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"No... I'm afraid there's nothing interesting here... besides that blood trail outside, of course..."

Akira turned to face Nyanraku and cocked his brow. 

"No cache of shades, though.  I'd say we can move on to Koezukuri's room..."

He hesitated to make it to the doorway, scraping the side of his foot against the floor and inspecting the smear of blood it made with morbid fascination. After a few silent moments, he shifted back to Nao.

"I just don't... I... I feel bad for them, you know... for Hagane-kun and Koezukuri-chan... Ariga-san... Tsukuda... whoever did this, too..."

He almost dared to bring up how they had signed their own death warrant, again, if only out of bitterness, but kept his mouth shut and started across the hall to the other block of bedrooms. Akira pushed open the door to Risa's room and held back for Nao to enter first.

"I can't wrap my head around all of this, Sadao-kun... In any case... I guess now's not the time for moping. Er, how about you check out Koezukuri's drawers, and I'll look around the bed?"

[Investigation 2] Bitter Cold

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Well, if there was any student that Akira just couldn't stay mad at... it would probably be all of them, who was he to lie, but Nao's innocent disposition helped him along a bit more than the others. Akira felt his shoulders relax as Nao approached him, but his expression remained more-or-less poker-faced.

"Ah, Sadao-kun. That's not a bad idea. Thanks for... er... tagging along with me..."

Gesturing for Nao to follow him, Akira headed back through the meeting room and the foyer to get to the hallway lined with bedrooms. It took a moment of mulling it over in his mind before he headed to Katsuie's door, feeling less morally wrong for going through the publisher's room first. 

"All right, Sadao-kun... let's give it a once-over, then we can head to... ah... Koezukuri's room..."

Without further delay, Akira glanced around the floor and began going through Katsuie's drawers.

[Investigation 2] Bitter Cold

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[Investigation 2] Bitter Cold

The scent of blood seemed thicker than last time. It burned Akira's nostrils and made his mouth taste acrid. He turned away from the two deceased students and faced those who were still living, eyes unusually hard. First poor Shizue... then Reiji, who he could admit he wasn't fond of, but still.

The reality of the situation hit him hard, taking the knot in his stomach and twisting it around twice more for good measure. Tired.

"There's no excuse for this," he said. "Whoever did this is going to die, too. That's all there is to it."

Worn out, Akira sauntered away from the treasure room and eyed everyone who left subsequently. They received his best I'm not mad, just disappointed look. Then he cleared his throat.

"Who wants to investigate." Deadpan. "I mean," he couldn't bring himself to offer anyone his usual simper, "Wherever, but I don't really want to be around the bodies right now..."

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Ah, Chiyoko. Another of the students that Akira felt an innate respect for, for whatever reason. It might've been because pink hair something something... but he didn't want to go dredging up memories of the trial if he didn't need to.

"Er... yeah, I guess a dead body will wake you up pretty well. I'm not really a morning person... anyway, hate's a pretty strong word. I don't think I've done enough to make someone hate me... yet."

With that out of the way, he looked off in thought. 

"Tsukiko-chan..." Akira cut himself short and thinned his lips. Mika's display after she saw Reiji's body served as proof enough that she probably wasn't the one to fling it at any doors. He returned the book in his hands to its place on the shelf before he continued. "Tsukiko-chan's pretty intimidating, but I don't think it was her. That leaves... er... not too many candidates for... dragging bodies around. Not that I'd want there to be any at all...

"Mm... I don't feel too good pointing fingers. There's Kirigakure-san... or Koezukuri-chan... who do you think would be more likely? Maybe it was you?

"Um... joking. I don't really see it as a big deal... if I don't know, then I don't know... I'm not one to pry."

Even if the prying involved finding the culprit of a swiss cheese body drive-by, apparently.

Motive 2 | Freezing Rain

It was a dark day. Morning, rather. Chiyoko was sure that if she’d had a clear view outside, there would be appropriate mood lighting, complete with theatric, well-timed strikes of lightning to accentuate the horrors taking place within the castle. The class was down to, what – thirteen, now? That was three people down – not the biggest percentage, but it was three entire people that would never get out of this castle or see their families again. Hell, they’d never see anything again.

Seeing a bullet-riddled corpse certainly made one appreciate the simple joy of not being dead. Walking away from the body (staring at it wouldn’t make Reiji come back to life, and if there wasn’t a murderer to find, then there was really no point at all), she picked at her glove and reminded herself just how good it felt to breathe. Walking towards nowhere in particular, she took a few deep breaths. Nice, calming breaths. There. She was calm now. Calm. Completely calm. Totally calm and maybe also completely flipping out. Just a little bit.

She started walking faster, even though there was nowhere to go. Nowhere to go, no more keys to use, nothing to see, nothing to mess with – except, maybe, the meeting room. Monobear had said that’s where Reiji bit the dust, right? That’d be something to look at, at least. If all else failed, she could probably just grab one of those books and tear it to shreds.

She turned into the doorway and stopped in her tracks – for the slightest fraction of a second, she was sure she was seeing a ghost, which was ridiculous. Nerdlord-kun had different hair, and wasn’t some sort of swiss cheese hybrid.

The thump of the book hitting the floor was enough to snap her back to reality. She let out her breath in a whoosh.

“I’m fine. Nothing like a dead body in the morning to wake you up. I am so awake right now. How about you? Who do you think hates you enough to do a ding dong body dump?”

With that, she strode into the room, past Akira, and grabbed a random book off the shelf. Destroying this useless pile of dead tree wasn’t against the rules, was it? Flipping it to a random page, she paused and turned to Akira. There was a definite air of awkwardness hanging in the air.

“…Who would you pick?”

