Melo

Danganronpa: Tower of Carnage (Finished!)

Noel’s eyes sparkled as if a dream had come true. Even if their lives were at stake and people were getting emotional, there was something magical about this situation. Noel didn’t just see chaos; there was something more. Something magical. The revelation of secrets, the turmoil of emotions getting to the point of drama. This was true news worthy of journalism. Noel gleefully recorded the situation with her camera, ensuring she got everything she wanted eternally captured on photographs. This was a feast for the news-hungry masses… if she ever managed to get out of here.

Still, she wasn’t completely neglectful of everyone that got swallowed into the chaos. In fact, quite the opposite. After the initial revelations of both Ice and Erin, she quickly changed. She seemed more… vindictive. Her eyes honed in on the trickster viciously. ”Alright, time to stop being a bystander. I can’t have you bully my friends, Erin Steele.“ She sneered at him. ”I think you forget, you ass, that we don’t need to fully prove your crime at all. We just have to be convinced enough to vote for you. And you think anyone will believe anything you say after you’ve shown your true colours? Well, I got news for you, Erin Steele, the infinite trickster!“

”Newsflash, you’re wrong! “

She grinned viciously. ”Act tough while you can, trickster. Very cool, taunting everyone when we can’t touch you. We both know the only thing waiting for you after this trial is death. In other words…“ Noel flailed around gleefully. ”EXTRA EXTRA, BREAKING NEWS: The infinite trickster is totally, completely, utterly boned. Spread the word! Erin Steele’s bloody execution awaits! Broadcast live from the trial of carnage!“ Her former gleeful mood and her later vindictive mood seemed to have melded into one. It was a strange sight to say the least. Apparently Noel didn’t feel anything but joy towards the infinite trickster’s imminent execution. ”Oh, and if you by some goddarn miracle aren’t the kiler. I’ll totally help Ice kill you during the night of carnage, just so you know. ” She giggled like a child.

Cyrus didn’t feel bad about being wrong concerning the wallet. Ice had completely found Alice Parker by coincidence. However, the reason he had kept it secret interested him greatly. Cyrus quietly watched the scene unfold. He felt sorry for Ice as he told his story. He had heard of such mafias before, which were able to gain a much more solid stage after the calamity. He had developed policies to keep them at bay, but his work was never done in a day. He hoped to crush gangs like that in due time, so stories like these would never have to be told again. Yes, he’d have to get out. He wondered, would Ice find it troublesome is Cyrus tried to crush both mafias once he got out? That would make for an interesting debate.

The revelation of Shaun just saddened him. He had tried to defend him from circumstantial evidence, but the contents of the wallet were truly damning. Unlike Krista, his defense wasn’t built upon a foundation of emotion. He flipped the switch. He felt the anger boil up inside him, but Noel’s words rang true. The trickster may be taunting and angering all of them, but he was naught more than a lamb headed for the slaughter. A tiny dog, all bark and no bite. An ugly creature.

”A few arrows aren’t going to bail you out of this crime, Erin.” Cyrus said gravely. ”With this revelation, you have just invalidated your own testimony. We can not trust your account of when you were to meet Marianne. Furthermore, she had your motive note.“ He pointed out. ”The fact that you tried to hide your identity by discarding your wallet tells it all. Marianne had your note, and thus knew of your existence. She had to die.“ He stared coldly at the trickster. Cyrus had no mercy for bastards like him.

”And because your account is unreliable, Marianne could’ve easily been killed prior to your meeting with Ice, the monokuma file says as much. You have thus lost your alibi. You can’t hide behind Krista anymore. Your guilt is guaranteed.“ His stare was arrogant, haughty. He looked upon the trickster as a lesser being, barely worth his attention. ”The way you killed Marianne was cruel, gruesome. You truly have feel no sadness for what you have done, do you? In that case, I will feel no remorse as you are executed in such fashion.“

Cyrus shouted out loud. That Ice may calm down. ”Taunt us all you like, trickster. Show us what a sore loser you are!“

Danganronpa: Tower of Carnage (Finished!)

@Spriggs27 i agree tbh, though we have some other characters with talents or feats they achieved on somehow silly low ages. Let's just wait for broken's call on it

Danganronpa: Tower of Carnage (Finished!)

The sound of breaking glass sent a chill through the air. A soft laughter resounded through the court.

”Your logic is a joke,you bone-headed assclown!”

From across the courtroom, a seething Cyrus stared Jezebel. His glasses were in pieces on the courtroom floor, his hair upright as if he had received a shock. Obviously he had enough of this back-and-forth between her and Krista. ”Do you think this trial is a joke? Do you think this is fucking funny? If so, perhaps you should look for another occupation, you tool!” He spat. ”Have they ever told you that assumptions make an ass out of you and me? Well here they make you DEAD. DEAD TEN TIMES OVER, YOU DIMWITTED FOOL. Got that? Now stop protecting your cuckoid boy toy and listen, perhaps you’ll learn something of listening to your betters.” He grinned like the devil.

