Chapter 2: Duel Noir 1, part 3
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Danganronpa Kirigiri Volume 1
Chapter 2: Duel Noir 1, part 3
"Are you gonna have cameras following me around 24/7 like some kind of TV doc.u.mentary?"
"No, no cameraman will be accompanying you. I shall explain the rules regarding that matter later on."
"Got it. Now, hurry up and tell me the true culprit already."
"I am still not finished with my explanation."
"There"s still more?" He raised his voice unthinkingly, disgruntled.
"There is another important point that we have not yet discussed. From here, you shall await your loan and a.s.sume the objective of killing your target, but that alone is an empty pursuit. If, for example, you were to sneak up on your target from behind as they were walking down the street at night, and bludgeon them to death with a blunt object... That would certainly be revenge, but it would not be Catharsis. It emphatically does not qualify as Catharsis."
"What do you mean?"
"Salvation is found in overcoming obstacles. True Catharsis is only found after facing difficult trials."
"Huh?"
"Let us discuss in more concrete terms." The old man adjusted his position to sit facing him. "As I said before, you will be purchasing the Techniques that we offer. Allow us to call this choosing your cards. We possess countless of these cards, all perfectly suited to committing the perfect crime. For example, there are cards with weapons, cards indicating appropriate locations for committing a crime, cards with directions for impossible crimes... These cards have costs determined by their effectiveness and practicality. Then, a Deck is built in advance for the commencing Catharsis, using the cards you have selected."
"I don"t really understand what you"re getting at..."
"Let us use a past instance of Catharsis as reference. In that particular case, the person seeking revenge selected the School location card from us. They also selected the Metal Bat weapon and, to escape suspicion, the Hidden Room trick."
"Hidden Room? You can even buy that kinda thing?"
"Yes; please consider that there is nothing money cannot buy, so long as someone is willing to invest the money in you. Incidentally, in this example, the cost of the School was 40 million yen, the Metal Bat was 3 million yen, and the Hidden Room was 100 million yen, for a total sum of 143 million yen. All prices are calculated in yen."
"Wait a sec, those prices are ridiculous. Why"s a Metal Bat cost 3 mil? I could go down to a sports shop around town and probably get one for less than 10 thousand, right?"
"Please consider that the weapons that we offer are worth no less than advertised. Now, listen, if you did go down to the sports shop to buy a weapon, you would be instantly leaving tracks behind. The ma.s.s-produced model, the model number, the store, and then, the store"s security cameras... Every bit of information would have your name written on it in invisible ink, waiting to be revealed. But with the weapons we prepare for you, you need not worry about such things."
"I see... I get it now."
"Now we arrive at the important part. Regarding those obstacles I said you would have to overcome... While we do give you the opportunity to take revenge, at the same time, we also summon a detective to pursue you."
"A detective...?"
"Indeed. A single detective is selected based on the total cost of your Deck. The higher the cost of your Deck, the higher the rank of the detective that will be chosen. On the other hand, if you keep your costs low, you will receive a low-ranked detective; however, you will not have the cards necessary to commit a perfect crime."
"What the h.e.l.l? You mean I have to get chased after from the start?"
"Yes; we believe that Catharsis is only brought about under fair conditions. Standing up to the obstacle of a detective, in itself, awards pure Catharsis and a sense of fulfillment. If you do not agree with this way of thinking, then it is clear that our point of view differs from yours, and I will be forced to report to the higher-ups that nothing came of our talk here today."
"I still don"t know what you"re thinking... But, just on a personal level, I don"t think I"ll find any salvation in taking the coward"s way out either," he said, shrugging his shoulders. "You"re saying that the whole point is getting the revenge fair and square, right?"
"Indeed. So you do meet old Endou"s expectations perfectly after all. In effect! What is required of you is not that you successfully exact revenge. It is that you conquer the ordeal of the detective. Is this acceptable?"
"Yeah."
"Very well then! Let us review the sequence of events. First, you use our funds to purchase our Techniques. Then, you combine what you have purchased into a plan known as your Deck, gradually building upon your ideas until you have something practical and concrete. Subsequently, the Deck that you prepare is turned into a written challenge, which is then sent to the chosen detective."
"Hey, wait a sec. Written challenge? You go out of your way to send the detective an official statement on the crime about to happen? That puts me at an obvious disadvantage."
"We wish to provide you with the absolute most fair challenge possible. The strategy starts at the very beginning. It is essential for you to construct your Deck keeping this knowledge in mind." The old man"s scar twisted. "The only information the detective knows in advance is that which is in the Deck you have built. Naturally, we do not mention your name, current location, and so on."
Doesn"t that still put me at a big disadvantage? Maybe it"s better to keep the cost down as much as possible for the set of Techniques for the Deck, so that I"ll get a lower-ranked detective. Or maybe I should blow tons of money on it, to use whatever Techniques I want for a perfect crime...
"Now then, the envelope for the written challenge is embedded with a small chip, which transmits electro-magnetic waves when the seal is broken. The instant the detective opens the envelope, that signals the start of the challenge. The conditions for your victory are for you to murder the target, and then pa.s.s 168 hours without being indicted by the detective. When the time is up, your Catharsis will be complete. And in the event that this occurs—voilà ! You will be repaid with the exact amount of money that your Deck cost. And, so that you are not pursued as a criminal beyond that, we will apply for you to be placed in a protection program. If you wish, we will erase all traces of your past up until that point, opening up the possibility of beginning your life again from scratch, as a new man."
"Is something like that... really possible?" That was the most important part, to him. Starting over with a new life. If he could do that...
"It is possible."
Those words alone were enough.
Stay tuned for the next update next Sunday (PST)!