8And here we are Ladies and Gentlemen: Angie Yonaga
I had a lot of fun writing this chapter.
It's a lot more chaotic than the last couple of chapters.
Hope you enjoy!
Shuichi was deep in thought.
He had just seen the video of his time together with the Ultimate Artist and was currently processing the events in his head.
Angie Yonaga was an anomaly amongst her fellow peers. As a girl who lived on the strangest island on earth, she had a lot of quirks that made the detective look at her in either curious intrigue or absolute horror.
Whether it be her mesmerizing artworks or her constant requests for blood sacrifices, that girl always managed to astonish him in the best and worst of ways.
Which was why he was trying to think about the best method to approach her.
The many times, Shuichi has spoken with the girl she was in her own little world. Always going at her own pace, he could barely keep up with her antics when they hung out. So trying to have a conversation on her level was next to impossible for a door-mat like him.
Then again, would Angie really be mad at him?
She was always happy-go-lucky every time he saw her. With a smile that was painted across her face, he never saw her frown.
Not even once.
He even yelled at her that one time when she tried to strip him of his clothes, and she brushed it off like it never even happened.
So maybe he could just ignore it, and do the same thing she's doing.
… No.
Shuichi shook his head. He wasn't the type of person to ignore the truth, as much as he hates it.
He can't deny that last night at the Love Hotel was just a weird dream.
It was real and he had to tell Angie that, no matter what she'll say.
Because that was the right thing to do.
Thus, Shuichi stood up from his chair and started to walk out of the A/V room, determined to find the Artist and settle this. But, when he went to open the door, someone was already on the other side.
Gonta Gokuhara, Ultimate Entomologist, and lovable grizzly bear to his classmates.
While the Detective would've smiled at the sight of the gentle giant, this was not one of those circumstances. For some reason, the big guy was radiating some form of menacing aura that would've crushed the Detective if it had physical mass.
But what was weirder was the fact that Gonta was here of all places. He was raised in the forest, after all, so he didn't hang around places with machines that often.
Was he looking for him?
Whatever the case, Gonta looked dangerous to be around. And he was trapped in a room with no exits except the one Gonta was blocking. So he was confident to say that he was in some form of danger.
Shuichi instinctively stepped back at his mere presence. "G-Gonta?... What are you doing here?"
"Shuichi…" Gonta stared at the Detective with a determined look on his face. "Gonta has been looking for Shuichi for quite some time…"
"O-oh really?" Gonta started to step inside as Shuichi started to back away. "Is it because I missed breakfast?"
"No…" Gonta shook his head. "Gonta was given a very special mission to find Shuichi. And as Gentleman, Gonta must fulfill promise."
"And… who exactly told you to do this?" Shuichi tried to move further back but realized that his back was to the wall.
He had nowhere to run.
Gonta merely crossed his arms. "Angie, of course. Shuichi is the guest of honor for ritual!"
Shuichi's jaw dropped at the sound of Angie's name.
Did she send Gonta to beat him up?
And what was this ritual?
Was she going to get her revenge by sacrificing him to Atua?
His brain tried to look for answers to nonsensical questions.
But before he could ask what he meant, Gonta promptly knocked Shuichi out with a single blow.
The detective's eyes slowly closed and his body dropped to the floor.
…
…
Shuichi slowly started to open his eyes. Still slightly dazed, he took a good look at his surroundings.
He wasn't in the A/V room anymore that's for sure. The fancy furnishings, red carpeting, and grand lights suggested he was on the first floor of the casino. But he couldn't see the reception desk anywhere. So the best conclusion he could come up with was that Gonta knocked him out and probably took him to a part of the casino he didn't explore.
Shuichi was about to ponder why exactly Gonta would bring him here when-
"Hi, Shuichi!"
A familiar tan girl suddenly popped out of his blind spot like the killer from every horror movie. Shuichi jumped back in surprise, or at least he would've had it not been for something wrapped around his limbs. He was tied to one of the casino chairs, and the knots were unfortunately firm.
Gravity was a cruel mistress as Shuichi accidentally leaned the chair too much, causing him to land on his back with a soft thud. He groaned from the pain and had to be pulled back up by Angie.
"Nyahaha!" The mischievous girl giggled. "Gotcha, Shuichi!"
"Hello, Angie…" Shuichi muttered, still dazed from his tumble. "I see you're doing well…"
The Detective was skeptical of the Artist's motives. While she seemed chipper on the outside, the fact that she had him tied up implies less than favorable motives. He could only conclude that these actions were fueled by the video Monodam gave her. She wouldn't do this normally after all. So perhaps she really was mad at him for using the love key on her…
"Angie…" Shuichi looked up at her. "If this is about last night, I'm sorry. I was only-"
But before he could continue his apology, Angie put her finger to his lips, shushing him.
"There's no need to apologize, Shuichi." Her lips curled into a smile. "In fact, I really enjoyed our time together."
"R-really?" The Detective was flabbergasted. "So, you're not bothered at all? About the love hotel, weird fantasy, or the fact that we did that under influence?"
"Why would I be?" Angie started to tilt her head sideways. "I'm being influenced by Atua all the time, so what makes this so different?"
"Seriously?" Shuichi's ahoge started to wilt. He didn't know whether to be nervous or relieved at how well this girl took the news. "So you're not mad at all?"
"Nope," Angie smiled innocently.
"So you're not mad at me?"
"Nope."
"Are you being serious?"
"Yes!"
"And you're not just pulling my leg?"
"I'm not even touching your legs!" Angie started to squish her cheeks. "Do you not believe in Angie's words?"
"N-No! It's not like that!" Shuichi immediately disagreed. "It's just the fact that you have me tied up!"
"Ooooohhhh…" She nodded as she tapped her chin with a paintbrush. "I understand, but Atua told me to have you restrained."
A drop of sweat began to crawl down the Detective's head at the mention of her so-called god. While Shuichi wasn't entirely aware of all the background involving this deity, whenever Angie started to talk about Atua, trouble always seemed to follow.
"So is Atua mad at me then?" He hesitantly asked.
"No, Atua has already forgiven you." Angie waved off the question. "He's quite proud of you actually!"
"Proud?" Shuichi tilted his head in confusion. "What's there to be proud of? I don't think I did anything worthwhile last night…"
"And that's where you're wrong Shuichi~" The Artist started to giggle again.
Shuichi didn't like where this was going…
"You see this morning, I felt surprisingly refreshed." Angie started to explain. "I wasn't sure why at first, so I assumed that Atua was blessing me with his divinity again. But when Monodam showed me that video, I learned what had really happened." She raised her hands and clapped them together in a praying stance."And it was at that moment that Atua sent me a Divine Message!"
"Divine… Message?" He nervously repeated.
"Yes, a Divine Message!" She cheered. "And he has chosen you to be my lifelong confidant!"
"And what exactly does that entail?" Shuichi nervously looked at her.
Angie merely smiled like an adorable naughty mongoose.
"It means we're going to get married." She bluntly stated.
"..."
"..."
"..."
Angie tilted her head. "...Shuichi?"
The detective was as stiff as a statue. His eyes were wide open, unblinking as he stared off into space. If someone were to walk in at this very moment, they would've mistaken the boy for one of the Artist's wax figures.
"Yoohoo~! Earth to Shuichi~!" She began to poke his forehead. "Anybody home~?"
