Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

A man struggles in a chair, bound to the seat by rope. His dark hair, cropped short, is matted down to his head with sweat. He cannot see due to the blindfold covering his eyes.

"Puhuhuhu!"

He can see the faint glow of red from beneath his blindfold. His breath picks up and stutters. His heart is running miles in his chest and attacking his senses with nothing but panic.

He screams and tries to break free as he hears the sound of hissing and metal closing.

His body jolts as his organs slam around inside of him, forcing down from the pressure on his body. His stomach lurches and forces acidic bile up his throat to sting his mouth.

For a moment, the pressure of rising up stops. The man gulps down his last precious ties to life before he's coming back down.

Fire emerges on the speared point of the rocket, burning through the metal and roasting the man alive. He screams and writhes, but the fire continues to lick his body and tear away at his flesh.

Crash!

The robot, a black and white bear, giggles as the doors open up and drops out a skeleton. The bright red eye on the black side of his body glows a deep red.

Despair...

Chapter Text

A new day, a new school!

A girl stares up at the large building in front of her with hope shining in her eyes, sparkling from her immense joy. Her hands are clasped together in front of her chest as she works to keep herself from spiraling into a squealing mess.

The white of her school uniform shirt blends with the blue draped over her shoulders, tied with a red knot on it. Her skirt inches down to her mid-thigh, her blue stockings just below her knees, and her white shoes covering her feet.

Nodding, she tugs at the black cape draped over her shoulders. The collar is popped like a stereotypical biker but clasped together by a white snap button.

Hope's Peak Academy… It's the most well-known school in Japan. Maybe all of the world! Students from all over, if they have enough potential, are given a chance at such a prestigious school and given the title of an Ultimate.

Ultimate Detective of the 78th Class… Ultimate Blacksmith of the 77th Class A… Even an Ultimate Clairvoyant!

And this… this is her chance to show everyone that she isn't just some normal girl! That she has a talent like her brother!

Wait…

Scratching the back of her head, she ruffles the short, greenish-brown hair and chuckles.

"My name is Komaru Naegi," The girl, Komaru, nods and smiles. She needs to reassure herself that what's happening is real. "And I'm going to Hope's Peak as the Ultimate Spirit Medium!"

Komaru's brother, Makoto, is waiting for her to arrive. Sure, she's at the old building right now, but she was instructed to come here by the principal who assured her that the rest of her class would be there as well.

She walks through the gates and takes a deep breath. As soon as her foot hits the other side of the open gate, Komaru's vision wobbles and dots black along the corners.

"Wh-Wha…?" She mumbles, feeling sick.

This uncomfortable vertigo washes over her and whispers venom in her ear. "Go to sleep," It says. "Don't you need this break?"

Komaru's eyes flutter and dark overtakes her vision.

Ugh…

Consciousness creeps up on her like a predator in the wake of its prey. It's calculating and slow yet comfortable in a way. Knowing that at any moment the predator can pounce and wake you up or allow the prey to run, causing a fleeting chase between sleep and consciousness.

Unfortunately for Komaru, the predator wins.

Komaru lifts her head from her folded arms and glances around, unsure of her place in the world. She smacks her lips and wipes at her mouth to clear away the wet line of drool down her chin.

She's sitting at a hard wooden desk at the back of a classroom. The atmosphere is dead and stale as if something awful happened.

It's unnerving to be in an empty classroom after the other students and teachers already went home. It feels like a video game Komaru played with Makoto ages ago where these people were trapped in a hospital. Creepy… There were death flags everywhere!

Oh no! Is Komaru having a protagonist moment? Are her death flags appearing already?!

Komaru stands from the desk and trips on the leg of the chair. She tumbles to the ground and onto her bottom, whining as she frees her leg from the never-faltering metal of the chair's leg. Pushing herself back up onto her feet, Komaru looks around in bemusement.

It is a normal classroom. Rows of desks sit facing the green chalkboard with the teacher's podium in front of the latter. A clock hangs above the board.

The only strange thing she notices is a security camera in one corner of the room and a monitor screen in the opposite corner. Not to mention the windows covered by huge metal sheets that are bolted down.

Weirded out, Komaru shuffles to the front of the classroom and spots a piece of lined notebook paper sitting on the podium. She picks it up, curious, and reads it.

Hey, hey! When you wake up make sure to go to the entrance of the school by 8 AM sharp! There, you can meet the other Ultimate students!

Who wrote this…? No, that doesn't matter. She needs to go to the front of the school and get out of here.

Her hazel eyes look up at the clock. 8:15?! She's late! She's late!

Komaru rushes to the door and slides it open before stepping out into the empty hallway. She apologizes softly as she begins a slow sprint through the school.

The hallways are long and empty, and the checkered flooring gives the halls the illusion of being never-ending. The purple lighting slowly fades out to other colors as she tries different doors. They only lead to another classroom, a locked nurse's office, and more.

When she finally bursts into the entrance to the school, Komaru is out of breath and wishing she had taken PE more seriously. 

"S-Sorry I'm late!" Komaru rests her hands on her knees and phews in relief. "I'm… hah… I'm Komaru Naegi, the Ultimate Spirit Medium…"

"And that makes eighteen of us," A rather large male says. He has blond hair and glasses. His body is clothed in a white business suit with a crossed tie over his shirt.