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Motive 2 | Freezing Rain

Akira felt awkwardly bare even under his three layers of clothing. His hands were near-fastened to his shoulders as he trudged away from Reiji's body to anywhere that wasn't there; a full pacing of the perimeter of the hallways eventually lead Akira to venture to the meeting room. They had all gathered there some days earlier for another one of the puzzles that the castle seemed to have an abundance of, but he hadn't gotten to just sit there and bask in bookish environment of it all. 

Leafing through a few of the tomes provided a good enough distraction to keep Akira's thoughts far away from murder games and what he thought to be his almost-inevitable death. Put him anywhere that wasn't a miserable murder castle and Akira would've spent days arguing against any cases that pinned him as a bookworm nerd, but it all seemed so trivial now, as did most things during an existential crisis.

The presence of someone else appearing in the doorway led to the book in his hands toppling to the ground with another soul-crushing thud; the binding itself remained undamaged, so Akira hoped he'd be spared any of Monobear's strange punishments. Still, he floundered for something to say before he settled for the NPC-esque dialogue that seemed burned into his brain as he crouched down to scoop the book off of the floor.

"So... how are you?"

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Kaho smirked, offering a humorless chuckle in response to the banter which the ninja woman had chosen to carry on with her. She’d accept anything at all to take some of this unbearable tension out of the air at this point. However, jokes were jokes, and now was probably a time better suited for seriousness. The furrier cleared her throat and nodded diligently in response to her two investigating partners. The two seemed competent enough, each in their own special way, and Kaho decided she’d have no issue cooperating with them. Shizue deserved their best effort, and so the girl would have no qualms in delivering precisely that. The morgue… it was rather an unsettling room, based merely on its name and intended usage, but still significantly less haunting than this place — the site of a murder, complete with a still-bloody corpse strapped into a torture device. 

"Sweet. The morgue it is, then. What fun,” Kaho snipped, inhaling a bit shakily. The death of a classmate seemed to be getting to her more than she had previously expected it might. She could deal with dead animals, but this was… different. She had shared a conversation with Shizue, even. Now she was just dead? The furrier had trouble wrapping her head around it, so she shoved the notion far away and walked after Akira and Rinko. A scowl crossed her features for just a moment when she heard the blatant differentiation of Kirigakure-san, Tsukuda-chan, but she let it go. There were more important things to worry about.

She entered the morgue, taking a few cautious steps toward another of the coffins. Hesitantly lifting the lid, she glanced inside the coffin with half-closed eyes. Visions of skeletons leaping out and biting her nose off danced vividly in her head, but thankfully, there were none to be seen. She slowly lowered the lid and stood up straighter, taking a look around the room. It seemed to be utterly empty, save for the stacked up coffins, and her shoulders slumped a bit in disappointment.

"Let me know if you find anything," she called to the other two, lifting another of the coffin lids and peering inside. “These things are so creepy. I feel like Indiana Jones, right? Raiders of the Lost Ark style. I ought to put on a cowboy hat and start snapping a whip. We’re not going to be cursed by some spiteful spirits, right? Right. Of course not,” Kaho nervously reassured herself, hardly noticing that she had begun to hopelessly ramble. 

"And celebrate we shall for there is nothing better than success against those who would do us and others harm." she smirks. "Then we are agreed." Rinko bobs her head and stalks into the morgue herself. "It’s not like there’s anything to worry about. I doubt the dead will do us any damage."

She would be calm, of course. Internally, her mind was a bit of a mess. There were a lot of things bothering her honestly but she was a Kirigakure and they did not react. Horrible and heartless, oh they’d been called many things. But it was because they didn’t grieve that others could. That was self-sacrifice in her eyes. Her hands still shook, despite herself but she calmed the nerves. Shizue would have her justice. They all would have their justice.

Rinko herself followed the two inside and she glanced around the morgue. The coffins were being covered by the other two so she gets to work herself in a solo fashion as often befits her nature. There actually isn’t much in the morgue apart from the distinct feeling of ‘no thank you’ but she can still do her part and scour the local area. In particular, she checks the entrance way and floor. If something had dripped or scuffed anything she should be able to see it. There was a possibility that this room wasn’t even used, mind but… it didn’t hurt to be thorough.

"Of course. And the same applies to you two. We need to work quickly and methodically here. The better our communication, the easier this is." she nods. That seems about right, sounds simple enough… what, wait? She frowns at that next part. "Ｉｎｄｉａｎａ ｊō-ｎｚｕ? A western hero, perhaps?" she questions looking a little nonplussed for a second. She had no idea who that was. She wondered if this fellow was any match for a ninja. "Though the whip strikes me a daft choice of weapon. Better a poison, smoke bomb or blade! Hmhmhm~ those would get a job done well. Or a hookshot if need be, you know, for getting around. Ha. Unlikely, vengeful spirits would have more sense." she replies with narrowed eyes. That’s what she believes so it’s final. What kind of idiot spirit would attack someone of her descent?

"Eh, I guess the morgue was a bust... and it seems the passageway was covered," Akira piped up, closing the lid on the coffin he'd been poking around.

"...and I'm not the type to believe in any vengeful spirits, personally. I think we'll be okay. The coffins don't seem to have had anything in them before. And, uh... I mean... huh? Have you used something like a hookshot, Kirigakure-ch... er, san?"

Alright, Rinko's rambling about weapons had mostly been lost on him. Shoulders slumped, he walked back into the torture room but purposely averted his eyes from Shizue's corpse and stuffed his hands in his pockets. A few steps further and he could peer out into the rows of cells... He turned back around and looked to the other two members of his ninja investigation squad for guidance.

"Ummm... let's see. We could look around some of the cells for clues, or maybe go to the guard room? What sounds best to you?"