Angie pouted as she tried to get a response from the seemingly lifeless boy. But like a sudden bolt of lightning, the Artist had the sudden feeling that she should cover her ears right at this moment.
She thanked Atua for the warning as Shuichi's body twitched and did the most sensible thing to do after hearing he was about to get hitched.
Monokuma was relaxing by the pool.
Now that the Killing Game wasn't happening, he took the time to finally relax after all of his hard work.
Technically it was his kids who did the heavy lifting, but their merits were his. So it was only natural that as their superior, he would use their relaxation time for them. That's what it means to be a father after all. At least, that's what he wrote in that one book but that was beside the point.
The sun was high.
The chair was comfy.
And he had a delicious glass of martini right in his hands.
Nothing could ruin this fine day.
"WWWWHHHHHHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAATTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT!?"
Until a sudden high-pitched scream rang across the entire academy.
The sudden outburst caused Monokuma to jump off his chair, drop his martini onto the floor, and launch himself into the pool.
Being a robot, he quickly began to short-circuit as the water got into his mechanical body. Electricity shot out of every crevice in the bear's frame before he was engulfed in a glorious explosion. The charred remains of the drone sunk to the bottom of the pool.
Fortunately being a mass-produced robot meant that he always had a spare body. So another Monokuma popped out of nowhere like nothing even happened.
Though the bear didn't seem to agree.
"Alright!? Who the hell disrupted my well-earned vacation!?"
Angie was currently cleaning out her ears. "Wow, Shuichi. I didn't know you could scream like that!"
"Neither… did… I" Shuichi was trying to catch his breath. Screaming like that took a lot out of his lungs. "Also. What the hell Angie!? Marriage!? Where is this coming from!?"
"I already said, didn't I?" Angie clapped her hands. "It was a divine message from Atua! And he has decreed that Shuichi can be with Angie forever. That video is proof of that."
"The love hotel video?" Shuichi's mind was trying to keep up. But the thoughts of marriage caused his brain performance to slow down. "Angie, I think you got the wrong idea!"
"What's there to think about?" She squished her cheeks. "The video shows our compatibility does it not? Atua certainly agrees."
"But the love hotel only makes me look like your ideal." He tried to explain. "And you weren't even aware of what was happening…"
"So? I don't understand what's happening 30% of the time~" She tapped her chin. "It's what happens when I'm being possessed by Atua daily."
"None of that sounds right." Shuichi gawked at her.
"What's the matter?" She leaned in and stared down at Shuichi. While she was still smiling, her eyes seemed to bore into him like spears. "Am I not to your liking Shuichi?"
The detective felt a chill down his spine at that question. "N-no! I think you're a very pretty girl!"
"Really?" Angie began to tilt her body from side to side. "So Shuichi thinks I'm beautiful?"
"I mean you're adorable and your bubbly personality is cute." Shuichi turned away in embarrassment. "Not to mention your art is amazing, and I think your - wait what am I even saying!?"
"Too late~" Angie wiggled her finger. "You Are Interested In Me! And now you're ready to be Angie's Husband! Isn't it wonderful?"
"We're not even married yet!" Shuichi protested. "We shouldn't even be talking about this kind of stuff at our age!"
They were still high schoolers after all. Marriage was a topic for Christmas Cakes and Middle-aged singles, not for Ultimate Freshmen!
Angie didn't seem to agree with that and stared down at Shuichi again.
"Are you defying the word of Atua? If you do that…" She leaned closer until their faces were inches apart. "You will be cursed for generations to come."
Another chill went down the Detective's spine. Realizing that trying to talk her down at the moment would only upset her further, he decided not to argue with her and try to find a way out of this. Unfortunately, his limbs were tied so he couldn't untie himself even if he wanted to.
"O-okay, but… this is still not a decision not to be taken lightly…" Shuichi tried to stall for time as he was thinking about what to do.
"Well, I didn't have to decide!" Angie cheered. "Atua did it for me!"
'That's not a good thing…' He thought to himself. "W-Well are you sure he's making the right decision?"
"So you are defying Atua's word…" Angie stared the detective down.
"N-No! I'm not defying him!" He quickly denied it. "It's just that… I don't see what he sees in me."
The artist looked less menacing and now more confused. "Whatever do you mean?"
"Well…" Shuichi put his head down. "I'm not anything special. I'm just an ordinary person. So I don't see what makes me so special…"
An awkward silence befell the two for a brief moment before Angie looked at Shuichi. Her chocolate skin turned pink as she twiddled her thumbs.
"Isn't it obvious?" Angie clumsily smiled. "It's because… You're my First."
If Shuichi's mind wasn't already broken, it was at this very moment.
Scratch that, his mind was nuked into oblivion after that one.
'Then… because I used the Love Key… Angie wants…' The detective looked down at the ground. His porcelain skin became even paler, as life slowly drained from his face. His body was unresponsive like a corpse, and it almost looked like his soul was leaving him.
But before Angie could poke Shuichi's Dead(?) Lifeless(?) body, the door behind Angie opened, and in came Gonta.
"Gonta sorry for barging in!" He apologized. "But Tsumugi wants Angie to come to dressing room now."
"O-Oh! So she's already done with preparations?" Still red like a strawberry, she clapped her hands with glee. "Wonderful! Can you get Shuichi changed then? We need him to look his best for the big moment."
"Ok Angie" Gonta smiled at her "Leave it to Gonta!"
And so Angie quickly left the room as Gonta menacingly walked towards the helpless detective. Pulling up his sleeves, Gonta prepared himself to change Shuichi's clothes like a true gentleman.
Thank Atua, Shuichi was knocked out during that process. Otherwise, he would've wished he really had died.
…
…
"... Hey…"
"…"
"... Hey."
…
"HEY!"
"Who-What-Where-Why!?" Shuichi immediately regained consciousness as he frantically turned his head in every possible direction. His sudden awakening frightened the 6 pairs of eyes that previously stared at his limp figure.
"The Degenerate Awakens! He has risen from the dead!" A certain girl with a pinwheel bow screamed.
"Nyeh… perhaps my resurrection spell was a lot more potent than I thought…" A nasally short redhead muttered.
"I knew I should've been the one to wake him." An elegant girl bit her lip. "I could've administered a way to arouse his slumber better."
"Gonta is relieved…" Gonta wiped a tear from his eye. "Gonta thought Gonta broke Shuichi."
"There's no need to worry Gonta. You were just panicking…" A metallic boy calmed the giant down. "More importantly, Rantaro, you shouldn't have startled Shuichi like that. It was inappropriate."
An avocado hair-colored boy, now known as Rantaro, simply raised his in an "oh well" fashion. "My bad, I just thought a little more force was necessary."
"You guys…" Shuichi squinted his eyes at the new crowd of people. They were Tenko, Himiko, Kirumi, Gonta, Keebo, and Rantaro. Other than Rantaro, this group of teens was among Angie's faction known as "The Art Club". During their time here, Angie brought together all of the people she could get under her thumb and created this club as a way to expand her influence. Half the class thought Angie was pulling members into a cult, which was not that far off, but because there was no killing game they were practically harmless.
Or at least he thought.
Ignoring the stares, Shuichi took a moment to reassess his surroundings since he felt like he was relocated while he blacked out. Judging from the similar surroundings, he could still tell that he was still in the casino, but the room he was in was much bigger. Upon further inspection, the room was filled with fancy decor, all in white. A dance floor was at the center of the room surrounded by fancy tables seen in restaurants. Several chairs were leading up to the place where Shuichi was standing, a stage. Over at the side was a banquet table with a large three-layered cake at the center. It was at that moment that he noticed what he was wearing, a fancy black tux with a white Polynesian undershirt.
