Danganronpa: Melancholic Mayhem

Chapter 4 Part 12-Sticks And Stones May Break My Bones, But Words Can Truly Kill

Suddenly, Taguchi was shoved into the other room of the sacrifice dome, his hands cuffed behind his back. I paused, looking down at my hands. I'd completely spaced out. My mind was going every which way, unable to focus, even though I should. My hands were shaking. Why were they shaking?

"I'm sorry Taguchi! But we can't let you out until we know for a fact you didn't do this." Kawata explained through a small speaker. Taguchi was screaming from the other side of the one-way window, but it fell on deaf ears. It mustn't been a sound proof room.

"Guys... I don't think Taguchi would've done this..." Otani said.

"Oh my fucking god..." Yamazaki blurted out.

"What?" Otani snapped back.

"Why don't you fucking grow up! It's obvious that this piece of shit pushed Imamura off of the hotel's roof!" Yamazaki yelled, stepping forward. And suddenly, it all came rushing back. The memories of the screams. The memories of the fall. The memories of the blood. I tried to take a breath of air, but instead it had been sucked out of me. "Stop saying that people wouldn't do this shit! Because I've seen it so many times..." Yamazaki seemed to start laughing, almost trying to pretend he wasn't just in a rage fit. "You think that no one will ever harm you. You think humanity's better than what people say. But that's just a fucking lie... a lie they tell you when you're a fucking child... one you believe until the good ones are gone. Until everything in your life crumbles to the ground and you're left with nothing you can do but sit and watch as the world burns." Yamazaki said. Otani stared at him, sighing.

"Are you okay Yamazaki?" Otani asked. Yamazaki scoffed, rolling his eyes.

"I'm fucking fine. I'm not the one on my death bed." Yamazaki snapped back, wandering away.

"Guys... d- do you really think... that Taguchi did this?" Arima stuttered, looking through the window at Taguchi who was trying to make as much noise as possible.

"I... I'm not sure. He's the only suspect at the moment." Kawata replied.

"I don't think he'd do something like this on purpose..." Otani said. Otani had a stressed look on his face. "Do... do you think that Imamura is okay?"

"We can't know that for sure... after all... we don't know what Ressa is doing with her..." Kawata said.

"Yes! What could Ressa be doing with the body!? He could be deforming it! He could be killing it! Or he could be holding it in his arms and whispering sweet nothings into its ear..." Ressa laughed.

"Ressa!?" Kawata blurted out, before glaring at him angrily. "Why the fuck are you here!? You're supposed to be helping Imamura!"

"Calm down! She's fine! Kajiwara has it all taken care of." Ressa laughed. "Now... it's time for me to tell you all about something in particular..." Ressa laughed. "A plot twist if you will!"

"What..?" Yamazaki said, looking at Ressa angrily.

"Oh you didn't think I would just give you all that for free, did you!? Arima never pulled that trigger!" Ressa laughed. Yamazaki looked to Arima angrily, Arima responding by putting his arms up as if he had the gun directed at him. "So that means I did not have a proper payment for that coupon. And because of this, I have an announcement to make!" Ressa laughed. "You guys are probably getting tired of these motives, but it's whatever!" He laughed. "Since Arima used the card, I need a life for Imamura's."

"W- what?" Arima blurted out.

"Mhm! If you want Imamura to survive, I'm going to need a sacrifice in her place!" Ressa cackled.

"N- no! You can't mean-" Kawata began.

"Yep a doodles! One of you has to be murdered by sunrise if you want Imamura to survive! Or, if you're unwilling to let one of yourselves die, then you can kill Imamura and everyone will live until eventually we have a class trial over it! Well, of course... that can be avoided... if the murderer has their target card... which will let everyone but one get out of here scot-free!" Ressa laughed. Yamazaki glared at me, which I ignored.