Danganronpa: Song Of Despair

Chapter 4: Hope and Accusations

As we got back to the hotel, everyone was silent. I was slightly shaking, the image of Akio's death still clear in my mind. He had so quickly admitted to the crime, it was obvious that he deeply regretted it.

"Kazuki." I looked to Jikkō as she said my name, and the assassin walked closer to me. "That paper he gave you, what is it?"

I slipped the paper out of my pocket, carefully unfolding it. It was a photograph, one of a preteen girl. Her shoulder length brown hair was a mess, her hazel eyes wide in fear. Her hands were tied behind her back, and she was sitting on a concrete floor. She was staring up at the camera with an expression of pure terror.

"That must be his sister... Akira, was it?" Jikkō asked, her voice curious as she peered at the photo.

I nodded. "Yeah, that's her name..." I paused for a moment. "I'm going to find her. Once we get out of here... he wanted me to protect her."

Jikkō hesitated before speaking again, and what she said next surprised me. "Then I'll have to help however I can. No one deserves to be put through pain like that."

I felt a small smile creep onto my face. "Y'know... you're not that bad."

"Well, don't get used to it." Jikkō responded, though her voice was warm.

Even though now our numbers had decreased to the single digits, I felt a spark of hope that we could get through this. We would find a way to escape without killing, and find Akio's sister.

~*~

A few hours had passed, and everyone was meeting in the hotel restaurant. Satchiko was sat with me, Katashi, and Jikkō, while Michio, Riku, Mai, Willow and Natsumi sat at another table.

Suddenly, Satchiko stood, a determined look on her face. "We have to find the mastermind. It's the only way to end this."

Everyone was silent for a moment, before Natsumi spoke up. "I know, but... how? I mean, we don't even know if it's one of us, and having to constantly doubt everyone'll give me a headache!"

"Like Jikkō said before, it'd be the smartest thing to do- to hide within the game. Plus, wouldn't someone sick like that want to see the despair they cause up close?" Satchiko reasoned.

"Maybe she said that so we wouldn't suspect her." Natsumi said, then looked to Jikkō. "I mean, you're the most suspicious one here, we don't even know your name or what you look like! How can we trust you if you don't trust us?"

Jikkō let out a long breath. "Abukara."

"What?" Natsumi asked, a confused look on her face.

"My name." Jikkō responded. "Abukara. Toki Abukara. Is that better?"

The journalist looked completely shocked, almost as shocked as I felt. Jikkō... or, Toki, had been so secretive the entire time. So why was she being open with us now?

"Toki..." Natsumi muttered, eyes wide.

"Don't..." The black haired girl pulled her bandana higher. "Don't call me that. I'm just telling you because I want your trust, and we're all together in this mess. Only my father ever called me by that name. Keep calling me Jikkō, at least for now."

"I trust you." I spoke up, even surprising myself. "And we're going to get through this together. There should be a new area to explore now, so let's go look for clues."