It didn't take an Ultimate Detective to figure out this mystery, but if you still don't know: He's in a wedding venue.
Holding back his need to freak out, he decided to freak in while asking his fellow classmates: "What are you guys doing here?"
He already had a good idea as to why they were here, but it was still a question that needed an answer.
"Nyeh… Isn't it obvious?" Himiko spoke in a "matter-of-fact" tone. "We're preparing for the wedding of course! Angie told us to help."
"And you decided to listen to her!?" Shuichi's jaw dropped at the confirmation. "What made you all agree with this hair-brained scheme!?"
"Be silent you Degenerate Male!" Tenko got into a fighting stance. "You should be grateful scum like you even get the chance to be with a damsel!"
"There's no need for hostility." Kirumi shot down the Aikido girl's accusation. "He's clearly just confused about our role in his sudden matrimony."
The Ultimate Maid pointed to Shuichi's arms which were still tied together by rope. "He probably was taken in against his will, so we should be patient with him."
"If you know that much, why are you still helping Angie?" Shuichi gawked at his classmates.
"Because she's my friend!" Himiko proudly put her hands to her hips. "And if Atua wants you two to be together, who am I to complain!"
"While it irks me to know a fellow maiden will be taken in by scum like you…" Tenko glared at him and crossed her arms. "I want what Himiko wants, so I'll follow along."
"I accept all requests." Kirumi radiated a motherly aura. "It is my duty as a maid to fulfill my role no matter what it may be."
Keebo looked guilty as he twiddled his fingers. "My inner voice told me to go and see this event. I've never experienced love before, so seeing this might give me a better understanding."
"Tsumugi wanted to help create the Wedding Clothes!," Gonta explained with a smile. "And Gonta wanted to help because he is a true gentleman!"
Shuichi merely stared at them with an open jaw. Sometimes he forgets that out of all of the Ultimates, he's the one with a full deck of cards.
He turned to Rantaro. "And what about you? You're not a part of the Art Club, so what are you doing here?"
"Oh me?" Rantaro sighed. "It's because I'm the third-closest thing to a priest in this academy."
The Detective looked at him puzzled. "Wait, then who's second?"
"Kiyo," Rantaro bluntly replied.
"Oooooohhh…" Shuichi nodded in understanding.
"Seriously though, you shouldn't be worried." The mysterious boy smiled. "For all we know, this marriage is just an excuse to have a party. That's why she hosted that magic show, remember?"
Shuichi nodded hesitantly, "True, but when I talked to her earlier she sounded really serious. One doesn't joke about marriage so lightly…"
"Like the time Atua apparently told her that Aliens took us?" Rantaro chuckled. "Look I get she's weird but it's not like you did anything to her that would make her want to literally marry you right?"
Shuichi was silent.
"... Shuichi?" A bead of sweat dripped from the avocado's head. "Did you-"
"Nyahahaha! Here comes the bride!"
Just then the doors to the Wedding Venue opened. Everyone turned around to see the last member of the Art Club, Tsumugi Shirogane, come in with a big smile.
"Sorry for the wait everyone!" Tsumugi panted excitedly. "I needed to add a few last-minute touches but she's ready… Behold!"
She then stepped aside and behind her, came Angie.
Everyone was astonished at what she at the wedding dress she was wearing.
It was a strapless white dress with golden stitching that created a unique flower pattern on her waistline with black petals lined at the front of the dress. The end of the gown reached to the floor and more, almost like a grand carpet that followed behind her. Tassels were all over the tips of the dress, circling her like a nest. On her neck was a neckless lined with beads and sharp pieces of wood shaped like fangs. An adorable white lei of flowers rested on her head. Said flowers were also decorated into a delicate bouquet right in her hands.
Overall, Angie looked like a goddess right now.
No offense to Atua.
Everyone continued to gawk until the Artist started to speak.
"Everyone, Atua has spoken to me!" Angie cheered in joy. "He is very glad to see you all… Huh?"
Angie surveyed the room for a moment. "Where's everyone else?"
Everybody else took a moment to wonder what she was talking about when they slowly began to realize…
"Oh yeah…Kaede's not here yet" Himiko put a finger to her chin. "Wasn't she supposed to play the piano for this?"
"Yeah, she was going to play that one song that always plays in weddings," Tenko affirmed.
"She was supposed to play the Bridal Chorus, yes." Kirumi nodded.
"Wait, you guys invited Kaede!?" Shuichi's eyes widened.
"Of course Shuichi!" Gonta smiled. "We invited everyone!"
"Angie made a huge announcement this morning during breakfast!" Tsumugi chimed in. "So everyone should've known what's happening."
"We're only here because the Art Club was told to help," Keebo added. "Perhaps they are running late?"
"Oh well…" Angie shrugged her shoulders before raising her hands in the air. "Anyway, let's get started!"
'She sure recovered from that fast…' Shuichi thought to himself before his eyes bulged. "Wait, we're starting now!?"
"Well of course Shuichi!" The Artist giggled. "Everybody knows the wedding starts when the bride walks down the aisle!"
"But… What about Friends?" Gonta frowned.
"They'll get here eventually Gonta…" Angie went up to the big guy and softly patted his head. "Just take your seat."
"Ok…" Gonta sullenly walked towards one of the chairs and sat down. The rest of the class followed shortly after with the exceptions of Angie, Shuichi, Kirumi, and Rantaro.
Kirumi was standing in the back near the catering table, while the rest were over by the altar.
Angie was ecstatic.
Rantaro was a little on-edge.
And Shuichi…
He was sweating bullets.
The mysterious boy looked at the Detective with a concerned look. During their brief conversation earlier, he was smart enough to get the hint that there might be more to this relationship than just a small prank. But seeing as he was already caught in Angie's web he couldn't exactly escape.
And it seems like Shuichi was already far aware of his fate, despite his clear reluctance.
'No use thinking about it…' Rantaro sighed before opening the "bible" the Artist kindly gave him. It was really just one of Angie's many sketchbooks but it was close enough.
"Dearly Beloved, we are gathered together here in the sign of Atua, and in the face of this company, to join together this boy and this girl in divine matrimony." Rantaro read aloud. "This Marriage is the union of husband and wife in heart, body, and soul. It is intended for their mutual joy, and the help and comfort given another in prosperity and adversity. But more importantly, it is a means through which a stable and loving environment may be attained."
Rantaro turned to Angie. "Do you Angie, take Shuichi Saihara to be your husband?"
Angie nodded her cheeks were a passionate pink. "I do."
Rantaro then turned to Shuichi, who didn't look as excited as his bride. "And do you Shuichi, take Yonaga Angie to be your wife?"
The detective stared back at Rantaro, and then at Angie. For a moment, he was silent before he sighed and shook his head. "No, I do-"
But before he can finish that sentence, the Artist quickly intercepted him. Kicking him dead in the shins. Shuichi kneeled on the ground caressing his new bruise.
Rantaro looked at the detective, his worry for the boy's situation getting worse by the minute.
"Well, Shuichi said it." Angie chimed in happily. "He said "I do", so it should count."
The mysterious boy looked at the artist. A part of him wanted to end this charade, but then he looked out to the crowd and saw that Gonta was crying tears.