”So, now that I’ve gotten your meagre attention-span. Good job, you proved the possibility Shaun could’ve knocked himself out, congratulations.” He clapped mockingly. ”Of course, you have no proof this is actually the case. And anybody who knew Shaun and Marianne were meeting in his room could’ve devised to steal his handbook. Same logic as you used with the buzzer, feels bad, huh? Would be nice if everyone just knew EVERYTHING AROUND HERE. However, we actually know Shaun and Marianne discussed this in public UNLIKE YOUR STUPID BUZZER, oops. Very convenient that you left that out.” He snarled, not giving her any room to respond to his words yet.

”So, remember what I told you about assumptions? Just checking it’s still in that peabrain of yours. Because honestly, must I remind you this is the SECOND SECRET WE KNOW OF THAT THE CARNAGE SISTERS TOLD US IN LESS THAN A WEEK!?” He laughed out loud. ”First these rustbuckets tell us there’s a traitor amongst us, then they tell us about a fifth piece of trash. And you expect us to just ASSUME they didn’t tell anyone else? That’s not obvious, THAT’S SHIT!” At least Jezebel had gotten to tell them this was indeed the case, right? Yet, Cyrus wouldn’t let her flawed logic prevail.

”Now, this is my favorite part of your retort.” He parroted Jezebel. ”The part that shows your logic is as ugly as the face you’re hiding under all that facepaint. You try so hard to show us Shaun could’ve done everything. Yet your deluded mind doesn’t even register that Krista JUST TOLD YOU SHE WAS WITH HIM THOSE TWENTY MINUTES. Let me remind you of the part of the recording you oh so conveniently skipped over.”

“But then a few minutes ago, a man came in here. He seemed on edge, but wanted to know if I had seen anything. I just told him about the wallet before handing it to him. He thanked me and walked off.” Parker paused again.

@Majoras End

Cyrus cackled like a madman.Yes, he could’ve murdered her before that, whatever. How was he supposed to get the wallet when Krista was by her side constantly? This happened SHORTLY before the investigation begun. So it couldn’t have been Shaun. Yet, if he was the murderer, the person who really found the wallet could’ve just spoken up, BECAUSE THEY ARE INNOCENT! DID YOU GET ALL THAT, YOU JOKE OF A JESTER?”

When Cyrus was done laughing, he decided to add a little insult to injury. ”I know you’re desperate for Zach’s arrow in your bullseye, but your pathetic attempt at protecting him will just kill us all. So for your own sake, I suggest you stop, because your head contains more air than the balloon animals you make.” With a last smug look on his face, the anger seemed to recede.

”…right.“ Cyrus said, obviously rather embarrassed as he grabbed a new pair of glasses that he conveniently had in his pocket. ”Luckily for us, this conversation actually did provide us with something useful.“ He looked at Jez again. ”We had no idea a voice-changing device like that existed within Axis Mundi. Now, recall what we were told. The carnage sisters told nobody but Alice Masson about Alice parker. And we know she first appeared to Shaun. As such, the only two people who knew about Alice Parker were Shaun and Alice. “ He said, though this was fairly obvious. ”Shaun was with krista, so he couldn’t have gotten the wallet. And because of this voice changer, we know voice is unreliable as a method of evidence. As such, it could’ve only been YOU…“

He pointed his finger incriminatingly with a confident smile.

Alice Masson, the infinite recon.

Danganronpa: Tower of Carnage (Finished!)

”A new carnage sister? Well isn’t that a news story!“ Noel said excitedly. ”I haven’t been in any killing game with more or less than four carnage sisters.“ She recalled the other killing games she had been in. All killing games had four carnage sisters, and all of them had names that could vaguely to traced to match a famous conqueror of the past. That said, the name ‘Alice Parker’ was of course far removed from this standard formula.

Noel’s face turned bleak at the thought. ”Wait, free her? “ The reporter shrieked. ”You’re saying the murders allow for a fifth carnage sister to join the carnage? Oh hell no.“ She let out a whimper to further signify her extreme displeasure. Four carnage sister were enough trouble. Why did Shaun and Alice talk so casually about a fifth monster trying to break out of these vaults?! Did they have any idea how dangerous these robots were?

Noel thought about the situation for a second. ”It wouldn’t make sense for someone to discard their wallet, only to retrieve it later just before the trial, right?“ Noel mused. ”Either you’d keep it on you all the times, or you’d keep it hidden. So are the people who discarded and found it two different people?“ She paused, giving it more thought. ”That would mean two people would know about this vault opening…“ She had a hard time picturing that. But if there were two people involved with this wallet , that meant one of them wasn’t the murderer!

Noel decided it was worth a try. ”So, did someone here do either of those things?“ She asked. ”Did anyone here either toss away the wallet, or find it?“ It was a long shot, but if someone spoke up, maybe she’d have the scoop for this case!

Cyrus shook his head. ”I have a wallet, but I have had it on me since I arrived here.“ He took it out of his pocket for everyone to see.

Danganronpa: Tower of Carnage (Finished!)

