Chapter Text
The image of Iroha’s corpse, swinging from the ceiling of her room by a noose, was etched into your brain for the rest of your life. It felt like one of those tragedies you couldn’t bring yourself to look away from, a car crash in slow motion.
"A body has been discovered!" Monocrow’s voice jeered. "Everyone, please make your way to Iroha’s room! Please check the Monocro files for more details! We’ll now have an investigation, followed but when the class trial. Love, Monocrow!”
Everyone else soon arrived, adding their voices of shock to the scene.
"One of us did it... one of us really killed her..." Kanade gulped.
"And now we must investigate this gruesome scene," Kokoro sighed sadly.
We always investigate together, insisted a small, childish part of you. Still, it was probably better that you two maintained a distance—you really didn’t want to be connected with this crime in any way. You were pretty much planning on only speaking when necessary during the trial, and otherwise keeping your head down and waiting for the inevitable to play out.
It was time to begin the fourth investigation.
Teruya starts by checking the Monocrow File:
"The victim was Iroha Nijiue. The body was discovered in her room. Cause of death is strangulation."
Teruya then wheels over to Hajime. He's taken Iroha down from the noose, and starts checking her body.
"Yup, she was strangled alright." He says.
Teruya then decides to check Iroha's room. He notices that a number of important files are missing.
"This place hasn't been touched in a week. What happened?"
He looks around the room, but finds nothing. He then decides to examine Iroha's clothes.
"Nope, no signs of forced entry either. Could be a murder-suicide, or someone snuck in and stole the files." He says.
He checked the Funhouse, but no second body was found. He then wheels over to Iroha's body, checking it for anything he might have missed. Sure enough, he finds a red pen.
"Someone wrote on her hand. 'I can't stop myself from killing you.' What the hell does that mean?"
He looks at the body again, noticing that her left eye is now missing. Hajime found a bag.
"Someone's messed with the crime scene already." He said. "They've removed Iroha's eye. I'll show ya."
"Eugh…" Teruya stared into the bag, dreading what horrible sight might be there. The others soon arrived.
"Why do you have a bag, Hajime?" asked Emma.
"Iroha's eye is in there."
Hajime then reached into the bag, everyone's faces screwing up in disgust as he took out Iroha's missing left eye. "Why would someone remove somebody's eye?" Yoruko gagged.
"I don't know," Teruya said as he tried to hold back vomit. "But we have to find out."
He then calls back to the others. "We have to do what the detectives in Danganronpa do!" He said.
Everyone nods along, unsure what this new development means.
"We have to question everyone who was in this club!" Teruya continues. "Is that some kind of nice word?" Kokoro asks.
"Yes!" Teruya said.
"What do the detectives in Danganronpa do?" asked Kanade.
"Well..." Teruya started. "First we should search the crime scene, I think. Then we'll need to collect some alibis for the time of the murder... and finally, we'll need to search the Funhouse top to bottom for possible clues."
"What if we get in there and it's a mess?" asked Kokoro. "We might not be able to find anything." "We'll search the mess for clues!" Teruya said.
"Fine, let's go check on everyone then!" Yoruko says.
"I guess this is it, then. Let's go." Teruya then heads off.
He goes to ask Shinji, Syobai, Emma and Hajime for their alibis. Turns out they were exploring the Funhouse. He then returns to the crime scene.
He searches it for clues. He finds a red pen with a black feather on it. He finds a bag. He finds an eyelash. He finds a bloody footprint.
"Alright, let's check the rest of the place out!" Hajime said.
"But wait, we have to check for a clue!" Teruya said.
He had found a note. "There's a secret passage. Let's check it out!"
"But what if we get lost?" asked Emma.
"We won't," Teruya said. "Follow me." He took Emma and Hajime to the Strawberry house.
There was a panel.
He flipped it open.
"What if we get caught?" asked Emma.
"We won't," Teruya said. "This can provide possible clues."
He then took Emma and Hajime through the passageway.
They got to the end.
They saw a room.
Teruya flipped a switch.