[Task Three] | In Death, We Are Equal | Akira & Kaho

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Kaho wasted no time in making her way to the scene of the crime. The announcement had not come as a shock, necessarily, but was rather the jarring and inevitable reality of an incredibly foul truth. It was only a matter of time before one of them cracked under the pressure, she knew, but the fact of the matter was that an innocent person had been slain as a result. It was dreadful, plain and simple. 

The furrier stood behind a few of her fellow students at the doorway to the torture room, grudgingly peering over heads and slumped shoulders to take in the gruesome sight for herself. Ariga Shizue. Perhaps the youngest of them all; the sight of her strapped down, skin paled by death, was unsettling to say the very least. Kaho was used to the sight of blood, and yet… there was something all too visceral about the view that sat before her. She swallowed and coughed into her hand, turning away and all but ignoring the bear’s words as the poured out through the speakers overhead. 

Thankfully, it seemed as though some of her more gallant classmates had already begun to discuss the situation. Kaho glanced in the direction of the nearest voice, which appeared to belong to Rinko, the rather intimidating ninja girl whom she had not yet properly met. The bespectacled class president was there, too, next to whom she had conveniently stood. The girl narrowed her eyes and attempted to ignore the fact that there was a corpse in the room, instead focusing on whatever it was the two were conversing about.

"Honor, hm? Interesting. I guess… It’s the least we can do for Ariga-san. Pres-kun is tagging along too? What a fun group. Might as well pop the champagne and call it a full-on party," Kaho muttered, a rather bored expression on her face. Despite her lacking enthusiasm, she truly did appreciate the invitation to focus on anything but the lifeless elephant in the room. “Kidding, kidding. Count me in, Kirigakure-san,” she finally added, raising her hand as if to signify her willingness to join in. “Where do you two suppose should we check first?”

The bespectacled boy who approached seemed a little shaky but perhaps he would be useful. He at the very least, seemed pretty smart and perhaps could help her with details and factoids if need be. Any hands on deck were better than none, however, and as he came closer she nodded her approval his way. “Indeed. Of the famous Kirigakure descent.” she bobbed her head in a vague greeting. Normally she’d bow, the entire works but right now it was go time which meant she needed her game face. “Your help is appreciated.”

She actually hadn’t remember this boy’s name. Oops.

Her eyes then skim over to the furrier who cuts quite the fancy image despite her height being lacking. She seems to be both focused and confident. That’s good.

"A party of worthy warriors, you might even say," she adds to the joke in her own way before putting her head in one hand in thought.

"I shall share my perspective on the matter. In order to enter the Torture Chamber we stand in I imagine our culprit traveled through the Secret Passage… which connects to the Chapel. Running through the hall in front of all of our rooms is suicide. If I were to kill I would surely cloak myself in the passage. Therefore the Secret Passage would be a good place to search. However, the Morgue is an underrated location that may be of use to us. It is but a few steps to the south. If you wanted to quickly hide something I imagine those coffins would provide a perfect service.”

She taps at her chin and closes her eyes, taking a brief break before flicking them back open, her eyes now wandering around the room. “There is, of course, this room, which may hold something. But I imagine the less obvious clues would be elsewhere. Those are where my mind go to. Do either of you have a preference? The sooner we can work, the better. The Morgue and the Secret Passage are both local enough. If we work quickly we could manage to scour both areas comfortably.”

Alright, well. Their search party seemed a bit eccentric, but it wasn't as if any of the other groups that had branched off to investigate were any more... conventional. At least all of them somehow sharing an air of relative nonchalance would aid in their search for... clues. Maybe.

"Uh-humm... we can celebrate once we figure out who committed a crime so heinous."

Akira regarded the body of Shizue a final time before he turned his back to it, not willing to look it over any further. 

"Sounds good to me, Kirigakure-san, Tsukuda-chan... that is, maybe we can check out the morgue first, since it's so close, then go through the passage to the chapel."

What with facing the morgue already, Akira entered it and peered inside one of the coffins. Hopefully there would be no surprise boddys waiting for him.

[Task Three] | In Death, We Are Equal | Akira & Kaho

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To say the situation was distressing would be a grave understatement. Akira had never seen a corpse in person before--let alone one slaughtered so brutally. While his classmates seemed to either remain eerily calm or outright devastated... or, you know, somewhere strange in-between, Akira also stood on the edge of those two extremes. 

He hadn't known the poor kid... Shizue Ariga, if he'd overheard correctly... but still, he'd promised himself that nothing like this would have to happen...

Akira felt vaguely nauseous as Rinko put him on the spot, and he took a step back before he could compute what had been said. Justice for the tiny moth child, was it?

"Ah, you're... Kirigakure... san, correct?" To throw out a -chan didn't seem like the best idea. "Well enough, then. I'll help however I can."

Even though he'd rather curl back up on the straw in his cell and forget any of this was happening... he couldn't really afford to right now, could he?

[Task Three] | In Death, We Are Equal | Akira & Kaho

The sounds that ring out shatter her peace and she scowls because of it. Is there no such thing as decency in this place? Trekking to the place of the crime she stares in awe. Was this really what it looked like…? Before she has a moment to even process it the bear reappears piping up in the most annoying fashion once more.

"Forgetful? Don’t make me laugh." she snarks under her breath. In all honesty she’s having a hard time processing this. Oh, finding a picture or hearing a story, those could be graphic and disturbing in their own right but seeing something with your own eyes with little distraction… that was something else. The blood is unmistakable as is the body. Shizue Ariga, huh. Rinko briefly contemplated whether she ever saw it coming or not. That in itself is proof of the seriousness of this game.

She’d underestimated the situation. This could be worse than she thought. It’d become a bit of a show, with the annoying announcements and caveats. Much harder to get by safely and quietly as she was so used to. Rinko tried to skim over the bear’s annoying words as they so grated on her nerves but it turned out listening was for the best.

He was up to something.

