Dangan Ronpa Part #29 - Super High-school Level Update #25

Part 29: Super High-school Level Update #25

It was a busy few days here at the thread. Let's get things even busier? Upupupu.

*Ding dong ding dong*

Good morning, you bastards! It’s 7 am in the morning! Time to wake up!

Let’s all strive to do our best today!

Oh, I almost forgot...

I have updated your Electronic Student ID Card, so pay attention!!

There is a new School Rule, so please check it out! Let’s enjoy an even more wholesome school life from now on!

A new rule... that’s probably that prohibition on lending ID cards he was talking about yesterday...
...but more importantly, I’m already late to the cafeteria.

That's indeed what that is, so I won't bother you with the screen. Instead, we'll do as Naegi suggests and go to the cafeteria.

Ah, Naegi! G’morning!!

Good morning... Is everyone already here?

Togami-chi and Ishimaru-chi aren’t here yet, ‘right?

Togami-kun I can understand, but it’s rare for Ishimaru-kun to be late.

Ishimaru-kun went all the way to Togami-kun’s room, to call the late offender here personally.

He should be back soon. We shall wait for a while longer...

I usually don’t mind waiting, but there’s a single problem.

...problem?

I am thirsty.

I wouldn’t call that a problem...

Yamada-kun, can you please make me some tea?

...Huh?

Milk tea, if you please.

Why me...?

Your round body is exactly like the owner of a cafe I often go to.

That’s why she chose him...?

My throat is really perched. Can you please hurry up?

S...sure, right away...

Yamada-kun went reluctantly into the kitchen, unable to refuse Celes-san’s order.
And then, a few minutes later...

Sorry to have kept you waiting!!

Yamada-kun returned holding a tray with both hands, the scent of black tea drifting in the air around him.

Hee hee. I’ve been waiting.

Since you already made tea... shouldn’t you have made some for everyone?

You are my mortal enemy! I vehemently refuse!

Heh heh. It’s all according to the rules of cause and effect...

Grr....

Well then, I think I shall try it...

Smiling, Celes-san held the tea cup to her lips and took a sip...

...oh, my.

She tilted her neck a little, and...
Suddenly, she threw the tea cup she was holding against the wall!

* CRASH *

Eh--!? What did you do that for?!

This kind of milk tea is not to my liking!

Eh? Um, I don’t really understand...

Let’s say you go to a regular cafe around these parts and you order a cup of tea.

Sometimes they ask “do you want it with milk?” or “do you want it with lemon?”

When they do, I answer that I want milk tea.

But when I do that, they bring a small vessel full of milk along with the tea to my table.

I’m the type that prefers milk to be added ahead of time when making milk tea.

The tea’s scent is overwhelmingly better that way.

Furthermore, if I’m supposed to add milk or lemon just before drinking, isn’t that nothing more than simple seasoning?

Having that kind of tea as its own choice on the menu is simply unacceptable!

That’s why I will drink nothing but “Royal milk tea”, where the tea is boiled down with the milk.

Despite popular opinion that it comes from the British royalty way of making tea, “Royal milk tea” is a Japanese invention and name. Just like Celes describes it, it’s made by boiling milk along with the water and tea leaves. I was pretty stumped when I first saw it in coffee shops around Japan, but it really is pretty good. Try it if you get the chance!

If I had to describe our response to her speech...
I think the best way would be “total and utter bewilderness”...

Um, I went to the trouble of making tea, and this is what I get!?

I realize making the tea my way is a pain...

After all, isn’t Royal milk tea more expensive than simple milk tea in places offering both?

I’m sure it requires more skill to make, but...

If there’s no skill involved, why is it even on the menu?

We don’t really have a menu here, you see...

JUST HURRY THE FUCK UP AND GET ME MY TEA, PIG BOY!!

Ehhhhhhhhhh!?

Yes ma’am! This pig boy will be right back!!

Hee hee. Intimidation sure is useful.

It was... quite a change of character, though...

Shit... she let it slip for just one second...

Hee hee hee hee...

