Danganronpa: SHIFTED – Chapter 1 – Part 3

@Druwcapa – 2019 – Chapter 1 – Part 3 –

*DING DONG, DONG DING*

Hello, hello everyone! It is now 7am, and thus, nighttime is officially over, yay! Time to try your hardest to survive, and plot some really nasty crimes! Rise and shine, everybody!

…

……

………

Ugh, my head hurts.

It’s another day inside this horrible place, I wake up, then I go to the Food Court, then I talk to some of my friends, then that meeting, and after that I go back to my dorm room and sleep. We’ve been trying our hardest to escape but… It’s no use, there’s no way to escape this shopping mall.

Well, except for that motive, kill someone and you can leave this shopping mall with someone else… and also one of us has that “special key”, but we don’t know who, they’re hiding that key from us. And we only have one day left… until…

Well, nothing bad is going to happen to us, I mean, Monobot really wanted a killing game and I don’t think that he would kill everyone just because no one died. It’s just… stupid.

… Well, I’M not going to die, that’s something I’m sure of! 

…Yesterday was painful. Everything could’ve been great but Chokakku… she just went insane for some reason.

……

Ok, so, I won’t get anything done by staying here, it’s a new day, so… Let’s go to the Food Court, let’s go to our daily meeting!

Right at the entrance, I found Hajime, it seems like he’s waiting for me! But… From what’s going on with him lately, it’s not as great as it sounds.

-Oh, hey! Hajime, waiting for me again, huh?

-Yeah… yeah! How was your night? I couldn’t sleep again.

-Oh no, again? Mine was alright, but you’re still suffering from that insomnia? 

-Y-Yes, I tried do stay calm lately, and Nia helped a lot but, I just can’t. This situation is so horrible, and you remember the time limit motive, right?  

-Yes, I do. It is very frustrating but, let’s just stay positive, alright? Today’s the day that we’re escaping this shopping mall! 

-O-Oh gee, I sure hope it is! But…

-But..?

-I, I don’t know, I’m just having this… weird feeling. Like, we’ve been here for four days already. I just… 

-Hajime, do not worry, alright? We’re gonna escape this place, I’m sure of it! 

-W-Well, if you’re being so optimistic about it, I-I might as well believe it..! Uhh, I’m getting hungry now, d-do you wanna go to the Food Court together?

-Yeah, yeah, let’s go. – Poor Hajime, his insomnia is getting worse. But don’t worry, I’m gonna make sure that we’re escaping today! –

We walked towards the Food Court, and I was trying to cheer him up, he really needs it right now. Having insomnia in a place like this… it’s really messed up.

These days inside the shopping mall were really bad for all of us, and not just because of the killing game. I didn’t notice at first because I was mostly focused on Makoto, but when I entered the food court with Hajime, and just a few of us were there.. I finally realized that something was wrong.

-Oh, Memopo, you’re here! Thank god, I was scared for a bit! – Miya was there! That’s nice! – Oh, by the way, Zeto, Chokakku, Hoshi, Aki and Ms. Nikada aren’t coming today.

-O-Oh? Uh, I understand Zeto, Chokakku and Aki… but why not Hoshi and Ms. Nikada?

-Well… Hoshi didn’t want to come after… y’know, the Chokakku thing from yesterday. It’s really sad though, she’s not even here today.

-Ye-yeah, but p-poor Hoshi!! no one deserves to be treated like that!! – Agreed, Shiroga. Chokakku was really out of herself yesterday. –

-And Ms. Nikada just wanted some time for herself. She’s already working hard to teach us while we’re stuck in this place, so she deserves a break. – After Maki explained that, Teru came out from the Kitchen with our breakfast, as usual. – Oh!! Teru, Teru!

–Ohoo!! Memopo and Hajime, you guys are here! now we just need to wait for Makoto, Maisake and Joshua! – Now that he said that, I noticed that they aren’t here. Why? –

-Well, perhaps we should wait for them? It would be rude if we started our breakfast without them around to discuss. – Nia’s right. Let’s just wait. –

…And after a few minutes… 

-……

-Oh, Makoto! You’re finally here! – I said, smiling to him – 

-O-Oh. Hey, Memopo. – Huh? He seems kinda depressed. What’s going on? – I’m just gonna take my breakfast to my dorm… – W-Wait, huh?! –

-Makoto, what’s wrong? Come here and sit with us! 

-…No. – He then walks towards his plate, and takes it. – Also, uh, thanks for the food, Teru. You’re a wonderful person.

-U-Uh, Thanks?? But C’mon, let’s eat our breakfast together!