"… An… execution? He is adding rules now… well… this changes things, doesn’t it…?" the kunochi places her head in one hand and frowns. Well as she’d said… this certainly did change this. She wasn’t sure whether it was a change for the better or the worse just yet, however. Well, no matter, standing around here was an idiotic affair and she had never been one to look like a fool. Not so easily, anyhow.

Idiocy. Kemurizome was never one to stay in one place while things needed taking care of and neither was she. In one swift motion she turns on her heel and faces the pale faces of her fellow students. This gives her a moment to survey the general atmosphere too.

The next time she speaks it’s in a clear and strong voice perhaps not befitting the situation.

"You all have two choices. Sitting on your hands and whining or grabbing some courage and following me. I won’t lead my people astray. Kemurizome-shi once said: ‘honour your brotherhood with justice or forever leave their ranks’. So? How about we get Ariga-shi some justice?" 

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Akira looked Yua over once before he let this posture relax; he hadn't spoken to the girl yet, but she was a recognizable face. It was comforting and bizarre at the same time... a student council president was small time compared to a talk show host. Digressing.

"Ah, Kaneshiro-chan. You must be right... a threat... well, I don't see how it'd be effective as a motive to kill! It's not like we're prying these books from each other's hands..."

By the grace of God... or maybe Satan, Monokuma happened to chime in with his addendum by the time Akira had finished his observation. The hand tucked under his coat and gripping his own book tightly began to tremble. If he'd looked pale before, now you could've thrown him into a snowbank and it'd be impossible to fish him out. 

Before Akira allowed himself to panic, he regarded Yua with a worried frown; surely that wouldn't sound like good news to her, either. Swallowing the lump in his throat and adjusting his posture, Akira tucked a stray strand of hair behind his ear and rested his other hand on his hip.

"Uh, ah... nobody will be dying on my watch, I'll assure you. Even if these... these books we have happen to be genuine... the letters... he could be lying, right?"

Task 2 | Cloudy Sky | Yua

Yua had calmed down a little since she’d read the contents of that awful book, a book that she decided she would destroy at her earliest possible convenience. Or at least, she outwardly appeared to have calmed down. Her hand barely trembled, and her face bore her default expression, a cheerful smile that she had practiced thousands of times. 

After a few minutes, she could even bring herself to stand without leaning on a table for support, and so she began to pace, making sure to walk confidently, her back straight and her demeanour energetic, seeming upbeat and yet still in charge despite of how much she wanted to cry. 

Her book was tucked firmly under her arm, and of course she had no intention of letting anyone see inside it before it was obliterated.As she paced, she thought to herself, trying to calm down, before she was jolted out of her mind by someone she walked past speaking to her.

Turning to face him, she smiled, idly scratching the back of her head, the expression on her face growing slightly more serious as she replied.

. “Well, I suppose that the most obvious reason that these exist is as an implied threat. Whoever is behind this is showing us that they know everything about us, things that would be very difficult to find out. They’re showing us that they have the ability to unearth our pasts, our secrets, our fears, et cetera, and so they wish us to infer that they are incredibly powerful. These are probably just here to make us afraid, afraid of the bear and afraid of each other, so that we’ll submit to his stupid game thing.”

She shrugged. “Tee-hee! But like, that’s just a guess. you know. I could be, like, totally wrong, who knows with a crazy person like that bear thing, huh?”

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Akira accepted Ryozo's strong, red eyes with calm grey ones... it was almost like they were having a moment... with a small shudder and a laugh at the absurdity of the thought, Akira rubbed his shoulders and looked to the boy again.

"Wow, that's my line, mister. Anyhow... I'm Akira Sakai. Student council president... you know, all of that precursory introductory stuff. It's a pleasure."

The taller boy hover-handed Ryozo for a moment before he decided it'd be okay to give him a firm pat on the shoulder. 

"You sure are strong-willed! I appreciate that. If you're okay with it, I'd like to help you in whatever way you see fit. That's what I'm here for... I think."

Silence -- Akira wrapped his arms around himself again in the cold dampness of the dungeon. The place was certainly foreboding... but there had to be areas that were less foreboding than others! Right?

"Maybe we should move somewhere more comfortable than... well, whatever this is. If you'd like to continue this conversation, or whatever, I mean."

✪ [ O P E N ] ▪ Scouting Badge #2 ▪ Trust me.

"You… You!"

Ryozo slammed his respective storybook shut, whipping his head around to face the bear— God, that was a bear, right? —only to find that the toy simply wasn’t present. How annoying. 

A pause fell where the he simply stood in this hellish place, among the filth and grime, surrounded by coffins and the musk of decay and in the other room, torture devices, of all things. It wasn’t… Something he expected, that much could be said.

He had been startled upon finding the objects, for the idea of torture hadn’t occurred to him. Rather, it didn’t make sense— Why would their captors torture their objects of ransom? For what purpose could that serve? To make them tell them their secrets, perhaps, to make the students explain how they achieved their accomplishments to some sort of diabolical mastermind. 

But it was soon discovered, through the assistance of this fairy tale story book, that they already knew that information. Inside lied everything Ryozo had kept a secret for so long, and yet, there it was as plain as day and, most importantly; known. He forced down a swallow, eyes searching the floor below, as he repeated the bear’s words in his mind over and over. This was no ransom heist. This was a murder game. 

Swiftly, his gaze darted around to the students around them— some he had already been acquainted with and others he had not. If he was going to ensure their safety, not only from outside forces but also… From each other, then he would have to act quickly. And so, tucking his book under his arm and slipping his ID card into his pocket, Ryozo went over to the nearest person. 

"Please don’t feel singled out, as I plan on telling everyone this. But… Try to remain calm. I’m going to make sure we get out of this alive, one way or another. So, whatever you do, just… Just trust me, alright?"

