his schemes, but I want to indulge in them! So a head start in finding this mystery man would help me out extremely." Ryoko smirked.

"You're...You're sick! Deranged! You should be locked up for all the stuff you've caused." I pointed at her accusingly.

"Oh, please tell me you're joking. I'm not the one who electrocuted your friends - what happened in the virtual world was exactly what it was planned to be: a game. By that logic, you're saying everyone who has ever played a shooting or fighting game should be incarcerated too! It's just getting rid of players and using strategy."

"Don't be fucking stupid! You know what you did to my friends!" I yelled. "How could you-"

"How could I do something like that? Oh, be original already! That's all the stuff I've heard already! And you know I hate being bored..." she pouted until a sudden chime came from her phone. Just like that, her pout evaporated and was replaced by another grin. "And that's my cue!"

"I...I-"

Ryoko pulled out what appeared to be a keycard and played with it in her hands. "The door to this place needs either this keycard or the right number combination. Luckily I don't have to worry about the latter!"

Where did she even get that from?!?

"You can tell Kei I left or whatever, I honestly don't care. But don't miss me too much, Chiyo. I'm sure we'll see each other again!" Ryoko enthusiastically waved. "You all were...extremely entertaining, that's for sure."

And just like that, as quickly as she swept us all up in her lies and schemes, Ryoko left; she skipped towards the exit to the conservatory and dramatically turned back around, blowing me both a kiss and a wink which caused me to nearly gag. Once she was satisfied, Ryoko grinned and continued to waltz down the halls to god knows where.

What the hell just happened?!?

Even after all that time Ryoko and I spent together...or, rather forced to spend together, I still can't get a read on her. And I probably never will.

But I'm fine with that! She pisses me off already!

And if she actually finds Ryuto and ends up obsessing and indulging in his sick fantasies...

Gah, that's so gross! It's almost as if they were made to be gross murderers together.

How disgusting...

But once again, I don't have a choice. I need to report back to Kei and tell him what happened to Ryoko.

Some much for bringing her back then.

I eventually left the conservatory after collecting my thoughts and made my way back to the room we were all congregated in.

However, as I turned the corner to the hallway, I stopped.

A girl was walking down the hallway. Her expression appeared to be lost, but after pausing and thinking, she stopped right at the door I was about to enter - the door to the room everyone else was in.

I had never seen this girl before in person, but she looked extremely familiar as if I had seen her on billboards or posters. Her long tied-up green hair was already a clear factor that made her unique enough as is, but the bow at the start of her ponytail that she had made by tying more of her hair just added to her recognisable appearance. Not to mention her striking blue eyes and the freckles that covered her face made her distinctive and stylish.

That was ironic, seeing as the clothes she wore were anything but stylish - she wore a basic white uniform, yet even then she tried to personalise it. Her waistcoat was decorated at the back with another bow while her skirt fit her frame perfectly.

But my eyes landed on the embroidered school logo on the side of the skirt

Nozomu Academy.

"Another one..." I sighed, mumbling under my breath.

First Kei, and now this girl? And who knows - Kei is barely trustworthy, but this stranger could be worse than the freaks who kidnapped me.

My mumbling was apparently heard by the mystery girl as she turned on her heel, the loud sound of it hitting the floor echoing down the hallway. Her eyebrows furrowed as she glared at me, but then she laughed and flipped some of her hair off her shoulder.

"I've got an idea - how about you take a picture? It'll last way longer than just staring like a creep lurking behind a corner." The girl said, her eyes remaining stuck on me.

Shit, I totally was staring!

"Uh..." I blinked, trying my best to think of any excuse or reason as to why I was lurking around a corner. But in the end, I came up with nothing and just stepped forward, defeated.

"Aha, that's more like it." The girl spoke, meeting me halfway and looking me up and down. "So? Can I help you, or are you the Ultimate Weirdo?"

"Hey, I'll have you know that I am the Ultimate-"

"That doesn't answer my question." She folded her arms.