Tears of Joy.
Seeing the Entomologist like that made him feel both sad and worried at the same time.
Sad that if he ended the charade, he would break Gonta's heart.
And worried that Angie might be a very bad influence on him.
Both were a Big No-No.
So the Avocado substitute priest closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He would have to address the bride and apologize to the groom after this. But the show must go on. "May you always share the gifts of love, may you always create a home together in your hearts, and may you share the Blood of the Groom so that you may drink - Wait. What the Fuck?"
It was at that moment, that Angie reached into her bouquet and pulled out a farm sickle. The flowers landed on the floor as the Artist menacingly held the sickle with a straight face. Shuichi's jaw dropped for the fourth time this day at the sight of said weapon. And it seem he wasn't alone as everyone eye's widened in horror.
"Wow Angie, I didn't know you can use Magic too!" Himiko's eyes sparkled.
… Ok mostly everyone.
"Pardon me, Angie" Keebo frowned nervously. "But I believe you're supposed to use a ring?..."
"The ring is normally the most important part!" Tsumugi yelled. "Also, what are you doing!? You'll stain that dress I painstakingly worked on!"
"Tsumugi right!" Gonta was about to shed a tear. "Are you planning to kill Shuichi?"
"What? No, of course not?" Angie bluntly shot down their accusations. "This is just a normal tradition on my island."
Everyone was both relieved but slightly horrified at her response.
"Back on my island, the bride is to shed the blood of her groom and drink it." The Artist continued to explain. "That way their bloodlines are connected, and they can be together forever."
"Surprisingly enough, I can believe it," Shuichi muttered. The detective had been around the Artist long enough to know that any ritual she talked about at least involved something involving blood. So this was surprisingly the least surprising thing that happened for him today.
That didn't stop him from reeling his arms back when Angie reached for his hands.
"Come on Shuichi, I need to see your palm~" The Artist beckoned him to come closer.
"I'm not entirely enthusiastic with you cutting my hand open…" He hesitantly replied.
"No worries, it's just going to be a small cut!" She pointed her sickle at him. "Atua demands blood for our wedding and as my husband, you will offer your blood to me."
"Can we get a raincheck?" Shuichi pleaded one last time before she grabbed his hand.
"No." She smiled before turning to Rantaro. "You can continue the rest of the rites."
'The show must go on…' Rantaro reminded himself. At this point, the mysterious boy wished there was a way out of this situation, but he wasn't the Ultimate Luckster. So it's not like someone was going to swoop in and save the day.
"Into this holy estate, these two persons present now come to be joined," Rantaro continued. "If any person can show why they may not be together, speak now or forever hold their peace-"
"WE OBJECT!"
Suddenly the doors to the wedding venue slammed open once more. Everyone whirled their heads in the direction of the door to see a new group march in.
This team consisted of their remaining classmates: Kaede, Kaito, Maki, Miu, Kokichi, Kiyo, and Ryoma.
Their expressions varied between calm and collected to passionately furious.
"Hey, Everyone's here!" Himiko cheered. "What took you so long?"
"We got lost…" Kaito sighed. "More importantly… Shuichi what the hell are you doing!?"
"Isn't it like super obvious you dunderhead." Kokichi chuckled. "He's tying the knot and becoming a teenage dad with 14 kids."
"Now's not the time for that you little shit…" Maki glared at him. "More importantly, we're here to stop this wedding."
"S-Stop Wedding?" Gonta looked sad and confused. "But why?"
"Sorry Gonta," Kaede apologized. "But Shuichi is still too young for this kind of thing…"
"She's lying!" Kokichi added. "Kaede's just jealous that Shuichi chose Angie over her!"
"N-No! It's not like that!" Kaede denied it, a visible blush on her face. "W-We're just really good friends is all!"
"Right… and I'm the Queen of England." Kokichi laughed.
"Kaede is Right!" Kaito gave a thumbs up. "No way am I having my sidekick forced into a marriage without his consent!"
"It is totally consensual," Angie remarked. "Atua has given me his blessing, so I'm going to follow through."
"The ropes on his arms don't exactly imply consent," Kiyo muttered. "Though you're knot-tying is quite remarkable."
"You guys…" Shuichi looked at his saviors and he couldn't help but smile. A small tear was about to crawl from his eye-
"You know some of us aren't really here to actually stop this…" Ryoma suddenly interjected. "I just got dragged along for the ride…"
"Same here, Pooichi!" Miu cackled. "I don't come to these kinds of things!"
"Because you know that nobody would want to marry your dump truck of an ass?" Kokichi teased.
"S-Shut up!" Miu barked back. "I just hate it because it's too mushy-gushy for my taste!"
"Whatever you say, ya filthy cum dumpster…" Kokichi laughed.
And just like that, the tear in Shuichi's eye receded back to where it came from.
"Hold on just a second." A cutesy but booming voice echoed across the room. Everyone turned their heads to the source and saw that Angie was smiling. But it felt different from her normal perky smile. Her eyes were covered by her bangs, and her aura radiated malice.
"Atua is a tolerant god. Though his creations may stray from his plan, he always forgives people in the end." Angie started to murmur. "Though, even Atua can only handle so much insolence before he must deliver divine punishment for his subject's hubris."
Angie then glared at the wedding crasher, her smile sent chills down the intruder's spine. "So if you plan to stop my Special Day… Atua must force me to raise my hand."
At that moment, Angie suddenly snapped her fingers, and like a queen calling her subjects, the Art club sprang into action. Getting up from their seats, the Art Club stood in front of the wedding crashers.
"Don't make us go through you guys…" Kaito bumped his knuckles. "So get out of our way."
"Nyeh…" Himiko cutely growled. "Beware who you threaten Kaito, or else you'll face the full wrath of my magic…"
"Exactly!" Tenko got into a fight stance. "And you'll also face the might of my Neo-Aikido!"
"Child's play." Maki bluntly remarked. "I could run circles around you guys."
"Not if I have something to say about that." Kirumi tugged her gloves, ready to slap a bitch. "As a maid, it is my duty to take out the trash."
"My My, It seems everyone's ready for a battle royale," Kokichi remarked. "Be sure to make yourselves useful and suplex that filthy cum dumpster over there."
"Why are you pointing at me!?" Miu turned her head towards the supreme leader. "Aren't we on the same side!?"
The inventor looked hurt but at the same time ecstatically happy at the prospect of being called "Cum Dumpster".
"Don't worry about it…" Kiyo cackled. "Focus on what's ahead of you. Otherwise, you're dead weight."
"You too!" Miu was almost about to cry. "Y-You're all just so… AGGGHHH!" Scratch that, she looked like she was going to bust a nut right then and there.
"Gonta…" Keebo turned to the Entomologist. "Can you knock out Miu as soon as possible?"
"Gonta not sure if he should fight friends…" Gonta mumbled. "But if it's to save the wedding, Gonta will do it."
"Don't worry about it Gonta…" Tsumugi comforted. "This is just something friends do sometimes. Especially in Manga."
"Don't teach Gonta those things!" Kaede interjected. "You'll set a bad influence on him!"
"I am just a bystander in all of this." Ryoma chimed in as he began to walk to the edge of the room. "Please don't bother me."
"Coward!" Kokichi yelled out to him.
The two factions stared each other down for another minute. The brief scrum debate ignited sparks between them and was going to overflow at any second. But before the sparks could fly, Kirumi suddenly raised her hand.
