Dangan Ronpa: Unser Sommerende/Chapter 6 - Prelude

Continued from Chapter 5 - Class Trial.

[1]

[2]

Every now and then, when I was younger, my mother and I would spend Thursday afternoons painting together. We usually painted objects in front of us, oranges and apples, a bowl, still life. It was very therapeutic, I suppose, though I wasn't a particularly sad or anxious child. She would boil water and brew tea, and I would fetch chocolate digestives from the cupboard, and we'd spend time together, looking out of the window whenever a bird landed on the sill to watch us.

I never really understood still life, but I don't really understand postmodern art either. It exists for a purpose, at the very least. Art isn't real, but it's a representation of something, even when it's highly abstracted... Painting real life objects as realistically as we could felt almost hyperreal.

I had a rough day at school one time in November. When we sat down to paint, I just sat there and stared at the pure, white canvas.

"Jane?" Said that person who could always read my mind when I felt exhausted. "You haven't touched your tea."

"I'm waiting for it to cool, mum..."

"And your biscuits?"

"I'm not hungry."

"You're always hungry when you get home, dear. Something's the matter, isn't it?"

"... Just that I waste all my time doing nothing special, and stuff. I just exist."

"Well, your heart's beating. That's already a miracle of life, no?~"

I rolled my eyes, making a conscious effort not to giggle along with her. "I'm not good at any of my subjects at school, and art's... Well, I can paint complicated things and the result's just a kinda blurry photo, and when I do stuff that's not realistic, it's, uh..." I finally took my brush, dipped it in maroon paint, and scribed an inconsistent zigzag onto the white rectangle. "Stuff like that."

"Ah..." She leaned towards me, taking a closer look at the dumb little line I made. "The harsh ups and downs of your self-confidence, isn't it?"

"The whaaa...?"

"Whenever you paint at school, it feels like you're doing it only to get a good mark, and when you make something that's from the heart, it doesn't make sense to anybody. That's my reading of it."

"I-I mean... Yeah, kinda... Everybody just says I paint things like this for attention, though. They call me a weirdo and stuff, and uh... Sometimes I like to act weird, just to give them what they want, heh..." I frowned. "It's not great."

"I see..." My mother spoke softly, before reaching over and caressing my back. "Jane, do you like painting realistic pictures more than abstract ones?... Now, now, there's no need to be shy about it. I just want an honest answer."

I hesitantly shook my head from side to side, and started to paint the grape bunch and apple sitting in front of us. "They're both alright, but people like the realistic ones more. So I do those instead..."

"Hm." She smiled softly, and took her arm off of me, and turned to her canvas and resumed her painting. "It's very nice to hear that you're considerate of other people, Jane. I'm sure there are some people who enjoy your conceptual art more, though. It's best to keep as many avenues open as you can... Overall, I'd say you're talented at both styles, so I don't think there's any reason to give one up for the other."

"Is that so? Then, um... Are the realistic ones going to make more money when I'm older?"

I can't say I'd picture myself saying that today. My mother simply giggled at what I said, and she put down her brush as she turned to me again.

"Listen... Whatever brings people happiness, dear, is what you should do. Enough wealth will come from that to live a happy life of your own, and not just the 'cashy cash cash' wealth. Being surrounded by people who love you, people who want to keep you safe... And loving them in return... Is worth more than the entire planet. You can understand that, yes?"

I was a little dumbfounded, not really having considered anything like it yet.

"... Y-yeah! I promise I'll do my best to... Do that!"

Giggling again at my naivety, my mother resumed the painting with a wide smile. "You'll understand it more as you get older, I suppose. But I promise that I'll always be there to help you figure it out."

"Phew... I was thinking I'd have to figure it out on the spot, haha."

We spent the rest of the afternoon finishing the painting. I left the zigzag untouched, and my mother said that it made the picture more interesting. Since it was getting late, we hugged and bid each other farewell, and I rode my bicycle back to Aunt Marcy's house.

My mother died of a stroke the day after.

(SOUNDTRACK PAUSES)

"Jane?"

I didn't pay much mind to reality, but Archibald's voice wrangled me into it regardless.

"... What?" I whispered back to him. I could tell that he was right next to me, probably having found me by my breathing.

"Any ideas?"

"Ideas... We're dead, Archie."

"... Okay." He said, sitting down with a whimper. I didn't have anything else to say, even if it felt bad telling him that. "... At least we can die together. Slowly and painfully, but together..."