Instead of getting frustrated, I just took a deep breath and continued. "Look, I should be the one asking you the questions; what the hell are you doing here? Are you going to kidnap us again or something? And more importantly, who the hell even are you?"

She scoffed. "Geez, alright. One: I'm here to get Kei and see what in the world is taking him so long. It's practically my responsibility to worry over him with Kei being my boyfriend and all. Two: why the hell would I kidnap you?"

"You can't just answer my question with another question." I glared at her.

"Well, I just did."

I don't like this girl one bit.

"Third of all;" she carried on, suddenly looking extremely offended. "Have you been living under a rock your whole life?!? How can you not know who I am? Isn't it obvious?"

"Is that a serious question?" I blinked blankly, waiting for the punchline.

The girl looked even more annoyed, now mumbling under her breath before placing her hand on her hip, sensing my sarcasm. "I'm Reina - Reina Shitateya."

She paused and analysed my expression, waiting to see if I finally had recognised her.

"Still not ringing any bells," I admitted.

Reina sighed once again and gave up. "I'm the Ultimate Designer."

"Oh. Right." I bluntly said.

That just confirms it - turns out I really don't like this girl one bit.

But wait, her Ultimate sounds so familiar...

Right! The girl Kairi was looking up to - apparently, it's Reina. The sailor did say she basically wanted Reina's life. From her talent, status, hell even her boyfriend-

I widened my eyes at what I had just realised. And then I took notice of what she mentioned just moments ago.

Wait...so the boyfriend that Kairi also wanted from this girl's apparently perfect life is...

...Kei?!?

"What the hell?!?" I exclaimed, loud enough for my friends inside the room to probably hear me.

"What's the matter?" Reina tilted her head. "Finally remembered who I am?"

"H-Huh...Oh, no!" I shook my head. "You and Kei...You guys are together?!?"

"So that's how you know me?" Reina pouted. "Shit...I thought me and Kei would at least be at the same level of popularity - turns out we're still way off."

As if we had summoned him, Kei burst out into the hallway; probably because I had alarmed him with my sudden yelling.

"W-What's the problem?" he stammered, looking at me. But then, his head snapped to the taller girl beside me "Reina?!?"

Reina instantly smiled at the sight of him, taking his hand and planting a kiss on his cheek. "There you are."

Kei's face flushed a slight pink at the gesture but then went straight back to panicking. "How are you here right now? And how are the others? I've tried to talk to everyone and no one has responded - Kuro won't answer her phone, Gin won't even read my messages...hell, Okashi isn't even online! He's always online."

"Hey now." Reina's expression softened as she placed both her hands on his shoulders to calm him down. This appeared to be a normal thing in their relationship since Kei's shoulders immediately stopped their rigidness. "They're all probably getting ready for the game. And it's probably not their fault they're not replying. Ryuto is just strict as hell when it comes to us on our phones. Hypocritical if you ask me seeing as he's always on his own!"

"I see...But why are you here then? And how'd you even sneak past Ryuto?!?" Kei went back to being stressed again. It was as if I wasn't standing right next to them with the way they consoled each other.

Well, it was more Reina consoling an overworked Kei. But hey, relationship goals I guess.

Still, though, who would have guessed? A pushover and a brat getting together...

"I was getting to that." She began. "I could tell something was off the whole day - no, even before that. I always thought that hacker was a creepy freak anyway. I've seen the way he looks at you. He's not even discreet with it! Speaking of which, I was worried about you."

"So you asked him if you could come get me?" Kei assumed.

"Exactly! The game was going to start anyway so I figured it was the perfect excuse to check up on you. It took ages and I really tried to convince him, but he still said no." Reina rolled her eyes. "Of course, he only cares about rules when they're his own."

"Then how did you get here?!?" Kei asked again.

"I ended up sneaking off and catching a ride. The hacker will hate me, but who cares? You know I've dealt with worse. And it's not like I'm fond of him either." She smirked. "You can compliment me all you want later about it. And it's not like Ryuto made this location a secret. He basically told anyone willing to listen."