Celes-san lives up to my first impressions of her... She’s not someone who can be dealt with easily...

And then, just as we were nervously contemplating Celes-san’s break of character...
The cafeteria’s door swung open and one of the the people we’ve been waiting for came in...

But...

Everyone! There is something strange going on...!

Eh? What happened?

Togami-kun won’t come out of his room...

I pushed the intercom button many times, but he’s not coming out...

Maybe he’s... not in there...?

In that case... should I even say that... what if something happened to him....?

I understood straight away what he meant.
He didn’t need to say anything else... everyone in the room understood perfectly.

W...we should go looking for him. Let’s split up and search...

Hey, I was just about to make that suggestion myself!

Always with the competitve spirit... even at a time like this...

I’ll try going to his room one more time.

I’ll keep pushing the intercom button until there’s a response.

Well then. The rest of us shall split up and start searching.

Yeah, before it’s too late... ‘right?

..............

Anyway... let’s hurry up and search for Togami-kun...
Where could he have gone to...?

Maybe, he’s... exploring the second floor again...?

I'm going to ignore Naegi's heavy hinting for a while to see how the our classmates are handling the situation. Everyone left except Celes, so let's start with her.

Celes-san... aren’t you going to search for Tohami-kun?

I still didn’t get my tea.

...eh?

Until my dry throat is satisfied, I don’t feel like doing anything else.

If you want me to do something, please go tell Yamada-kun to hurry up.

Y...yeah...

Celes-san... sure takes things at her own pace, doesn’t she.

Speaking of Yamada, I think he was at the kitchen and never heard the latest news.

Ooh, Naegi Makoto-dono... What’s wrong?

Togami-kun disappeared and everyone is going looking for him...

W...what did you say!? That’s an emergency situation!

On the other hand, this pig boy...

Must fulfill his mistress’ divine request for Royal milk tea...!

Aa, it’s an honor this pig boy does not deserve! I shall serve you with all my heart, o mistress!

R...right... well, then... good luck...

I think Yamada-kun went to a strange place...

Yeah, we should probably step away quietly. Asahina said she's going to check on Togami's room again. Let's go see how she's doing.

Did you get any reply, Asahina-san?

It’s useless. No matter how hard I knock there’s no answer...

...How annoying! People should properly answer the door when someone comes knocking!

* KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK *

Hey, wait! If you knock that hard, you’ll crack the door!

Oh, it’s fine! My arms aren’t as strong as Sakura-chan’s.

Isn’t Sakura-chan amazing? If she gets serious...

I’m sure she can manage to break this door down!

Right...

For a Super High-school Level Wrestler like her, this is not out of the question...

Hmmm.

If he's not answering when I knock this hard, it probably means he isn’t in there.

That’s what it looks like. Well, I’ll go looking somewhere else.

Yeah! Good luck!

Fukawa was standing right next to Asahina. It's a little scary, but let's see what's she's up to.

Ah, Fukawa-san. So you were together with Asahina-san.

What... do you have a problem with that...?

N...no, there’s no problem...

H...hrm...

Something must have happened, right? It’s dangerous to be... alone...

Oh, I see. You were worried and stuck by Asahina-san.

Huh. So even Fukawa-san feels that way sometimes...

That sports idiot...

If something happens... I’m sure she’ll protect me without even thinking and sacrifice herself for me...

Eh?

What...? You were eavesdropping? You were, weren’t you? That’s low! Really low!

G...go away!! You stray cat!

...............

If we explore some more (or look at our magic map) we'll find Hagakure in the toilet.

Hagakure-kun, what are you doing here in the toilet?

Ah? That is...

According to my premonitions...

It was a state of emergency that prevented him from joining the breakfast meeting. In short...

He ate something bad, and shut himself in here!

But... it was a total miss.

Three up and three down, ‘right?

I don’t think Togami-kun is the type who’d do that...

Going on, Ishimaru mentioned yesterday about new areas that opened up in the dorm area. This is as good a time as any to go check them out. First is the storage room, which is right behind the kitchen and was sealed off last chapter.