"Pardon me, but before we engage in combat…" The Maid then ran to the catering table and picked up the wedding cake. "I have to move this somewhere real quick. Is that okay?"
Everyone in the room unanimously nodded and gave their approval to move the wedding cake. Because even though they were about to tear each other into pieces, they didn't want to ruin a perfectly good cake. The cake didn't do anything wrong in this situation.
Shortly after Kirumi moved the cake to a different room, the sparks reignited and was about to overflow once more. And it all came down to one word.
"CHAAAAAARRRRGGGGEEEEE!" Kaito screamed, rallying the wedding crashers into battle.
"Atua! Give us the strength to hold the line!" Angie joined her followers and charged toward the wedding crashers.
And so, the two factions collided, causing a fierce melee to break out.
Kaito tried to swing at Tenko, only to be immediately suplexed into the ground shortly after!
Kaede jumped into the air and dropkicked Tsumugi right in her face!
Himiko was running from an infuriated Korekiyo, who she kicked in the shins!
Gonta tried to restrain Miu only to cry in horror as the Inventor used her woman weapons to intimidate him!
Keebo then restrained Miu immediately while she struggled to break free!
Maki and Kirumi were having a serious clash! Their hands moved so fast that it looked like they grew hundreds in seconds!
If Tsumugi wasn't dropkicked, she would've made a reference to a bizarre series that started with the letter "J"!
And Angie set Kokichi on fire!
But those were only some of the highlights of this fierce wedding battle!
Meanwhile back on the wedding stage, a certain detective looked at the chaos with a melancholic expression. The substitute priest was busy untying the binds on the said detective.
"You know, I was kinda glad those guys came to save me," Shuichi mentioned. "But… I didn't think it would devolve into this."
"Me neither…" Rantaro agreed.
"You said it…" The two of them turned their heads to see Ryoma who quickly sat by the two of them.
"Well, at least you didn't get caught up in the chaos." Shuichi smiled.
"I learned from the past…" Ryoma bit into his candy cigarette. "I'm not interested in getting my hands dirty anymore."
"Speaking of which…" Rantaro then turned to Shuichi. "Mind giving me an explanation as to why Angie is so hell-bent on taking your hands in matrimony? Sorry by the way."
"Oh, no offenses taken." Shuichi shook his head. "Anyway last night…"
One Boring Explanation Later…
"Wow, you really screwed the pooch there Shuichi," Ryoma squinted at Shuichi. "And you didn't think that key was any less suspicious?"
"I did but if there was a small chance we could escape, I had to try." The detective looked down in shame.
"I can respect that." Ryoma nodded. "But of all the people you were in the hotel with, it had to be Angie?"
"Well, there's nothing we could do about it now…" Rantaro scratched the back of his head. "At the moment we should be focusing on the problems at hand."
The three of them turned to the dust cloud that was their friend's free-for-all.
"How do you suppose we stop them throwing hands?" Ryoma asked. "Getting into that mosh pit is most certainly a death sentence."
"Maybe we can cause a big distraction to catch everyone's attention." Rantaro thought aloud. "Maybe we can bring the cake back in and-"
"We're leaving the cake out of this." Shuichi and Ryoma denied at the same time.
"Yeah, you're right. No need to bring the cake into this." Rantaro apologized just as he finished freeing the Detective from his binds. "You got any ideas Shuichi?
The Detective rubbed his wrists as he thought of a strategy. Taking a moment to look at his surroundings, he noticed a burning Kokichi running around the room. While he was worried about the Supreme Leader's safety, his appearance made him realize something.
"Hey, how come the fire alarm hasn't gone off yet?"
The three of them looked to the ceiling and noticed a bunch of sprinklers above them.
"Now that you mention it, that is kind of weird…" Rantaro stroked his chin. "You think Monokuma forgot to pay his water bill?"
"You know I can hear you!" A familiar cartoony voice called out.
And like a fly in the kitchen, Monokuma swoops in to ruin the atmosphere.
"I may steal funds into the school budget for my leisure, but even I pay the water bill diligently! How else is this Headmaster gonna go to the little bear's room!?" Monokuma snidely roared.
"Just start talking." Ryoma glared at him. "What did you do?"
"Oh nothing much," Monokuma scratched the back of his head. "I just turned off the automatic sensors in this room."
"And what pray tell would make you do that?" Rantaro sternly asked the bear.
"Oh that's pretty simple," Monokuma turned to look at the violent dust cloud. "This fight is pure entertainment! So I'm making sure it lasts as long as possible! Gotta milk the scene for what it's worth!"
"That's it!?" Shuichi's ahoge wilted at the bear's simple answer.
"Well duh!" Monokuma barked back. "I run a tight business in this industry, and everybody knows that fights always bring in the ratings!"
The bear then turned away from the students. "Also because you destroyed my Martini…"
"Wait, what was that last part?" Shuichi looked confused.
"Nothing~" Monokuma chuckled.
"You are truly one big scumbag of a producer…" Rantaro muttered.
"You're in a reality dating show." Monokuma pointed out. "This is just par for the course!"
"So basically you turned off the alarms just for a couple of extra views?" The Tennis player glared at Bear.
"Yup, Pretty Much!" Monokuma smiled.
"But you only turned off the automatic sensors, right?"
Everyone suddenly turned to Shuichi who looked like he realized something.
"What about activating the fire alarm manually?" Shuichi asked. "Usually buildings have some sort of pull station in case the sensors don't activate. So it's possible to activate the sprinklers with that right?"
Monokuma let out a surprised yelp as his eyes widened at the proposition. The bear suddenly started to sweat bullets and twiddled his paws nervously. "W-Well… You're not wrong…"
"Looks like you hit a bullseye, Detective…" Ryoma chuckled.
"So if we find the pull station we can end this madness." Rantaro smiled. "Sounds good to me. So where's that pull station?"
The three students began to observe the room for any sign of a fire alarm lever, but with the chaos that was ensuing, it was easier said than done.
"Having a bit of trouble are ya?" Monokuma chuckled. The bear seemingly regained his composure quite easily. "If you want to know, I can easily point to where the pull station is. Though, I doubt ya kids will like where it's at."
"Spill it," Ryoma spoke assertively. "Where is it?"
"Do you really want to know?" Monokuma put his paws to his mouth and chuckled.
"Just out with it." Rantaro was not in the mood for Monokuma's games.
"Alright," The bear shrugged his shoulders. "It's right down the end of that hall!"
The three students turned their heads in the direction Monokuma was pointing. There they saw an elegant doorframe that led out of the wedding venue. But upon further inspection of what was in that hallway shook the very core of the Ultimates.
On the other side of that door, was a fancy white room with a tiling floor normally seen in a mall. The room had several glass countertops and tables filled to the brim with all sorts of makeup products. But what sold the horror of that place was the thick dank fog with a disgustingly sweet aroma that wafted into their noses.
It was without a doubt…
A PERFUME DEPARTMENT!
Monokuma laughed maniacally. "Well, what do ya think? This Overwhelming Despair! Doesn't it make you want to faint from anticipation!?"
"Gotta hand it to him, this is pretty evil…" Rantaro muttered.
"Yeah…" Shuichi nodded.
"I think I'd rather take the Death Road of Despair…" Ryoma bit into his candy cigarette.
"So what will you do now?" Monokuma continued to mock them. "Do you really think you can save the day like some big-shot hero?"