"But you need a key card or the right code to access this building," Kei added.

"And all I had to do to deal with that was to steal his key card." Reina pulled out said keycard, holding it between her fingers. It looked just like the keycard Ryoko had.

"Well, I suppose that is a relief. Mine has somehow gone missing. I do know the code, but the card is always so much more efficient." Kei weakly smiled.

Then I connected the dots. Ryoko, that bitch, must have stolen Kei's keycard. That is the only plausible option.

"Although I'm worried, I still have to take you back to Nozomu for our own game. I assume the beta test thing for the talent development plan is done by now." Reina wondered and then met my eyes. "It must be, seeing as she's awake right now."

"Huh?"

"You must have gone through the game." Reina turned to me. "Go on then, how was it? Did it even work, or is Ryuto full of shit?"

"So you didn't know either..." I sighed.

"Eh? Didn't know what?" She cocked an eyebrow at me, then at Kei who looked guilty. "What?!? Don't leave me in the dark!"

"It's...better if you see for yourself," Kei suggested, holding the door open and gesturing for her to enter. "Come inside."

Reina momentarily looked worried at the possible situations that were playing in her head. Worry melted into curiosity as she soon stepped inside.

"I don't know how you dealt with her - that short girl with the bag has too much of an attitude," Reina murmured to Kei, keeping her voice down.

"Excuse me?!?" I exclaimed, following behind the two of them.

"I didn't lie, did I?" She smirked, looking back at me.

What the fuck?!?

I was about to argue further, but Reina paused when she got to look over the whole room. Satoshi, Kenjiro, Shimura and Shouko noticed her arrival and appeared to be confused, but Reina's eyes weren't on them - they were on the crowd of our dead friends, all sitting upright in their own chair.

"What's...wrong with them?" Reina cautiously asked. "Are you still in the game or something?"

"No, Reina." Kei took a deep breath and squeezed her hand reassuringly. "They're all dead. Ryuto lied."

"W-What?!?" She stepped back, her hand releasing itself. Frantically, her head went from Kei to our friends. "You're...You're lying Right now, aren't you?"

"I wish I was." He replied.

Reina quickly made her way closest to the body closest to her - that being Kairi. Carefully, she placed her fingers on her wrist and froze when she felt nothing.

"I told you," Kei emphasised.

So she really didn't know. I guess none of the Nozomu kids knew what they were getting into then.

"How...How did this happen?!?" Reina yelled. "Did the game break or something?"

"Ryuto lied, just like I said." The Jack of All Trades explained. "It's not a talent development project or whatever he said. It's a killing game, designed to pick off whoever is playing it. We're lucky six of them survived."

"S-Six?" Her eyes darted around the room. "Killing game?!? What-"

"It's better if I show you...Just, come with me. Please." Kei gave her a pleasing look and took her hand once more, guiding her to the computers at the front of the room.

When Reina looked at the screen, she looked suddenly uncomfortable as her gaze met ours.

"They won't judge you for it. I can guarantee that." Kei assured her, placing his hands on her shoulders just as she did earlier.

So they console each other. It's...pretty cute, I guess.

"Still. How the hell can you know?" She whispered, furrowing her eyebrows. "They-"

"Reina." Kei looked into her eyes. "Two of them are literally wearing glasses right now..."

The designer blinked and looked over at Shimura and Kenjiro in the most indiscreet way possible. "Shit."

Kei weakly chuckled and reached into her pocket, pulling out a pair of glasses and gently placing them on her face, brushing stray strands of her hair to the side.

"There we go." He softly spoke.

Reina silently thanked him with a smile before looking back at the computer screen, being able to read it properly this time.

Is she seriously insecure about wearing glasses? Even after acting so high and mighty earlier?

Damn...Then I guess there might be more to her than meets the eye. Who would have guessed?

"Uh, who is she?" Shouko bluntly asked as I rejoined my group.