-…I’m sorry, I just can’t. I can’t ruin your day again. – …Oh. He’s still sad about yesterday, huh? Well, I admit, Chokakku was being really harsh to him. Not only to him, but to everyone. Gee… –  I might as well just stay alone, it’s better for everyone. – … I can’t take this anymore. –

-…Makoto. Makoto Hiroma. 

-M-Memopo? Please, don’t… 

-No, stop! Why are you still sad about yesterday? I know Chokakku was being really harsh to you, but I’m not gonna let you push everyone away from you! I’m your best friend, so please, sit here with me.

-…..U-Uh, I…

-…M-Memopo’s right! I know that you were trying to help us! Those harsh accusations… from Aki and Chokakku, it doesn’t mean anything! 

-We’re classmates, man, that’s what we said on the first day, remember? So I trust you! We’ll protect you from her!

-U-Uhuh!! Yeah!! C-Come here! Sit with us!

-Y-You guys… – Makoto… finally smiled. Thank god. – A-Alright… I’ll sit with you guys… We’re just waiting for the rest to come, right?

-Yeah, c’mon, let’s sit! – Teru invited Makoto to sit with us. I’m glad that we were able to calm him down a little. –

And then… we waited… again.

And again, we chit-chatted a little more until…

-I’m so sorry everyone, I don’t know what happened to me, but I woke up later than usual today. What did I miss?

-Same for me, y’all. I don’t know what happened but this is some really tricky shit. – Oh, so that happened! I won’t lie, I was getting kinda scared for a moment. I know we made a promise to not kill each other, but… It scares me. Zeto and Chokakku scares me. – 

-Oh, no, no! You didn’t miss anything! We were just waiting for you guys to come. So, let’s eat!

-But, where are the others? Zeto, Chokakku, Aki, Hoshi and Ms. Nikada?

-Well.. I guess I should explain..?

*Munch munch munch*

Miya: So, what are we discussing today?

Makoto: Uh… maybe we should talk about the key thing?

Kiyohara: Yeah, let’s talk about that key again!

Teru: Yeah, Monobot said that he gave one of us a special key! Who’s with that key?

Shiroga: It was by pure luck, and I swear it wasn’t me! Nia came into my room yesterday, so she can confirm that!

Memopo: Oh, so she entered everyone’s dorms… and didn’t sleep, huh?

Nia: I’m afraid so, Memopo.

Hajime: *munch* She came into my room yesterday too!

Nia: Yes, I can confirm that very much. I also would like to add that Zeto and Chokakku didn’t let me get inside their dorms, so they might have that key.

Maki: If it was by pure luck, could it be Zeto? He’s the Ultimate Lucky Student after all. 

Kiyohara: It makes sense to be him, but I don’t know, wouldn’t it be too obvious? I don’t think Monobot would do something like this. 

Joshua: My bud right there is correcto, it would be too risky and “boring” to that Mono-thin’ to give some special stuff to the special city-slicker.

Teru: Well, so what’s your theory?

Maisake: You see, we were talking about that last night, and we came to the conclusion that we should probably just forget about it. It is a motive after all, so we shouldn’t care that much.

Kiyohara: H-Huh?! But if we don’t escape until tomorrow, we’re– – Hmm… I can’t let them think like that! Let me just…think… Oh, I know! –

Memopo: Wait, hear me out! There’s… proof that he’s not gonna do anything! I think…

Shiroga: P-Proof?! There’s actual proof that we’re not gonna get killed?!

-Well, yeah, not exactly a PROOF proof, but yeah! 

-Uh? Could you please explain to us, Memopo? Where’s the proof that we’re not getting killed by Monobot?

-Hey, let’s think about it! If Monobot actually wanted us to kill each other, he would’ve done that already!

-U-Uh, Memopo, I-I’m sorry to say but this isn’t proof. I thought you were going to say something smart… or something.

-Hey! Let me finish! And, he made a new rule yesterday, don’t you remember, Nia? When you were in my room last night!

-Oh! You’re right! I am so sorry everyone, I forgot about that! I entered most of the dorms last night, so I just didn’t care about Monobot’s useless speech. But Memopo is right, last night, while we were in her dorm, Monobot came, and started a little speech about “Why I shouldn’t be at her dorm at that time.”

-Huh? What’s the problem with that?!

-Oh, well, he said that “We shouldn’t go at the dorms in the middle of the night, because then he needs to wake up if someone tries to murder anybody.”  but anyway, the rule was that he can’t interfere with killings… or something. He dug his own grave!

-Ugh, still with that murdering thinguie?! That Monorobot is the worst!

-Hmmm….

-Huh? Maisake? What is it?