"Wow, so edgy." Jo commented, apparently having shuffled over without us noticing as well.

Archie whimpered again, and I involuntarily groaned. "Can't you see he's having a moment?"

"An edgy moment. Man, all I'm saying is that it's not helping. Besides... I still kind of think the mastermind's structuring this entire event like a movie. This is the bit where all hope seems lost, and then, out of FRICKIN' NOWHERE, they circumvent their challenge through some dumb turn of events."

"Ugh, I could've sworn that you gave up on that theory before..."

"Just for a short while, Jane. See, the odds that we would have been able to get through the last case were supposed to be, like, zero out of a hundred, so just the fact that we got through is-"

"Inconsequential." Dan said, also apparently having come up to us.

"... You think everything's inconsequential, dude."

"He's right, you know..." Archie reluctantly said. "It was pointless to even try. Really, we should have just let Mary live, and minimise the deaths..."

"But Archie," I said, raising my voice, "that bitch killed my g-"

"Uh, are you guys huddling for warmth?" Mia asked.

"I-it's not cold yet."

"Not YET... S-so, can I join?"

Without another word, I felt her lengthy hair brush against my arm.

"Thanks."

"Mia," Archie resumed, "I don't think you're taking this seriously enough. There's no food or water down here, and nobody's going to come and save us... I'm not even sure if the ventilation is still working, so we could suffocate, and... There's no way out, is there?"

"Calm down." I heard Cody say, the only person who wasn't now part of our little gathering. "We just need to find a way out, it's simple." The echo of a shoe hitting the stone wall bounded across the room, followed by a shuffle to the side, and another hit. "There has to be a hidden button or slab around here..."

"Have you tried shooting it?" Jo suggested.

"Shooting what? The wall? If there's a specific part of it I'd need to hit, then I'd have to see it to actually know what I'm aiming at. Still, I've got some spare ammunition, so if there's not gonna be any light down here soon, I could give it a shot."

"Such violence." Dan commented. "I would have expected you to be rid of those weapons after the harm they've already caused."

"Come on, it's just for self-defence."

"Go for it!~" Jo cheered on.

Archie tried to stutter something out, only to squeak as we were all jolted a bit by the resounding sound of gunfire, followed by some sort of clink emanating from up in the air, in the centre of the room. A metallic sound, and not on the wall?...

[3]

"Bloody hell," I started, "calm down for a second. I have to check something..." I stood up, and shook Mia off my shoulder, before walking to the centre of the room. Well, I couldn't see where the centre was, but I could feel my feet leave the concrete and reach the soft dirt. I expected the crunching sound of dead, dry grass, but I guess it had somehow completely disappeared after however long we'd already spent down here. I mean, surely it wasn't that- "YIPE!"

I bumped my head pretty bad on some metallic object, and as I stumbled back, I heard it swaying from a chain of sorts... It didn't take a genius to figure out that this was that infamous claw that had taken each entrepreneur to the sites of their execution. Still, what was it doing here, hanging out like this? I guess the lack of power made it drop from whatever its default position was, and now it was here for all to see... Well, not to see, but, you get my point.

"Jane!... Are you okay?" Archie gasped.

"She's doing fine, I bet." Cody assured, only to fire another bullet into the chain in front of me. I heard it bounce off, and I caught the claw as it swayed towards me.

I turned my head to where Cody's voice came from, and shouted, "Can you stop shooting it?! It'll break or something!"

"We don't even know what 'it' is, though. It could be dangerous."

"Ugh, it's just the claw grabber thing."

"See? Dangerous."

"Uh... But it hasn't got any power." Mia said, audibly shaking her head. "It's not gonna do anything."

"If anything, it could be an advantage." I thought aloud. Running a hand along the chain, it didn't feel particularly slippery, and so I decided, with great care, to slowly and kind of clumsily climb atop the claw node so I could get a feel for climbing up the whole thing. "Huff... This could be a way out, if we all just ascend via the chain, it should lead us to... Somewhere else."

"Somewhere else where we'll die." Jo said, sounding a bit exasperated. "It'll probably just bring you to one of the execution zones, and three guesses for what'll happen to ya there."

"We don't have any other options." Archie admitted.

We were silent for a few moments, and I sighed. "... I'm going to be used as a test dummy, I assume?"

"It'd be kind of you."

"Relax, you'll be fine." Cody said, as I heard him spin his revolver and place it in its holster. "Probably."