A hologram of the Strawberries appeared. "This can provide possible clues."
He then took Emma and Hajime through the passageway.
They got to the end.
They saw a room.
Teruya flipped a switch.
A hologram of the Strawberries appeared.
They were greeted with the Strawberries. "So it's a secret room of the Strawberry House? Well played." Emma snarked.
"There's a switch," Hajime said. "What happens when you flip it…"
"Don't!" Teruya screamed, trying to stop Hajime before he did something stupid.
But Hajime didn't stop. He flipped the switch.
The hologram exploded into a million little pieces.
They heard screams.
"What did you do?" yelled Emma.
"It's a secret room!" Hajime said.
A horrible smell filled the air…
7 corpses laid in the room.
6 of them looked familiar to Emma.
Too familiar.
"Is that… our friends?" she asked, her face twisting in disgust.
"No," Teruya said, his face just as disgusted. "They're… well, it's hard to tell." "They're our friends! It's true, Emma!" Hajime said.
The final corpse was there.
Even though it was crushed beyond all recognition, Teruya gasped in horror as he recognised the white hairpins.
Nikei's corpse was in this room.
He accidentally hit another switch, and a trapdoor opened beneath the three of them. After falling for a bit, they ended up in a pile of trash.
"Ow…." Teruya groans.
"What the heck was that?" Hajime asks.
"What's going on?" Emma asks.
"I think we just entered a different timeline," Teruya says. "We didn't enter a different timeline." Emma said.
"We entered a furnace in the Funhouse."
"But… that was the climax of the game!" Hajime says.
"I guess this isn't the climax." Teruya says.
Emma sighs. "Is this furnace even on?"
"Fortunately," Hajime said. "Monocrow did mention that this furnace is only lit on Tuesdays…." Teruya tried digging himself out of whatever the fuck this pile was. "And it's Tuesday."
"I hate to say it, but we've done worse," said Emma. "Remember the game where we went into the time machine to kill Hitler?" "Don't remind me of that," Hajime said.
"I think we fell down a garbage chute." Teruya said.
"Let's see if we can get out of this chute," said Emma. "If we're in a different timeline, maybe the stairs should be there." "There's no stairs," Hajime said.
"We have to open the furnace door."
"I'm not doing that," said Hajime.
"We can't just sit here."
"I'm not doing that." "Let's get out of this garbage pile."
Teruya opened the door, and they… found themselves in the Grape House.
Teruya took several deep breaths.
If he had been a child, he would have been traumatized, what with him and his friends barely surviving the incinerator after being tossed down the garbage chute. They were doing this during a murder investigation, on top of it. And if he had been an adult, he would have had a panic attack, what with him and his friends being in a house that reminded him of the one that was destroyed. "Let's just continue our investigation and explore more of the Grape House." Teruya said as he wheeled over to Iroha's room.
They checked it out.
They found another note.
"There's a secret passage. Let's check it out!"
"But what if we get lost?" Emma asked. "Do we have to?" Hajime asked, gagging at the memory of the last passage.
"I think we should," Teruya said, "but we don't have to do it right now. We can wait for night."
"I'm too exhausted to walk around in the dark." Emma said.
"Let's do it now!" Teruya said.
They headed to another panel.
"Pray to god that this isn't another way to that damned trash pile," Emma said.
Hajime and Teruya prayed.
And they found the passage.
They got inside.
"It's the same as before." Emma said. "But it's… not a trash pile."
But then the passageway turned into a slide!
"Woah!" Teruya screamed, sliding headfirst.
But Hajime caught him.
Then they ended up at a massive pile of trash.
"This is the pile." Teruya groaned. "I hate this game." But Emma and Hajime were nowhere to be found!
"Maybe we just went back in time?" Teruya said.
"Or maybe we just entered a different timeline." Suddenly, Teruya saw a hand!
But was it a swordswoman's hand, or a journalist's hand? It was the former!
Teruya pulled out the hand's owner.
Emma looked alright, save for her whole outfit being covered in garbage.