He tilted his head slightly at the person, taking them in with a piercing, crimson gaze that, no matter how much he tried, couldn’t contort into something more sympathetic. 

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"Himekomori-sama..."

Akira could only freeze and stare in awe. The hands on his jacket pulled it closer to him as he approached... when his eyes flickered to the whiteness of his knuckles, he quickly released it and patted his sides. No reason to be nervous... except for the killing, and the pretty girl...  

"I mean... I think that's right. Am I right? It's a pleasure--I'm terribly sorry we weren't introduced earlier--ah... I'm Akira Sakai."

Unfortunately, Akira's kaicho powers led his eyes to follow Himeko's until he zeroed in on what must have been paper from the little red books they'd been given. His hand returned to his chest as he brushed his own, and he began to look introspective... within a few moments, Akira returned his gaze to Himeko.

"Um... I'm the student council president... it's my responsibility to help however I can. Or even if it wasn't, I'd be pleased as punch either way--"

The smile returned to his face... yet it waned when he attempted to work his question into the 'conversation' that had been mostly his blabbering.

"Anyway... I hope you don't mind if I ask you a question, Hime-sama..."

Akira pulled his own book out of its hiding place beneath a layer of nerd-clothes and presented it to her.

"Do you think that destroying these is the best course of action? I mean..." Another drop in expression. "While the stuff inside isn't the brightest to read... I don't know. It's like... how can I be a guy that everyone can trust if I have something to hide?"

His inquiry aside, Akira bowed apologetically. 

"Gosh, sorry. That's a bit much to ask someone out of nowhere, huh? And it might sound accusatory... but I promise it's not! A princess is entitled to keep her secrets!"

[Task 2] "...But whoever tried and did not succeed, after three days and nights, should be put to death." || [OPEN]

It all goes by in a whirl.

The clanging, the opening of the other gate, and then the… the bear.

One side white as snow, one side black as night, and one eye red as blood, and surrounded by every instrument of torture from every horrible nightmare you could ever imagine. Dagger-sharp words drop from dagger-sharp teeth, echoing and bouncing around her head. Forever. Kill. Drown, burn, cut, beat, bleed, choke, it’s aaall the same to him.

This is a nightmare after all, Himeko thinks, numbly picking up her ID card with death-still fingers when it’s offered. Kidnapping would have been real. There’s nothing nightmarish about someone wanting to exchange something for money. A prank would have been real.

Being taken, locked away forever, and forced to shed blood in order to leave — there’s nothing realistic about that.

The thought plays like a mantra in her head, keeping her in a sort of eerie, statuesque calm even as the door opens to a morgue; ‘sixteen coffins’, she thinks, ‘and sixteen people, how quaint’. Sixteen coffins and sixteen books for sixteen people. She remains unfazed as she retrieves her book and retreats from the area, returning to the guard room to sit down. If it’s a nightmare, she can at least make herself comfortable in it.

But then she opens the book, and the calm dissipates.

She turns the pages slowly, at first, frowning and squinting at the writing — until one page gives her pause.

She picks up speed.

Suddenly, her eyes are wide, and she, too, is wide awake again.

This is no nightmare, after all.

Before she even knows what she’s doing, she’s standing up from the table, the chair clattering to the ground behind her, and she rips the book straight down its spine. Heart pounding, she turns next to the pages, ripped and torn over and over again with a wild fervor until nothing’s left but scraps. And even then, it still doesn’t feel like enough. Gathering as many scraps as she can, Himeko feeds them to the flames, rushing for the doorway as if she’s fleeing a crime scene —

…And immediately knocking straight into somebody trying to enter, with a startled cry. She stumbles backwards, catching herself inelegantly against the table with one hand and holding onto her tiara with the other, staring at the person with the eyes of a cornered animal. It takes her a few moments to remember herself, and even when she straightens up , she simply can’t summon her old decorum into her face or voice any more, even as she says the right words.

“I’m— I’m sorry, I’m sorry! Forgive me, please-“

A scrap on the floor catches her eye, and her heart seizes. Nudging it under the table with her foot and hoping to Heaven her company won’t see, she continues.

"Is… i-is there something you wanted?"

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Task 2 | Cloudy Sky | Open

"Headmaster--that can't be correct--"

Akira could no longer pass any of this off as something that could be fixed without breaking a sweat. This was all terribly wrong, and not something to be shoved to the back of his mind where he could ignore everything that had happened... but how could he help his fellow classmates when he was desperate for answers himself?

At least Akira barely hesitated upon entering the room with the coffins; he quickly snatched his book off of the floor and peered inside.

"...no."

Cinching his teeth, Akira didn't need to flip past the first several pages before he tucked the book away into his coat and walked back out into the hall lined with cells. For perhaps the first time since he had woken up, the smile had been completely wiped off of Akira's face... but at least he couldn't be alone in having read something incredibly unpleasant.

Their secrets... being given an incentive to kill... a torture room....

"What a nosy bear..." 

With his hands still hovering over the protective Coat Shield that was keeping his secrets hidden from the wandering eye, Akira looked up at his nearest classmate and held their gaze for an awkward moment before he thought of something to say.

"Well, uh... I don't get what we're supposed to do with these books."

[ultimatepushover-blog]

Ah, Akira was also familiar with waking up in unfamiliar places... as had probably been established. Maybe they could bond over that, the way only two over-enthusiastic protagonist-types could. But before that could happen, he'd have to introduce himself.

Firstly: Yui was tall. Akira had to raise his head a bit to make eye contact, but when he did, something in his brain clicked. Right. These were prospective Hope's Peak students.

"Oh, I know you. Yui Narita-chan, am I right?"

He felt a little embarrassed. How could he just go around, asking for people's names? He should've known them already, clearly. Damn it. Akira felt himself blushing and ruffled his hair to expertly divert any attention that would've been going to the awful rush of blood to his cheeks.

