Horror Musician

[ Art by New Kid! ]

Victim: Izumi Fujimoto

Motive: Secrets

Cause of Death: Exsanguination

Time of Death: 1:56 AM

Time of Discovery: 5:03AM

There he was. Though no one truly deserved to die, killing Izumi seemed like a particularly cruel offense. Having already lost his voice, being murdered was just adding insult to injury- or perhaps the other way around. Poor sweet Izumi, who had done nothing but be kind, had suffered quite a nasty fate.

It had been quiet, for the most part- though every new secret only helped thicken the air around the facility. Tensions were high, and there was no telling who would be next on the list. Fortunately or not, the next secret would never come, as an early morning wake-up call would halt the motive in its tracks. 

Murder kept delaying, and the secrets kept coming - such came the announcement on your Modelpad as Miryo-ke’s cheeky face appeared on it, blinking up at you as they delayed a few moments before starting on their usual spiel. 

“Nyaaaaayayayaya! We have another sweet, sweet secret to spill today! Let’s see who the lucky truther is.”

That… wasn’t what the word meant, but whatever. There were more important matters to consider, such as the latest person to have their personal information be revealed. 

“Eiji Masawa doesn’t get why dead things are bad. Since the young age of 6, he has found them interesting to prod at, an activity that he’s excited about. Hmm… awh, kinda boring if you ask me. Maybe he’ll be able to do that again when the body inevitably drops! Nyanyways, see you!”

And they were gone.

Eiji somehow got into the top 5. Okay. Cool. Didn’t need that, and halso just worries over Izumi and Mina to really care about the results.

However, it is then when the robots reveal the upcoming motive that Eiji freezes, feeling his blood run cold. His breath stills and he feels as if some entity just grabbed his heart in an ice cold hand and refuses to let go, suffocating and chilling him to the core.

‘It’s only a matter of time before they find out.’

It’s been his motto for years. Of course people find out. It’s hard to keep secret, since he so desperately wishes for someone to confide in.

‘As if you even deserve that.’

Covering his face, Eiji seems to take a deep, shaky breath. He needs to calm down. He will not kill. He will not. He needs to out his own secret, he needs it to be at his own terms, even if this is… technically still not his own terms. But god, he has no idea how to even say it much less… how to handle the aftermath.

He’s having a headache right now, heart racing painfully against his ribcage.

Miryo-ke turned to meet your gazes after the fiasco, looking positively thrilled - as if they were at a funfair and hadn’t just dropped Mina to an uncertain doom. Rearing up on their hind legs and striding toward the crowd with their paws clasped behind their back, they paced back and forth like a dean gleefully plotting a punishment for unruly students. Which… in a sense, they were. It wasn’t exactly Hope’s Peak, but it was still an educational experience. You were still learning things - such as how far technology had come and how there was some batshit conspiracy or another related to Hope’s Peak’s Most Excellent and murder-happy robots.

“Nyayayaya! Mina sure fell from grace there, didn’t she? Had a nice little trip, thanks to Mamoru! Buuuuuuuuuut…. but but… now it’s your turn! Nya thought mew’d get away with it this time? We have a nice little movie ready fur you!”

They do their trademark pose, before breaking out into laughter. Somehow, the situation felt remarkably less funny than Miryo-ke found it.

“N’yall have skeletons in the closet, don’t mew? A black box of sorts, you know what gets in, and mew all know what the result will be! What mew don’t know is what happens in the box, what your motivation is! But soon you’ll find out…. take a look-sie!”

Your Modelpad pinged, and radiated a soft light. Miryo-ke’s voice faded into the background as you realized the full extent of what you were witnessing. But… how? How could they-

“Your secrets! You see them? Who knows how long it’ll be before others do! Hmm…. sooner rather than later, methinks. You see, if one of you doesn’t kill… every day from the next, a lottery will be run! The lucky winners will have their secrets broadcasted to all inside here.”

There’s a pause. Well, perhaps it wasn’t that bad. Perhaps, it would only serve as an icebreaker! Perhaps-

“And if all of your dirty laundry is raked out before someone kills, we’ll broadcast it to the world! Imagine that! And you know…. there’s some real career-ruining stuff in there. You think we’re nasty and bad? We’re nothing compared to what some of you have done. After all, we’re not the ones going around, getting our paws, claws, and feathers sullied.”

They winked.

