𝐀𝐥𝐥 𝐀 𝐋𝐢𝐞... | Inquisitormaster & Z squad | Danganronpa AU

☘︎ 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟒𝟔☘︎ || 𝐍𝐨𝐭 𝐞𝐧𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡...

Chapter 5: Grieving, Gaming, and Guessing

INVESTIGATION

*✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*✧･ﾟ: *

~Alex's POV~

"... I don't see anything," Light says in a low voice as he scans the room.

Luca nods in agreement as they add, "There's no body... Where is it?"

"Let's say there is a body, then wouldn't that mean it's..." Skye's voice trails off as her eyes fall to the ground.

Sora wanders off from the ground and heads over to a far corner inhabited by a plant in a tall, golden vase. We all watch as he grabs the plant and tilts it toward him, checking the wall behind it. I have no idea what he's looking for. Perhaps for a secret passage?

'"That— ... He isn't dead," Sora mumbles loud enough for us to catch. He releases the plant aggressively, causing it to wobble in its place, slamming it against the wall, and making us all flinch. He hurries over to a sofa pressed against the wall, shoves it aside toward the middle of the room— the scraping of the chair's legs makes us flinch again—, and he starts pressing the wall as if something was going to happen. "He isn't dead... He can't be! He's uh... He's uhm..."

"The only one who wasn't in the main hall with us," Luca quietly finishes Sora's sentence, gazing up at him sympathetically as Sora abandons the wall and heads over to a portrait between the two staircases leading to the second floor.

Sora says in a rough voice, "No, no, stop it with that! He's fine. He'll be fine."

"Sora, he was the only one—" Drake's quickly cut off by Sora slamming the portrait against the wall and swiveling around to us.

"THEN, WHERE IS THE BODY?!" He shouts at the top of his lungs, his voice reverberating around us. Besides Sora's ragged breathing, there's nothing but silence and a faint, white noise that sounds as if it were coming from upstairs. However, that sound is quickly drowned out by Sora's fury, "I DON'T SEE ANYTHING! IT COULD BE A— ... UH, PRANK OR SOME STUPID SHIT TO CATCH US OFF GUARD, BUT HE ISN'T DEAD!... Now, if you wouldn't mind, shut up a-and help me find him."

No one dares to speak for a moment or two. Then, Drake's brave enough to clear his throat, penetrating the silence, and adds his input.

In his usual tired tone, he drones, "I don't... We haven't seen him all morning. Then, we step into the town hall and a body discovery announcement plays. Doesn't that... I don't know, put two and two together?"

"No, it doesn't." Sora turns back to the portrait and starts shifting it from side to side in its place. "Because I haven't seen a dead body yet. So, Monokuma's playing a prank."

"I wish I could've been this delusional when it came to Erza's death," I hear Skye mutter under her breath beside me. From the other side of her, Light chuckles.

Regardless of our remarks, Sora doesn't give up on the painting. I'm not sure what he's trying to get with it, and I'm certain he realized it, too, when he lets it slam against the wall and takes a couple of steps away from it. He's starting to march in my direction, so I move aside, my back toward the eccentric painting

Then, I hear something crash. I swiftly whipped around to where the painting was previously hanging, which is now replaced by a gaping, rectangular hole in the wall. I'm sure everyone else has spotted it since I can't hear Sora's determined footsteps anymore. Slowly, I turn to face the hole, which is slightly higher than the ground, yet big enough to fit a person... Don't tell me...