"It won't matter much if you aren't." Dan said.

I heard Mia's hair swish again. "Um ... It will, though? Like, we'll all die. And then we'll be dead and stuff."

Dan just sighed. Damn, we're sighing a lot today, huh?

"I'm just going to try and climb out of here now. If you don't hear from me in an hour, then you can assume I'm dead, I guess..." I clung tighter to the chain, trying not to think too much about that scenario. "Maybe an hour and a half, just to be safe."

"Wow, how confident." Jo quipped. "... ConFURdent."

"Sh-shut up!" Archie tried to yell, straining his voice. "J-just st-stop it already, stop m-making jokes like that, I can't take it any more, it's not even f-funny! Gwaaagh..."

"Okay, honestly..." Dan said, sounding oddly casual. "You're not making things any easier for yourself when you get worked up like that, so if you're going to listen to anything I say..."

"Waaaagh..."

"Sheesh, tough crowd." I heard Jo sit down, probably lying back.

"... If I can focus on climbing now? Pretty please? I kind of need some silence to focus on it."

"You're still here?" Cody asked.

... I didn't bother to respond, figuring it'd be better to just get things over with quickly. So, I began cautiously ascending the chain, wedging my shoes in between the tiny spaces of each link and gripping somewhat too tightly to its cold surfaces. At least my hands didn't get sweaty. I could hear the other start to bicker over pointless, non-serious shit again, but I was too committed to the climb to really take note of it at this point. They'd all just end up like Archibald given due time... I guess I shouldn't wish that state of mind on other people, but I was pretty annoyed by it.

But as I inched closer to the supposed ceiling of the chamber, I started to finally consider that, with Monoyaki gone...

I could get the hell out of here.

(SOUNDTRACK PAUSES)

I'd guess it took twenty minutes in all, and I was deathly afraid of losing my grip and plummeting as I made my way up. The top of the chain led me into this metallic sort of room, lit up by a garish yellow light by a door made of the same brownish-grey metal, and the room was pretty cramped overall and it made a humming sound. Yeah, it was a bit overwhelming suddenly being in a place that wasn't completely dark, so I had to wait for my eyes to adjust, but that was what I was able to gather... It seemed that this was just a small box where repairs could be done on the claw, which would explain the lever that was sitting to my side. I kind of just wanted to sit there for a while. Maybe it just felt comfy, even though it was cold and dusty and hard. Maybe it's just that I wasn't sure of what could be behind the door, but eh, I had to open it eventually, so...

The first thing I saw on the other side was Robin's body. After the expected unnerving wave went through my body, I looked about the rest of the room, and groaned in discomfort. I had been led into the body dumping room that was linked to the rubbish dump on the ground floor... Even if it meant I had a way into the rest of the school now, I didn't exactly want to see this place ever again, especially now that I knew that the rest of the students and staff were what made up most of the pile. And of course, it smelled putrid. Looking back at Robin, I saw a pile of broken bone and bruised meat, and a pile of cinders... Presumably what remained of James and Molly. Pretty convenient for the body dump to be linked to the execution areas, I guess... Although I didn't see any of those places on my way up. Maybe I just passed through when the lights were off, although that begged the question of why the lights were turned on up here. It was super lonely and depressing up here, honestly.

"... Hope you're doing well, buddy." I thought to myself, looking at Robin. "Well, I guess we didn't get along, and you kind of killed someone, but... How about we forgive and forget, huh?" No response, of course. I felt a bit bad making light of all the death and loss, but I'd probably lose my mind if I didn't hold that last shred of snarkiness I used to embrace so often before this all started.

Whatever, it was going to end soon. Trying not to get too much rubbish on my clothes, I clumsily climbed the corpse pile, and climbed up the ladder leading out... Honestly, Monoyaki was kind of edgy, having a huge corpse pile. Just an epiphany... Well, either he was edgy, or he just didn't really care and was just throwing the bodies away without a thought. Whatever. I didn't need to see that horrible thing ever again.

[4]

... I emerged on the lowest floor of Wish's Apex Academy, alone. I figured I'd have to check if there was an actual way out of the school before I called the others to follow me. But, while I was here, I figured that it would be a good idea to fetch Lucy's alchemy book from the cafeteria. She put her life's work into it, after all...

... Shit, there's no time for me to start crying.

(SOUNDTRACK PAUSES)

So I went there, and the book was gone.