“But, of course, you can murder to prevent the black box from breaking! Nyaaaaaah, we hope mew have fun!”

With that, the judges retreated in a flurry of furry.

“Soooo…” Momotori starts, “I guess you guys are goin’ through your rebellious stage now, huh? I guess it’s natural! Teenage angst with all of the sneaking, around and gossipin’, and talkin’ about crushes? Our eagle eyes catch a lot, so we know you guys have been gettin’ maybe a little too comfy here~!”

The bird coos out to the gathered group, a dangerous glint in their eyes.

“Don’t worry though! It just takes a swift correction to knock all of those silly ideas right out’ve your head! Though, before we get to the fun part - let’s announce our lucky winner!”

As the Judges chatter among one another, the scoreboard lights up to display the rankings

They’re listed as such:

Kyung Min

Rika

Kaz

E.ve

Eiji

Kaise

Kei

Koharu

Rowena

Kagemori

Raketsu

Atsuko

Konoka / Preston

Hinata

Red / Izumi / Adeyaka

You take notice of the three names in dead last and the mascots stand up before you with large grins.

Eiji takes a deep breath, feeling unprepared as always. Frankly, he could just sit this one out. He really could, he got the immunity, which he’s still upset about. But it feels… wrong. He didn’t want the immunity in the first place, and it doesn’t matter whether he places last or not. The least he can do is participate and suffer from this fashion show business with everyone else. 

…Doesn’t mean he’s excited, but at the very least, this category is literally his territory. Watch him utterly fail, though.

Making sure his suit is tidy, he managed to put the moon hair clip in his hair in a slightly less… haphazard way. And thus, preparing himself mentally, he puts on a face and steps on the stage. 

As he gets to the middle of the stage, he pauses to kneel down on one knee, a hand on his heart as he bows his head to the judges, smiling at them charmingly once he lifts his head. 

Standing up, he then walks to the end of of the stage, fixing his collar and pressing two fingers to his lips, sending the judges a kiss with an elegant move of the hand. 

Turning around smoothly, he continues to the entrance, and as his final pose he smiles and bows with his back straight, hands gesturing towards the entrance as if to welcome the next participant onto the stage. Then he steps off the stage, exhaling a breath as soon as he’s behind the curtains. 

Eiji wasn’t ready. 

He wasn’t ready back when Huang died, for sure - but back then, part of the experience was nullified by the dullness of the shock. The suddenness of it. It felt like it just happened - it went by so fast, that Eiji didn’t realize noticed someone was dying until a good few seconds after they’d already passed away. 

However, this time, he knew what was gonna happen. He knew to expect it, he knew that someone was going to die right in front of him. However, he didn’t anticipate the screen to be there. For Keiko’s death to be shown on the screen, as if some horror movie. With such an elaborate set, such odd special effects, and such a cliche script. The sound design was superb, though - it conveyed a true sense of terror from the victim, who was being mocked by her captors. Though, needless to say, this wasn’t exactly a fictional movie, now was it. 

This was someone he knew. 

Something about it all made Eiji react. After staring at the screen with his typical expression for a while, when it hit him that this wasn’t some act, something in him suddenly flipped. He felt his body start to tremble, and he found himself desperate to hide, desperate to get away. He couldn’t stop watching even if he desperately needed to stop - all he could do was try to cover his eyes, yet he still peeked, like a naughty child, too curious for his own good. He didn’t avert his eyes until the screen shut off. And even then, the same expression remained on his face, staring blankly at the ground, hands grasping his own face violently. It seemed like he was trying to hide, for sure. 

“……….Hh…hhhh….” 

He looks like he’s…. not really mentally present right now. His expression is impossible to see through his hands, but whatever is reflected in his eyes is… far too jumbled to make out. The fact he is in distress is the only thing that’s really obvious right now, and he only keeps making quiet wheezes. 

Just like that, you watched one among your number die in front of your eyes. It wasn’t like Yuuna, this was inescapable. And yet, there was an element of distance, you were the spectators in the audience. So the beginning and end of Keiko’s demise came and went, and you were left with the sudden knowledge that this was what “punishment” the mascots had in mind. 

It was one of those sudden, unpleasant thoughts, like knowing that a friend had been gossiping behind your back or spreading libel that sent a thrill that bore an uncanny resemblance to an electric shock the second you realized.

Death awaited for anyone who killed another. A life for a life. 