”I’m afraid I can’t let that slide, max.“ The voice of the politician echoed through the courtroom. He looked straight at the cop, his face surprisingly calm. ”I agree that the notes we are missing seem to be Shaun and Zachary indeed. However, we can not establish anything from a gut feeling. “ He shook his head in disappointment. They would not find a correct conclusion based on baseless accusations.

"But first of all, we should get everyone to agree on which note belongs to who. With that, he began to list his ideas.

ICE (OPEN)
They use a bow almost every day, but they are not an archer.
"Ice's note likely refers to Krista. As a bow is used to play a violin."

BRADEN (OPEN)
They have half as many eyes as a spider.
"Braden's note likely refers to me. Since I am the only person with glasses."

NOEL (OPEN)
They won't stop writing, despite all the fighting.
"Noel's note refers to Daimyon's, because of the rhyme."

KRISTA
They still miss their phone.
"Krista's note is very aspecific, but I recall Mary complaining about missing her phone."

CALVIN (OPEN)
They don't need an umbrella.
"I think Calvin's note refers to Bliss, because she wears these very large hats."

ALICE (OPEN)
They see the world through a camera's eye.
"I can't see Alice's note belonging to anyone but Noel"

FELIX
Their flesh is a bit dark.
"Felix's note must refer to the late Marianne."

CYRUS
They're like a cat in more ways than one.
"My note must refer to Felix and his feline names."

DAIMYON
They are the closest thing to a detective.
"A cop of the closest thing to a detective, so Daimyon's note must be for Max."

MARY
They see half as much as everyone else.
"Mary's note refers to Alice's eyepatch."

MAX
This dude looks like a lady.
"Max's note... well I think this one is very obviously Caora."

CAORA
Their nose isn't really THAT long.
"I believe Caora's note refers to the long protrusion on Mercy's mask."

BLISS
They hide behind a mask, though not a conventional one.
"This one is a little vague, but I believe it to be Jezebel's face paint."

MERCY
Is a voice for their non-living friends.
"Mercy's note must refer to Braden's puppets."

ZACHARY
If they give too much, they could die.
"Zachary's note refers to Ice's blood donation talent."

JEZEBEL
They wear an apron, but are useless in a kitchen.
"This must refer to a blacksmith's apron, so it's Calvin."

After explaining his thoughts on who the notes belonged to, he continued with his other beliefs on the notes. ”The notes are important. That much I am sure of. I think it is important to establish why, as well. Perhaps the true former infinite trickster would come forward willingly if he knew the importance. “

Cyrus started his explanation: ”In this case there are three notes of importance: the note received by the killer, the note received by Shaun, and the note received by Marianne. The notes displayed on the jumbotron show who is currently in possession of the note, not who received it.“ He clarified. ”Everyone here had a note to show. This means that the lost note was one of those three. After all, only the killer had access to all three notes. The killer could’ve also taken the note of Shaun or Marianne to show here. “ He paused for a few seconds. ”This means the killer destroyed the other note, which means it was probably extremely incriminating evidence. Knowing whose note that was may therefore be pivotal to the case. And we would know, the moment the former infinite trickter comes forward.“

He smirked. ”Of course, should this infinite trickster not come forward, then that is essentially admitting the former infinite trickster is guilty, isn’t it?“

Danganronpa: Tower of Carnage (Finished!)

Cyrus was pleasantly surprised to see everyone discussing the case diligently. The last case had been a rather huge mess, to say the least. Maybe the memory of how close they had gotten to getting completely wiped out is what drove everyone now to perform their best? Cyrus could at least hope. In any case, the killer would probably not stand a chance if they didn’t sow chaos. Cyrus would keep an eye out for troublemakers.

The thought that the arrows had been used as a club was an interesting one. Cyrus hadn’t known the arrows were hollow. He wondered how Bliss knew this in the first place, but decided not to question it for now. Something else then came to mind as they discussed the likely uses of the items. ”I find it odd she would carry around that buzzer, though. “ He mused. ”Marianne didn’t seem to me like the pranking type, unlike Jez. Wouldn’t she either throw it away, or just put it in her room? “ He looked unsure. ”I know it explains the presence of the buzzer if Marianne had it with her, but that just seems almost too… convenient to be true?” Of course, there was the option that Marianne had plans with that buzzer of her own, but there was nothing to back that up either.

Noel’s interest piqued as Mary addressed Shaun on the possibility that he had something going on with Marianne. She smirked and looked with glee as the poor boy turned red. ”Oh, youth these days.” Noel snickered. She wasn’t sure if the note was Marianne’s true intent, even if it was Shaun’s. Shaun was probably gullible enough to believe it in any case. ”So, Shaun, did anybody else know about your meeting? Was anybody around when you discussed this?” She wondered, returning to the case at hand.

Daimyon’s revelation of Marianne visiting his room was similarly interesting. Of course nothing had happened. Who believed that? Not Noel, that was for sure. But the note was interesting. ”By the way, Shaun. Was that your note?” She questioned. Unlike last case, the killer had seemingly made an attempt to get rid of this motive, making it likely it actually was involved with the case.

Danganronpa: Tower of Carnage (Finished!)