"His girlfriend," I answered honestly, gesturing to her. "Reina Shitateya; Ultimate Designer and Ultimate Bitch."

"She looks the part." Shimura nodded, scoffing. "So she and the others from Nozomu really don't know what's going on? Typical."

Satoshi rubbed the back of his head, sighing. "It does look like it... They were manipulated. Not to defend them, but t-they might be victims just like us."

"They're not the ones who got over half their class killed, are they?" The toxicologist cut him off harshly.

"You are stubborn, aren't you?" Kenjiro added. "I can understand both sides, but-"

"But Shimura is right." Shouko quickly agreed. "We... We lost our friends and family. Hidemi, Akihiro, Finn, Tatsuo... Should I keep going?"

"That is exactly my point." he nodded. "We all had to witness the deaths of our loved ones. All they did was be tricked into making this idiotic game in the first place."

"Well...Uh." Satoshi hesitated.

"Satoshi, interrupt me if I'm going too far," Shimura warned him. "But because of their foolishness, you can no longer enjoy your talent. They stripped that joy from you and replaced it with superficial trauma."

He froze when Shimura called him out but glanced at Kenjiro. "He's right. They...did do that."

"I understand that. But," Kenjiro resumed his train of thought. "We need to consider both sides here."

Rather than get involved with either side of this debate, I just lowered my head.

If I had to be honest, I agree with Shimura and Shouko. The Nozomu kids were foolish to make this game and to believe in that Ryuto guy. We're the ones who suffered the most but...

Seeing the horror and guilt on both Kei and Reina's faces is enough to make me feel somewhat bad, I suppose.

My thoughts and the conversation around me ceased once we all heard the aggressive steps of Reina walking back to the door, and putting her bag on.

"I can't believe that guy! I told you we never should have trusted him." Reina said through gritted teeth, fiddling with the straps of her bag.

"I know. We'll handle it." Kei reassured her, shutting down all the computers and their monitors.

"What's happening now?" Shimura stepped forward, interrogating them. "Where do you think you're going?"

"Oh, just try and guess, idiot!" Reina frustratingly mocked him. "We're going over to Nozomu right now to put an end to this. That bastard Ryuto needs to be punished."

"Right." Kei nodded, looking back at all of us. "We are going to stop Ryuto. I did promise I would, and even though I advised her not to and to stay safe, Reina wants to stop him and go too."

"Of course I do!" she exclaimed. "Who the hell does he think he is, being able to selfishly take lives like that? And for what? A game and his sick enjoyment?!?" Reina clenched her fists. "Kei, you of all people should know I won't just let him get away with this."

"I know." he took her hands. "And we'll put an end to it. I'll meet you in the car and we'll rush right there."

"Alright. Don't take your time - our friends are in danger." She gave him one last warning and then glanced at us. "It was...nice meeting you all, I suppose."

With that over with, Reina left the room going to wait in the car just as Kei instructed.

Kei then turned to gather his things, speaking to us as he did so. "You all don't have to worry anymore, ok? Me and Reina have got this. Together, we'll put an end to this game."

At that moment, Kei's phone rang twice. He checked it and smiled with a nod at the notification.

"Speaking of which, I've got to go back to Nozomu." He informed us. "I just got the news that the ride I've prepared for you all is ready and parked outside, so I'll walk you all outside."

"So, this is just it?" I wondered.

"What do you mean?" Kei wondered.

"Are we seriously just going to go home and pretend nothing happened?!? Our friends died! People died in that game, so-"

"I know." He interrupted me. "But wait until tomorrow at least before you do anything."

"Tomorrow...?" Shouko repeated.

"Yes. It's late into the night so my confrontation with Ryuto will probably only finish by tomorrow at least." He explained. "But...I'll contact you all as soon as I can. As soon as I stop Ryuto. Now that is another promise." Kei then took a deep breath and offered us once again a warm grin. "Now let me walk you guys to your car."

And just like that, the five of us cautiously followed behind Kei to the exit of both the building and what felt like our suffering. He did ask for Ryoko, but after explaining to him where she went, Kei just shook his head and gave up with that line of questioning.