Oh! So you also came looking in here, Naegi-kun!

But you’re one step behind!

I’m already done investigating this place. There is no trace of Togami-kun here!

An army marches on its stomach!

Therefore, I surmised he must have come here to fill his stomach, but...

Oh! To think that I can’t even find any proof he was here!

But this is not time to lose heart! We must go look elsewhere, Naegi-kun!

S...sure...

The second area the opened up is the public bath, across from the cafeteria.

Public baths, or sento, are everywhere in Japan. There are neighborhood ones (very similar to the one we see here, in fact) and fancier facilities in resorts and hotels. I won't go over the customs and proper behavior when going to one (unless it becomes relevant to the game's plot), but there's plenty of it elsewhere on the net. Hanging out naked in a bath with a bunch of total strangers, or sometimes with your classmates/workmates/best friends may sound weird to most westerners, but trust me - sitting in a steaming open air bath in the middle of the winter when it's snowing all around is the best thing in the world.

So how is it going? Did you find him?

Not yet...

Where the hell did that kid go...?

Someone with no tact like him...

I thought he went to take a bath first thing in the morning without telling anyone...

By the way, Naegi. Do you like morning baths?

Aren’t they great? A bath after a night on a speeding motorcycle!

The heat warming your cold body and the heat calming your spirit... It’s great for both body and soul!

I... I wouldn’t really know...

Aa? You sure are a boring man, aren’t you.

Hey, hanging at the public bath together is a very big deal for us men! Join me next time? Okay?

I...I’ll think about it...

I hope he understands riding a bike is impossible while we’re locked up in here...

There's a door leading from this entrance area into the actual bath.

And another one leading even further in.

Hey, we have a sauna here! That's kind of cool. Anyway, we're done here, so let's follow Naegi's original suggestion and see who's hanging out at the second floor.

Ah, Naegi-kun...

Did you find Togami-kun?

N... no... I didn’t see him anywhere...

I see...

I think Kirigiri-san has something in mind, though.

Eh? Is that so?

...She sure is amazing, Kirigiri-san.

She’s so cool... and she looks strong. She’s smart, too...

There’s no question she’s smart... but does she really look strong?
If we compare her to Asahina-san or to Oogami-san, she doesn’t look all that different from Fujisaki-san...

...it’s kind of strange to compare them, though.

Sigh...

So, Kirigiri has an idea? Where is she, anyway? Oh, here she is.

So... you came here as well...

...eh?

If we think back to what Togami-kun found interesting yesterday...

We should be able to deduce where he is right now. Isn’t that right?

What was it that Togami-kun found interesting yesterday...?

Okay, enough with the games. I think you all know where we can find Togami. And since there's no one left to talk to...

As soon as I opened the library doors and peeked inside...
I raised my voice in surprise...

Togami-kun...!?

I hesitated a little at the unexpected sight before my eyes.

What... are you doing?

Does it look like I’m fishing?

I’m reading. Be quiet.

Ah, I’m sorry...

...No, that’s not it!

What are you doing here? Everyone’s worried and looking for you...!

...Why did you have to look for me?

Because... didn’t we promise we’d meet each morning for breakfast?

Promise...?

For heaven’s sake, They won’t even let me read in quiet...

Togami-kun closed his book with a snap, and leisurly stood up, like a shadow...

The next moment, all the others, who heard my voice, came into the library one by one.

Togami-kun! So you were here all this time!

What were you thinking!?

We were worried.

You have no reason to worry about me. I was just reading a book.

It’s true that this is the first time I’m reading such a vulgar novel, but I thought it might become useful...

What... were you reading?

Detective novels.

D...do you mean to use one of their murder tricks...?

Don’t be ridiculous.

...Yeah, of course not.

...I’m using them as reference.

...eh?

When I am victorious, I’m going to use something original.

If I don’t, this game becomes very boring, doesn’t it?

That’s not the proper way to handle such a tense game...

At the very least we should enjoy it... Heh heh heh heh...

A shiver went down my spine.
There was actually a... smile on Togami-kun’s face.

