Part 114: Super High-school Level Update #102

If I had to summarize this room in a single word...
...I'd say it was a peculiar one.

Not that the other rooms in this school weren't, but this room had its own particular kind of peculiarness.
It wasn't the kind of constructed fear we've seen so far. This room was concealing the real thing...

It was overflowing with it.



H...Hey... Are those...!

What Hagakure-kun's shaking finger was pointing at was...



The many monitors covering the walls.

They were not just simple monitors. The images they displayed...





...were scenes from inside the school. Each and every one of them.

From the dorms to the classrooms...
Every place we've ever visited in the school was shown on those monitors.



T...Those are...!



Images from the security cameras...!



There are security cameras in every room in this school, and the footage they're taking...
...every bit of it is displayed on these monitors.



In other words, this room's purpose is to monitor us...



M...Monitor us...?!



So, this room...!



There's no question about it. This is the mastermind's room.



The mastermind's room...

He's right... It must be.
The mastermind was here, sitting in this room...

...Watching us.



That confirms our situation even more.



W...What situation...?



The identity of the body in the garden.
If that girl had the key to this room...





That means she must have been the mastermind... Mukuro Ikusaba.



So, the mastermind is really dead?! Was she really killed?!



Seems like it...



S...Seriously?!!



T...That's disappointing... S...She died before Byakuya-sama had the chance to kill her...!

The mastermind is dead...?

Is that the truth...? Is everything finally over...?

But... that body in the garden...



That was clearly not a natural death...

Which means... someone among us...



B...But, if the mastermind is dead...



That means we can get out of here! We can finally leave this place!



The exit! Let's go look for the exit right now!!



No... First, we must investigate this room.



Huh?! What about the exit?!



If the mastermind is dead, we can leave this place whenever we want.
But we have more important business...



We must find out what was the mastermind's goal was... What game she was playing.



There's also the matter of who murdered the mastermind.



M...Murdered her...?!



So... you think so too, Togami-kun?
Of course...



One can tell just by looking at the body. The mastermind, without question...



...was murdered.



B...But how did the mastermind let herself get murdered? And by whom!?



...In order to answer these questions, we must discover what the mastermind's goal was.



D...Do you get it now?! You useless worm! I forbid you to doubt Byakuya-sama ever again!

The mastermind's goal... The reason she was killed...

We can probably find hints to these riddles if we search this room...

This room. The mastermind's room.



...Well, then. Let's begin. It's time to expose the mastermind.





There are many things to look at in this room, but first let's make the usual round for extra dialogue.



Why was the mastermind killed...?
To answer that question, we must find out what her goal was...





That's an amazing number of monitors... My eyes are getting all flickery...





I'd also like to know why the mastermind was killed, but... What I'd really like is to find the exit...





G...Go ahead and find clues... B...Byakuya-sama said so...!



Let's start with the desk at the front of the room. These computers might be helpful.



There are several computers lined up on the desk...

They aren't like the laptop Alter Ego was installed on... They look like top of the line machines.



They're all turned on, but there's a password keeping us out of the system.



So, we can't use them? What if we all try really hard?



What century are you living in?
The mastermind probably used these computers to monitor the network...
That's why... she found Alter Ego and...



You're probably right...



But it's useless to worry about that now. What's done is done.
I...I guess.



There's one dark monitor off to the side.



This monitor is dark.



Huh...? That thing next to it...



That's an indoor antenna, isn't it?



It's just like the one my granny uses! It can pick up digital TV signals!
Does that mean we can see what's on TV if we connect it?



Eh? TV?! Really?!!



I knew it. She's a TV girl.



I'm not! That doesn't really fit with my other hobbies, y'know.



But, make it so that we can watch TV! What are you waiting for?!



I see... Everyone is starving for some information from the outside world...



Right! Leave it to me and we'll soon have a TV feed here! Just sit back and relax on this great spaceship we call Earth, and let me take care of it!

I'm... not sure how I should reply.



While he's handling that, let's take a closer look at the rest of the monitors.



There's a stupendous amount of monitors installed on the walls...