-No, I, uh, I’m just thinking. About the “he needs to wake up”.

-Oh, yeah, that’s weird… Robots don’t need to sleep! 

-Well, it makes sense for him, because Monobot is probably being controlled by someone, so for him to sleep is not impossible.

-Oh what?! Actually, now that you said that, it makes sense! Woah! It makes sense! 

-Yeah! And if he’s being controlled by someone… then maybe none of us is the mastermind!

-Then none of us is a… how? and why?

-Think about it! If one of us were the mastermind, there should be a way for that person to enter some sort of secret room and control Monobot!

-Oh, I think I understood! If Nia entered most of our dorms, then she would’ve known if there was a secret passageway or something like that! – Oh my god! None of us is the mastermind! Nia, you did a great job! –

-Y-Yeah! That’s right! Then maybe– 

-None of us entered her dorm. – Z-Zeto Pannacota?! – So she can be the mastermind.

-Huh? Zeto Pannacota, it’s nice to see you alive, good morning. Now, tell me, why do you think that? 

-It’s simple, you just entered their dorms and checked everything, so no one would think that you’re the mastermind. It’s a simple and effective method. Don’t you agree with me, Shiroga? – W-What?! What does Shiroga has to do with that?! –

-W-What?! What do I have to do with that?! – Yeah, you go Shiroga!  – 

-Answer me, Shiroga. I’m your friend, aren’t I? You should trust me.

-…

-…Well, it doesn’t matter. From what I heard, you didn’t check Chokakku’s dorm, so maybe she’s the mastermind.

-Huh?! Ya can also be that so-called mastermind, city-slicker! Don’t ya understand that everybody’s in the same situation her’?!

-Not me. I’m fine. I lived my entire life trapped inside many places, I adapted and now I’m here, it’s just one more of those strange places where I survived. You see, I know how to survive deadly situations, unlike you. – …Oh heck. –

-…! – Joshua quickly jumped out of his chair, and ran into Zeto’s direction. – LISTEN HERE, YA’ LITTLE…!! 

Then… Joshua did something quite surprising.

Joshua: Listen now, you lil’ city-slicker–

Zeto: Heh, what are you going to do, big boy? Squish me into a bloody pulp? Smash me so hard I’m gonna break all my fragile bones? Throw me with your giant manly muscles? Or maybe shoot me with your non-existent gun? Do it, I’m ready. You know you’re gonna get executed for it. – …Ugh… not again… –

Joshua: Kgh..! You little… namby-pamby, half-wit, dee-fool, city-slicker! Go to Jericho, by ginger!

Hajime: …I-I don’t know what that means, but it must be a bad thing since Joshua’s really mad! – I agree with ya, Hajime. –

Zeto: Hey, now. Put me down. Or else we both can, and will be hurt. 

Joshua: …Ktch. – Joshua… slammed Zeto on the floor. – Just wait ’til we ‘scape this place, dude. Don’t ever try to do that again. – Then, right after that, Joshua walked away. –

-…. – Yeah, I agree with you, Maisake. –

-Heh, don’t mess with me. – Zeto tried to get up, but… – U-Ugh.. – Joshua, uh, slammed him on the floor, very hard. –

-Z-Zeto! – Shiroga quickly ran to his side. – A-Are you okay?! Are you hurt?!

-S-Shiroga… – Zeto looked at her eyes for a moment… I think. I can’t see his eyes but he’s probably looking at her. – …. – And then, he quickly stood up. – I’m fine, ugh. Let’s get out of here.

-W-What?! B-But you’re not even going to eat?! You n-need to eat, y’know?! 

-I’m. Fine. I got myself some snacks last night while I was at the Mob Market, so I already ate enough. Let’s get back to exploring this place.

-A-Alright! B-Bye everyone! – Shiroga walked away with Zeto, leaving the rest of us in that gloomy situation. Their relationship… is strange. Sometimes I worry about her. –

-….So… what do we do now? 

-I guess… since we already ate, we should continue our exploring time? But I think there’s nothing else to explore… So.. uh…

-Don’t give up, everybody! – Said Maki, with her natural silly clown face – Since there’s nothing else that we can do, let’s.. uh, let’s continue with our escape plan!

-Did you guys plan a secret escape mission without me?! 

-I don’t think we have an escape plan at all, Teru. At least not a full one. But we must think fast, since the time limit is tomorrow. – Maisake… Don’t say that. People are getting worried again. – Oh, but please don’t worry about the time limit. If I’m right, Monobot probably just said that out of fear, he wouldn’t kill us just because of a time limit, that’s for sure.