The exchange between Calvin and Alexandria would’ve excited Noel, had they not been in such a precarious situation. However, the ecstasy of their drama was drowned in the tragedy that was Marianne’s death. Noel had reported about many deaths, murders and disasters with countless casualties, but the anguish never changed. And this time it was personal. She was determined to see whoever did this straight to their execution. She shared in Calvin’s anger, though she tried her best not to show it too much. She could only despise the behavior of the dolls, who seemed barely concerned with their predicament. Then again, why would they be?

Cyrus stepped out of the rollercoaster stoically. Much of it was a façade. Honestly, he felt as irritable as the last trial. But he couldn’t let the anger take over again. The trial last time was, by all means, a downright mess. And Cyrus knew his anger had been a sizeable contribution to that. They couldn’t count on the murderer making a giant misstep during the trial a second time. If Cyrus wasn’t the one to lead bringing order to their discussion, who would? There were many good people in their group, he couldn’t let them die. And he, himself, still had too many things to do to die here. He settled himself and focused.

Cyrus nodded in agreement to Ice’s statement. The motives undoubtedly had some connection to the case. However, Cyrus agreed they were better left for later. Casting suspicion on someone with the motives was too likely to create bias. It was better to focus on the facts they were presented with on the crime scene.

Noel smiled at Max’s observations, finding herself in agreement by the lack of a better alternative. It’s likely the buzzer was used, indeed. As for the metal conduit, I think the arrows we found on the floor were used for that? She mused, then turned to Calvin. ”I am quite sure nobody here had the tools or skills to procure those besides you, Calvin. I am not suggesting you are directly involved. However, I think it would be fruitful for you to tell us what you know about them.” She tried to reassure Calvin, knowing how easily he was to anger. She didn’t suspect him (or at least, not yet), but they sorely lacked knowledge right now.

Cyrus picked up the second part of Max’s statement. ”The killer likely wanted to erase evidence using the fire. He paused for a second bringing up his own e-handbook. ”We cannot be sure what was lost to the fire. But we know which items were saved from destruction by the fire suppression system. We have the hospital gown and the motive note. He closed his eyes, thinking for a second. ”Can we conclude something from that?”

Danganronpa: Tower of Carnage (Finished!)

Cyrus got closer to the body with grim determination. They needed to solve this case, no matter what. He had hoped the prior case would've been the last. That nobody would dare risk facing a gruesome execution like the one that had befallen Lucas. But apparently, he had been wrong. Marianne had been killed in a horrible fashion. He scanned her, looking for any clues that weren't displayed in the monokuma file. But alas, he didn't find anything of interest. Biology had never been Cyrus's strong suit. Perhaps somebody more medically inclined would have more luck.

Backing off a little with a sigh, he looked around the room. The fire had ravaged the room. He did note that Marianne herself hadn't really been affected by the fire much.She and her wounds were both very recogniseable. The killer hadn't intended to obfuscate how Marianne died with the fire. That must've meant there must've been some very incriminating evidence that he needed to get rid of. Perhaps he should look for that?

Bliss was also in the room, along with a few other infinites. She had her back to Marianne's body and appeared to be searching the walls. Though she must have spotted Cyrus out of the corner of her eye. “Um, Cyrus?” She must have noticed him out of the corner of her eye. “It would appear knowing what killed a victim doesn't instantly solve their murderer. I actually kind of wish her body was in a suit of steel right now.” Her eyes suddenly opened wide. “Um! What I meant to say is, do you think we should cut her down?”

Cyrus looked at Bliss with a face that still clearly showed his grief. "Indeed, the murder method isn't what we need to figure out this case. It's the circumstances around it." He deduced. "What happened with Shaun and his handbook, I reckon." He wasn't sure what to make of the rest of Bliss' comment, but he responded with a slow nod. "We probably should But first we should record the way she was strung up there. We might destroy evidence if we do it now.." He took out his hand book and focussed it on the bindings that held the girl suspended, and took a few pictures from different angles. He then motioned over Bliss, to get this over with.

The nanny placed her hands on her dress. “Oh, I just realized I don't have anything to cut her down with.” She looked around before spotting something on the ground. “Here we go.” The nanny reached for a knife and picked it up. Cyrus noticed that there were small traces of blood on the edge of the knife.

Cyrus looked at Bliss somewhat stunned. "You do realise you're likely holding the murder weapon there, do you?" He asked bluntly as he inspected the knife. It had remarkably little blood on it for a weapon that must've stabbed Marianne multiple times. Had it been cleaned? "Let's have a look. How well do the knife wounds match up to it?"

Bliss jumped when she noticed the blood. “Oh dear, you're right!” she placed a hand on her cheek. “It looks like it was smeared, not exactly the tidiest way to clean a knife.” She held the knife up sideways to one of Marianne's wounds. Bliss was noticeably turning her head to to not look directly at the body. “Um, it looks pretty close. I think you're right!” Bliss turned to face Cyrus. “So what did they clean the knife off on? Did it burn up?”