Okay, fuck.

... Deep breaths... Get a drink of water.

(SOUNDTRACK RESUMES)

Monoyaki must have taken it. On the off chance that I got out of his final trap, he still took the one thing I'd have to remember Lucy by, just to spite me, that little... Wait, no, that can't be right. If anything, the main reason would be that Lucy seemed to know so much more about the Mutual Killing Venture than she was letting on. If anything... Monoyaki was trying to hide something. After all, he couldn't send out those fake letters for the rest of time before our parents started to suspect something was up, and a police investigation was launched. There must be something in that book that Monoyaki really doesn't want anybody to see.

If I was lucky, I might have even gotten to track him down.

So I started systematically checking each room that I had access to (getting a chance to change out of my slightly dirty outfit, too), but he was entirely absent. I didn't really have that much hope as I went up to the floor above me, but quite promptly as I entered the assembly hall...

[5]

He rose up on the stand, like he was waiting for me... Waiting for me with the most punchable grin I'd ever seen.

[6]

"Mweh. Hey, Jane, long time no see."

"..."

"Goat got your tongue? Uwehe. I had a feeling I'd have to stick around for a bit in case anybody tried anything."

"You left the lights on the ground floor, and on this floor, too. You didn't actually cut the power to the whole building, did you? So, the fact that the chain was low enough for me to climb up is honestly starting to seem intentional."

"Woah! Woah, the trial's over, Jane, no need to be so vindictive! I just left the lights on because then someone else will have to pay the electricity bill. It's just a prank, hey. But I know why you've come in here, yes, it's for the book, isn't it?"

"Yes. If you'd be so kind."

"... Y'know, I don't HAVE to give it to you, but... You deserve a reward for figuring out how to get out of that little predicament, eh? Sure, sure, I'll give it to ya. Meet me on the top floor of the school, and I'll hand it over."

"And why can't you just give it to me here? You're making it look like you set up a trap for me there."

"Ugh... You're just going to have to trust me. It's not like you have anything else to do, right? I pinky promise I won't do anything out-of-the-ordinary up there."

"Why should I-"

(SOUNDTRACK PAUSES)

Aaaaaand he was gone.

[7]

Ascending the stairs reluctantly, I eventually made it to the highest floor we had access to. Monoyaki was sitting cross legged by the bars that prevented access to the next flight of stairs, clutching the book close to him. When he saw me, he suddenly tossed the book at me, only for it to flop on the ground. He looked a little embarrassed at his lack of strength.

"Monoyaki, don't treat Lucy's entire life's work like that."

"What, you want there to be a ceremony for her?"

"This is a touchy subject for me." I barked, trying to keep my face paralysed and dry. "Now, can we get on with whatever it is you have planned?"

"Sure, uwehehehe..." Raising his glove, the tiny goat banged the side of the bars a few times, and they sharply raised up, allowing plenty of room for me to pass. "Jane..." He resumed, his red eye gleaming at me. "... Would you like to learn the truth?"

I huffed, "As if you've ever tried to tell us the truth before."

"No, not 'us', just you. You've earned it, remember? This is between you and me, but, let's face it, you're the one who gets the most done around here, right? Well, aside from me, that is."

"Err, I see your point, but... What do you mean 'the truth'?"

"Well, I won't just tell it to you like that. Showing you would get the point across more. This way, mademoiselle~" He bowed and motioned up the stairs, so I just sighed heavily and walked up.

[8]

The rooftop.

I was outside.

I was outside, I was actually outside, holy shit, I could breathe air, it's... It was frightening.

The roof itself was blank white concrete, and shaped like a square donut, as were all the floors above the garden floor. I could see into said garden, and over other buildings, it's London.

What, is this 'tHe TrUtH'? Being on the roof? The roof of truth. This is stupid.

... But does this mean I'm free or something?

... Better not get my hopes up.

I could see a small building on top of the roof. Well, not a building, since it's part of the building, but y'know, it's one of those ventilation generator repair area things. Is that what they're for? I've certainly never been in one. The door was ajar, so I assumed that Monoyaki meant for me to go inside.

(SOUNDTRACK PAUSES)

The room's inside was sleek, with dusty concrete for the floor and walls that were plated with metal, the same metal used for the vents and fans and boxxy machines that rested in there. There was still a lot of space in the middle of the admittedly small room to walk around, repair any damaged contraptions, and take in the bloody pentagram that covered the greater portion of the floor, complete with deep blue flames lit at each point of the star.