Shuichi grit his teeth and clenched his fist. Rantaro and Ryoma weren't faring better and put their heads down, unable to look the detective in the eye. Monokuma continued to chuckle at them when Shuichi suddenly sighed.
"Rantaro… Ryoma…" Shuichi softly smiled. "In case I forget to say it… Remember Me."
And so Shuichi made a beeline into the Perfume Department. Rantaro reached out for Shuichi but realized too late that Detective had disappeared into the fog. He ran into the department, following the Detective with Ryoma staying behind.
"You're not going to help them?" Monokuma looked at the former Tennis with much scrutiny.
"Nope." Ryoma sighed. "I'm not interested in dying like that…"
"Well, that's no fun…" Monokuma rubbed his feet on the ground in annoyance.
Less than 5 seconds in the accursed kiosk Shuichi was quickly ambushed by Monokubs who all had free samples ready for him. Shuichi tried to block it but the kubs were too nimble.
Jumping over his defenses, Monotaro sprayed "Apple Cinnamon" directly on his face. The perfume burned Shuichi's retinas as he gasped in pain.
"Free Sample!" Monotaro cheered.
"If you don't like the first one, we have an assortment of flavors for you to try!" Monophanie added.
"LIKE-VANILLA-LAVENDER, AUTUMN-PINE-TREES, AND-ON-THE-BONE-MEAT!" Monodam raised several glasses of incense.
"It's Meat on the Bone, Stupid Monodam!" Monokid laughed. "And I'll make you go to hell if you disagree!"
"Note that all samples will cost ya 29.99," Monosuke raised his glasses. "So you better pay up!"
Shuichi quickly recovered and wiped the perfume off his face. He didn't have time to deal with these shady business deals! So he quickly tried to shove past the monokubs to reach the pull system.
"Oh no, you don't!" Monosuke leaped into action. A bottle of "Moonlight Breeze" was ready in his hands.
Shuichi barely managed to cover his eyes when the next spritz blasted into his face.
Monosuke grit his teeth in annoyance. "Come on guys! Pick up the pace!"
"Don't order me around!" Monokid retorted as he jumped in front of Shuichi, sprinkling him with some "Meat on the Bone". The musky smell made the Detective nauseated by the stench.
"It's not working!" Monotaro panicked. "Also why are we doing this again?"
"Don't worry your little head about it." Monophanie petted the clueless Bear. "Just keep the pressure on him!"
The monokubs started to become even more aggressive than before. Jumping from counter to counter, they tried every nook and cranny to expose Shuichi to their free samples. But the detective was vigilant and made sure to block his most vital areas from the noxious gases. The fog made it difficult for Shuichi to see where he was going, so he ran straight ahead until he saw a light at the end of the tunnel.
With the exit to the Perfume Department and the pull station closer than ever, it seemed like Shuichi was about escape home-free. But much like how hope can shine through the darkness, it can easily be pulled back in by despair.
"BY-THE-WAY-SHUICHI, I-AM-SO-PROUD-OF-YOU-FOR-MARRYING-ANGIE!" Monodom cried despite his robotic origin. "YOU-HAVE-TRULY-GONE-EVEN-FURTHER-BEYOND-JUST-TO-GET-ALONG-WITH-YOUR-CLASSMATES!"
"We're not really married, Angie just-" Shuichi paused mid-sentence, realizing too late the mistake he had made.
And like a skilled assassin, Monophanie jumped in and fired a gust of "Peppermint Sandalwood" directly in his open mouth.
Shuichi coughed loudly trying to get the horrid taste out of his mouth, but this only left him wide open as the Monokubs began to pelt him with an endless barrage of perfume. Shuichi was hosed down with all sorts of bizarre flavors such as "Violet Aftershave", "Spicy Pumpkin", "Hawaiian Beach", "Tasty Barbeque Sauce", and "Junko's Bathwater".
After that brutal assault, Shuichi laid on the ground defeated. His body was limp, his eyes were bloodshot, and he was coughing drool from his mouth. Only the small puffs from his chest signified that he was still breathing. He tried to reach for the exit, but a majority of his strength was sapped from his body.
Luckily, Rantaro arrived at that very moment. Having finally caught up with the detective, he quickly kicked away the other kubs before lifting Shuichi over his shoulder.
"Are you okay?" Rantaro looked at the near-dead Detective.
"Ugghhh… " Shuichi could only muster up a cough as a response.
"Your right, that was a stupid question," Rantaro muttered as he prepared to carry Shuichi to safety. But before he could make a single step, the Monokubs quickly surrounded him.
"Now that was pretty rude." Monotaro aimed a bottle of perfume at him. "I almost hit my head ya know."
"Not like you had anything in there, to begin with!" Monokid laughed. "You're almost as dumb as Monodam!"
"Now that's pretty rude…" Monophanie pouted.
"AS-SIBLINGS-WE-SHOULD-GET-ALONG!" Monodam exclaimed.
"Shut it! All of you!" Monosuke shouted. "Focus on the customers."
All of the Monokubs glared at the duo, ready to finish them off with one final assault.
"You know, I didn't really think this was how I'd die…" Rantaro said aloud.
"Me… Neither…" Shuichi muttered.
"Any last words?" Monosuke taunted.
"Too Bad! I'm not listening!" Monokid added before leaping at the students.
The world slowed down for a moment as the bear slowly flew towards the teens.
All hope seemed lost…
But then a Tennis Ball flew past Rantaro and hit Monokid square in the face, knocking the obnoxious bear into a nearby counter.
Everyone turned to look at who could have done it, only to see Ryoma in all of his glory. Tennis racket in hand, he smirked at the Monokubs. "You guys are high maintenance, seems like you still got a ways to go."
"Ryoma!" Rantaro cheered. "I thought you didn't follow me in."
"I wasn't planning to…" The Tennis Player replied, "But leaving someone else to die in my stead isn't my style."
"Oh, so the midget grew a pair and decided to play the big fat hero!?" Monosuke adjusted his glasses. "Heroes tend to die young don't ya know?"
"I'm already a dead man." Ryoma retorted before looking at his classmates. "Now get going, I'll hold the line here."
Rantaro nodded before quickly beginning to flee with Shuichi.
The Monokubs tried to stop them but were shortly repelled by Ryoma's swift shots. Angry at being pelted by Tennis Balls, a majority of the bears charged at the Tennis Player ready to spray him down.
Rantaro and Shuichi were nearing the exit to the Perfume Department. Thanks to Ryomas's sacrifice (not really dead), they were able to shake off the Monokubs from their trail. Shuichi's strength was slowly returning to him now that the pressure was off and he was able to walk mostly by himself.
"This… is a really long room…" Shuichi sputtered.
"Seriously…" Rantaro agreed.
But luckily, they were at a point where the exit was practically in front of them.
They were home-free!
"Not so fast!" A voice screamed out from behind them.
Rantaro whirled his head, only to quickly dodge a quick puff of perfume from none other than Monosuke.
"Thought you could get away that easily huh?" Monosuke chuckled. "As the smart one of the siblings, I know a distraction when I see one…" The bear loaded another bottle, ready to shoot them down.
The mysterious boy glanced at the Detective. With Shuichi's condition, it would be hard to avoid all of Monosuke's attacks, so trying to protect him under these circumstances would only get them killed. With the fire alarm so close and the bear coming closer, they needed to figure out a way out of here.
