Danganronpa: Song Of Despair

Chapter 5: A Shocking Discovery

I had thought that it was strange, searching for hours and finding nothing, but soon it got ridiculous.

Three days. Three days of searching and nothing was found.

There wasn't even anywhere else to look, we checked everywhere over and over again, and by the third night we started giving up. As we all sat in the restaurant after another time searching, I could see the tears falling down Katashi's face, and I couldn't blame him. I was extremely worried as well, and was quickly losing hope that Satchiko was safe.

Jikkō had a small notebook in front of her, which she was flipping through, seeming to take notes. Suddenly, she shut the book, looking up at everyone. "So, any ideas?"

"We've looked everywhere!" Mai exclaimed, "d-did she escape without us or something?"

Michio gave a thoughtful look. "Maybe she's working with the mastermind, and that's why-"

"No!" Katashi interrupted. "She wouldn't do that! I-I trust her!"

"It was just a suggestion," Michio said with a shrug.

"Well, whatever happened..." Jikkō paused for a moment. "Something is really off about it. If she was dead, you'd think we would have found the corpse by now."

"That's why I was saying-" Michio stopped when Katashi glared at him. "Anyways, I feel like we should check the warehouse."

"We already checked there a few times." I pointed out. "I don't really see the point...."

"Hey, it can't hurt to look again. Maybe we missed something." Michio replied with a wink.

I quickly understood. He wants to talk about the mastermind, of course! Did he find something?

"I guess you're right." I said, standing up. "Let's go."

We all exited the hotel, walking towards the warehouse once again. While walking, I couldn't help thinking about what Michio had uncovered. I know he's the kind of person who wouldn't go through the trouble of addressing it if it wasn't important.

As soon as the door opened, the strong reek of blood was the first thing I noticed. Daring to look inside, I immediately regretted ever coming here. I felt my chest tighten, my breaths growing short and panicked. I wished that I was dreaming, that I would wake up from this nightmare and everything would be over. I pinched myself, just to be sure, but of course that wasn't the case. I was left staring at the gruesome scene in front of me. I wanted to scream, to cry, to get away, but all I could do was stare.

Laying on the floor, was someone who was my friend. Her happy face and cheerful smile bashed in beyond recognition. The only reason I knew it was her was by order of elimination, and that childish pink cat hoodie she always wore.

It felt far worse than anyone else who had left us, even Momo. I had known this girl from the beginning. She stayed by my side, trusted me, came to me when I was down, yet I couldn't do anything to protect her.

I didn't even notice when the monitors came on, announcing the discovery of a corpse. I couldn't believe it, I didn't want to believe it. The pain clawing its way up my throat, choking me, was too much to handle. Silently, I sank to my knees, still looking ahead at the brutal crime scene.

Satchiko Kobayashi was dead.