"I'm Akira Sakai. Er--"

Now there was the case of addressing Yui's optimism. It was admirable, but... did he really have to be the one to burst her bubble?

...although, it seemed that her bubble might have been un-burstable. Wasn't he the same? With an exaggerated sigh, Akira dropped his voice to a faux-distressed murmur.

"It's super weird. I don't even think it's an... orientation, you know. I think this might be... hmm, bad."

Yes, that was the word. He wanted to come across as serious, though, because he partly was; this called for repeating himself, but sounding less like a tween who had been told by their parents that they weren't allowed to date the hot junior boy on the basketball team.

"...what?" 

Oh, he'd gotten too caught up in his comparison.

"Whaaat--okay, right. I do think something's amiss. I like you, though. You seem high energy, Narita-chan! So we can figure this out together! ...if you're okay with that."

[Rally 1:START!] I've woken up in stranger places, but...

The funny thing about this entire scenario was that none of this was exactly surprising or new.

Waking up in an unfamiliar place? Check. Waking up next to someone she didn’t know? Been there,done that. Having a rat run over your hand? Okay maybe not, but a cat counts, doesn’t it? Not knowing how you got here, or why? Hold the phone, something’s not right here.

Rubbing her eyes and stretching, she slowly took in her dismal surroundings, noting the cells, the dim lighting, and the imposing hallway. It looked like something straight out of a television show and was actually pretty impressive. But this was not the time to be admiring how utterly miserable this place was.

She tried to remember how she’d gotten in this situation, but try as she might, she couldn’t recall anything. The last thing she knew, she’d been bounding into the doors of Hope’s Peak Academy, ready to start her new school life and then…then? Her mind went completely blank, only to skip right to where she was now. Strange; she knew her memory wasn’t the best, but even this was a little odd. Upon seeing the other person in her cell, however jolted all thoughts of questionable memory out of her mind as she rushed over to the other person. Were they okay? They hadn’t moved yet.

"Hey…! Hey, are you okay? Can ya hear me? Move around or something if ya can!"

No response. She began to worry for them and started shaking them gently but got no response. The only thing she learned was that whoever they were had really green hair…oh, and they weren’t actually dead or anything, just incredibly unconscious. She’d probably been that way not too long ago as well. She’d better let them wake up on their own. In the meantime, she could find a way out for both of them. She stood up, brushed the errant hay off her knees, before addressing the still form of her new-found companion.

"Hey, I’m gonna go find us a way outta here, okay? If you wake up don’t fret or nothing, I’ll be right back."

She tried the cell door, found it unlocked, and ended up pacing up and down the hallway in an attempt to find a way out. Along the way, she encountered other cells with other people in them; they must all be in the same boat as she and her cellmate. There was a door that seemed to lead out of this room but it was locked, and no amount of banging, pulling at the doorknob or trying to bust down the door would work. Another quick jog up and down the hallway confirmed no other way out; they were stuck here for the time being.

Sensing someone leaving their cell, she turned towards the new person with a smile and an outstretched hand. Hey, if they were going to be stuck here, might as well make some new friends, right?

"Hey there! Kind of a weird situation, huh? Well, I’m sure this is just some weird orientation thingy put on by the school or whatever, so we’ll just have to tough it out. Nice to meet ya though!"

[ultimatepushover-blog]

Oh, God. Kaho was standing her ground quite well. Akira found anything that he wanted to say stuck in his throat--this is why he was no good as a president, girls were so much stronger and cooler than he was--

"Eh... er... sorry! Sorry, I'm not... particularly... in charge? I didn't bring anyone here. But... uhhh... I am on the student council, so... I'll take any complaints and forward them to our, uh... captor, presumably."

Nice. Akira hesitated before he slipped past Kaho and looked up and down the gate himself, placing his hands on the bars and not looking unlike a forlorn prisoner. His weary frown lasted for all of five seconds before he turned back to her and beamed again.

"Not that I don't think you're capable of, um, sticking it to them yourself. Right?" Akira punched the air for emphasis. "And... and... I'll assure you I wasn't told about any sort of weird dungeon initiation. Maybe Hope's Peak is hush-hush enough to have terrifying entrance rituals, but I doubt anyone would go to these sorts of lengths...? Feels kind of illegal."

Illegal, dangerous, weird. Here he was, fully aware of it and blissfully ignorant all at once. What use would he have to others if he let himself get upset?

"Ummm... that's it. Wait."

Suddenly realizing that that wasn't it, Akira clasped his hands together.

"...I'm Akira Sakai. Nice to meet youuu, ...?"

He let himself trail off with his voice raising inquisitively as an indirect way of asking for her name. That was the way to do it.

task 1 : maitake

For a moment, it seemed as though no time had passed at all.

The regrettably familiar scent of mildew and damp, eroded minerals wafted from every direction, sickeningly pungent, and yet undeniably soothing nonetheless. The sensation wasn’t terribly unlike coming home for the holidays, only to be greeted by that particular scent that is so specifically home. For Kaho Tsukuda, however, it wasn’t the smell of roasted duck, or that of freshly brewed tea made from cardamom and five star anise which made her heart swell with a feeling of warmth and comfort. It was the piny, cavelike smell of moss and of limestone that seemed to be blanketing her present surroundings.

It was no wonder, then, that when the girl first awoke, her first instinct was to hop up, head home, and promptly apologize to her mother for being out so late past curfew. The furrier sat up groggily, taking note with mild irritation at the crick in her neck and the throbbing headache that seem to have graced her with their presence. She reached for her satchel of tools and handy-dandy bottle of formaldehyde, wondering offhandedly where on earth the stars and the moon had gone off to. That was when she remembered.