Cyrus nodded "Most likely, but it's still a good idea to look around." He said. "The fire didn't get to burn very long, so there's a good chance not every bit of evidence was destroyed." He then smiled at her. "But hey, we have one clue already. Good job." He said in an attempt to cheer her up a little. Then, he refocussed on the room around them.

After a short scan through the room, he suddenly noticed something red. "Over there." Cyrus said to Bliss as he walked over to the unknown object. Upon closer inspection, he was certain he had seen something like this before. Yes, it was a hospital gown, or what was left of it. It had been burned mostly, but what was left of it was damp and dyed red."Blood." Cyrus easily confirmed.

“And a lot of it.” Bliss stood beside Cyrus. “There's more than just what was on the knife.” Bliss sighed.
“Do you think the killer wore this when they...” Bliss trailed off.

"To shield their own clothing, likely." Cyrus mused. "The killer couldn't risk being spotted in bloodied clothing, after all." He looked at Bliss.
"Do you happen to know where it would be easiest to procure one of these?" He wondered. Even though this was a hospital, people don't just leave gowns everywhere for people to grab.

“Honestly, I think we all have at least one. It's like killgood said, everything we had with us before entering the killing game is in our rooms.” Bliss placed the knife next to the gown. “I know I had one in with all of my clothes, but there were a few in the laundry room as well. So I don't think that's going to help us all that much.” the nanny let out a defeated sigh.

"It could've even been Shaun's gown, in that case." Cyrus agreed with the Nanny. That line of thought wasn't going to get them anywhere. Still, it was good to have it considered. He then looked back to Marianne's corpse. "I guess we should get it down now." He then looked back to Bliss."You cut the rope, I'll hold her and make sure she doesn't fall."

The nanny blushed. “T-thanks, I was going to ask if you'd do that actually.” Bliss stood up, taking the knife with her as she did so. It appeared that the ceiling tiles had been moved out of the way so that Marianne's body could be hoisted up by pulling the rope over the joists in the ceiling. The ropes were anchored down to the bed, which was one of the few items that hadn't been burned. Bliss aproched one of the ropes and placed a knife against it. “Just tell me when you're ready.”

Cyrus got himself into position, positioning one arm under her knees and the other at her back, ready to catch her in his arms as she was cut loose. It wasn't a glamorous job, but that's why he figured it was better suited to him than Bliss. "Ready"

Bliss fret her brow and pushed the knife into the rope, causing it to flex slightly. Already the tiny fibers of the rope were starting to snap in front of the fine blade. The nanny took hold of the rope in one hand and sawed it in half with one motion. Bliss turned around just in time to see Marianne fall int Cyrus's arms. She fell so suddenly that the politician wasn't quite able to contain her momentum. The politician simply wasn't a body builder. He found himself stumbling backwards when he could feel Marianne's upper body pull away from him. Bliss had rushed up behind her and taken hold of her shoulders. With Cyrus holding her legs, and Bliss holding her torso, they gently lowered her to the ground. The two looked at Marianne's body. If not for the stab wounds and the blood on her head, they might have thought she was sleeping. Though her wounds, and the blood the two had gotten on themselves, was a reminder that she would never wake up. Bliss almost looked like Marianne did when she held Krista's throbbing head.

“Cyrus?” Bliss looked at Cyrus, and only Cyrus. She did nothing about the blood soaking into her clothes. “Do you believe there's ever a good reason to kill someone? Outside of them being a killer themselves?”

Cyrus gave the question some thought. "For other similar, serious crimes, maybe." He answered. "Still, it wouldn't be up to any individual to kill another. We have judicial system for that." He shook his head grimly at Bliss. "No, no single individual should ever kill another, it's simply barbaric." He then returned the question. "What do you believe?"

“I think for the most part, you are correct.” Bliss was starting to look fatigued. “But maybe there are rare circumstances where such a thing should be allowed. Like, what if the person being killed gave their consent?”

Cyrus had on more than one occasion delved into the policy and ethics surrounding euthanasia, so this was not something he had never thought about. "If one decides for themselves they wish to die, then I guess there is room for consideration." He started. "Still, I'd argue that there should first be thorough consideration on the party giving said consent. It is an irreversible decision, after all." He wasn't sure why Bliss was bringing this up now. He doubted Marianne had given up her life here willingly. Not to mention, Marianne knew that would bring everyone else in danger. If she really wanted to die without consequence, she could've done it during the carnage hour.

"Do you want to sit down for a bit, maybe?" He asked Bliss, her fatigue not going unnoticed.

Bliss nodded. “N-not here though. Maybe I'll see how Felix is holding up.” The nanny stood up and started to walk outside. “I guess I'll see you later.”

Cyrus nodded back. "Do that. But do take care of yourself." he replied as he started to inspect the body for new clues that they might not have been able to spot with it suspended. "See you later."

Danganronpa: Tower of Carnage (Finished!)

And

Cyrus had confined himself to the tiny place of nothingness that was the zen garden. This little place had been his for the last two days. Surrounded by mind-numbing simplicity, there was nothing here for him to think about, to react to or to stress out about. Here he could pretend for a bit that the entire hospital didn’t exist. Though he did not lose sight of grim reality, he could be at peace. When was the last time he had been this relaxed? When was the last time he could just sit down and not have anything of importance on his mind? The answer was six, six years.