"Emma!" Teruya said. "Are you alright?"
"I'm fine," she said.
"Maybe we should clean you up?" Teruya asked.
"Why don't you ask that to yourself!" Emma asked.
Teruya looked at himself. He was covered in garbage, and his clothes were sticking to him. "I hate this game."
"I don't know how Monocrow does it." Emma said. "Maybe the Funhouse is a trash disposal area?"
Suddenly, Hajime pulled himself out of the pile and collapsed to the ground. He was covered in trash, but he could clean that off. "Hajime!" Teruya said. "Why are you two trashy?" Hajime asked. "You're covered in garbage, and you smell like garbage."
"But, Hajime," Teruya said, "you smell like a man who hasn't washed his hair in weeks." "Teruya, you're…"
Teruya looked down at himself. "I'm all messy! I can't do the trial looking like this!"
Hajime laughed. "I guess that means we have to do it at night."
"Night's a good time for this!" Teruya said. "No, it isn't!" Emma said.
"Thankfully, we do have spare clothes." Emma said.
"What was it like being in the trash pile?" Teruya asked Hajime. "It was horrible," Hajime shivered. "There were flies, and I kept thinking that I wouldn't be able to pull myself out."
"It was just garbage." Emma said. "It was pretty boring."
"Well." Teruya said. "Now look at myself." He was covered in garbage. "Let's get out of here."
So, Teruya and his friends got out of the trash pile.
They found a third note.
"Ha ha! There's no secret passage. Just a trash chute. Love, Monocrow!" Teruya then asked Kanade.
"Is the investigation over?" "Yes," Kanade said.
"You better change clothes." Monocrow said, reappearing. "There's no way you're coming into my courtroom in that trashy outfit of yours."
Teruya looked down at himself. He was covered in garbage.
"Hey, it's not my fault... I've been dumped into trash.." he said. Thankfully, the students had taken a spare set of clothes before entering the Funhouse, so Teruya wore his spare set of clothes.
He headed to the Funhouse elevator.
Hajime had changed clothes.
Thankfully, Emma had also changed clothes. Teruya didn't want to spend the entire trial staring at a trash covered swordswoman.
In the elevator, there was extra space.
Teruya's mind felt sad, though, for he knew the true reason he had been given bigger space.
It was time once again. Time to unravel the truth behind a friend's death, and condemn yet another friend to die. It was a miserable cycle that they just couldn't seem to break. Teruya's vision darkened as he stared straight ahead, his heart threatening to leap into his throat and suffocate him.
...Calm down... I need to calm down... Iroha... I will find out who did this to you.
Finally, the elevator landed with a clunk, and the doors opened into the Trial Room. This time, Monocrow had decorated it in hideous colors and patterns like a twisted funhouse - bright reds, pinks, oranges, greens, blues and purples seared your eyes, arranged in polka dots, argyles, checkerboards, hearts and stripes.
"Now, show me just how you intend to bargain for your lives!" Monocrow laughed as you all took your places. You tried not to stare at the portrait of Iroha to your left, her face covered with a pink bottle. Setsuka’s portrait was also there, with an exaggerated X painted over her face.
Here we were for the fourth time.
Iroha Nijiue, the Ultimate Hostess…
She had been a kind person. A kind person like her… was murdered.
Who was the blackened?
It was up to us to find the truth...
It was up to me.
Class Trial! All Rise!
"These are the rules of the class trial!" Monocrow said. "You'll debate for whodunnit, vote, and if you're right, that person will get to experience a horrible death! If you vote wrong, though, everyone else will die a horrible death!"
"I just can't believe it... why? Why would one of us put us all through this again?" Syobai whined sadly. "Why did you kill Iroha?! I was friends with her! It's even in the fucking tags!" Syobai was right. He would get justice for Iroha's death even if he died.
"It was bound to happen eventually," Yoruko remarked. "Our treatment in that place was bordering on the verge of torture."
"I should have let them kill us!"