That smile... He looked like he was enjoying himself.

Enjoying this... “school life of mutual killing”...

Why the fuck are you calling this a “game”...?! You fucker, this is not something to laugh about!!

A game is just a game.

A game with only one winner and our lives at stake. That’s all it is.

A zero-sum game, is it.

...eh?

Game theory... it’s a field in mathematics.

In that field, this kind of game is called a “zero-sum game”.

When there is a limited number of gains to be had, as someone’s share grows larger, the greater burden is left on the others...

It’s the kind of game where players scramble over a limited resource.

Getting ahead... by driving the rest down... is it.

School entrance exams and work interviews... most of the things we do as a society... fit the description.

Everything... is a struggle within a limited framework, trying to steal from your equals...

This school life we’re currently challenging is just the same. In our case...

The limited resource... That’s the framework where “only a single person is the culprit”.

In short, this game was created from the start to make us kick each other down.

N...no, that can’t be right...!

That’s exactly why adaptation is essential.

If there’s no one here who wants to get out, we have no reason to fear being involved in this game.

Why is avoiding the game so important? It looks so much fun, doesn’t it?

Saying that, he laughed again.
It was a laugh full of wickedness, that twisted his face...

You have never even considered for a microsecond you may lose this game, have you.

...Of course I haven’t.

As expected from the next head of the Togami financial conglomerate that controls the world’s economy. But I think you’re wrong.

It’s just excessive self confidence, ‘right?

Hey, if you say such things you’ll just end up dead!

I will not die. This is not even a possibility.

Who the fuck do you think you are, you bastard!?

You know, every time I’m surprised again.

Aa? What of!?

Of the fact that shoddy no-good punks like you still exist in this day and age.

I’m going to kill you!!

Didn’t I just tell you? I cannot be killed.

Just saying it isn’t enough, you know...

It’s useless talking to him. The very concept of “losing” is something he doesn’t understand...

He’s a “Super High-school Level Heir”. A super-elite who was was taught he was king ever since he was a child.

He has a destiny of victory attached to him since birth. And when someone comes to test that destiny...

It’s nothing but a game to win for him. Even if it’s a game of life and death...

...Isn’t that so?

So you do understand...

I’m just the same as you. A game is something to be won. I feel the same.

Don’t compare me to you. Shut your filthy mouth.

Oh my... I’m very very sorry.

...Anyway, let me say this.

Try putting some fighting spirit into this game. If my enemies aren’t serious it’s no fun at all...

N...no... please stop.....

What...?

This is... not a game... People’s lives... are not something you can play with...

How can you... even talk about killing your friends...?

That’s definitely not right...!

...Friends? Who decided that we’re friends?

...Eh?

We are not friends. We’re just the opposite. We’re opponents in a struggle for victory.

B...but... after all...

“But”? Someone like you shouldn’t use such a conjunction, being so high and mighty. It would be much better if you just acknowledge what I say.

U... um...

If there’s something you want to say just say it clearly. If you can’t, don’t even open your mouth.

.............

I... I’m sorry...

Hey, fucker! Are you having fun, bullying the weak!? You’re making me sick...!!

So you’re acting all nice and friendly again. How long do you think that can last?

Shut the fuck up!!

Did you say... I should shut up?

My ears must be playing tricks on me. All I hear are such simple meaningless words.

Move out of the way! I’m going to kill that kid right now!

W...wait! Calm down!!

I’m a picture of calmness already!!

Yeah, sure...

Anyway, I don’t intend to participate in your activities any more.

Trying to cooperate in a this kind of game...

Such meaningless acts are just a waste of time.

M...meaningless...

Going to friendly meetings in the cafeteria is preposterous. Someone might poison all the food there ahead of time.

I have no intention to be a participant in the Last Supper.

Stop being so theatrical...!

I’ll let the rest of you do as you please. Later.

Togami-kun didn’t even turn back to look at us, and left the room.
There was no way we could have stopped him.

His way of thinking... was clearly not in any category we could grasp.

Was he... serious?

Without doubt.

If he is, I won’t stand for it...!