𝟎𝟎𝟖
Countdown; Large Organization
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With a few complaints, everyone followed Byakuya to Jabberwock Park. When you got there, the first thing you noticed was... that the statue that once housed the Monobeasts was replaced with... a timer...? It was shaped like... a bomb... A bomb?! Your eyes widened as you shakily pointed up at it.
"Is that a b-bomb?!" You exclaimed.
"A b-b-b-b-bommmmmmmb!? Kazuichi screamed, his eyes now on the explosive.
"If they wanted to blow up the island, they would have done so by now. There's no need for a countdown..." Byakuya said.
"Then... what are they counting down?" Mikan asked nervously.
"It's a mystery..." Akane replied.
"... A mysterious mystery, isn't it!?" Said a familiar high pitched voice.
You gasped and looked over to see... Monomi?!
"E-Eh?! Monomi?! B-But...! I thought...! Didn't Monokuma...?!" You stuttered, unable to find the right words.
"Ah, so that's why you were surprised? Pfft, hehehe! You don't have to worry about that! After all, I can never die!"
"I see... You must be an undead abomination, risen from the foulest depths of the Netherworld by black magic..." Gundham said, "Gasp! Do you want me to make you my thrall!?"
"Monomi's a mechanical stuffed animal, right? Doesn't that mean she can't die in the first place?" Chiaki asked.
"Now that you mention it... she'd only need, like, a spare or something," Kazuichi added.
"'A spare'... What a mean thing to say!" Monomi said.
"However, you have arrived at the perfect time. There's something I wanted to ask you," Byakuya said, "What is the meaning behind this timer and this countdown? Answer me..."
"Huh? Countdown...?" Monomi looked up at the timer, "Ha-wa-wa! What is this!? U-Um... I'm sorry... I... don't know what this is..."
"You really don't know...?" Peko asked.
"I-I'm sorry... I don't really have a grasp of what Monokuma is up to..."
"You don't know, even though you're Monokuma's little sister," Hiyoko pondered.
"I'm not my brother's little sister! A-Anyway... let's all do our best! Let's kick the evil Monokuma off this island!"
"If you don't know what the countdown is for, you're useless to us. Get lost," Byakuya said coldly.
"Um... Let's... together..."
"I said get lost...!"
"Kyaaa! I-I'm sorry!"
With that, Monomi scurried away, her ears droopy.
"Um... Do you ever think you're being a bit too harsh...? I feel kinda bad for her..." You uttered.
"Y/N-chan! May I call you
Y/N-chan!? No, I insist on calling you that! There's no need to feel sorry for that thing. She's obviously working with Monokuma," Kazuichi said.
"Who the fuck cares about that stuffed animal...? More importantly, what the hell is that clock?" Fuyuhiki said.
"Looks ominous, doesn't it...?" Byakuya replied, "Who put that object here, and how did they do it in just one night?"
"Hmm... I can't imagine..." Hajime uttered.
"Which means it doesn't make any sense! Also, it's deadly!" Teruteru said nonchalantly.
"However, that's not all that's unimaginable..." Byakuya said, "This island is full of mysteries that we can't begin to imagine... For example... how were the seventeen of us brought to this island...?"
"I wasn't trying to think about that since it's been bugging me too, but... he's right. That is a mystery," Kazuichi said.
"There's more... Why is Jabberwock Island, which was known for being a popular resort destination, now an uninhabited island? There is no sign of tourists or even citizens on this island... Is something like that even possible?"
"All civilizations are destined to collapse... Nothing begets existence... and existence begets nothing..." Gundham said.
"So it... collapsed?" Mikan asked, her eyes wide.
"Society is much like fruit. Once it matures, it is inevitable that it will eventually rot," Sonia said thoughtfully, "As the economy grows, the private sector stagnates as elders and bureaucrats become more and more powerful... As time passes, this power becomes the status quo, and crushes the seeds of any possible reformation... Such a sad trend.'
"Mmm, I don't really understand all that, but I feel like the situation here is somewhat different..." Mahiru said.
"Maybe... the Monobeasts killed everyone on this island?" Hiyoko suggested, a smirk on her face.
"And that's how it became uninhabited!?" Nekomaru followed.