Perhaps there was one saving grace to this predicament. An escape from the turbulence others called life. You know, maybe it wasn’t such a bad idea to stay in this killing game for a bit, to just let the world be for what it was for a bit. To just live a simple life for a while, even if it was in confinement. Perhaps he could find rest here. Nothing could go wrong here, as long as everyone played nice.

“A body has been discovered. The patients have a limited time to collect evidence before being called into the court of carnage. Do your best everyone!”

”Dipshits.” Sounded Cyrus’s annoyed mumble as he got up and left.

---

Noel had made herself at home next doors. The dojo had been open in her prior killing game, and she very much welcomed the opportunity to practice her moves a little. It would surprise many people how physically fit the reporter actually was. That said, she preferred to train in solitude, so very few people would know… unless she needed to defend herself, of course. She aptly assaulted the dummy with a low kick into a punch to the throat. Finally, she lifted the dummy and threw it over her shoulder and planted it solidly into the ground face-first.

She smiled with satisfaction to see that she hadn’t gotten rusty. She valued her physique. In a way, it was her true secret skill as a reporter. It allowed her to go placed too dangerous for others. And in here, it was her ticket to survival. But that privilege wasn’t for everyone, as promptly demonstrated by the sound of the body discovery announcement.

Bloody hell.

Without time to switch out of her training gi, she rushed out of the dojo, clutching only onto her handbook.

---

Cyrus and Noel jointly arrived at the crime scene, having met up as they both left the second floor resort. Cyrus developed a clear wrinkle of anger on his forehead by the display of cruelty before them. The lingering smoke somewhat irritated his throat, but he forced his own composure as he looked. He had so hoped that after last time, nobody would dare commit such an atrocious act again. Alas, he had been proven wrong. Apparently filth still hid amongst them.

Noel, looking more like a martial artist than a reporter right now, grit her teeth as she solemnly stared at the lifeless body of the female. Rarely had she seen murder committed in such a cruel manner. This wasn’t a spur of the moment. It was very clear that someone had taken their time to kill her. It was a sickening display. She forced away a few tears that tried to escape her eyes. ”I’m sorry, Marianne.” She whispered softly ”We failed you.”

Cyrus felt an anger boiling up inside him, an instinctive movement made his hand reach for his glasses. But no, this wasn’t the time for that. He had to remain calm. He had to channel that anger right now, for her sake. He stood up straight and made himself audible. ”Everyone, a tragedy has befallen us once again. I am sure we all deeply mourn our loss. Rightly so.” He paused for a bit, taking a moment to recompose himself as the emotion in his voice had gotten very apparent. ”However, one person here right now is not in mourning. One is quietly reveling in their deed. I implore you all to join me in finding Marianne’s murderer. Let us bring peace to Marianne’s soul, and teach all that nobody shall get away with murder.” He turned back to Marianne’s corpse, and bowed his head in mourning for another few seconds before approaching solemnly for investigation.

Danganronpa: Tower of Carnage (Finished!)

Krista stepped out of her bathroom, never feeling so clean or… hopeful until now. She brushed her still damp hair, working the knots out of the blonde strands as she thought over what she had to say. She wasn’t even sure it was going to work — it relied too much on uncontrollable variables and even to her it sounded like a bad idea…

But she had to try!

If she could convince somebody understand and appreciate the thought behind the idea, then maybe her idea might stand a chance? She chewed on her lips nervously as she pulled on her clothes one by one.

The person she had in mind to talk to about her idea was none other than Cyrus Brandon, the Infinite Bishi Politician. He was the leader of the group, at least to her. It made sense, didn’t it? A politician leading them? He seemed like the smartest one too, someone that would spot the plot holes in ideas… idea holes? Krista cringed inwardly.

Maybe it was best to keep her game face on and believe her idea! Yeah, surely that’ll work!

...Right?

---

Cyrus scribbled various difficult words onto his notepad, which the more medically-minded people amongst them would instantly recognize as anaesthetics. At the top of the notepad he had made a small schematic drawing on which he labelled every cabinet and every shelf within. He precisely noted how many bottles of everything he found and where these were located. After mere minutes in this room, Cyrus could tell this cosmetic surgery lab was a dream come true for the malicious minds in the group. If anyone in the group had the gall to follow Lucas’s footsteps, he’d make sure they’d have another thing coming. He didn’t want to suspect anyone of thinking so, but he’d rather err on the side of safety.

But that was not the only record they held of the inventory. Next to Cyrus, Noel brandished her camera at every shelf, every pointy object. A tool to remember the condition everything is in, just in case they might need it. Noel wasn’t really ecstatic of her duty here, she’d much rather aim her camera at humans. However, she had found no good reason to refuse the politician’s insistence after they had run into each other in the hallways of the hospital.

“I think we got everything?” Noel questioned.