[9]

"... This is another joke, huh?"

"What, did you hear me walk up behind you, Jane?"

"Trying to scare me with fake demonic shit. Real funny."

"Bwah. You're so mean. But, no, it really isn't a joke. This is the room that allows me to continually manifest in the corporal world."

"Oh yeah?" I smirked, adjusting my beret. "I suppose those fires are keeping you here? Would you get upset if I blew them out?"

"You can't."

"Oh, but I can!~"

"Nope, it's impossible according to the laws of physics! Well, actually the laws of physics say you can, but they don't account for anything supernatural, y'know."

"... You're bluffing."

"Nope! What, do you need me to spell it out for ya?" I looked down at him, and his grin started to seem less punchable and more genuinely sinister.

[10]

"I'm a demon, Jane."

"Demons aren't real."

"In the flesh, Jane, I'm in the flesh... Or the plush. This isn't my actual form, duh, it's just a vessel I'm possessing! I can take it anywhere I want, as fast as I want, and I've got plenty of replacement bodies stashed away in storage! That's why I'm able to do thiiiiis!" He trailed off as he started flying around the room.

"How the fuck... And you're just telling me now?"

"It's more fun to leave it as a mystery, to make everybody confused and frightened, but since the Mutual Killing Venture's basically concluded, I figured it wouldn't hurt to let you know! So... Have you guessed my name?~"

"M-Monoyaki?"

"That's an alias, silly. I'm called Baphomet, and fair warning, I wouldn't say that name out loud if I were you. You're just a mortal and stuff, you gotta be careful with certain phrases and tongues and all that."

"You're being awfully casual about these revelations... Do you just expect me to accept it all at once?"

He floated down in front of me, nodding and crossing his arms. "I've seen people react exactly like you for a thousand years, it's no big deal for me."

"I mean... It answers more questions than it raises, at least? It raises a lot of questions, yeah, but at least it means that you're able to work only on your own, so there probably isn't any sort of mastermind."

"Nah, nah, that's not the truth."

"I thought you just told me 'the truth'?"

"Well, nah, that was auxiliary information. Think about it, somebody would have had to make this whole setup to summon and support me in the first place, right? But you have no idea who did it, huh? Uwehehehe... Now, open the back pages of that big ol' notebook, will ya?"

"Y-you're fucking with me?"

"Go ahead."

I shakily pulled back the rear cover of the book, and found only a set of empty pages.

"Y-yeah, you're screwing around. Of course she didn't have the entire book filled yet."

"Silly girl, it's invisible ink. There's a lot she didn't want people to know about, hey." Rummaging in his pocket, Monoyaki brought out a tiny torch, and tossed it at me. It shone a dim, lavender light, and although it was obvious that he wanted me to shine it on the page, I just sort of stood there and did nothing. This was all fake, I mean, this bit had to be fake. He probably just wrote in the back of it when I left it up there, and that's why he took it, to mess my mind up and probably try and stop me from escaping somehow. He must have been desperate, all I had to do was not look at the writing and I wouldn't even have to think about this. That's when I heard him snap his fingers, and the ink on the page suddenly started to light up on its own. "You're taking too long."

[11]

"No, I'm not falling for this." I said, despite immediately looking at the text, its shininess tapping into the less evolved sections of my brain and forcing me to take it in. First thing's first, lovely illustrations, very medieval style. I had no idea that Lucy could draw so well, but I mean, it was also pretty, uh, demonic. I have a hard time recalling it now, it's like my brain wasn't able to commit it to memory for some reason, maybe it was just too complex or hard to grasp. Lots of pentagrams, too. The actual writing itself was... Demonology, or spirits or something, or... I couldn't understand any of it, but I could feel the sweat of my hands sink into the book cover, and as I almost involuntarily browsed these back pages, it didn't seem to end.

"You see, alchemy only comprised a smaller portion of Lucy's talents. It made a good cover, considering how creepy it would sound for her to tell all her buddies that she was none other than the Ultimate Occultist, uwehehe... You remember those photos, right? The class from Birmingham... Do you want to hear what Lucy did to them?"

I tried to respond, but it felt as if my brain was turning into gravel, which I could tell was what Monoyaki wanted, but I couldn't prevent it, I just kept flipping the pages until I got to the last one... A full body sketch of the wooden mannequin and suit, and the plush made for the head, complete with an extra pentagram in each corner of the page, and countless sigils in the spaces between.

