Part 38: Magical Mystery Tour

MUSIC: Beautiful Lie



Alright, time to get our adventure game on.







Thankfully the game tells you where to go instead of just having you rub everything on everything like a real adventure game.









Sounds like they're renovating the way I organize my apartment.

But where exactly is this academy built, anyway? No one has come to save us... It must be someplace remote. But where could you build a complex this large in secret?



We can do these in any order, so I'm gonna start with the Persona 5 door.





That weird projection there... I've got a feeling you can use that one thing with it.

Well, I've got no idea how, though!

Kaito groans here, like he's in the middle of a parental lecture.

But my hunches are usually right! Let's give it a try!

They're always correct 30% of the time!





Let's become the master of unlocking.

VIDEO: Hexagon Crank

















...What is *this* building? I'm not sure I like the implication...

I'm not sure the thread will, either.





NEW MUSIC: DANGANVEGAS



MUSIC: Rise and Shine, Ursine!





...

THlS-PLACE-IS-NOT-*LIKE*-A-CASINO. IT-*IS*-A-CASINO.

Yeah, yeah! This place is a casino!



Yep, yep! You sure can!



In a sense, you've surpassed Daddy.





MUSIC: DANGANVEGAS

A casino...? Why is a casino in a place like this...?



At the casino, you can use special casino coins to play various games.
You can exchange Monocoins for coins at the cashier.
Once you exchange them, they can't be exchanged back! So know what you're doing!
By now you should be able to see how many coins you have...
The coins you've saved up can be exchanged for fabulous prizes at the prize exchange counter.
We're always getting new prizes in, so look forward to that!
There are games for you to try in the basement! Go ahead!
Let's play!



We're not actually gonna fuck with any of the casino mechanics right now. I'll touch on that in a couple of weeks.







Kaito shouted and pointed at a treasure of coins in front of him.

Whoa! Where did you get that mountain of coins!?



All this from just one coin? That's incredible!

Hehe! Just a regular day for the Luminary of the Stars! My intuition usually leads me to victory!

MUSIC: Mr. Monokuma's Lesson V3



Whoa! D-Don't just jump out like that!

My bad! I was lured here by your lucky streak!



What character is he playing!?

They're only good here, though...



Heh! After hearing that, there's no going back for me!

But...you could trade in what you already have right now...



Besides, there's no way my intuition as Luminary of the Stars can be wrong!

That's it, maverick! You da man!



MUSIC: Finding Peace Party



What's wrong, maverick...? You're down to half your coins. Wouldn't it be best to walk away now...?











... ...









Too bad! Your intuition was totally wrong, Kaito! Man, I'm glad I built this casino! Watching suckers lose everything is hilarious!

Ah-hahahahaha!



You do hear that a lot from people who have gambled away everything... They think they can win just a little bit more and end up destroying themselves.



...That is also typically what those people say.

MUSIC: Beautiful Lie



With that PSA out of the way, we're going to take a detour for the next item on our list.





...So is it plain or strange?



She's not talking about this door. That'll have to wait.





Your magic?

There's something around here... There's no mistake...





VIDEO: Ancient Passport



Was it cuz of my magic?

Ah, no, I used an item on this object, and—



...Okay, sure.



A hidden passage! How exciting! Let's go investigate it!



Because of my magic, we're able to move on...

R-Right...



Isn't there something you should say?

Ah... Thank you?

Hm... You should rely on my magic from now on...



Rely on my magic from now on. I'll lend you my powers...as long as it's not a pain.





From the look of it, I'd guess it's the Ultimate Magician's lab.







Right?

Right...? Why are you asking me?





I wonder why they went out of their way to hide it, though. Miu and Kaede's research labs were open from the start.

That's right...



Ah, no, it's fine. I'm...okay.

I see... Well, that's a relief. I was just plain worried.

I don't know how just yet, but like Kaede said... Let's survive...and escape this place, no matter what.



I don't know how just yet, but... Let's survive...and escape this place, just like Kaede told us to.





It seems like there are labs for everyone. But why prepare so many? What *is* this place...?



Is that really true?

Hey... The rooms in the dorms have locks, but this research lab doesn't...



Are you okay with that, Himiko? Your magic tricks might get stolen.

You need skills to perform magic tricks. Knowing how they work isn't enough...



She's not going to budge an inch on that point...





They really are everywhere... They want us to know we're under their control. But it doesn't have any surveillance equipment to spy on us.





Hey, Himiko. What kind of magic trick do you use the cage for?

It's not a trick... I'm telling you, it's real magic...

Oh, sorry! I forgot about that.



Familiar...?

Oh, you mean that trick where a dove comes out of your hat?

Er...you mean a magical animal?

Yes, that's right... But my familiar isn't a dove, it's a tiger cub.





I'll admit, even I'm kind of jealous...



This is a big cage... I might fit inside this...





That's the magic trick where the person in the box is stabbed by swords, but comes out fine.

It's not a trick... That's one of the Space-type spells.



Ooh, that sounds like high-ranking magic!

Exactly... You need a lot of skill for Space-type spells... No average mage can handle them.

Mhm, mhm. So in other words...



Tsumugi was somehow able to follow all of that...



There are several swords stabbed into a human-sized box. But if there was a person inside, they would come out just fine. That's the trick, I think.









It's a huge cauldron, like one a witch would be stirring in a children's book...



Mana...?

Don't you know? It's a necessary energy source for magic.



Hm, the names are different depending on the school of magic, but I call it mana. This place is filled with mana. It's perfect for me.

Is that so...?



There's a huge cauldron on the fire... What kind of magic trick is *this* for?





I know it's just for a magic trick, but it still kind of creeps me out...





This room can't be locked. So...we don't just have to worry about the tricks being stolen...

Tsumugi didn't finish her sentence, but I knew what she wanted to say.

It's not that I'm thinking the...killings are going to happen again, but...

...Right.

I can really feel it now... Just how bizarre this situation is...



What a huge saw... It's probably used for the saw-a-person-in-half trick.







Next time, Shuichi plays the Song of Time.