Hope’s Peak Academy, of course. Kaho felt her expression grow grim as she leaned forward, legs crossed, brow furrowed in deep concentration despite the overwhelming darkness which has settled over the room. Or perhaps it wasn’t a cave at all? A shiver ran up the girl’s spine as a glimmer of candlelight brought a few of the thick, rusted steel bars into view. Suddenly, the slight dampness of the stone underfoot and the smell of fungus and mildew were no longer quite so charming. Nature’s many vices no longer come to her as virtues, instead being foul resurrections and false apparitions brought on by mankind’s slovenliness. There was no real life in this dingy cell. It was… unsettling. Dirty. And most of all, it reminded her of…

"A dungeon…?" Kaho asked to no one in particular, perhaps if only to hear her own voice; to make sure this wasn’t all some dream brought on by her typical her nerves and jitters. As the two simple words echoed throughout the room and furthermore down what seemed to be some sort of corridor, the girl’s stomach turned. It was quiet, too quiet. Where on earth had she been taken?

A scowl on her face, Kaho struggled to a stand, quite alarmed to notice that only a small distance away from her lay another human form. She backed away from the body rapidly. Her steps were frantic, albeit almost graceful even in the apparent state of panic. Although the other pink haired girl appeared to be asleep, there was always the possibility of danger in a situation such as this. The unexpected had become the expected, and vice versa: it would surely be foolish to approach the stranger without a clear path of escape.

At that precise moment, a small flash of motion crossed Kaho’s line of vision. A vaguely familiar squeaking followed, and as if on instinct, she felt her shoulders relax a bit — the cold lifelessness of this dingy place was suddenly not quite as severe. The girl bent at the knees and leant down towards where the rodent had scurried, suddenly oblivious to the other person who was passed out on the floor. Her attentions had been further captivated by something much more important.

"Hey, you. Why are we here? You haven’t got any information for me, do you?” she asked the rat inquisitively, sticking out one finger, at which the creature took a few apprehensive sniffs. It stood for a moment and stared at her with trembling, beady eyes, before bolting off into one of the darker corners of the cell. “Take care, Nezumi-shi,” Kaho called after it quietly, offering a small smile into the direction which it had fled.

The girl stood once more, the smile which had been on her face quickly being replaced by a look of stoicism. She headed for the door to the cell, still paying her cellmate no mind, wary, though hardly intent on rotting away in the grimy old place. After roaming the short corridor for a short time, she was greatly displeased to find that the only door in sight was thoroughly closed, and didn’t seem to be opening up anytime soon. Only a moment later, though, another shadowy figure appeared before her. Kaho held up one hand defensively, feet planting heavily where she stood. 

"You there. Are you in charge here? You and I need to have some words. Isn’t it’s a bit rude to greet incoming students by drugging them and taking them to some creepy underground HQ against their will? As cool and cryptic as this is, I’m sort of hungry. So, any news? Come on, I’m asking nicely.”

[ultimatepushover-blog]

"Oh!"

Akira wasn't used to someone just walking up to him and grabbing his hand; usually he was the one who was doing that. Not that it wasn't a pleasant surprise... despite the seemingly dark circumstances. He clasped his other hand over Masumi's and joined in her vigorous shaking before he had to gently disengage himself.

"Nice to meet you, Hirai-chan... I'm Akira Sakai. Um... I'm afraid I don't! I've been asking others, and I think they're just as stumped, ya know. My partner especially wasn't of much help. Full of snark. You be careful around Hagane-kun."

After a moment of mulling it over, Akira gestured to his own glasses and adjusted them in as douchebaggy a way as he could manage.

"Katsuie Hagane. The magazine man. Sunglasses... definitely a partier. A dangerous one, but I will keep him under my watchful eye. ...digressing!"

Placing his hands on his hips, Akira took on his best presidential stance.

"I'm sorry I don't know why we're here, but if you need help with anything else, I'd be happy to oblige."

[Task 1] Far From Opulent || OPEN

The smell was what woke her.  The musty, terrible smell that clawed at her senses and reminded her so much of home.  Her eyes fluttered open and Masumi instantly resisted the urge to empty her stomach, bringing her hand up to her mouth to assure herself that whatever she had in her stomach would stay there.  It was only then that she realized her unfamiliar environment- as dark as it was- and the rotting in her gut only became more intense.  

A rat padded over her hand, causing the red-head to jump and a scream to escape her lips.  She regretted it instantly and slapped her hand that wasn’t keeping her breakfast in over her mouth as well, hoping that no one unfriendly was around to hear her.  The contortionist closed her eyes and let out a shaky breath, trying to compose herself enough to brave a scan around the room- or, more accurately, cell.  

The sound of breathing made itself present, and it was in that moment that the teen realized she was most definitely not alone.  Slowly looking to the other side of the cell, the performer noticed a body there- blond hair and pink beret dulled by the dim light, but certainly a living, breathing form.  Whether they were friendly or not was another issue entirely.  As Masumi’s eyes became more accustomed to the dark, she took note of more forms- more cells, more breathing, and more strangers that could potentially want to hurt her.

"Don’t think like that, don’t think like that…!" she whispered to herself, lightly patting at her cheeks, as if trying to knock the bad thoughts right out of her brain.  "There could be a good reason… Maybe these people are friendly.  Just because you’re stuck in some gross prison doesn’t mean it has to be all bad.”  Of course she knew that things were bad, but saying it to herself made her feel just the slightest bit more bold.

Masumi stood up and dusted off her skirt, taking time to explore her cell.  It wasn’t much- a makeshift bed with disgusting, dirty hay.  She frowned and decided that if this was supposed to be her bed, the hay would need to go immediately.  The floor was damp, just short of slippery, and the girl made sure to maneuver carefully through the place, trying to keep the heels of her boots from clacking so as not to disturb the other stranger in her cell- now that she really looked at her, she looked damn familiar.  