"That's a possibility, but... we don't know that for sure," Byakuya said, "This mystery remains a mystery, it seems."
"Grrrrrr...! It's like everything here is just full of mysteries!" Ibuki exclaimed.
"You're right... It's mysteries on top of mysteries... However, since these mysteries are overlapping with one another, I doubt some no-name group is behind this..."
"Wh-What are you trying to say...?" Hajime asked.
"I mean... this situation we're in is undeniably the work of some enormous organization."
"... Enormous organization?" Mikan repeated.
"Monomi, Monokuma, the Monobeasts... They're all machines that require major technical skill to operate."
"Plus, they'd need a ton of funding. And there's no way those things were made just for the hell of it..." Kazuichi added.
"That organization might be controlling these machines and monitoring the island with those cameras..."
"Could those fiends be hiding on this island?" Peko asked.
"Not likely. They're probably running this from somewhere else. Somewhere safe."
"Where would that be...?" Nekomaru asked.
"I don't know... Anyway, there's no mistake that an enormous organization is behind all this."
"I see, a big organization, huh... I can't imagine what kinda people they could be..." Akane muttered.
"Well, let's see... There's my Togami Corporation... Nevermind's Novoselic Kingdom... and the Kuzuryu Clan... It would definitely have to be an organization as powerful as one of those, if not, more so."
"Huh!?" Sonia gasped.
"I'm used to being mistrusted... Do what you will..." Fuyuhiko huffed.
"Even if such an organization exists... Why would they make us go through something like this?" Peko asked.
"Whatever. How long are we gonna keep talking about this? Why don't we talk about something more realistic?" Teruteru said.
"Our enemy's purpose is still unknown... As long as we know who's behind this, we'll learn their purpose," Byakuya said, ignoring Teruteru, "So what we must do now is find out who our enemy is. If we do that, we'll be that much closer to a breakthrough. Luckily, according to the e-Handbook, we are free to explore this island... There will definitely be a clue about the enemy on this island somewhere. Let's start looking."
"All right! Let's get this crap done!" Akane exclaimed with determination, "... Uh, what're we looking for?"
"... Owari-san, were you even listening? We need to find clues that will tell us who our enemy is," Mahiru replied.
"No problem... No matter how large this organization may be, they will not be able to stand against us..." Gundham said as his hamsters crawled out of his scarf, "They are destined to fall and turn to ash at the might of my Four Dark Devas of Destruction!"
"Wow! Hamsters came out of your scarf!" Sonia said, looking at the hamsters in admiration, "Tee-hee! They are so adorable!"
"Adorable... you say...?" Gundham pulled his scarf over his mouth and nose in an attempt to hide his blushing face. "...Th-Thank you."
"You're pretty happy about that, huh?" Ibuki asked.
"... Anyway, let me just say this," Byakuya said, "There's no time to think about something as foolish as killing each other. You must do what you have to do. Observe, speculate, recognize, comprehend. Even if it seems impossible... just persevere. But most importantly, follow my lead. I'll make sure to return you all to your normal lives. This is your leader's order. Understand?"
"Uhaha! That's, like, TOTALLY awesome!"
"That right hand of his is soooo plump. I've got the perfect nickname for him: Ham Hands!" Hiyoko said gleefully.
"H-Ham Hands... you say...?" Byakuya uttered, taken aback. He then chuckled. "Hmph... I never thought I'd see the day when someone called me something like that..."
"... Huh? Why aren't you getting mad?" Hajime asked.
"Why would I get mad at something as petty as that...? She observed me directly and thought up a nickname. There's nothing dishonest about a name like that... Perhaps... I've always yearned for this. Though it may seem ironic for me to realize that in this particular situation... Don't worry about it. I was talking to myself just now."
"I-I see..."
"All right, then. We should listen to Togami-san and not waste our time thinking about pointless things!" Nagito said, "It's true that we're not in the best situation, but it's also not the worst. Because we're not alone. We have friends we can count on to support each other."
"Seriously? That sounds so lame!" Hiyoko teased.
"Ahaha, I knew it. I was thinking to myself just how lame I sounded for saying that."
"So... should we start looking now...?" You asked.
"Yes, let's start," Byakuya said, taking his leave.
You all followed suit, exploring the island once more.
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