The mastermind must have been watching us on them all this time.



I...If I only had access to them...!!
...Eh?



I...I could've seen Byakuya-sama like that... and like that... Ah, I want to see it...
H...H...H...How much for a M...M...Monthly subscription...?!
............



Then, there's this door on the back. I'm sure you've noticed it.



There's a creepy door decorated with a Monobear picture...
What's behind it...?

* rattle rattle *

It doesn't open.



...Is that door locked? Doesn't the key open it?
I guess we should try...



* rattle rattle *

Nope. It doesn't even fit the keyhole...



I see...



But, it's fine. No worries.
The mastermind is already dead... Nothing is going to happen here again...
Yeah... I guess...



This door is worrying, but...

There's nothing we can do about it right now.
Asahina-san is right. The mastermind is no longer here, so we have nothing to be afraid of...



...Heh Heh.



Oh...?
Oh? Oh? Oh? Oh?
...What's wrong?



I have good news for our TV girl! We're all set up to watch some TV!



Seriously?!



All that's left to do is turn it on!!



...Do it.



Honestly, that mastermind. She kept saying how we should tear ourselves away from the outside world...



But she had that thing in here so she could watch it all by herself!







Hm...?
Huh...? Is that...?
That's footage from the security camera in this room, isn't it?
Huh...? That's strange...



Didn't you say we can pick up a television signal on that thing?



No, it really is strange...



N...Not as strange as you... and I'm being generous...



But... this monitor isn't connected to anything but the antenna...
It shouldn't be able to receive footage from the camera...



How about trying to change the channel?



Yeah... Let's try that...

Hagakure-kun flipped through the channels, one by one. But...





...Our picture never left the screen.

The picture of us, at this very moment, standing inside the data processing room.



W...What's going on here?



Maybe it's broken?



No... Maybe there's something installed inside the monitor itself...



What do you mean by "installed"?



I'm not sure myself, but...



...Eh?



...Eh?



...Huh?



...Huh?



AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!





Hahaha! Long time no see, you little shits!
M...Monobear...?!



B...But why...? Y...You... should be dead!



Hahaha! Dead? Me? You ain't making no sense, fool!



On top of that, his personality's changed!



Of course it changed. I couldn't bear it anymore.
I've been gone for two years... That's a long time to keep a personality...



No you weren't!! It's only been about half a day!!



H...How come he's moving again?!



Oh, that's it. That sure hits the spot. I love watching you bastards make that face.
The face you make the moment "hope" turns into "despair". Oh, I wanted to see it so much.



Don't tell me... That's the only reason you played dead...?



It's rare for a bear to pretend to be dead, isn't it? Usually, it's you bastards who play dead in front of bears!



Oh, that's funny! I'm gonna laugh! Ahahaha!



And now that we've covered that...



It's time once again for a future full of despair! Let's cast that hope-filled past away!
We're going to have some fun again in our school life of mutual killing!



I...It has to be a dream... We have to do it again...?



B...But, we were just about to leave this place...!



You want to leave? Are you still repeating that nonsense?



...I wish you'd wake up and get it, already! It's impossible for you to leave this place!
Furthermore...



It's not like everything is bad in here! I mean, of course life can't be perfect...



D...Don't mess with us... T...This is the worst...!



It's not the worst. It's just despair.



Ahahahahaha!!



Ah, I'm tired of laughing. Let's get to the main issue.
...Main issue?
That television. You bastards aren't so useless after all.
That's right. This television is indispensable in a discussion about this school life.



So, there's some kind of secret hidden in it after all...?



It's only connected to an antenna... Why is it showing footage from the security camera?!



Upupu... It really is fascinating, isn't it?
Fine! I'll teach you bastards an important lesson!! I'll tell you all about this television!



This television is, without question, connected to the antenna and picking up TV signals!



Eh...? What do you mean...?



I...If it's picking up TV signals... Why is it showing this picture...?



Oh, you really are thick! Try to pay attention! It's like this...



This school life of mutual killings is being completely broadcasted live on TV all over Japan!