Cookieronpa: Death Dough

Chapter 19: Close Call

Espresso woke up slowly.
...
He felt... refreshed?
That was the longest sleep he felt like he had ever had! But... why is he in his room? Wasn't he on the gym floor?
...
Oh well. Not the first time he had been transported in his sleep.
He sighed, standing up. As he was rising, he felt a sharp pain in his leg that made him fall back into his bed. He looked down at his leg with concern. To his surprise there was a crack with a small amount of jam bleeding from it.
"W-What the fuck?" He muttered, standing up. This time he didn't fall, but he felt more pain than last time. He stumbled around his room whist getting ready and then left. He then flew forward down the stairs.
*crash!*
"GRK!" He held his leg in pain, feeling like he was involved in a reference to a game. He felt like a young piano player who had just been pushed down stairs. And then he realised...
"T-Tiger Lily Cookie? Did you push me down the stairs?!" He gasped. Tiger Lily slid down the stair rails and frowned.
"I... not mean to. Sorry."
"How on Earthbread did you not mean to?"
"I never hurt on purpose!"
"Tch, after you were almost suspected of murder against a coffee user, one who really loves that disgusting abomination known as coffee with milk, I don't trust you!"
"You trust nobody."
"... Shit, got me there. U-Uh, well Pastry I kinda trust."
"But... she trust nobody."
"... Ugh, you just can't let anything go without contradiction." Espresso facepalmed.
"Blackberry ready, by the way." Tiger Lily smiled. Espresso remembered.
"Oh! R-Right, thank you! I'll head over there, thank you so much you little lost child!" He pat her head jokingly, then walked off. Tiger Lily grinned. But then got confused.
"Little... lost... child?"

Espresso slowly made his way to BlackBerry's room. He gave a gentle knock.
...
No response.
He knocked again.
...
Still no response.
He knocked a little harder.
...
"Blackberry? Are you in?" He asked. She was taking to long to respond. He wanted to just force his way in, but he hesitated. It's wrong to break into a woman's bedroom.
...
He sniffed.
...
Wait...
...
Is that coffee...
WITH MILK?!

He put a hand onto the door, and pushed it open with all of his strength. Surprisingly, it wasn't locked. There was also a strange smell in the room, but he had priorities. He stormed over to the wall at the back of his room, and glared at the coffee on the table, using his coffee magic and exploded the 'coffee'. It splashed off the walls.