-Uh?! What makes you say that? It doesn’t make any sense! – I’m with Makoto, thanks. –

-….Just please, don’t worry about it. And don’t fall to his little tricks either. Now, if you excuse me, I’m gonna talk to Joshua, so we can continue our training investigation. – She stands up, and just like the others, she leaves. –

-She is quite fascinating, isn’t she? And just like her, I also have a plan to escape. – Wow, she just said that like it was just some random daily discovery – I’m also going to investigate, so if you excuse me, I’m going to the Audio Room. – She then excused herself and walked away. –

-Yeah, I’m also going! This was a great breakfast, but the mood kinda dropped… Bye everyone! – Kiyohara also walked away, to his own dorm. –

And one by one, everyone else started to go on their own ways, and at the end, there was only Makoto and I standing at the food court.

-Woah. They sure are Ultimate Students, aren’t they? – Yay, Makoto is finally going back to his usual mood! – Our classmates are amazing!

-Yeah! I like them all so much! 

-…And, also, thank you, Memopo. You cheered me up… again. Now I’m feeling way better, again! Do you wanna spend some time together?

-Uh, actually, I’m kinda doozy, it’s really early in the morning and this fight… kinda broke my mood for today… so I think I’m going back to bed for now. I’m really sorry, Makoto!

-Oh no no! It’s okay! Just be safe, alright? I think I’m gonna search for Miya or I’ll help Teru with the dishes! Now take care!

-Thanks a lot, be safe too! – I smiled at him, and he smiled back to me… I don’t know why, but I felt something warm inside of me. – See you soon! – Then, I happily walked back to my dorm. –

Ahh, it was a great breakfast, I’m really sleepy now! But… what Zeto said it’s strange. About the mastermind being Nia, and he made Joshua really angry too…

Anyway, let’s get back to… huh?

What… what’s that? Is that a note? and a piece of paper? Hmm…

That paper… it’s just… another page of that random diary? Well, I’ll make sure to glue it later. I still didn’t read it though. I put it on the desk with the diary. But what about this note…?

…Huh? 

“To: Memopo Sakagara.

Meet me inside the storeroom at nighttime. I found something intriguing and I wanted to share it with you. Don’t show this to anyone else. It might help us escape this place.

From: Makoto Hiroma.” 

Makoto… wants to talk to me in private? He could’ve talked to me before at the Food Court, is it something particular? Well, it doesn’t matter, I’m sure it’s gonna be okay. 

Now… uh… let’s sleep… Wow, I’m really sleepy. I never noticed that. I am really lazy after all! Haha… 

…Sleep.

………….

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

-Hey, there, diary! It is I, Takedo Himoji! Himoji It has been quite the troublesome days, and I promise I’ll try to write on your pages more often. Hey, remember that Monokuma? Well, he gave us a motive this time.

…

-In my opinion, I don’t think that we’re going to die. We already met each other before, at Hope’s Peak, and our bond is really strong now!

-The motive, you might ask? We saw our family and friends, locked in a big dark room. He said that if we wanted them to be safe, we needed to kill someone. But I don’t think that footage is true! It must be fake!

…

-No one died so far, diary! So it’s a great thing! I’ve been hanging out with some of the people around here while we don’t find an exit, so everything is fine! 

-I’m scared, diary. I want to keep my positive thoughts, but my mom… I want to save her. But that footage… It must be fake. It must be.

…

-Anyway… Did I ever told you that I’m the first Ultimate Fanfic Creator after the Hope’s Peak Rebuild? I’ve been told that the Ultimate Fanfic Creator before me was called “Hifumi Yamada“, his name is kinda funny!

-It’s sad that he died in a killing game, though. From their photos, it seems like he was a great kid. I don’t know anything about his personality, so I can’t say anything for sure.

… 

-I’ve been trying so hard to survive, my diary, it’s scary. The fact that I might not be alive tomorrow, or next hour, our even next minute, it’s the worst feeling in the world. But I’ll do my best to survive this place! And with everyone else, too!

…

-Goodbye for now, diary.

…

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

U-Ugh… another weird dream. That’s so annoying. Well, let’s hope that I’m well rested now. What time is it? I don’t have anything to check. I hope I didn’t sleep through the entire day.

Ok, so… What should I do now? I have this note but it says “nighttime”, so I can’t go now…

*KNOCK KNOCK*

-Huh? 

*KNOCK KNOCK*

-O-Oh! It’s the door! W-Wait a second! – This is a surprise, I didn’t expect to see anyone today. Actually, I didn’t even think about going outside for some free times today. – I’m going!

I opened the door, and there he was, Hoshi Nakanaka. Wait, Hoshi?!

-Huh? Hoshi? What are you doing here?