"Well, she didn't kill them DIRECTLY. She organised the previous Mutual Killing Venture, and what a time it was!" He chuckled to himself, leaving a moment for me to come to terms with the fact that we weren't even the first group of people that had to go through this shit... Even with all the anger that came with that, it'd be best if I didn't lose control. That's what he wanted to happen. "It's a lot better than just sacrificing individual people, which she was a bit too squeamish for, anyways. See, I'm, like, a deeeeemon and stuff, so y'know, collecting souls is kind of my job, but it's not as simple as just killing anyone I see. The weight of someone's soul boosts the value of it exponentially, and the only way to make a soul heavier is for the person to act in any sort of selfish manner. Lie, cheat, steal, whatever... The people they wrong have the weight transferred from their soul into the main person's soul, and the more I can concentrate in one sould, the more bucks I can pull in. Well, not human bucks, duh, but I guess there's too much for me to explain."

"I-I understand, but, why the hell would Lucy even do all of this?! I know her better than anyone, why the hell would she be fine with killing so many people?!"

"Well, she wasn't, not at first, mind you. That's why a cheeky little imp like me has to be clever and charming and stuff, so I can trick people into doing what's best for me! And I guess it was beneficial for her, since I gave her a lot of alchemic secrets and demonic lore in return, and well, she didn't have to kill anybody. That's the thing, I won't bother getting into how the first killing game ended, but when she found out that the victims don't suddenly come back to life with their memories wiped? Uwehehe... I can't believe she actually believed it, but... By that point? She was so desensitised, SHE WANTED TO DO IT AGAIN!" He started cackling as he bobbed up and down in the air. "You hear that, Jane? That girl you were so obsessed over is a SERIAL KILLER! She's been using you the whole time to-"

(SOUNDTRACK PAUSES)

"How was she desensitised, again?"

"... Well, because of all the bloodshed she caused and witnessed. She was used to it, duh."

"Yes, except she clearly wasn't used to it." Starting to get back in control of myself, I stood up slightly taller, gazing at the goat as he stilled himself. "Any time there was a bloody scene during the killing game, she turned away from it and couldn't bear to look at it. She even fainted when she saw the second murder, remember? You should know that I can pick out a lie by now."

"Bwah. You're no fun. Maybe I lied when I said that she was controlling this venture as well, but that doesn't change the fact that she started the first one."

[12]

"Because you tricked her?"

"Maybe..." He looked at the ground, like a child caught stealing lollies. "But this killing game used resources that only Lucy could have made. Happiness to send the other students into a frenzy, leaving only your class... Amnesiacs to rid you all of any friendships that'd stop you from killing each other... And of course, being able to make gold out of any dull metal. Oh yeah, did I mention that? The purchase of the school was made with Lucy's forged gold. I mean, that's what 'alchemy' actually was about, the search for the 'Philosopher's Stone', which isn't even a stone, what a dumb name. Almost as dumb a name as 'Derek Frankson', honestly."

"Free gold, huh?"

"Yep. Free gold."

"... Do you perhaps think that if you were able to manipulate Lucy so easily, that somebody else would be able to convince her to make more gold to buy out this school? I assume that's what she did with the Birmingham branch."

"Nope, she would be able to tell what the other person was doing, asking for her to make so much money just like she did. She wouldn't get fooled again."

"But she didn't seem to remember anything about the Birmingham incident until seeing those photos of her old class-"

"The amnesiacs only wipe out six months of memory! She was planning and running the first Mutual Killing Venture a while longer than that."

"Maybe there's something else in the book that could have reached further..." I sat down, and started searching through the first, non-demonic half of the grimoire.

"You're rather calm right now. You were losing your mind a few minutes ago."

"Shush, I'm reading."

"Don't try and peeve me off like that!"

"What? So you're allowed to piss me off, but not the other way around?"

"You're taking too long!"

"It's been fifteen seconds."

"OKAY FINE! I'll tell you!" Getting a bit red, Monoyaki stopped to catch his breath, descending to the floor. "Since you're so persistent."

"It's been twenty seconds."

"She basically created and administered this super potent hallucinogenic thingie? I dunno how it works, but apparently it was able to suppress memories an entire year back, at the cost of being in a permanent state of detachment from reality or something... It wasn't enough to entirely erase the memories, but whatever the case... She couldn't run another killing game in that state."