Before your philosophical musings could evolve further into some brilliant conclusion, Miryo-ke’s voice interrupted your musings. 

“Nyayaya! And that’s our bloody finale for ny’all! Didcha enjoy it? That’s justice here!”

Justice indeed. Murdering someone, old-fashioned execution style. It wasn’t even the sort that might be used in the conventional sense of the word, it was mocking, twisted.

“But since mew got it right, my fellow mascots and I will be kind! All of you receive one KiraCoin, and-”

Click! A notification came from your Modelpads, and you glanced down at them to see a new tab labeled “Floor 2″ was flashing. Miryo-ke glanced at you petulantly. 

“What was that! Nyah, if you’re hiding something from us… no matter! This trial’s officially over. But beware… we’re watching. Aaalways watching.”

They hopped off the podium along with the other mascots, as the runway returned back to the way it had always been, as if you hadn’t just watched a human being die. In a way, it was anticlimactic. 

CW: Impalement, Head/Torso trauma

Keiko looks around fearfully, shakily pulling herself to her feet. It’s difficult to see much, and as the angles in the video shift it’s clear that Keiko’s surroundings are completely dark.  Then, in a sudden, small flash of light, the figure of a woman can be seen standing a good distance away from the chaperone. Her back is turned, but it’s clear this is someone that Keiko knows, as she gasps and begins running towards the girl.

The lights on the sides of each podium flash brightly, and Keiko steps back, shielding her eyes from the glow. Once disoriented, mechanical tendrils shoot out from Modelkuma’s back, lifting the girl high above their head. The former nail artist struggles, prying against their grip.

“L-let me go!…… Let me go!!!”

Her words are shaky and desperate, and despite Keiko’s pleas Modelkuma keeps their grip. With a loud clanking sound, the dark bear imprint on the floor opens up into a trapdoor, down which Keiko is forcefully thrown, followed by a gut-wrenching screech.  As the chaperone’s voice fades, the door slowly closes, and the monitor previously displaying the voting results switches channels to showcase an eerily dark scene. After a moment or two, a thunk can be heard, and the camera displaying the scene shakes slightly. Keiko can be seen pulling herself up off the floor with a groan.

Modelkuma snickers, watching the crowd observe Keiko’s breakdown with a sickening smile. They bop their paws together and address the crowd, their presence commanding silence almost immediately.

“Well, Well, Well! I think that’s just about enough time spent whining about the results, huh? You did the crime, you’ll pay the fine!~ That fine being your life, of course. Come on Kiki-chan, it’s about time we get this show on the road!”

Keiko begins to back up slowly, snapping out of her fit of tears to give Modelkuma a terrified stare. She raises shaky hands, pleading for mercy.

“Huuouh…. Wait…. Please!…. Don’t… I’ll- I’ll do anything, just please don’t… P-please don’t do what you did to him!….”

Modelkuma lets out a cackle in response, 

Eiji looks to Raketsu as the boy blows up, concerned for his wellbeing. He feels guilty for his outburst, and… Thankfully having situated next to the guy, he turns to him with an apologetic look, fidgeting with the cuffs of his sleeves. “…Sorry, Raketsu….”

But alas, the trial ends and the votes are announced and…. turns out Koharu was right. Of course. Eiji was overthinking it, and he is glad that he was able to see past it and come to the right conclusion. Still, he doesn’t feel good. Miryo-ke’s mockery didn’t really help, but…

“…Do not blame us for what you are forcing us to do. I dread to think what you would do if we disobeyed you, knowing what happened to Xiaozhu-san…”, he says, voice low and intimidating and his expression… terrifying. Much worse than when he was addressing Koharu. “…Nobody would be dying without you or whoever messed with your programming. We are not born killers. We are inexperienced humans forced into this. Some of us can and will break, and that is simply the nature of human weakness. None of this would be happening without threathing us and our loved ones.”

He figured that the horror movie cliches would set in eventually. But god… It really isn’t a great experience.

Turning to Keiko… there’s a lot he wants to say. He can understand that people panic. He can understand that she doesn’t want to suffer. Due to this situation, he can’t put the whole blame on her, either. Still, he can’t forgive her either. Whether Yuuna asked Keiko to kill her or not, there was a good chance that they could have chosen wrong just because Keiko refused to admit to what she did. He… can’t be sure if she was forced to play along and act innocent or not, but…