The Theater’s Unveiling and a Troubling Photograph

After our individual music sessions concluded, I immediately made my way to the small room at the front, the one I had initially spotted upon entering the recording studio and stared at for a long while. That must be the control room for recording and editing audio, wouldn’t it?

To my surprise, a computer sat there! Driven by a surge of excitement, I settled into the rocking chair and moved the mouse.

I had hoped to use the computer to check external news and updates, but alas, it couldn’t connect to the internet; there was no discoverable shared or wireless network nearby.

“Ah… I just tried this computer; it can run Minesweeper.” Yuusuke remarked, having appeared beside me without my notice.

“Oh! And little games like Spider Solitaire too~!” Nanase chimed in, appearing happily beside me as well.

“…Playing games is one thing, but can it access the internet…?”

“Er… that’s a tough one,” Yuusuke replied with a wry smile.

“…It seems this computer won’t be able to help us contact the outside world after all,” Takagi mused after a long deliberation.

“By the way, the recording studio is right next to the library. Is this room arrangement really appropriate…?” I voiced the question that had been lingering in my mind.

“Eh? The room next door is the library…? Did I just disturb anyone trying to read in there…? Oh no… I remember the last time I went to the library to borrow a book, I annoyed the librarian so much they furiously kicked me out. Even now, the memory makes me cringe…” Yuusuke lamented, pressing a hand to his forehead.

“Absolutely no need to worry!!” Monokuma suddenly declared, leaping out to explain.

“The rooms on the third floor have top-notch soundproofing! Even if you were to scream for help, no one outside would hear a thing~?”

“What?! Scream for help?! What in the world are you talking about? Don’t spout such nonsense!”

Monokuma, however, simply ignored Yuusuke and exited the recording studio.

“H-he actually ignored me?? How infuriating!!”

“I’ll go check somewhere else…” I decided, leaving the recording studio and heading towards the last unexplored room: the “Theater”.

This theater had doors at both its front and back, all capable of being locked.

Without hesitation, I stepped inside, my eyes immediately drawn to the auditorium, filled with rows of seats, and the dazzling lights illuminating the stage from above, where performers were already in motion.

On stage stood Suzuki and Takahashi, both engaged in a synchronized dance. Their light, elegant, and dynamic movements allowed them to spin freely with closed eyes, their graceful steps back and forth making them appear refined and beautiful. Indeed, if accompanied by a melodious piano piece, their performance would undoubtedly be elevated to an even higher level.

Come to think of it… wasn’t this dance called a waltz…?

Unaware of when I had become so engrossed in their dance, I found myself seated in the audience, with Kitajima, Katagiri, Ishii, and others quietly watching the performance beside me.

The two on stage slowly brought their dance to a halt, bowing deeply to signal the performance’s conclusion. I applauded their act with genuine sincerity, and the others, too, offered their praises.

“That was truly impressive dancing…”

“I never would’ve thought Suzuki had such skill in dancing…”

“More importantly, Takahashi’s movements were incredibly graceful and elegant…”

Everyone offered high commendations for the performance.

“Hearing such high praise for our performance truly overwhelms me with gratitude,” Suzuki declared, his face beaming.

“I feel the same… Thank you all for your kind words,” Takahashi added, gracing us with a sweet smile.

“Ah… may this beautiful lady grace me with…” Suzuki instantly advanced towards me, extending an unexpected invitation for a gentleman’s dance. However, my reaction was so sharp, as if I’d been injected with an adrenaline shot, that I swiftly deployed a “backstep,” ensuring a significant distance between us!

Before he could finish his sentence, I mercilessly cut in, “Allow me to decline.”

“Eh? I wasn’t finished yet…”

“No need to waste your breath; I have already refused.”

“Could it be… Anko truly despises me so…?” At that moment, his eyes were vacant, like a melancholic poet who had just suffered a catastrophic blow.

Suddenly, tears welled in his eyes, his pathetic, tear-streaked appearance leaving me utterly at a loss. He looked just like a sweet child who had been mercilessly bullied by an older girl.

“Uh… it’s not that I dislike you… I simply don’t know how to dance.”

“It’s perfectly fine, you know? If you don’t know how, I’ll teach you.” He suddenly reverted to his normal self, truly changing his demeanor faster than one could flip a page!

“No, thank you. I simply don’t wish to dance,” I interjected, my expression devoid of emotion, shattering his illusion.

“Waaahhh!!!” Suzuki immediately burst into a fit of wailing upon hearing my reply.

“Stop being dramatic!” Honestly… how could a grown man act like such a mischievous child…

“Eh… what kind of ‘play’ is Kamimura-san engaging in with Suzuki this time? Tell me, tell me!” It was Katagiri’s turn to be utterly thrilled, and even those nearby began gathering, eager to watch the unfolding drama.

“This isn’t ‘play’!” I retorted instantly, cutting off her words.

“Oh? Judging by your reaction… are you shy?” Katagiri asked, grinning mischievously at me.

“…” I walked up to her and gently, yet firmly, pinched her cheek.

“Ow, ow, ow!! Kamimura-san, don’t bully me!” Tears welled in her eyes.

“Even off stage, Suzuki never forgets to put on a show…” Kitajima muttered to himself.

After this little commotion subsided, I prepared to ascend the stage and look around. Logically, a theater should always have an auxiliary room…

Sure enough, a room was located behind the stage, and I entered it without hesitation to investigate.

Makeup tables, dressing rooms, a lounge, and machinery for adjusting lights and moving curtains were all housed within this room. I wandered around, but upon entering the lounge, a photograph on a glass table immediately captivated my attention. I rushed over and picked it up.

The photograph depicted Takahashi, adorned with a medal, standing proudly in the center, surrounded by everyone, their faces radiant with laughter and joy. Amagasa and Furuhata were also present, their cheerful, conversing expressions striking me as almost unbelievable, a stark contrast to how they appeared when we first met here.

A cloud of suspicion began to form in my mind: ‘When exactly did Amagasa’s “incident” occur…?’

Yet, all signs on the photograph suggested that it most likely happened *after* the time period this picture represented…

‘What if… this photograph was fabricated by Monokuma…?’

It was too real… so realistic, in fact, that it hardly seemed like a deliberate forgery.

I re-examined every detail of the photograph, yet I couldn’t find a single flaw.

It was then that I suddenly noticed an anomaly: Everyone else appeared in this photograph, but what about me…? No, more accurately, what about “Kamimura Anko”? Why wasn’t she captured in the shot?

Ah… then a plausible reason occurred to me: perhaps the reason I wasn’t in the photo was because I was the one taking it.

‘But that’s not right… If this photograph had been developed by my own hands, how would it have ended up in a place like this?’

It was as if someone had deliberately left this photograph here for me to discover… Could it be that such a picture holds a significant connection to this entire location…?

However, upon closer reflection, perhaps these were merely my own wild conjectures… It might just be that my recent excessive suspicion and overthinking had taken a toll on my mental state.