When we reached outside, it greeted us with a welcome hit of fresh air. We piled into the second, bigger car that was parked out front while Kei talked and instructed the driver on what to do and where to go. Finally, as one last demonstration of his hospitality, Kei waved and reassured us all with a smile before entering the other parked car where Reina sat waking for him. Their car drove off first as they had a larger sense of urgency.

And just like that, we were on our way home as our car started moving. It almost felt surreal after what felt like weeks of torture.

Reality seemed to be slowly setting in for us as we sat in silence, my head leaning against the window as I counted the drops of rain that hit against it.

Shouko, Kenjiro and Satoshi sat at the back while Shimura sat beside me in the middle row of seats. His arms were crossed as he appeared deep in thought.

When the three at the back began their own discussion, he spoke directly to me. "I hope Kei realises that I'm dedicated to ending this too. I'll put my whole effort into putting an end to it. And he better not try and talk me out of it - not after I lost Akihiro because of it."

I lifted my head from the glass and nodded. "Oh, totally. I was going to dedicate whatever it took to stop the games from continuing. Investigating, reports, whatever is needed - I would be up for it." I then glanced at the three at the back. "I can't say the same for the other three. I'd respect it if they'd want to carry on with their lives. But I have a feeling they'd want to help out too."

Shimura smirked. "Well, look at us - a little killing game stopping team. We'll need a team name, matching T-shirts and everything." He sarcastically said before chuckling.

For once, I couldn't help but chuckle alongside him.

Together, with Kei and Reina's help, I believe we can put an end to this whole debacle.

No...I know we can. The only thing I'll believe in right now is ourselves.

Because that's what everyone would want. For us, and for our friends who have passed on.

-

PROTAGONIST SWITCH!
Chiyo Yagami -> Kei Shizuka

I held Reina close and tightly to my body as we walked carefully down the Nozomu Academy hallways, each echoing footstep getting closer and closer to the classroom our friends were in.

Neither of us spoke, a mutual sense of unease passing through the both of us. It didn't help that the whole school was silent with the only light coming from our destination. It was basically midnight after all.

I temporarily let go of Reina once we reached the door to our classroom. With a deep and calming breath, I slid the door open and prepared for the worst.

But the worst hadn't come yet.

The room was still, but not empty. Twelve of our classmates were sat motionlessly at their desks, a headset strapped to their heads each adorned with a note that had both their name and talent written.

Luckily, they were just unconscious.

Four seats were left vacant - two obviously meant for Reina and I, and two more for our missing and most suspicious classmates: Kuro and Ryuto.

With me now knowing the truth and everyone else unconscious, Kuro is the only person Ryuto can talk to and manipulate right now. Who knows what they're doing? All the more reason to be alert right now.

I turned to Reina. "Stay at the doorway."

"H-Huh? But I told you I was going to help you stop Ryuto too. I'm not just going to stand here and do nothing." She crossed her arms.

"Please...This is mostly my fault. I don't want you to get hurt either. So...just stay here and keep watch. Ryuto and Kuro could arrive at any moment."

Reina was about to argue back but noticed my guilty expression and bit her lip, holding in her frustrations and replacing them with understanding. "Alright, fine. I'll keep watch, but you be careful, ok? I couldn't stand watching you get hurt."

I nodded as she quickly kissed me on the cheek before standing by the door.

I then walked into the classroom, approaching Tama who sat closest to the door. Taking the note from the headset, it read:

'Tama Damu, Ultimate Basketball Pro'

"Well, that checks out." I hummed and then looked over at Arisu's, pausing and reading her note out loud. "'Arisu Dayo, Ultimate Identity Thief.' That part is right, but what the hell does Ryuto mean by '(Hinami Kierina, Ultimate Linguist)'..."

Just what does that hacker have planned?

I then walked towards the teacher's lecture at the front of the room. Four more headsets were rested upon it along with four corresponding notes. My curiosity led me to check all four notes.