Cyrus responded with a curtly nod, but no words passed his lips. Instead, his attention was drawn by the sudden creaking sound of the door as it was opened from the outside.

“Cello Mr Brandon!” Krista peeked her head through the opening, relief on her face when she found the man she was looking for inside. “You have no idea how many times I've said that to an empty room.” She opened the door fully so she could step inside, spotting Noel beside Cyrus with her camera out. Looking between them, she asked. “Am... I interrupting something?”

Cyrus shook his head. “We just finished up here.” He then looked at Noel, then back at Krista. “Inventory.” He added, just to prevent the establishment of any… erroneous thoughts. “Do you need me for something?”

Noel, sensing the mood, quickly saw herself out. “I’ll check out the room across of here.” Honestly, she hoped there wasn’t much to record there. She had enough of doing inventory.

Krista side stepped out of the way to let Noel through. Before letting the reporter go, Krista quickly stopped her. “Thank you for doing the inventory,” She rubbed the back of her neck as she directed her thanks to Cyrus and Noel. It was comforting to know that measures were being taken to avoid a Lucas 2.0. “I would've never thought to do such a thing…” She admitted the latter part sheepishly.

She then approached Cyrus, letting Noel go through the door. When Krista felt like enough time had passed in silence, she spoke up. “I... don't know who to talk to about this but... I might have some information.” She began to explain her run in with Nariko.

Krista stared at Nariko dumbly, the smile on her face fading by the second. Was that supposed to comfort her? “O-oh. Thanks? I think?” She rubbed the back of her neck. "What do you want from me?"

“I see you're confused, I'm just not sure which is worse. It was wrong to try to cure you like that.” Her eyes shut with their familiar metallic click. “I guess I'm also a little upset that Aleecia is so badly hurt. We're going to have to take her out of the game pretty soon. If there's a murderer while she's in there, the rules state that she needs to be punished if she remains. So I won't be able to see her for a while.” She whimpered. “Everything is horrible, there are no right answers...”

Do robots have feelings? She was still dumbfounded at the series of events. What was going on?! “I'm... sorry to hear that…” Did that mean Aleecia was going to be safe once she was out of here? Krista decided to ask. “If Aleecia gets out of here... does that mean she's safe outside?”

“She will still be in Axis Mundi, just outside the killing game.” Nariko let out a long sigh. “She might not even get reinstated in this killing game. I'll probably never see her again. I won't be able to protect her.” She took a step towards Krista and raised her head. “But I can still protect you.”

She stopped just before Nariko offered her the handbook. Was it safe to tell Cyrus? She chewed on her bottom lip again before dropping it. She knew she could trust him but… it wasn’t the right time. Not yet. “When Nariko said Aleecia would be outside the killing game but still in Axis Mundi... it gave me an idea. I don't know how much of a long shot it is but... what if we send a message with Aleecia? Hide it somewhere on her body so when she's in Axis Mundi, the real one... we can get some help?"

Cyrus gave it a few seconds thought, then shrugged a bit. “Sounds like a long shot, but I don’t think there’s anything against trying it. In the worst case, nothing happens. In the best case, we might get some outside help.” He put a hand on her shoulder, a small token of praise and support. “Any idea what you want to put on the message? Or where Aleecia is right now?”

He was willing to listen?! Krista perked up excitedly as it seemed like Cyrus was into the idea without her having to convince him. “I think we have to send a list of all our names, including Quill and Mason… and Kara and Rika... since I'm not sure whether they've been sent to the same place they'll be sending Aleecia. Nariko... cares a lot for her and I don't think she'll let anything happen to her… but I don’t think the others were lucky to get the same treatment.” It was a wild guess, but then again, this entire plan depended on Nariko telling Krista the truth. “If they haven't been sent back to the real Axis Mundi then it would be useful for them to know that they're also missing! We'll also have to tell them we're stuck in a killing game in a place that looks like Axis Mundi…” She bit her thumb, thinking carefully as she tried racking her brain for any ideas where Aleecia was.

“Well... Nariko didn't tell me where she was... and I didn't ask.” Her shoulders dropped, disappointedly. “But! But but but! We dealt with Alexandria's carnage chassis for Aleecia right? So she has to be on this floor somewhere! I... haven't really explored the hospital side but she wasn't in the resort when I last went…” She didn't state the obvious; why would a comatose patient even be at a resort?

“So… it’s somewhere on this floor… in the hospital side…” She finally concluded. “Sorry it isn’t much…”

Frankly, Cyrus was rather sceptical of this idea. If they were sent back to Axis Mundi, that meant that they likely collaborated with Davis in some way. How else would you simply take back a person that had been missing from your hospital for days without any questions? And otherwise, they were likely taken somewhere out of the public eye, for people probably working with Davis. That said, he didn’t want to discourage Krista. The girl needed some positivity. Not to mention, there was nothing to lose.

“There’s two rooms on this floor I haven’t looked at yet. One of them seems to be the room of a carnage sister. Noel just headed to the other one.” He stated. “I guess that’s where we should go first?”