… No.
Only one of them needed to reach the pull station.
And with the subtlety of an Elephant in a China Shop, Rantaro chucked Shuichi towards the exit. Before Monosuke could realize what was happening, the mysterious boy lept at the bear and grabbed him by his arms.
"Let me go! Let me go!" Monosuke shouted trying to spray Rantaro. "This violates so many codes of conduct!"
"R-Rantaro… What are you doing?" Shuichi turned to look at him.
"Just go Shuichi, I'll hold him off!" Rantaro smiled before he got sprayed in the face.
"Unhand me!" Monosuke continued to struggle. But despite his best efforts, Rantaro quickly pulled the bear back into the fog.
"RANTAROOOOO!" Shuichi screamed. He wanted to go back for him, but alas he understood why the boy did what he did.
And so Shuichi quickly got up and used whatever strength he had to bolt out of the Perfume Department. Reaching the end of the hall, he quickly lept out of the foggy room, landing on the floor. He quickly took deep breaths of fresh air now that he was out of that horrible place.
He had done it.
He escaped the Perfume Department!
Shortly recovering from that endeavor he quickly saw the red pull-station for the fire alarm. Looking back, he wiped the tears from his eyes as he reminisced about his fallen friends. He couldn't let Ryoma and Rantaro's sacrifices be in vain (Not Really Dead).
Stepping up to the fire alarm, he put his hands on the lever, ready to pull it down. He was ready to end this madness.
But before he could do it, the door next to the pull station opened, and in came Angie.
"A-Angie!? W-What are you doing here?" Shuichi looked at her with a surprised expression.
Angie was breathing heavily. Her once fancy wedding dress was torn and burned. A bloodstain was splattered on her cheek, and her angelic smile was still on her face. Like a bad horror movie monster, she turned to the Detective pointing her sickle at him.
"I could say the same to you." Angie smiled. "I was worried about where you ran off when Monokuma told me where you were."
"But how did you get past the Perfume Department?..." Shuichi stared at her puzzled.
"Perfume Department?" Angie looked around and saw the fancy door that led to said room. "Oh, I went the other way around."
"Other way around?" Shuichi gawked as his ahoge wilted.
"Yeah, this casino has many branching and connecting rooms," Angie informed. "I just asked Atua about a shortcut to reach you!"
"You have got to be kidding me…" Shuichi scowled skeptically. After all that he had just been through, it almost felt like the sacrifices (not really dead) he endured was just insulted.
"More importantly…: Angie stared him down. "What are you going to do with that?"
The artist pointed to the pull station, causing the detective to gulp.
"... I'm ending this wedding…" Shuichi hesitantly replied.
"Ending the wedding?" The Artist repeated. "Why would you want to do that?"
"I believe I've made it clear multiple times today…" Shuichi hesitantly spoke.
"And Atua clearly said no!" Angie quickly replied. "He has made it explicit that he won't accept your impudence…"
"Not even if it involves our friends fighting?" Shuichi looked at her seriously.
"A small mishap." Angie cheerfully replied. "We're currently dealing with the situation, and once it's settled we can continue the ceremony!"
The Artist then leaned in closer and gazed into his soul with her eyes. "So let's head back to the venue together, shall we?"
"..." The detective merely said nothing.
"... Shuichi?" Angie tilted her head in confusion. Much to her surprise, the detective wasn't reeling back from her responses like normal. In fact, Shuichi seemed to gaze back at her.
Not with Malice, but Resolution.
"Angie…" Shuichi began to speak. "I'm not going to marry you."
"But why?" Angie continued to smile. "I see no reason to break off our engagement."
She then began to lean her body side to side childishly.
"You think I'm pretty."
"You think my Art is wonderful."
"You have shown our compatibility last night."
"And you even got Atua's approval." Angie tilted her head. "So why do you continue to deny it?"
Shuichi bit his lip and looked down at the ground. He was silent for a moment before he looked at her with a piercing gaze. "Because it's not right."
"Not right?" Angie touched her cheeks. "Are you saying Atua made a mistake?"
"If I had to sum it up, yeah he made a mistake." Shuichi nodded. "This wedding was just one big mistake."
The detective sighed. "I've wanted to tell you this before but I don't like the fact that you have this Godlike figure do your thinking for you. It causes you to do these irrational things that cause chaos amongst our classmates like now."
Shuichi then directed his hands to the wedding venue which was still in the midst of battle. "If Atua wants to sow chaos between ourselves, then I'm not going to stand for it."
"So you decide to turn your back against Atua?" Angie's eye almost seemed to twitch. "His word is infallible y'know?"
"Well, I'm done hearing what he has to say." Shuichi turned back to the pull station. "I'm ending this wedding once and for all."
"But Atua said-"
"Can you shut up already!?" Shuichi screamed. "I said I don't want to hear what Atua wants! I want to hear what you want!"
And just like that, the Detective pulled down the fire alarm lever. And akin to a storm, the alarms went off and the sprinklers activated, raining down water all across the casino.
The sounds of chaos at the wedding venue slowly dissipated as the water began to soak their classmates, quelling the flames of violence.
It was over.
The battle had ended.
Shuichi let out a deep breath. The stress of the situation and Angie's constant antics had brought out the anger he usually held back. He whirled his head back to the artist, ready to continue ripping her a new one. But all of that pent-up frustration sputtered out when Shuichi saw the look on Angie's face.
She was frowning.
Her eyes were wide with shock, and she stood there like a broken statue. She didn't even blink when her fabulous wedding dress was further ruined by the constant water.
"Angie… I-" Realizing that he may have gone too far with his words, he quickly tried to apologize only to be interrupted by Rantaro and Ryoma who got out of the Perfume Department alive. He turned his head and smiled to see they were ok, only to quickly whirl his head back when a stabbing sound hit the wall.
Angie was gone.
But her sickle was now sticking out of the wall.
"Angie…" Shuichi continued to stare.
Back in his room, Shuichi was currently cleaning himself off in the shower. After the fiasco that was the wedding, everyone was soaked. So everybody returned to their rooms so that they can clean themselves off, and head to dinner with a clean pair of clothes. The detective in particular had to scrub himself extra hard to get rid of the horrid stench of the perfumes with minimal success.
But his biggest concern wasn't that he was going to smell like "Junko's Bathwater" for the next week.
No, his biggest concern was Angie Yonaga.
Following his sudden outburst, Angie disappeared. No one saw her leave the Casino, and it was assumed that she left before anyone noticed. Everybody thought she ran away to clean herself off like the rest of them but Shuichi knew better. The Artist was upset, at him no less.
The detective grabbed his face and let out a deep sigh. He didn't mean to say all of those things at the last minute, it just sorta happened because of circumstance. With the Wedding, the Fight, the Perfume, all of it just became too stressful for the detective to bear when he saw her again. And he just let his rage out on her.
"... I'm an idiot," Shuichi muttered as he began to scrub his hair.
He knew that Angie didn't mean to hurt anyone. She was merely misguided because the ways of her people were nothing like the rest of the world. Though she might've gone too far this time around, that didn't give him any right to snap at her like that.
It was childish, and now he might've said something that could ruin their friendship forever.
What should he do?…
The Detective began to ponder for a solution.
No.
He already knew what he had to do.
He just needed the guts to do it.
Stepping out of the shower, Shuichi began to dry himself off. He planned to head to Angie's room after getting some clean clothes, but when he opened the bathroom door-
"Hello, Shuichi."