"Otori is right, I shouldn't have brought us here," Monocrow said. "It was a mistake." "We should talk about the murder." Teruya said.
"But it happened in Iroha's room! Where do we even start?!" Kanade grimaced.
"Well... with the crime scene, I guess," Teruya bit his lip in apprehension.
"Teruya-san's right," Shinji said. "We should start with the crime scene."
His face suggested that he already knew where the debate would lead.
"Fine," Teruya said. "Let's start with the crime scene. That usually gets us talking."
"So, the victim was Iroha Nijiue." Hajime started.
"Ugh, do we have to do this? We found poor Iroha hanging from the ceiling of her Room!" Yoruko's face paled. "So, cause of death? Was probably being strangled, like Sora!" Emma said. "I concur!" Teruya shot in.
"Iroha was hanging from a noose!"
"Wait, what? But how could...?"
"It's not important now! We need to focus on the murder!" Teruya shouted. "We should talk about the fact that Iroha's left eye was missing."
"Y-Yeah, I noticed that. It was in her bag," Syobai said.
"Why was it in her bag?" Teruya asked. "I checked the bag, and her eyeball was in there." Hajime said.
"...YOU GUYS DON'T WANNA KNOW HOW HE FIGURED THAT OUT. TRUST ME," Shinji added queasily.
"I'm not sure I like this," Monocrow said. "We're dealing with a murderer here."
"That's why we're here! We're supposed to deal with murderers!" Syobai shouted. "And yet, we've only scratched the surface of the murder! It wouldn't change even if Miss Nijiue were still alive!"
"Why do you think the murderer took her left eye?" Teruya asked.
"I don't know. It's just something I noticed," Hajime said. "Maybe it was a message." "What if the killer decided to eat it so we would all starve to death?" Kanade suggested.
Emma and Yoruko leaned away from Kanade in disgust.
"So, we can assume that the killer was someone who had access to the room, right? A hotel guest, or someone who had a key?" Teruya asked. "Keys? We were all fucking locked in the Funhouse!" Yoruko held her head in her hands. "I think I may have been mistaken," Emma said. "We should talk about who the killer is."
"I know the killer." Syobai said.
"You do?" Teruya asked, raising an eyebrow.
"I know who killed Iroha Nijiue."
"Do you? Do you know how? Or why?" Syobai leaned forward.
"I killed Iroha Nijiue." He said. "I'm her killer."
The last word hung chillingly in the air. Silence. It was dead silence after Syobai dropped that bomb on everyone. They all just stared at him for what felt like an eternity. Teruya blinked at him. He blinked again. He just continued staring at the smiling gambler as his brain processed what he had just said. And after all that time, his brain formulated the perfect response, full of logic, reasoning, and intellect.
"...Huh?"
"You killed Iroha?" Emma asked. "Yes, I did." Syobai said. "I was in the room that night. She was drunk, playing that song of hers. I tried to get her to stop. I didn't want to, but I did. I hated it, but I did. I strangled her!"
"Syobai, you're not the killer!" Teruya said.
"I'm the killer!" Syobai said.
"Hold on!" Monocrow laughed. "Ooo! Looks like we actually have everyone in the hot seat! This gives me an idea! Utsuroshima is proud to present its very own morphenomenal trial grounds!"
Split Opinion!
The podiums then lifted into the air, and shifted until the students had been divided into two teams.
Syobai made up one side. This side didn't trust Teruya and believed that the gambler was the killer.
Everyone else made up the other side. They trusted Teruya and didn't see Syobai as the one with blood on his hands.
Is Syobai guilty?
Debate Scrum start!
Syobai started. "I killed Iroha!" Emma stepped up to counteract his claim. "Are you seriously trying to suggest that you're the culprit!?"
"I did it," Syobai said. "Syobai wouldn't do that! He wouldn't hurt someone so nice like Iroha!" Yoruko disagreed, from the opposing team. "He would. He would."
"She was drunk! She wouldn't have minded!" Emma countered.
"She wouldn't have minded! She would've kept playing her song!" Teruya pointed out.
