Danganronpa: Painful Truth

Free Time? Part 2

Tetsuo closed another book with an annoyed sigh and set it aside. Yuri had been correct; a simple series of searches had led him to the location of the TV studio where the last several killing games had taken place. A bit more digging suggested the existence of a secondary location that wasn't public knowledge. There was no information that confirmed an address, but there were several locations other researchers had indicated 'suspicious'.

He'd already typed up a report on his findings that he planned to send to Kokichi, as well as Yuri, Kiki, and Natsumi to help with their roles in the current state of the plan. Begrudgingly, he trusted his colleagues to uncover the information the studio didn't want to share, but he wasn't satisfied. His own role had been offensively easy.

Making a mental note to repay his 'boss' for the grave insult, he turned his research to the Future Foundation. The infuriating fact that his father clearly knew more than he was willing to share led him to believe that his home library would hold the answer, but so far, he'd found only vague references with little context.

"Useless," he spat. He couldn't help but wonder if his father were cultivating their collection specifically to conceal information. Unfortunately, the internet had been nearly scrubbed clean of anything useful as well.

He picked up another book, refusing to believe he was at a dead end. Dead ends didn't exist for him.

"Oooh I think I found something!" Ayu chirped suddenly, causing Tetsuo to nearly drop the book. "Twenty-five years ago this mysterious facility fell into de-oh, nevermind, that says 'disrepair.'" She sighed.

Tetsuo glared sharply. "Why are you in my house and how long have you been here?"

"I thought I could help!" Ayu clenched her fists determinedly. "I wanna know more about the Future Foundation! But there's nothing online so I figured the best place for information would be here!"

"Well if I haven't found anything, you have no chance whatsoever," he hissed. "Therefore, I will let you know if I find anything. Continue with your reading if it makes you feel better, but keep your supposed 'findings' to yourself or I'll have you escorted out."

Ayu nodded. "I'll find something, you just watch!"

"Always bullyin' the nice ones, Testy," Shigeri shook their head as they appeared from behind a shelf, knocking over a stack of books as they passed. "That's boring. Pick on someone like me or the Boss."

Ayu smiled. "It's okay. If he were really mad I would leave, but he's just sad he can't find anything."

Tetsuo pinched the bridge of his nose and took a deep breath. "This is not a public library."

"Oh, so information is a privilege that only you rich bastards get? Don't be like that, Testy."

"I have trouble believing you're able to read, much less that you came here for research," Tetsuo spat. "What do you want?"

"Hey, now," Shigeri put up their hands innocently. "I'm just goin' around askin' my bestest buddies what they think of the plan so far."

"Tell our leader that if I don't receive a suitable challenge during the next phase of the plan then I will consider him unworthy of my assistance from that point on."

"Sure, dude," Shigeri snickered, snagging a pen from the table. "So if your job was so easy, why're you all pissy in here?"

"We're trying to find information on the Future Foundation now!" Ayu replied helpfully. "I can't stop thinking that it's gonna be really important to know their history!"

"Finally, a straight, non-dickhead answer." Shigeri grinned. "How about you, Ayu? Any thoughts?"

"I like the plan, I think, but..." She trailed off, looking uncomfortable. "There's still so much I don't understand. I hate proceeding with so little information."

"Yeah, well, what can ya do, right?" Shigeri shrugged. "Glad you guys are hard at work still, though. The boss would be proud."

"What a lovely parting sentiment," Tetsuo said pointedly. "Goodbye."

Shigeri yawned and waved over their shoulder. "Good luck kids."

"Worthless fool," Tetsuo growled.

Ayu giggled happily. "They're working hard, in their own way."

**************

Shigeri's meandering journey brought them to Shinji's house next. The property was every bit as grand as Tetsuo and Natsumi's mansions, but in a different way. Shinji's parents shared his dramatic and eccentric tendencies, and it was reflected heavily in their decor.

Kokichi had always held an appreciation for their aesthetics, demanding that the war room be located there instead. Unfortunately, Shinji's father had insisted that he needed the extra space to 'cultivate an army that will strike fear into the gods themselves.' His mother had kindly translated, explaining that they were setting up the space to breed various species of rodents.

Kokichi had mocked them, of course, but Shigeri hadn't been fooled; their 'Supreme Leader' clearly had a secret desire to pet cute animals.

They continued lazily past the statues of hideous demon beasts and magical girl robots until they reached the garage. Ignoring the signs on the door that sternly declared DO NOT ENTER, they pushed open the door.

The walls were papered with sketches of flashy costumes, tactical gear, and even battle armor for Ryu. Thick bolts of fabric in various colors filled the far wall. A black and white workbench stored an assortment of differently sized needles and pins, buttons, sequins, gems, and other tiny useful items that made Shigeri's inner magpie twitch.

They shook their head. Finding a button in a pile of buttons had no meaning.

In the middle of the room, Shinji sat at a table with a built in sewing machine, cackling quietly to himself as he worked on a new sketch. Shigeri approached cautiously. He was exciteable enough without being startled. "Hey dude, whatcha workin' on?"

"I'm delighted that you would expend the effort to ask, my esteemed colleague of darkness!" He leapt from his chair with the notebook in hand, as if he'd been waiting for the opportunity. "Feast your unworthy eyes upo--" He started to brandish the notebook, but paused and narrowed his eyes. Suddenly, he pointed dramatically, his finger less than an inch from Shigeri's nose. "WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS?"

"Huh?"

"THERE!" Shinji pointed at a small, nearly imperceptible grass stain on the knee of their white pants. "How can you ever hope to render your enemies nothing more than a groveling pile of regret in such a disheveled state?"

Shigeri rolled their eyes. "Come on dude, shit happens."

He sighed in frustration. "Between our leader's preference for darkly pigmented soft drinks and your overall lack of diligence, my role has been diluted down to that of a mere laundry maid!" he moaned.

"Maybe stop carin' so much," Shigeri yawned. "We're out doin' evil deeds, shit's bound to get dirty."

"Tell me, what is the difference between a renowned swindler and a petty thief? What seperates a true mastermind from a simple prankster? What is the line that divides a criminal syndicate from a pathetic gang of street rats?"

Shigeri picked their nose thoughtfully. "Uh, let's see...social standing? Success? Resources? Semantics?"

"PRESENTATION!"

"Oh."

"Presentation is EVERYTHING!" he roared. "Intimidation is a factor that has decided entire wars! This is why my role, as the Supreme Demonic Couturier of the Underworld, is of the utmost importance!"

"Sure. Should I even ask what you think of the plan?"

"Magnificent!" he announced, striking one of his infamous poses. "The diabolical mind of our Supreme Leader is truly magnificent!"

Shigeri snickered. Shinji was a good friend, but he could be truly dull and predictable at times. "Yeah, expected that. Boring. Keep up the good work, dude."