-Hey hey! Me-Po! How are you doing?

-Uh, I’m fine, I just woke up actually! What about you? 

-I’m feeling great, thanks! And, I just wanted to spend some time with you, y’know? You look like a great friend to spend some time with!

-Ah, okay, then! But, just another question, why didn’t you come to the Food Court today? We all missed you.

-…N-Nyeh… – Hm? –

-My mood is back to zero all over again…

-I’m sorry! I’m so sorry, I didn’t want to do that–

-Oh, don’t worry, it’s fine, Me-Po! I just…. I don’t know how to say this… it’s sad.

-Is it… about Chokakku?

-Yeah, but, she’s right, I shouldn’t be so happy while we’re trapped inside this crappy place… I need to investigate more and keep my usual self inside… instead of being a pain to everyone…  – Huh. I never thought Hoshi could be that deep. Is that his true self? –

-Hey, why are you being so serious right now? – I decided to cheer him up just like Maisake said, I can’t let my friend be sad about himself! – It’s true that everyone needs to be more serious while trapped inside this shopping mall, but you don’t need to change your posture just because she said so!

-H-Huh? Are you sure? What if I make her upset again?! 

-It’s still not your fault, you’re a joyful person! Don’t change yourself simply because someone else told you to! Especially since you didn’t do anything wrong, she was just pissed about this whole situation and just took it all on you. 

-Yeah… yeah! You’re right! Thanks, Me-Po! Sorry for ruining the mood, too. We need to change the subject right now!

-Alright! So, what do yo–

-Hey! I just remembered! It’s the first time I actually enter your dorm room! It’s sooo big! Even bigger than mine! And wooow! That’s a giant top hat!

-Really?! That big?! And yeah, it is… – I answered him… kinda awkwardly… –

-Yes!! But I suppose it’s because I kinda took some of the machines from the Game Station and put them in my room. – Oh, so you can do that?! –

-Wait, and Monobot didn’t say a thing? You didn’t get a punishment, did you?!

-Huh?! No! Monobot just said something like “Oh just so you know since that’s your lab you can pretty much take everything from there alright?” and then he said that he was going to tell everyone else, but it seems like he didn’t…

-Your lab? Oh yeah, your lab! I think that’s what he was talking about in the “respective shop” from the rules section! So it makes sense now! So you can take as many video games as you want! but how did you get those to your room? They’re, at least to you, pretty…

-Pretty big and hard to carry, right? Yeah, Joshua helped me! He has some big muscles! He’s definitely a big boy! – Yeah, they’re really big, some big and strong muscles he has. I wonder what kind of training he does? I want to get that strong someday…! – 

-Hmm, I wonder if there’s a Magician Lab  around here…

I spent some time talking with Hoshi, trying to cheer him up from the Chokakku situation, I didn’t want to spend so much time inside my room, but it was nice.

-Hehe! Thanks for letting me in, Me-Po! Maybe you can visit my room later!

-Yeah, it will be fun! Where are you going now?

-Hmm, actually, I’ll probably go back to my dorm right now, there’s this game that I really want to finish as soon as possible!

-Wait, you’re still making games?! Inside this shopping mall?!

-Yeah! The programming for those machines is quite easy to understand, so I just changed it and gave the Hoshi style! Oh, oh! Maybe you can do a beta test later!

-Yes! I’m looking forward to it!

-Hehe! Thank you so much again! Now bye! – Hoshi said, giving me a big smile, and then got back to his dorm, waving his goodbye to me before walking away. –

Hmm, it was a nice visit, now… You know, he’s a good boy. And he got me really motivated too! Since I’m alone and I don’t have anything to do, I’ll do just a quick investigation, maybe the Audio Room? Since the motive was announced there, it makes sense for me to investigate that place. Yeah, I’m going!

-Oh, oh!! Memopo! Over here!! – Maki said, very excited about something. –

-Huh? Ah, hi! What are you guys doing, playing with those buttons? – I asked, while approaching them. –

Kiyohara: There’s a lot of buttons in this place! Some of them does some really strange things, like making the room go warmer or colder, flush every toilet at the same time, lots of functions! – Said Kiyohara, very, very excited. –

Maki: Oh, oh! Look at that one, Memopo! – Maki exclaimed, punching a button, which created a… –

…A huge blackout?! H-Hey, what?!

-W-What?! What’s that?! What’s going on?!

-O-Oh, gee, sorry! – She pressed another button, and the lights turned on immediately. –

-Oh, wait, how did you know which button to press? It was pitch black! – I asked, confused, this is really weird to be a coincidence. –

-Oh, it’s because it already happened before, like, uh, eight times already! We’re having fun for quite some time!