"I'm the culprit!" Syobai shouted.
"That's not possible." Kokoro said.
The debate scrum was getting heated. The audience was beginning to get restless.
Emma stood up. "Well, I'm afraid we can't take your word for it," she said. "This trial is far too unfair to decide anything!"
Team Teruya: "This is our answer!"
"Emma, don't!" Teruya pleaded. "Don't do this!"
Emma turned to Syobai, and said, "Guilty, I'm afraid." "We don't wanna start another scrum debate, don't we?" Monocrow asked. "I hated the scrum debate, really. What a foul scrum that was. Nobody even argued! What was the point of it?"
Syobai sat down in shame.
"Well, I'm disappointed in you, Syobai. I really thought you were the killer," Emma said. "Have you ever considered the possibility that Iroha committed suicide?"
Chapter Text
"Ah... no...?" Syobai's voice shook. "Why would you say that?"
"It's a possibility," Teruya said. "But we don't want another scrum debate."
"Suicide? Why would she do that?" Yoruko asked. "I mean, it's pretty farfetched to me."
"Suicide's a possibility," Monocrow said. "It even happened in canon!"
"That's a big step," Kokoro said. "Why would she kill herself? She was happy, I think. Maybe she didn't want to kill you, Teruya." "We were starving!" Teruya said. "What person would commit suicide because we were starving?" Kokoro asked.
"What if Iroha committed suicide because of you?" Teruya said.
"What?" Syobai shouted. "What did I do?" "What if you neglected her, and Iroha committed suicide!" Teruya said.
"That's complete bullshit!" Syobai yelled. "I loved Iroha! I would never do that!"
"We have to decide, don't we?" Monocrow asked. Suddenly, the world turned black, and only Teruya and Syobai faced each other off.
The other students were reduced to shadowy blurs.
Syobai started to laugh. "No... it's me! Why would Iroha hang herself? I am the King of Liars, and all people love me! I can have any people I want! I will have any people I want! It was me who killed Iroha! Why would she commit suicide? I killed her!"
Syobai... he's gone completely insane...
"No... I'm the guilty one... you have no proof that Iroha committed suicide!" Syobai said.
"Actually, there is." Teruya said. "It ends here!" The world returned to normal.
"Iroha was hanging from a rope." Teruya explained. "Hanging is one of the most common ways to commit suicide." For this, Syobai had no answer. "I killed her!" Syobai said.
"You didn't kill her, you motherfucking bastard!" Teruya shouted.
"Fine." Syobai said. "I don't even care anymore!"
"And maybe Iroha removed her own eye." Teruya offered. "It would explain why it was missing."
Syobai crossed his arms. "For clarity, can we go over this suicide story one last time?" "Sure," Teruya said. "Just in case you still think that you killed her."
It was time for the closing argument to begin. With all eyes in the room focusing on him, Teruya told the tale of Iroha's suicide.
"This is the truth of the case!"
Closing Argument
"It began when we were all trapped in the Funhouse. I and Kokoro had resorted to eating ourselves. Thankfully, we were stopped before we could die. One person in particular was affected so much.
"On day nine of being trapped in the Funhouse, suppose this. Iroha stays extra longer in her room and starts a plan.
"She gets some rope and hangs it from the ceiling. She gets a a stool, steps on it.
"This is where it gets messed up. Iroha then gouges out her own left eye, and puts it in her bag.
"She then puts her neck through the noose, and kicks the stool.
"Meanwhile, a certain someone manipulates the crime scene by removing the stool and leaving notes to tell us to head to secret passages that end in trash piles. This is only my theory, though.
"And then I opened the door to her room shortly afterwards, only to discover her hanged body.
"We never would have known what happened if it wasn't for the fact that Iroha was hanging, and hanging is the most common way to commit suicide."
"Iroha killed herself! But the certain someone tried to frame himself! And that someone is none other than the Ultimate Gambler, Syobai Hashimoto!"
"I swear to god, if you don't tell me who the hell this 'certain someone' is, I'm gonna...” Syobai said.