She reached into her coat pocket, only to find it entirely empty- the girl gasped, prodding around each pocket several times to make absolutely sure.  Her notebook, her mints, her wallet- all gone.  The performer groaned and focused on her breathing, trying to remind herself that there had to be some kind of solution to this.  Deciding that seeking help was the best option, she emerged from her cell and approached the nearest body.  

"Hello," she began, flashing a smile and grabbing the stranger’s right hand in both of her own, shaking them vigorously and trying to act as friendly as possible, "My name is Masumi Hirai!  Do you… Have any idea why we’re here?"

[ultimatepushover-blog]

"...you looking for rats?"

Akira leaned over Nao and cupped his hands over the boy's head. There was something wiggling about in his fingers--one of the synchronized rats that had been scampering around their cells, presumably. It certainly wasn't a pet rat, and as such probably wasn't the best to be holding onto. Alas.

"Sure are a lot of them," Akira said. Nonchalance if there ever had been. However, the smile on his face wavered after a moment; the reality of the situation was hard to ignore when... well... you were in a dungeon, for Christ's sake.

"Ummm... anyhow." Akira paused and set down his rat... friend, if you could call it that, and squinted as it scampered away into a dark corner. "I shooould introduce myself! I'm Akira Sakai. I, uh... I presume you were also bound for Hope's Peak, right?"

With a pat on his jacket to disturb any dirt that had settled there, Akira stuck out his hand. 

"I'm... well, usually, if people need any help, they can come straight to me. I'm afraid I don't know why the hell we're in a dungeon, though. My apologies. Anyway. Your name, if you wouldn't mind?"

[Task 1]|| Who Turned Off the Lights? (Open)

Nao’s awakening was more of a slow rise. He felt something run over his hand and gasped, dark eyes widening and looking around. It wasn’t just any darkness— it was advanced darkness. More importantly, where was he? Was this the school he got selected for? Perhaps this was just a strange ceremony.. in fact, it felt more like a cell than anything. Getting to his feet was another feat. His right hand pressed into the floor and he shakily stood, getting his bearings to the rough wall. And.. what was that noise? Dripping? Maybe he was just in the basement.. That’s what he assumed, until his eyes made out the cell bars that were opened. So.. this wasn’t the basement.  Alright, enough concerning himself.. was his friend alright? He shook his left hand, the sockpuppet lifelessly waving back in return. “Ah, I guess you’re still sleepy, then..” He mumbled to it. Now that he knew his environment, there was a new goal in mind—catch whatever ran over him! There’s a new buddy to be made already! He crept out into the hallway, searching for the thing.  "I’d give you food if I had any—now come out come out wherever you are!" It was a loud whisper as he bounded down the hall, listening for the little pitter-patters of the footsteps. Mayhaps he was too focused to realize someone else was watching him?

[ultimatepushover-blog]

"Whoa."

This was... unprecedented. Though in reality, not entirely; Katsuie Hagane was some manner of party god-slash-sunglasses wearer, which should've kicked his body into banter level seven. Maybe it was the tinge of anxiety that had settled in his stomach that had knocked him flat on his ass. And on his ass he remained. 

"So, uh... I'm not following. Have we met before...?"

Akira reclined against the wall for a moment before he felt a dampness against the back of his coat, and quietly resigned to shuffling back over to his own lovely little pile of straw. The cell wasn't large enough that he had to raise his voice any to continue pestering Katsuie, but that seemed to serve as a problem, as well; therein came the chattering of other students who had been similarly imprisoned.

Well - the first logical thought one should have after ascertaining that an entire class of students was spirited away to some godawful dungeon was that something was seriously wrong. Unfortunately, Akira preferred to see that glass as half full. Dungeons were also seriously fun, right?

Clearing his throat over the murmurs of another student, Akira continued his probing.

"Since you fancy yourself a smartass, do you know why we're here? You know, for real. I've never ended up somewhere this... rudimentary... with--"

Akira paused and attempted to size up the class from where he sat in his corner of the room, which did not provide much of a vantage point.

"--with so many other people... fairly innocent-looking people..."

Task 1 | Hey, You're Not Getting Off That Easy | Katsuie

Perhaps some things signalled the need to get up. For instance, the totally uncomfortable positioning on a bed that felt like it was composed a giant coarse moustache, but that could be coped with. After all, he’d fallen asleep on less comfortable surfaces. Like that one time in Akihabara, where he managed to pass out while slumping himself gregariously over two cardboard cutouts strong enough to support him. Compared to that, this was like a lazy Sunday morning.

Next, there was the sensation of some hairy little critter doing parkour off of his damn hand. Alley-oop, he murmured while rustling away from where he remembered the feeling occurring, eyes closing even more tightly to refuse that particular reality. No rats on his hand, only dreams now. A mantra that made him even more lethargic. Third had been the other cries of panic and anger at the dolourous chambers that were apparently their new dorms, which he couldn’t blame him for. But until the resident tour guide, hall monitor, or truant officer came to rouse them, he would save his complaints. After all, why whine if there isn’t somebody to use it on? Finally, there was the disturbance of aura one undergoes only when another man is far more close than any portion of a bro codex (read: Brodex. Sounds cool, doesn’t it?) would permit. Though he doesn’t hurriedly react, Katsuie seemed to have tried and sink in even further into the hay his bed was made of as a hard-to-see brow crinkled in consternation. However, the kaichou’s nattering of pleasantries, coupled with a joke lamer than the pleasantries themselves, still did not work to the favour of making Katsuie Hagane rise. Rather, a single eye opened to regard the silhouette of the supposed student council member, a glare manifest from the deepest ire at being disturbed from a supposedly deep sleep, when truly, it was an abyssal slothfulness. "You got sent to jail for disturbing the peace by breathing pretty hard on some sleeping dude… I’m here for jaywalking."