"So it's being run by somebody else."

"THAT'S NOT WHY I TOLD YOU ALL THIS!... This isn't another time for you to play detective, Jane, you've had plenty of time to revel in how oh-so-clever you are, okay?! I told you these truths for a particular reason, you know."

"Just say it and be on your way."

(SOUNDTRACK PAUSES)

"... My business plans with the mastermind of this particular Mutual Killing Venture are nearing a closing point. When Lucy drugged herself and forgot all about me, the original ritual room was no longer maintained, and so I was banished to the underworld once more... It was only thanks to the new mastermind's accidental discovery of those hidden passages at the back end of Lucy's book, that I was able to be called back here, and we worked out a deal. Now that that's over, I'm open to a new business partner-"

"No."

"Well, I can't say I expected any other response. But, Jane, think about-"

"No. That's stupid."

"It was worth a shot, I guess. But if I can maybe offer you something a little in-between..." Reaching into his pockets again, he pulled out a comically long rope, and piled it into a bundle as he spoke. "See, I can tell that you're planning on getting your classmates to follow you up here and escape with you, which isn't really my plan. But since you're such a hard worker, I figured that you'd maybe like to get out on your own?"

"There's no conceivable reason that I wouldn't try to save the others, Monoyaki. There's a catch to it, isn't there?"

"Hmm, slightly. It'd be too easy to just let all of you go at once, but if you'd feel bad about leaving everyone else behind, then you could just let me kill you right here~" He grinned, tightening part of the rope in his hands. "And then I'll let all the others go. Keep in mind, if you try and go down there to save the others AND yourself, I can just raise the claw again and leave all of you trapped for real this time. That's the deal I'm offering."

... I'll be honest with you, my first thought was to save myself. I had already admitted in my own mind that the only people here that I still cared about were Lucy and I, and since she was gone, I had no goal other than self-preservation. The others didn't deserve to die, but I sure didn't deserve to die either. Monoyaki kept loosening and tightening the rope in his hands. A life rope, or a noose. Was that really it? He looked a little impatient, like I was supposed to go for one or the other instantly. I'll admit that what I chose to do there might have been stupid, at least at the time, but, taking in a deep breath and clenching my fists...

"Neither."

"Jane, don't be dumb. You have to choose."

"... You said that when Lucy wiped her memory of ever summoning you, and stopped maintaining the ritual room, you faded away, right?"

"Yep. The summoner must keep a mental concentration tied with the ritual room on a regular basis. They don't have to keep visiting there, but as long as they want me around, and as long as they're alive, I'll be around."

[13]

"So I can just kill the mastermind."

"Wait, whaaaaat?"

"Whoever your new 'business partner' is, they would have had to know Lucy, be her acquaintance, perhaps, in order to discover the secrets of her notebook... With all the staff and students outside of our class being killed off before the killing game, that means that the mastermind can only be one of the surviving students, and since I know I'm not the mastermind... That narrows it down to just five people. All we have to do to get rid of you is find that person, and stop them from keeping you manifested." I smiled confidently. "It's over, Monoyaki."

"You've gotta be kidding... That is the worst idea anybody's ever had. You'll just end up killing each other and nothing's going to come of it, dummy! You're actually telling me that you're going to go back to the trial room just so you can try and find my business partner and kill them out of spite?! I'm letting you go, for crying out loud! Just take my deal!"

"Nah." I walked past him, grimoire in tow, and left the vent room, as he hopped up and down and shouted at me.

"Get back here! You're not supposed to do this! This isn't the plan, this'll go wrong for ALL of you!"

"It'll go wrong for the people who had it coming, I guess." I shrugged, and covered my ears, Monoyaki's noisy yaps turning into nothing but muffled yelps to me. We just kept doing this, going down all the stairs, until I reached the corridor that ran next to the elevator, which was still open. In fact, the lift had even travelled back up to greet me... If Monoyaki was so apprehensive about me going down there, then whoever's REALLY behind this only wanted to beckon me. I'll admit, that wasn't a good sign, but I had already made my mind up. And so, I entered the lift, and let the doors close behind me.

(SOUNDTRACK PAUSES)

For the first time ever, I was riding it alone. Wait, was it the first time? Maybe on my way out, I could have gone up on my own if I waited too long and everyone else left before me... I didn't really remember. But there was nobody for me to look at, no faces to try and read. I could only steel myself for this last ordeal, straightening my beret as if it made me feel cool or something. Yeah, that's a bit childish.