"Oh, calm down. I'm not saying you did it. You're the certain someone who tried to frame himself."
"Goddammit, I knew this would happen! You gotta believe me, you gotta believe me!"
"I believe you," Teruya said. Syobai zoned out whilst everyone voted for the guilty party - Iroha herself. Then they saw a wheel labeled "Verdict" divided into sixteen sections, each with a pixel icon of one of them on it. A red pointer spun around the sections in a clockwise fashion, gradually slowing down until it came to a stop right on Iroha's greyed out section. Bells rang in celebration, and confetti fell from the ceiling as the Ultimate Hostess's name flashed across the screen, proof that happened whenever they got it right. The trial was over, and they had won.
So why did none of them feel like they won anything worthwhile?
Class Trial, End! All Rise!
"You bastards got it right! Iroha's own killer is herself!" Monocrow said.
"And do you wanna know why she committed suicide?" asked Syobai. Monocrow then read a note out.
"Dear friends...
"There is something I must tell you... I hate to do it like this, but you need to know.
"If you're reading this, I'm dead. And you're all freed from that cursed Funhouse.
"I just… stomach the thought of letting you all starve to death. My suicide will be noble.
"I'm preparing a rope right now.
"Forgive me… Iroha Nijiue."
Tears filled Teruya's eyes. He could feel his heart break.
"That… that… bitch… bastard… she had the gall to kill herself and leave us here," Teruya said. "Actually, it was for a noble reason!" Monocrow said. Suddenly, Syobai held his podium.
Teruya's legs simultaneously felt like jelly and stone as a mysterious crimson aura surrounded him, giving his eyes a sinister red glow. They were red.
Syobai held his cloak as tears finally fell from his eyes.
"I'm… sorry…" he said. "Iroha just committed suicide… I'm a member of Void because I have no choice in the matter…"
"Bastard," Teruya said. "She was our friend. I can't believe you'd do this."
"You're wrong about that," Syobai said. "She was a selfish brat who got what she deserved!"
"I don't believe you," Teruya said. "You don't have a heart."
"Maybe I don't have one," Syobai said. He then got a knife.
"Hey, Monocrow." He said, rushing at him with the knife. "I think you're right about this trial. I think it's time we freed ourselves from this place. I think it's time we took our revenge!"
"Don't do this!" Teruya shouted. Suddenly, Syobai was thrown across the trial room.
"I don't want any heart-breaking, full of betrayal trials in my courtroom!" Monocrow said. "And I don't want any knives in my courtroom, too! You just broke a rule, Hashimoto! And breaking the rules results in execution!"
"Execution?" Teruya pales, realizing what he meant by that.
"I have prepared a fitting punishment for the prepator of the violation - Syobai Hashimoto, the Ultimate Gambler." Monocrow says. "You have framed yourself and attempted to take the lives of everyone else in the room. You are hereby sentenced to-"
"I know, I know." Syobai said. "So this is the end, isn't it? Commence the execution, if you will."
"Punishment time!" Monocrow shouted, jumping on the familiar red button in front of him.
Game Over
Syobai broke one of the rules.
Time for the punishment!
Syobai barely reacted as the chain and collar flew out from behind her, latching around his neck and dragging him away.
You watched as the monitor turned on after the gambler was whisked away to his death.
Syobai was tied to a stake on a stage.
A group of Monocrows were holding up signs saying “You suck” and “go screw yourself”. How lovely.
The Burning of the Verliasses Warlock
A Monocrow came with a torch and lit the stake. That’s when Syobai closed his eyes, waiting for fire to burn him...
But it wasn’t coming. So he opened his eyes, only to see a trapdoor open beneath him.
Syobai was now dropped into the centre of a casino.
Just Kidding… Vote for the Blackened!
Before Syobai could get up, the floor underneath him jerked him forward like a conveyor belt, hurling him into the nearby roulette wheel. He was spun around to face outwards as manacles gripped his wrists and ankles, securing him to the wheel.