"That's one less milk coffee in this world-"
"ESPRESSO WATCH OUT!"
Espresso jumped and spun round.
*BANG!*
He heard a gunshot. One from behind him.
"Huh-"
"Look at the wall!" Knight yelled, being the one who saved him. Surprisingly, there was a hole in the wall. And a gun was pointed forward. The gun seemed to quickly drop down, and he heard hurried footsteps. Espresso was about to destroy the wall with coffee, but Knight pulled him aside.
"Don't break the wall!"
"Why not?!"
"Because look! Don't make a scene, it's already enough in here!" Espresso looked around...
*ding*
*dong*
*dong*
*ding*
...
Blackberry...
was dead.
She had been stabbed.
"Wha- N-NO! NONONO SHE WAS MEANT TO HELP US!" Espresso yelled in a panic.
"I-I know... how will we find the master-"
"SHHH!"
"I-I mean, uh, how will we find the mm?"
"I don't know, ugh!" Espresso stomped onto what was left of the cup in frustration.
"E-Espresso, calm down-"
"WHY DOES NOTHING EVER GO TO ACCORDING TO PLAN?!"
"Relax! W-We just gotta wait for everyone! E-Except Princess."
"... What was wrong with her anyways?"
"... Sparkling tried to kill her."
"Why?"
"I don't know... maybe someone wanted her dead- oh, and speaking of Sparkling..." Knight picked up the smashed cup, and accidentally cut his hand. Through his glove.
"Ow!"
"You alright?"
"You don't genuinely care, do you?"
"No, not really. Just asking."
"Hm, thought so. And I'm fine."
"Why would you pick it up anyway?"
"... Look. It's one of Sparkling's cups."
"... Oh. So he made this disgusting beverage?"
"It was clearly bait." Spoke Mint, stepping forward, glancing down at Blackberry.
"Oh, hey Mint." Knight greeted.
"Greetings, Knight. Espresso, there was a gun in the wall directly in front of the cup. You are the only person who would freak out over such a beverage. It was bait, you were likely meant to die."
"... O-Oh. Right." Espresso sighed, then got an ego boost.
"Maybe because I'm the best in trials! No wonder they'd want me dead, and I'm strong as well-"
"AHHHHH!" Parfait shrieked. They all turned to look at her.
"What?! What's wrong?!" Asked Knight.
"WHAT'S WRONG?! BLACKBERRY'S DEAD, AND YOU THREE ARE DISCUSSING COFFEE!"
"Do not call that disgusting drink coffee." Espresso muttered.
"Well of course we're discussing coffee, Espresso almost got bait-murdered." Explained Mint. Espresso's eye twitched.
"MINT I SWEAR TO-"
"Anyways, where is everyone?! This is empty!" Parfait asked.
"Maybe everyone's still asleep from that sleep thing..." Sighed Knight.
"... Hold on. If Jellykuma is dead then how did that happen? And who played the announcement-" Espresso started. They heard a loud noise from the floor.
"I ain't dead!" Jellykuma sprung out.
"Wha?!- b-but how did you survive?!" Asked Espresso.
"Because I am too awesome to die! Oh, and I can't die until the end of the game."
"... Hmph. I really thought you were dead." Knight sighed.
"Don't be so sad!" Jellykuma groaned.
"Ohhh... I may just cry from sadness." Mint frowned, "hold me, Parfait." He did a dramatic faint into her arms. She nearly dropped him, out caught him just in time.
"I may never recover..." She fake cried. Jellykuma was pissed off.
"Stop it! My survival is a huge deal!" He grumbled. Espresso smirked, doing a dramatic fake cry.
"This is the saddest news in the history of Earthbread..."
"SHUT UUUUUP!" Yelled Jellykuma.
"Ahem. What are you guys doing?" Asked Lilac, if who walked in. They all stood up.
"Fake crying. To go against Jellykuma." Chucked Parfait. Jellykuma frowned.
"Ugh. They wouldn't shut up." He sighed.
...
"Hold on, why aren't you guys investigating?" Lilac asked.
"Because not everyone is here. We're still missing Tiger Lily and-" Espresso started.
...
"... What's wrong?" Asked Parfait.
"... I think I know who did it." Espresso stated with pure confidence.
"Who did it?" Asked Pastry, walking in.
"It was Tiger Lily! She murdered Blackberry!"
"Oh, and what's your proof?" Asked Lilac.
"I saw her this morning!
"And? How does that prove anything?" He asked.
"Because she told me Blackberry was ready!"
"But how do we know you aren't making this up?"
"Why would I bait myself?! Why would I touch milk with coffee?! How disgusting, Lilac Cookie!"
"Excuses. I like how nobody tries to think of you as the murderer, because you help trials. Maybe this time it was you."
"Wha- no! Where's your evidence?!"
"You were first to pass out, how did you notice the gas so fast if I notice first usually? If you knew there would be gas, you'd have been told by Jellykuma or even the mastermind."
"We were friends a few chapters ago and now you're telling me all this?"
"What do you mean chapters?"
"... Um- I mean nights. You and I literally came up with the idea of asking Blackberry to ask Fig."
"Well look. She's dead."
"I can see that. And why are you debating me on this now?! You could AT LEAST do it later!"
"Hmph. No time to wait. And also, how did you know to dodge the bullet?"
"Knight helped me." Espresso smirked. Lilac's eyes widened in shock.
"He what?"
"I helped him. I apologise for being so useless and argumentative, and I shall stop starting now." Knight bowed. Lilac sighed.
"Then who's the mastermind?" He asked sharply.
"... If I tell you a hint in who it's not, will that be enough?"
"... Ugh, fine."
"It's not anyone who's dead, not me, not Princess, not Tiger Lily and not Espresso."
"And can we trust you in that this time?"
"Trust me or don't, I don't care."
"Friends? What happen?" Asked Tiger Lily, stepping inside. Espresso took a step back, and surprisingly so did Knight. The two gave each other a glance.
"Blackberry's dead! Ugh, how could we forget? I bet she'd be pissed right now..." Sighed Parfait.

*in the Ghost Lounge*
Blackberry: Are they forgetting about my corpse... to argue?
Red Velvet: Hm... I thought Espresso would at least keep them on topic.
Carrot: So, who killed ya anyway?
Blackberry: You'll find out soon enough.
Sparkling: Sup bitches? I'm baaaaaack!
Crepe: Oh, joy. Mr. Accomplice returns.
Sparkling: Oh, don't give me that look. I didn't want to be an accomplice.
Cream Puff: Miss Latte, what's an accomplice?
Latte: Typically someone who helps another commit a crime.
Fig: So Sparkling, now we're on the topic, who killed ya?
Sparkling:... It was... Chilli.
Chilli: No it wasn't!
Sparkling: Heh, just messing. It was...
*back to the game*

"So, it appears she was stabbed." Said Mint, analysing the stab wound.
"Hey, isn't that the same wound that was on the light?" Asked Parfait.
"Hm... seems so. I guess.... maybe my theory was wrong." Sighed Lilac. Espresso grinned smugly.
"Told you so."
"If we weren't in a game like this I would end you right now." He threatened.
"... Hang on, we're missing something important. Who was holding the gun?" Asked Pastry.
"... Oh fuck, we didn't figure that out." Frowned Knight.
"... Dammit. Now we have to do move investigating." Sighed Mint.
"Not really, BECAUSE IT'S TRIALLLLL TIIIIIMEEEEE!" Cheered Jellykuma.
"... Are you serious?! Not even the people I'm the original Danganronpa had such investigation time!" Espresso frowned.
"Well you know why you're not getting more time? BECAUSE CHOKE ON MY GUMMY DICK! Now come on, guys!"

THE LONG AWAITED CHAPTER 19 IS OUTTT!
Oh and also I should have said this before but I'm sorry some of these guys are out of character it's kinda hard for some of them. I'm trying to make them more in-character now.
By the way, good news, I'm gonna try work on this book more!!!
Bye bye!
-Rub1xx 🫶🩷✨