"Reina, Kuro, even Ryuto." I listed the names as I went through them. But as I reached the last note which I assumed to be my own, I stopped.

It was blank.

My name and my talent were nowhere to be seen on this paper. It was as if Ryuto had forgotten my existence, but knowing him, he wouldn't dare.

But then what does this mean? Does Ryuto have something else in store for me?

I won't let him have this way though. That is for sure.

Suddenly, I saw a bright flash of light come from the hallway and heard a familiar yelp of both shock and pain.

I recognised the voice instantly.

It was Reina.

Without even hesitating, I burst into action - dropping the blank piece of paper and sprinting out to the hallway as I took in the scene.

Someone had shined their phone's flashlight in Reina's face, momentarily distracting her to allow someone to grab her from behind, holding a cloth to her mouth.

"K-Kuro..." I blinked as I realised who the person holding Reina was.

She met my gaze but then focused once again on the struggling girl in her grasp. As Reina squirmed and kicked against the taller girl, I stepped forward to pull her away.

But then I was stopped.

In a second, a pounding pain reverberated in my wrist as something swung into it. I clenched my teeth and stumbled backwards into the classroom, clutching my definitely broken wrist to my chest.

"S-Shit...!" I groaned through the pain, looking up to see who had just attacked me.

"Seriously, Kei? You need to tell me before you start snooping into my stuff. You've gone and ruined the surprise I prepared for you!" Ryuto pouted, holding the baseball bat behind his head. He then grinned. "Although, I should've expected that you'd change your mind over this whole thing once you saw the beta test. What an uncooperative classmate, right Kuro? Unappreciative too..."

Kuro remained silent except for the grunts she made trying to hold a fighting Reina. But understandably, her fight began to wear out as the chemicals took effect.

With Ryuto standing in the doorway and my injury, all I could was watch as Reina met my gaze. Her eyes were full of suffering and pain as tears brimmed them until they closed and she fell limp.

At that moment, all logic collapsed and I was filled with rage.

Kuro finally exhaled a deep breath. "I never like doing this part..."

Without instruction, the violinist then dragged Reina into the classroom towards her desk.

"Let go of her!" I yelled, rushing towards Kuro.

But once again, I was stopped in my tracks as Ryuto swung the bat in my face, narrowly missing before chuckling.

"Woah, buddy!" He grinned. "No need for the hostility. We're just doing what we agreed on. I mean, we all worked to play this game together, didn't we? You were one of its biggest supporters after all."

"You...Y-You bastard." I glared at him. "How could you?!? Are you insane?!?" I roared.

"I told you he'd change sides." Ryuto then spoke to Kuro. "But hey, let's look at the positives. As I told you this morning while we were capturing the Hope's Peak kids, the bat would eventually come useful even if it was initially just a bluff, Kuro! And the leftover chloroform came in handy."

"I guess you were right. I...I don't like your methods, but like you said: we have to-"

"Look at the bigger picture." He finished her sentence, encouragingly. "This will help us all...tremendously," Ryuto emphasised that last word and nodded as Kuro took one of the last headsets and slipped it onto Reina.

Watching that was enough to set my rage blazing. "After everything we did to help you...Me, our class, hell, my own damn father...This is what you prepared?!? You expect me to stand here and watch you do this?"

"Uh, yeah?" He smugly scoffed, acting as if this was nothing. "I programmed and coded the whole thing! You stood by and watched me do that. Oh, or is this because we had to knock Reina out? I think we were justified for that."

"J-Justified-"

"She was uncooperative too because of your influence, so you could say it's your fault. You're not even into her anyway!" He cut me off. "What a terrible boyfriend."

"Shut up!" I screamed. "I'm sick of you! I love Reina! How dare you-"

"The reaction you had to what I was doing to you this morning says otherwise." He playfully smirked and winked, the wording causing Kuro to blink in confusion.

Manipulating not only my classmates but my father, my girlfriend who I've known my whole life and even myself...I had enough.