The Artist was already in his room sitting on his bed with a gloomy expression.
Shuichi looked at her.
Angie looked back.
And then Shuichi looked down and realized he was only in a towel.
Quickly retreating back to the bathroom, the detective meekly asked for some pants.
Angie silently heeded his request.
Following the sudden surprise visit from Angie, Shuichi quickly adorned a pair of pants and sat next to the Artist.
Neither of them said anything, only occasionally glancing at each other for seconds at a time.
"So… Angie…" The Detective took the initiative. "How did you get into my room?"
"I have a spare key." Angie finally spoke. "I made a replica similar to yours."
"I-I see…" Shuichi nervously scratched the back of his head. He would've reprimanded her for that violation of privacy but now was not the time. "Why would you do that?"
"I got tired of waiting…" Angie softly mumbled.
The Detective looked at her puzzled but immediately clicked the pieces in place. "You wanted me to console you right?"
The Artist turned to look at him, surprise was written across her face. "How did you…"
Shuichi got up and walked to his desk. Opening the drawer, he pulled out a sickle.
Angie's eyes widened.
It was the sickle she had left behind.
"I remember you telling me once that when you stab a sickle into your window…" Shuichi explained.
"That anyone who sees it must console the person…" Angie finished his statement. "So whenever I'm feeling sad, I have a sickle with me."
"Yeah…" Shuichi smiled. "Though, there weren't any windows at the casino…"
"Yeah…" Angie chuckled.
Shuichi sat back next to her and sighed. "This might not mean a lot to you right now, but I'm sorry. I didn't mean to yell at you like that."
"It's alright Shuichi." Angie bowed her head. "In fact, I should be the one apologizing to you."
"You don't have to…" He scratched the back of his head again. "You're the one that wanted to be cheered up."
"Then let's make it a mutual cheer-up session." The Artist smiled warmly.
Shuichi looked surprised before Angie pulled out a board covered by a small cloth, and gave it to him. "I was hoping to give this to you during the Wedding, but it can work well as an apology gift. Please unwrap it gently, okay?"
The Detective followed her instructions and slowly unwrapped the cloth. There he saw a small canvas the size of his hand, and on that canvas…
"You made this, right?" Shuichi smiled. "What's it of?"
"Huh? You don't recognize it?" The Artist pouted. "It's your face, silly."
"This is me!?" The Detective looked at her shocked. 'It doesn't even look human…'
"Yeah, keep it." Angie poked him. "As my husband, you should accept your wife's gifts. Otherwise, Atua will curse you…"
"Does Atua have to decide everything for you? Even your own Husband?" Shuichi genuinely asked. "Shouldn't you put your feelings first on the matter?"
"Hm? Well…" The Artist put a finger on her chin. "Maybe I want you to be my Husband…"
"What?..." The Detective looked at her puzzled.
"Cuz I really do want to be with you forever." Angie looked down sullenly. "Which was why I got very sad when the wedding was destroyed…"
"You're still going on about that?" Shuichi frowned. "I thought you forgave me about it?"
"I forgave you for yelling at me," Angie responded. "I'm still sad about the wedding, I really thought you would've gone with it."
"Of course I wouldn't," The Detective sighed. "We're close but not that close."
"And why can't we be closer?" The Artist pouted. "You are my first, after all."
"Again with that?" Shuichi bowed his head apologetically. " I'm sorry about the Love Hotel-"
"Love Hotel?" Angie tilted her head. "Whatever do you mean?"
The Detective looked up. "You mean you don't remember last night?"
"Of course, I remember," The Artist pouted. "Monodam showed me the video."
"Then… what are you talking about?" The Detective was genuinely confused at her statement.
"I'll admit last night was also a first for me." Angie blushed. "But that wasn't the first I was talking about."
The Artist then leaned closer to the Detective and whispered into his ear. "You're the first one to ever… get mad at me."
"...Huh?" The detective was pink from how close she was to his shirtless body. What she said baffled his mind until he remembered. "You mean when I yelled at you the first time?" Recalling when Angie tried to strip him out of nowhere.
"Yes! That's exactly it!" The Artist cheered in glee. "Since that moment… I haven't been able to stop thinking about you… I just think about you all the time."
She then moved her face extremely close to his. Their eyes met and Shuichi could've sworn he saw hearts in her pupils. "And when you stood up to me back at the Venue, my heart raced. I had to leave just because of it!"
And at that moment, everything seemed to click in the Detective's head.
'Angie was never scolded before.' Shuichi thought to himself. 'Since her words were the words of Atua, no one bothered to ever defy her. But at the same time this alienated her because using Atua made her an unapproachable messiah…'
Without him realizing it, he wrapped his arms around the smaller girl. The Artist let out a small gasp at the sudden contact.
'Of course, if Angie admits that she was mad at me and sad at the wedding…' Shuichi warmly smiled. 'Then Angie must be letting out her real feelings to me, one of the only people who ever seemed to care.'
"Hey, Shuichi…" Angie smiled back. "Will you be my husband and stay with me forever?"
Snapping back to reality, Shuichi turned his head in embarrassment. "We aren't that close yet!"
"But didn't I say I want us to be closer?" Angie frowned. "And aren't you the one hugging me?"
"Well, this is…" The Detective tried to salvage the situation but-
"Too late~" Angie tearfully smiled before lunging at him.
Before Shuichi realized it Angie lunged forward and pulled him into a kiss. The Detective burned red at the sudden smooch only to reel back in pain when the Artist suddenly bit him.
Shuichi touched the bit part of his lip and noticed that he was bleeding a little. He looked back at Angie who made a gulping motion before licking her lips.
"... It's Bitter." Angie giggled. Her face was just as red as his.
"Angie… you…" The Detective tried to speak words but his mind was starting to overheat.
"The Marriage Ceremony has been completed." Angie started before leaning into Shuichi's bare chest. "We are now Connected by Blood, my Darling Husband~."
"Uh… Uh…" Shuichi was starting to feel dizzy from the atmosphere. He tried to get his reasoning back but Angie continued her assault, pushing him down on his bed.
"You know Shuichi, I'm still feeling a little down." The Artist straddled him. "And you remember how the one who sees the sickle must do Anything to console them, right?"
"...Yeah?" The Detective was breathing heavily. His heart felt like it would jump out of his chest at any moment.
Angie laughed before giving him a heart-melting smile. "Then as my husband, you know what I want you to do… Don't you?"
Shuichi could only weakly scream and his mind gave in to her advances.
For the rest of the day, nobody else saw those two until the next morning.
They were found walking hand in hand with each other.
Angie was extremely ecstatic.
And Shuichi was mildly embarrassed.
They were bombarded with questions as they all had the Wedding Cake for Breakfast.,
Did I forget to mention how much fun I had writing this?
Anyway something important to address:
I'm not going to be writing full-on lemons for the characters. I might imply it, but I'm not going to be writing full-on sex scenes. I'm not comfortable writing those scenes for a fic like this so apologies if you expected more.
Another thing to note is that we've got three girl chapters but nothing for the boys yet. So can you guys please vote for some guys? I want to even it out a little.
Last but not least, I opened a Tumblr blog for this fic. So I can update you guys on the latest news on my writings: blog/nextberserker
Other than that, I hoped you enjoyed it and have a good day.
P.S. Here's Angie's Wedding Dress: /a/wEMUVSK