“Yes! Let's go check it out! We gotta scope this out like spies!” Krista energetically bounded towards the door before halting mid-step just as she was reaching for the handle. Cyrus mentioned he hadn't visited two rooms; one where Noel was, and one that was the room of a carnage sister. A carnage sister... Krista's hand slipped into her pocket to touch the cold handbook before pulling it out.

“By the way…” Krista spoke up, with her back still to Cyrus. “It's Nariko's room… and I can go inside.“ Krista turned in her spot, taking quick steps to reach Cyrus and show him the carnage sister's handbook. “Nariko gave this to me... this was her way of trying to protect me.” Krista told Cyrus, a bit hesitantly.

“Did she now?” Cyrus said, somewhat surprised, as he eyed the handbook for a second. “Interesting. We ought to check it out later. If we’re lucky we might find something half as useful as a makeshift forge in there.” He smiled at her. “Aleecia is probably in the other room then, if anywhere. I don’t think Nariko would let anyone into her room if Aleecia was there.” He snickered, then followed Krista outside.

Krista returned Nariko's handbook back to her pocket. “But... do you really think we'll find something in there? What if Nariko is messing with me?” Krista led the way towards the POD room, her hand playing with the ends of her damp hair. “ mean... Why give me the handbook? I know Nariko cares for Aleecia, but I didn't see her interact with anyone else, let alone me.”

“Can’t say for sure. It’s hard to imagine what might be going through the minds of these robots… or whatever is controlling them.” Cyrus stated bluntly. “But if she’s taken a liking to you, then why not make the best of it? Nariko doesn’t seem like the type to mess with people for fun… unlike the other three.” He chuckled a bit at the realisation. The carnage sisters were an odd bunch, but out of all of them Nariko was the one who seemed the most genuinely concerned about the group. “Even if there’s nothing of use in there. It’s still a room only you and Nariko can enter. It might come in useful in that way. You’ve been given a boon, make good use of it.”

“B-but wait! Nariko is the most evil of them all!” Krista cried out suddenly. She didn’t like the implication behind Nariko giving her the handbook. It felt like a lot of responsibility-especially right after Krista lost her own handbook to the traitor the night before. She did not want to look a gift carnage horse in it’s mouth, but she didn’t know what to do either. So… she attempted to make a joke.“Did you know Nariko cried?! Yeah!” The slightly over-exaggerated hand movements made it seem like Krista was joking around, but her face indicated she was completely serious. “I don't like it when people cry... and the robot looks kinda human too…” She trailed off. Was this supposed to be a joke or her admitting she hated seeing people/robots-that-look-like-people cry? She shut up before she embarrassed herself any further. ‘Just stick to puns, Krista.’

She scratched the back of her ear, glancing elsewhere as they approached the POD room. She stopped just as they were about to enter. “Do you think I should tell the others about this handbook?” She looked back at Cyrus when she finally figured out how to change the subject without embarrassing herself. “I mean... this handbook is needed to open the room so... really anyone that holds this handbook can just waltz right in and somebody could try using it for their…” Her voice trailed off at the end.

“Normally tears are the weapons of empathy and compassion, not evil.” Cyrus smirked, though he was not really sure what to think of a crying robot. Cyrus was not sure what to think of the carnage sisters to begin with. Thankful for the topic change, he pondered for a bit. “Perhaps it’s better to see what’s in the room first before we decide? Regardless, the decision is yours, I think.” He paused for a bit. ”I can understand if you’re not… comfortable with others knowing.”

She nodded slowly. What Cyrus said made sense. If there was nothing that was... useable in Nariko's room, then maybe she could share the knowledge with the other patients. “But…! I trust you. If I do find something in there... I want you to add it to your inventory list. Deal?” She stuck her hand out, pinkie raised and wiggling in front of Cyrus’s glasses. “We’ll pinky promise it. We won’t let anyone die!” Krista beamed at him.

“Of course!” Cyrus responded confidently. He was surprised when Krista showed her pinky, it wasn’t a method of promising he was actually used to. He couldn’t exactly genuinely promise that, but he could at least lift her spirits. “I’m certainly going to try.” He said as he latched onto her pinky with his own.

A pinky promise is a very big deal. With a final cheer, Krista pushed the door into the POD room open, revealing Ice and Noel with an unconscious Aleecia inside a POD. She carefully approached the POD, as if worried that her mere presence would be a disruption to Aleecia's delicate state. Looking between Aleecia and Ice, then at Cyrus, she quietly questioned Ice.

She asked simple questions; how long he had been in the POD room, did he see the carnage sisters place Aleecia into the POD, etc. Her hopes rose with every answer. Ice likely knew how to open and shut the POD without putting the comatose girl at risk. She felt like she could trust Ice and Noel with her plan, and so she quietly informed them of her idea. Krista could not tell how Ice took the news, but she pleaded him for his help; and so he agreed.

“Okay... I need to go back to my room to make the note but I promise I won't take too long! I'll look for you when I'm done!” Directing the final part of her closing statement to Ice, Krista began backing away, intending to leave. There was no time to waste, especially after that worrying Monokuma-carnage sister announcement; there was a message to send!