Blades of Despair

-Chapter Seventy-

The Secrets of Seiko Academy: Part III

This chapter is told from Mina's perspective

I was looking forward to working with Ori; she had always been very helpful in past investigations and trials, so I had no doubt that this time would be no different. She wasn't particularly talkative as we headed to our destination - the office on the highest floor of the academy. I tried to chat to her about the volumes of the Tetralogy that we had been given (the third and fourth) but she did not respond; she just stared at the ground as we walked. Maybe she's just tired, I told myself, though I couldn't shake the feeling that something more sinister was playing on her mind. She was like this after Iowa's trial, I recalled, when she was with Nishi and I. Nishi did all the talking, and Ori didn't say a word. What could she be thinking?

"I hope we find lots of clues," I was saying above the racket of the elevator's clunking gears, "and then we can kick this mastermind's butt!" Ori looked at me, but her eyes were vacant.

"Let's focus on the mission, Mina," she told me. That was all she said to me until we reached the office. She laid out the two volumes of the Tetralogy of Despair, retrieved Amano's journal from its secret compartment under the desk and placed it next to the other books.

"Right, where shall we start?" I chirped happily, eager to get started on solving the mysteries of the academy. Ori was less enthused about the work we had to do.

"We can split the two volumes between us - I'll take the fourth, you can read the third." Before I had time to argue, Ori picked up the book, sat against the farthest wall from me and buried her nose in the book, not making eye contact with me. What's gotten into her? I only asked about the investigation. I frowned, but shrugged and opened the book that Ori had designated to me, titled The Blades of Despair. I opened it up, and began to read through, though was quickly startled to see that dozens of pages had been torn from the book's spine. That's odd... why have they been removed? Did... Yoneda take more than just those binders? I stroked the frayed edges where the missing pages used to be.

"No use dwelling on it," I whispered to myself. "I should just keep reading." I turned over the first fresh page where the text began and peered down at the words:

As detailed in Volume II of the Tetralogy of Despair, the group known as the Blades of Despair was founded by Kinji Ishotaru and the families of the victims of the first killing game. Over time, these families were sent out to recruit participants of future killing games. This was done by falsifying the purpose of the academy to the invitees and promising a future of incomparable success. Kinji Ishotaru knew of human greed thanks to his own family's wealth, so it was not difficult to find students who fit the criteria of killing game participants.

Once a batch of students were selected, Kinji Ishotaru made an offer to their families. He would reveal to them the true purpose of Seiko Academy, inform them that there was a small chance of survival for their child and offered them two options; the same choices given to the families of Kinji Ishotaru's classmates. They could either join the Blades of Despair and work for Kinji Ishotaru, or die. Most families, too greedy to save their own lives, resolved to help Kinji and fell under the sway of his power. Those that defied him were slaughtered and their wealth stolen. Given the riches already possessed by the Blades, it was very simple to cover up the deaths and 'pay off' any potential whistleblowers. Thus, the Blades of Despair's numbers grew at an alarming rate.

However, it soon became a mammoth task to keep the secret of Seiko Academy, and Kinji Ishotaru grew anxious about the fate of the academy and the killing games if word got out about its true nature. He therefore ordered the construction of a town that surrounded Seiko Academy, which had been built in a remote location. The influences of the more powerful members of the academy were able to shun away most of the attention - after all, a town suddenly appearing was sure to attract some unwanted guests. All of the members of the Blades emigrated to this town and isolated themselves from the rest of the world, allowing the killing games to continue undisturbed.