16 coins were there, and the wheel had slots. Each slot had a picture of one of the students’ faces on it. Mikado, Yuki, Hibiki, Nikei, Sora, Yuri, Setsuka and Iroha’s slots were greyed out, through. Syobai tried to free himself from the manacles to no avail.
These coins were all stacked over Iroha’s portrait, apparently marking the universal bet of the class. Without further ado, Monocrow pulled a lever, and the wheel slowly began to spin.
At first, it was hardly noticeable, only moving an inch or two a second. However, as the moments ticked by, it began to pick up more and more speed, a few inches per second becoming a few feet, and then a few yards, and only growing faster from there.
Soon, the wheel had become nothing but a blur, only the camera focused directly on Syobai, able to provide a clear picture of what was happening. It was spinning fast enough that g-forces were starting to take effect, the gambler’s once flowing cloak crushed flat against him by the tightening pull of gravity.
Suddenly, five slits began to form at the edges of the Roulette Wheel.
From within those slits sawblades emerged, before whirling to life.
After a few seconds elapsed as two of the blades began to slowly move from the edges of the wheel and inward.
Syobai let out a bloodcurdling scream, as he tried to pull himself free.
The first two blades began to rend between his hands, the vicious metal peeling flesh, muscle, and bone.
Blood splatted wildly as he was spun around continuously.
You could hear his agonizing howls as the blades chewed through his hands, before they began to do the same to his arms.
The sound of metal rending bone filled the room.
Two more blades whirled across the bloody roulette wheel, these blades tore through his upper thighs and legs, spraying more blood everywhere. Leaving his limbs either mangled or completely severed.
At this point the gambler’s voice had grown hoarse from screaming, his body merely shook from shock as the fifth blade began its course into his chest.
When the saw finally completed its course, Syobai’s nearly lifeless eyes could make out his own twisted and rendered innards that littered the wheel.
It was nothing short of cruel that he wasn't dead yet, but it would be coming soon. The shock hadn't taken him, but the blood and organ loss soon would.
Suddenly, a large steel ball appeared on top of the wheel. The ball flew into it, spinning around the track nearly as quickly as the wheel was moving. It was dizzying to try to follow, but Syobai attempted as best he could despite being completely frozen in place by the sheer speed of his deathtrap. His eyes desperately tracked it as it spun around, his face turning bluer and bluer with each cycle.
After a few moments, the ball started to slow down, its revolutions becoming longer and longer each time until it finally fell into the ring. It bounced out of the first slot, skipping over a few rows until it finally fell into the ‘LIFE + ESCAPE’ slot. Syobai’s eyes went wide, a faint glimmer of hope shining in them as the wheel finally began to slow down…
Only for Monocrow to slam his wing down on the wheel with a thunderous crash. The ball launched from the force of the impact, soaring through the air until it crashed down into Syobai’s slot. A horrible crunch filled your ears as the ball reduced the Ultimate Gambler to a bloody smear.
The ball rolled off.
After a few moments, the wheel finally came to a full stop, Syobai’s body in millions of pieces as the punishment came to an end.
"And that's the punishment for attacking your Headmaster!" Monocrow said.
This trial had been horrible. You all got to watch Hashimoto’s execution on the monitor, a small blinking LIVE in the corner reminding you this was real. It was sickening, and you would have thrown up had you eaten anything.
Syobai’s death felt exactly the same as when you were trapped in the Funhouse. Like your life is in danger with each mistake you make.
"Ah well, only 7 students left," Monocrow says ominously, leering at you all.
Ah well..... 9 people dead.
Monocrow then left.
"Let's get out of this place," Kanade mumbled as she walked slowly towards the elevator doors. Everyone followed suit, not speaking another word.
Chapter 4: Do Ultimate Robots dream of Clockwork?
END
Surviving Students: 7
The Number of Void
???, Kokoro Mitsume, Yuki Maeda, Nikei Yomiuri, Syobai Hashimoto
Voids Remaining: 2
Received Gift!
Gambler Cloak