-W-Woah, eight times?! How did you touch the same button eight times?! 

-I mean, some of those were just for fun, so after that, we both memorized it! What do you think?

-Oh, it makes sense. It’s… interesting, but those buttons only changes things to this room, right? It would be a big mess if a huge blackout happened. 

-Uh? Oh yeah, yeah of course, we’ve been playing with those for a long time, so if you didn’t saw anything change, then it’s probably okay! 

-Alright! Now I’m relieved! Whee…

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

-Okay, so, you’re probably not here to play with us, you’re here to investigate, right?

-Yeahh, any news?

-Nope, we’ve been playing with those for quite a while, so none of these buttons opens a secret exit or anything. This whole place is kinda useless, y’know?

-Yup! Useless in every corner! There’s a lil’ slot for disks and pen drives, but there’s nothing like that inside of this shopping mall, so really really really really useless!

-Oh, alright, I guess I’m not surprised after all. Well, I guess I’ll be going now, since there’s nothing else for me to do here.

-Oh, alright, bye bye Memopo!

-Yeah, see ya later! 

I waved my goodbyes to them, and left the Audio Room.

…There’s nothing else for me to do. I want to go to the Storeroom already but I can’t… What should I do?

…Maybe I should just go in the kitchen, grab a snack, and go back to my room, yeah, that would be nice. It has been some time already, so maybe if I take a quick nap, I can wake up at nighttime! Also, I’m hungry.

I started to think about this situation, while heading to the kitchen. the Food Court was empty though, I’m guessing that everyone has something to do today, huh? 

Oh, wait? Shiroga is here?! And alone, too? That might be a chance to talk to her!

-Oh, Shiroga, hi!

-K-KYAHHHHHHHHH!!! – W-Whaaa?!?!?!-

-W-What happened?! What’s going on?!

-O-Oh.. I-It’s just you… Memopo…

-H-Huh? You thought I was someone else…?

-W-Well… since that time limit is almost over, and no one was in the Food Court when I walked in, I thought you… might wanted to…

-Oh, I’m sorry about that, but I made a promise to myself to never kill anyone! So you don’t need to worry about that!

-…. – She seems mad, and startled. Mad and startled. –

-Uh, a-also, you’re the one with a knife, so you would probably kill me first! See, you didn’t need to worry!

-Y-Yeah… you’re right, sorry about that…

-No, it’s alright! Anyways, what are you doing?

-I-I was going to cut some apples, since I wanted to eat some fruits as a snack a-and Teru bought some apples at the market! W-What about you?

-Oh, same for me! Except I just wanted something to eat, so, do you want me to help you with that? 

-O-Oh, you would?! Thanks!

-Yeah, just leave it to me! Here, lemme show you! Actually, lemme just… tie my hair first!

Alright, apples! I… don’t like apples that much, but alright! I quickly tied my hair, washed my hands, and started to cut some apples!… apples.

Shiroga: W-Wow…! You’re doing great! I’m impressed, Memopo! Y-Your hair looks pretty cute, too!

Memopo: Awwn, thanks Shiroga! And you know, I’m the Ultimate Fruit Master!

Shiroga: I-I thought you were Japanese… but yeah of course I guess… – Was that an internet joke?! From Shiroga?! –

Memopo: Oh! Haha! That’s really nice! 

……

Shiroga: Hey, Memopo… do you think we’re gonna escape this place?

Memopo:… – Ouch. Too fast, too soon. – Yeah, together, why?

Shiroga: You’re a very optimistic person… aren’t you? 

Memopo: I just… can’t see my classmates killing each other, we’ve been friends for quite some time, so our bond is really strong, I think you should believe in yourself too.

Shiroga: You… think I should? 

Memopo: Yeah, you spend most of your time around Zeto, doing everything that he says. Think for yourself a little! You can do wonderful things if you just try enough!

Shiroga:… – She gave me a smile, a genuine smile. – C-Can we please g-go back to the apples…? I’m getting hungry…

Memopo: Oh, yeah, alright!

I spent some time cutting apples with Shiroga… It was actually relaxing, it distracted me a bit from our situation.

-T-That was… a great moment. I really forgot that we were inside this t-terrible place… you can have some of those apples if you want..! 

-T-Thanks, I… will take some! And we should do that more often!

-H-Heh… Y-You’re right. Hey, where are you going now?

-Oh, I’m going back to my dorm room, what about you?

-I’m gonna stay here… maybe I’ll eat the rest at the Food Court… alone…

-I, I mean, I can stay with you if you want!

-No! Please no! – Huh? – I-uh, I’m gonna meet with Zeto… H-He’s… pretty angry right now… so… you don’t need to.