I charged forward at him, but it was hopeless as he swung the bat once again, this time hitting me in my side. Kei then took my weakness as an invitation to continue, hitting my thigh and my abdomen before I ended up on the floor, lying on my back as I fought back the blood threatening to spill from my mouth while I coughed.

Ryuto saw my suffering and beamed, stepping firmly and grinding the sole of his shoe into my chest.

"It's quite fun to play god." He whispered. "So...so fun."

Ryuto stood up straight and then placed the bat in the corner as I struggled to regain my breath. "Kuro, you're up."

"M-Me?!?" She exclaimed. But when Ryuto glared at her, she got the hint and approached me, pinning me down as she sat on my chest which throbbed with pain.

"Kei...you have to join! It's for us all!" Kuro then pleaded, her expression full of regret and guilt.

"No, Kuro!" I gritted my teeth together as she held my wrists above my head, adding to the pain. "It's all a lie-"

"You know what to do Kuro," Ryuto then spoke up, a hint of seriousness intertwined with malice in his voice. He rummaged in his pocket and then pulled out something, handing it to Kuro.

Her eyes widened once she noticed what it was. "But-"

"Do it!" He then yelled, changing tones yet again which made Kuro tremble and rush to take the object from his hands, gripping it tightly.

Then I finally saw what it was: a pen. The same pen Ryuto had 'playfully' pointed towards my eye this morning.

That was enough for me to realise what he had planned for me.

"Kuro, don't you dare!" I pleaded, focusing on the girl on top of me. "He's tricking you again! He tricked everyone!"

"I-I..." she hesitated, looking down at my panicked face.

Please, please, please...

"Do it Kuro!" Ryuto yelled once more. "Or all of your classmates won't be able to play!"

All of his manipulation...I can't stand it!

"He's lying..." I spoke softly to her, appealing to her kindness while trying to explain. "This game isn't some talent development program, it's a killing-"

"Do it for them Kuro! The game! Your classmates! Don't you want them to be happy?!?" The hacker added, approaching us and raising his voice.

I saw the conflicted expression on Kuro's face. Her eyes flickered between me and Ryuto, but my fate was sealed when she sighed and looked down at me. "I...I'm so sorry, Kei."

"Yes!" Ryuto cheered, punching the air and then beginning to instruct her. "Remember, in his left eye! And not too deep, you don't want to kill the guy!"

Ryuto then rushed to my side, holding my wrists down in Kuro's place with one hand and my hand in place with the other. After, he nodded encouragingly towards Kuro.

"Wait! N-No...Kuro, don't do this!" I widened my eyes, tears of fear brimming them at this point.

I had no other options.

"Please! I'll...I-I'll play the stupid game!" I practically begged. "Just don't-"

But my begging was useless.

Kuro plunged the pen downward, straight into my left eye. I roared loudly in pain as I squirmed in place, feeling the blood hit my cheek.

"Yes!" The hacker cheered as he watched my suffering, talking the violinist onward. "Again, keep going!"

Kuro pulled the pen out and began to repeatedly stab at my eye, the pain peaking straight away. Yet she didn't stop.

Kuro went at it faster. I could feel the warm liquid burst from my wounds and drip down my face. I couldn't focus on anything else except the pulsating agony.

Eventually, no matter how hard I fought back, it was for nothing as I fell limp right there.

Everything I had promised had gone to shit. The killing games would continue, much to my chagrin.

All I remember before blacking out completely is that last blank piece of paper I had picked up earlier. 

Except now a word had been messily written on it.

'Kei.'

That was it. No surname, no talent. As if that was my identity now.

And that's what it felt like, for when I'd wake up next, I'd practically be a completely different person.

I'd become someone I'm not...

A monster.

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Chapter 6 - An Encounter of Destined Despair
- END -

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Surviving Students: 6/16

Pink - Victim
Dark Grey - Culprit
Purple - Punished

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New Item Acquired!

- Shizuka's Abandoned Keycard

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To be continued...

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