... If I messed up here, we'd all die. I mean, that was true for every single trial we did, but this one wasn't even a real trial, it was only a personal gambit. Crossing the Rubicon or whatever. The lift seemed to be taking longer than usual, and for a moment I wondered if I'd ever get to the bottom, but of course, I felt the transport gradually slow to a smooth halt, and opened up on a newly lit court.

... The claw had left, and the grass had indeed disappeared, leaving behind nothing but dirt. Other than that, the stone court was the same as it had always been, aside from the absence of railing. Monoyaki sat cross-armed in his throne, pouting and averting his gaze, and the other students all noticed my entrance with surprise and confusion, as I expected. None of them spoke as I walked out and onto my usual podium, still clutching Lucy's thick notebook, and simply asserted myself in place.

... I had no idea what to say first. I just locked my gaze on the goat, who still refused to look at me.

"Jane, don't make me explain it to them..."

I said nothing. Partially just to flex on him. Maybe I should have explained what was happening to the others, and I knew that I'd inevitably have to do that in one way or another during this trial, which was exactly why I was going to conserve my energy by making Monoyaki get everyone else up to speed. It was going to be a stalemate for at least a bit, as the goat slowly turned his head to face me, looking more and more cross as he did.

Everyone else might as well not have existed at that moment, and they were probably waiting on me, but to hell with it, I wasn't giving that godforsaken business plush what he wanted.

"You're actually making me tell them? Fine, fine..." He sighed loudly and began the long winded explanation, and of course, I listened intently to make sure that he wasn't going to muddy any of the details to his advantage. Browsing over the faces of the other students, they had the exact expressions of shock combined with 'that explains a lot', occasionally interjecting to ask or confirm various outrageous details, which made extra sure that Monoyaki's description was up to scratch.

[14]

"... And that's where we're at. Jane, the dummy that she is, decided to risk ALL OF YOUR LIVES when she could have sacrificed herself like a graceful hero! So now you're all doomed. Happy?"

"I wouldn't say we're doomed." Cody stated. "We just have to track down the one who's behind this and shoot him? Easy."

"How much ammunition do you have left?" asked Archie.

"A-and what if it's a 'she'?" Mia added on, not helping her own case.

"And what if this is a dumbass waste of time?" Jo asked, obviously not expecting an answer.

"Sounds alright." Dan concurred (surprisingly enough?), "If that's what you want to do, of course. Perhaps it does matter in the long run. Just a small amount."

"Doesn't matter, we'll get underway soon." Monoyaki said with a sigh.

"... So..." Cody shook his head. "Am I gonna get a chance to say how much ammo I have left?"

"One bullet's enough, uwehehe. After all, it would be unfair to the mastermind if I gave you more than one chance, no?~"

I smirked. "I guess I should've expected a catch like that. I can handle it."

"Can you?~ Uweheheheheeeeeeeeee..." He smiled, seemingly having accepted the idea that he was so opposed to before. "Well, even if this isn't really supposed to be happening in the first place... It's time for the TRUE final trial! Sorry, I'm a little giddy about it, uwehe." The giddy goat put his hands to his cheeks, blushing.

"Yeah, we could all use a moment to calm down every now and then, huh?"

"Quit stalling."

"Sheesh, mood change..." I said, continuing to smile like an idiot.

Honestly? I don't know why I was so full of myself at that particular moment, maybe it was some sort of power trip, but damn did it feel good. I took a good long look at each of my remaining classmates... Honestly? I could make a good case for any of them to be the mastermind. There was Archibald, who was always so quiet, and somehow knew what to say whenever the trials went out of control... And there was Dan, who seemed to not have any real regard for human life, a philosophy which he very well could have believed from the very start, hiding it until he felt it necessary... Mia, who survived a bloody execution and was taken care of by Monoyaki, I mean, come on... And Jo, too, who honestly was a suspect in nearly every situation so far... Maybe even Cody? Alright, I couldn't think of a good argument as to why he'd be the mastermind, but maybe that was his plan all along, to make himself the most unlikely candidate. Well, these theories were all Charlotte-tier, honestly, but one of them had to be true, and my last job was to figure out which one.

... And whoever the mastermind is, they're also the person who sent out a death warrant for my girlfriend...

And I sure as hell wouldn't let them get away with that.

Continued in Chapter 6 - Class Trial.