-O-Oh, makes sense. Alright then, please stay safe around him, ok? And remember what I said!

-O-Of course! Thanks… for helping me…

-It was nothing, really! See you later!

-Bye…

I waved my goodbyes to her too, and now, with some… apples, I can go back to my dorm! 

I was walking towards my dorm room, but then I heard an unusual conversation… between two best friends.

-Hey, girl, whatcha doin?

-I’m just thinking… I need to think about a new plan…

-But don’t ya have like, three plans already? That’s a lot of plans, dude.

-I know, but I need a plan B, C and D. Monobot locked us inside of this place, supposingly alone, so the only way to stop him is to let our brains work out. That’s what I think. If we create a lot of plans, then we’ll have something to counter attack everything that he does. 

-Damn. Genius girl, aren’t ya? But yeesh, I knew I should’ve got my gun with me. If I had it, then that Tech-bot would’ve been gone to pieces! 

-Oh, yeah, that’s right, you do have a gun. Why didn’t you take it with you again? I forgot.

-Mama said so. “It’s just a Field Trip, sonny! You don’t need to walk with that big weapon in your belt in a field trip!” she said.

-Oh, I understand. She was probably worried. But maybe she’s more worried now…

-Oh, she is. And y’know, when mama’s mad, bullets can fly like pebbles. She can rescue us in no time.

-Yeah, your mom is really strong, I remember how she launched me into your room one day with just one arm.

-Heh, ya saw me today, right gal?! I can do that too! Wann’ try it? I can be careful with ya!

-Please no, I-I forgot that I… I need to think about my plans.

-Oh, ‘thinking’. I guess I’ll think with ya, then. – Joshua said, and after that, both of them just started to think together, with their eyes closed. –

Well… that was a nice conversation. But yeah, let’s go back to my room.

Maisake’s friendship with Joshua is really something else, I still want to remember her Ultimate Talent though, is it the Ultimate Friend? No, that would be too simple for Hope’s Peak. Ultimate Thinker? That sounds fake. Hmm… Ultimate… Hacker? She’s pretty smart and she knows a lot of stuff about programming and technology… but I’m pretty sure that someone else has this Ultimate Talent…

Well, it’s no use. At least I have some… apples to myself. I think I’m gonna eat those, then? Nyeh… maybe I should think of more magic tricks while I eat? Yeah, that would do! I miss my television.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

Phew, finally! I ate those apples! And I have some new fresh ideas in mind! Now I should just–

*DING DONG, DONG DING* 

Hello hello everyone! It is now 10pm, and thus, nighttime is officially starting, whew! So go to your dorm room, and sleep! Or stay awake, but be prepared for someone attacking you from behind! Good night, sleep tight, and killing? You might!

-…Oh. – Already? Time sure goes fast when you’re trapped inside a place like this. – But yeah, I’ve been waiting for that moment! Since everyone is probably going back to their dorms right now, I should wait until everyone enters their dorm, so I won’t get any suspicious looking…

I said that, and I waited. waited.. waited…

after 5 minutes, the entire hall was silent. So probably everyone is inside their dorms.

Maybe I should’ve just walked away, but I have a feeling that I need to wait. Just to be safe.

-It’s my chance now… I’m scared… but… I need to see… what’s going on! Makoto is waiting for me! – I yelled through my dorm, and right after that, I walked towards the storeroom. –

Hmm… I never noticed how strange it felt around here. Not just because it’s nighttime, but like… everything is empty. I could do anything and no one would even notice.

Even the Food Court seems strange. Even though no one stays in here so much, it just has some weird aura. Maybe it’s just Monobot. Oh, wait… I do hear some noises coming from the kitchen! I better go fast, or else someone is going to see me!

I walked past the Game Station and the Clothes Section, where somehow I could hear a male voice inside, so Hoshi is still playing? That’s an achievement for sure. I wonder if he’s gonna stay there for the rest of the night again. Well, at least he can sleep inside that place.

God… this sure is scary… this corridor… it’s like… something bad is going to happen… I don’t know what’s going on, but… I’m sure it’s gonna be okay, right?

Well, I won’t know if I don’t enter the storeroom, anyway. I’m almost there, so mayb–

…Huh?

**SMACK**

**thud**

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

I….

.

.

.

.

.

I… what happened…

.

.

.

.

.

.

…What…?

U-Ugh… what a pain…

.

.

.

.

.

I…

In my…

In my head…

.

.

.

.

.

-M-Memopo…? Memopo?!

-S-She’s waking up! S-She’s… She’s WAKING UP!

-D-Dear lord… Fuck…

I opened up my eyes… and the first thing I saw was…

Makoto: M-Memopo! O-Oh my god! P-Please d-don’t do that again! M-Memopo…!

Memopo: W-What… happened… hey… what’s going… on..? – H-Huh…? What time is it…? Where am.. I…. – H-Hey…. ?!

Miya: S-She’s alive! O-Oh m-my… g-god… S-She’s alive… M-Memopo’s alive…

Makoto: M-Memopo! I’m so glad, I-I’m s-so… I’m so… glad… – He started… to cry…? W-Why? – 

Aki: T-That’s r-really messed up… J-Jesus C-Christ….

Memopo: M-Makoto?! Miya?! Aki too?! W-Why? Why are you… guys… crying like… that…?

Miya: Me-Me…Memopo… S-Something… happened… S-Something… – Her face was pale… she looked like she was about to vomit. –

Aki: F-Fucking christ… wh-what the heck… g-good lord… Si-Ss, wh-what the.. h-hell…

Memopo: M-Miya… Aki… h-huh…?

I looked at Miya… and then at the corridor… and there was…

-…B-Blood?! B-BLOOD?! I-Is that… my blood?!

-N-No… I- I… M-Memo… I… I… don’t think so… T-Thank god… you just fainted…

-W-Wait.. what? What are you saying this isn’t mi-… N-No… are- are you sa-saying…? – …Oh… Oh no… Oh no. oH no. OH NO, no, t-this can’t be ha-happening….right?!… My heart started to beat faster, I tried to get up, but my legs were weak for a moment. – N-No… D-Did you guys enter the room?!

-N-No.. w-we saw you fainted in here, and w-we thought you were…. w-were…

-O-Okay… I-I… understand…N-No need to say it. O-Oh n-no… 

-I- I’m gonna call the others… P-Please j-just stay here! M-Miya, help her, for god’s sake! – Aki yelled, and ran out of the corridor – 

-W-Wait… h-how did you guys f-found me…?

-I-I was with Naruto and Aki at the Clothes Section… H-He wanted to investigate on us because he heard us talking inside Aki’s Lab even after the nighttime announcement… T-Then we talked for a bit and just as we were leaving he went to the bathroom… and saw you. Th-Then he called me and… yeah… 

-….N-Naru… oh, M-Makoto…. huh? So he didn’t… – H-He didn’t… write…? –

-H-He didn’t what..?

-Y-Yeah… I didn’t what…?

-…N-No… that means… so-someone else… w-wrote… n-no… that… that!!!

-…H-Huh?! – I pushed Miya, and ran inside the Storeroom as quickly as I could. – H-Hey! W-Wha–

-M-Me-Memopo! W-Wait!! – Makoto said, as he followed me. –

….Before that moment, I was actually hoping to escape with everyone else… together, as friends. After I received that note, I thought I would have just a small talk with my best friend… but… what happened? It doesn’t make sense… I was walking in that corridor just a moment ago…. and there was no blood… how and why?

Why… is there blood everywhere…? 

Why… that single, small hope that everything could still be okay, vanished so quickly from us?

Why… someone… someone…

…The motive? Frustration?

…Despair?

…I never expected to see something like that. not that soon. My mind went totally blank. All I could hear was Miya’s heartbreaking scream and Makoto’s gigantic crying noises. What’s going on?!

….Maybe I should’ve waited until Aki came back with everyone else. I should’ve not been that foolish. But now… it was too late.

…This little, tiny fragment of hope that we still had about escaping this place together, it was over, and it will never go back. 

I want to scream. I want to cry. I want to sleep and never wake up again. I want this day to end right now. I’m shaking, and I’m almost dying too. W-Why? Y-You ask…?

…Because… B-Because… 

Because.. Because.. Because.. Because.. Because.. Because.. Because.. Because.. Because.. Because.. Because.. Because.. Because.. Because.. Because.. Because..

…

…

…

DANGANRONPA: SHIFTED – FIRST BODY DISCOVERY

DANGANRONPA: SHIFTED – FIRST BODY DISCOVERY

…

…….

………

…………

……………

………………

…………………

……………………

………………………

Inside of that bloody storeroom, I found the body of the Ultimate Unlucky Student, Shiroga Nesumi. A-And the worst part is… I could’ve been another victim, too. 

…Why? Why her? H-How does that make any kind of sense…?

How did she get here… and most importantly… Who could’ve done something like that to her…?

Darkness.

I can’t help it. There’s just darkness.

I don’t know how I was brought into this mess… and… everything happened… before I even noticed.

@Druwcapa – 2019 – Chapter 1 – Part 3 –

NEXT >