Komaru looks at all of the other Ultimates confused. Eighteen? Aren't there only supposed to be sixteen Ultimates in each class? She must have read the forums wrong…

"No matter!" A large muscular man with facial hair on his chin and cheeks points at Komaru. He has two lines of scars down his eyes which crackle and snap with electricity. He's wearing a white tank top with a black jacket over it, and very... form-fitting blue joggers. His shoes are wooden, and the intimidating chains he has wrapped around his shoulders hold only a tiny whistle. "YOU'RE LATE! To build trust and confidence in others, you shouldn't be nearly twenty minutes late to our first meeting!"

Komaru cries out and bends at the waist repeatedly. "Sorry! I-I didn't mean to! I… I just fell asleep when I came into the school and woke up on a desk!"

"You too?" A male with wild white hair says. He looks surprised. "You see, the same thing happened to us. We walked into the school and…"

Darkness. Komaru assumes she must have passed out somehow.

"Ah, but enough about that!" The white-haired male chuckles and holds up his hand. "If we're all classmates, we should get to know each other!"

A pink-haired male deadpans. "Yeah, sure, let's introduce each other without a care in the world!" He's nervous with his hand on his head and face pale. "Even with this big problem!"

Komaru decides to start on the right and work her way left. She walks over to a girl who's digging her finger into her ear. She has soft brown skin and browner hair. She's wearing a short red skirt and a short-sleeved, white button-down shirt that is buttoned low on her chest to show her large cleavage.

Komaru blushes and looks away. "Hey… uh…"

The girl opens her eyes to reveal grey irises that shine when she sees Komaru. "Oh, 'sup,"

Nothing else. The medium clears her throat and waves. "Hi! Uh… What's your name?"

"Huh?" Her arm comes down to prop on her hip. "My name? Oh, yeah! The name's Akane Owari, the Ultimate Gymnast! Nice to meetcha! Hey… your name's, uh."

Komaru blinks and tilts her head at the pause.

Akane snaps her fingers. "Right! You're Karen, right?"

That wasn't even close to her name! Komaru sweatdrops.

"N-No, it's Komaru," The brunette says. Akane blinks. "Komaru Naegi? I said my name, like… like a minute ago?"

"Yeah, ok? I'll just have'ta take your word for it,"

She doesn't remember?!

"But you look like you can handle yourself in a fight! I betcha could survive some apocalypse!" Akane punches her fist into her palm with a grin. "Wanna fight sometime? Hell, I've been lookin' for a fight for a while!"

Komaru sweatdrops and shakes her head and hands. "No, no! That's fine! I'm pretty weak, s-so we don't need to fight!"

Deflating, the gymnast groans in defeat. "Aw man… I was lookin' forward to fightin' someone!"

"Maybe some other time? Not with me? And maybe preferably with no punches?"

"But…" Akane groans. "No punching sucks the fun outta it… Eh, oh well. See ya later… Katie?"

She forgot my name again?! Komaru sweatdrops.

Komaru goes to the next person. It's a blonde girl about Komaru's height with her hair in one large ponytail. She's wearing an orange kimono and a green sash over her waist. She looks slightly out of it.

Her orange eyes snap to Komaru, and her lips curls. "Ugh, what's with the cape? Do you hide under there to keep your stench from killing other people?"

That was unnecessarily harsh! Too blunt… Komaru grins shakily and sticks out her hand. The girl looks at it in disgust. "I'm Komaru Naegi!"

"I'm Hiyoko Saionji! I'm the Ultimate Traditional Dancer!" Her attitude switches from disgust to cheerful in a snap, and Komaru nearly has whiplash over it. "Just so you know, if you stick your nasty appendage near me again, I'll cut it off and shove it up your ass!" Again with that sweet, cheerful smile.

"There's no need to do that!" Komaru smiles uncomfortably and blanches. "I'm sure we'll be good friends!"

"Friends?" Hiyoko pouts out her lips. "Tch… Like I'd be friends with a loser like you. If you wanna be my friend, I suggest you look in the mirror and change that fake superhero persona you're going for."

Komaru tugs self-consciously at her cape. "It's… No, it's an aesthetic! I'm a spirit medium, so I need the aesthetic of someone mysterious!" She waves her hands over her eyes and wiggles her fingers.

Hiyoko deadpans. "You're about as mysterious as an ant crawling up a wall. Not at all. Run along, I don't have time to babysit a wannabe Ultimate,"

Hurt, Komaru goes to the next person. This next one is a guy with two-colored hair. He's busy sticking his hair up into a swivel. He's wearing a long overcoat with his left sleeve rolled up to his elbow, arm covered in bandages. He has leather boots on and a long purple scarf around his neck. His eyes are two different colors--red and grey--and he has a lightning bolt tattoo over his eye.

"Hi!" She hurriedly grabs the male's hand and shakes it, not noticing his wide-eyed stare. "I'm–!"

The male gapes at her. "You… touched me?"

Komaru furrows her brows. "Uh…"

"You touched me… But no mortal has ever laid their hands on me!" The male sweats and leans forward making Komaru lean back. "I must ask… who are you?"

"My name is Komaru Naegi, the Ultimate Spirit Medium…" The girl smiles.

He pulls his hand back and poses dramatically. "Heh… You are brave, Dark Observer. To touch the Dark Lord of the Underworld!" He laughs. "However, I shall not leave a fellow kindred spirit to be introduced alone. In honor of your courage, I will reveal my name to you!

"You may call me… Gundham Tanaka, the Ultimate Breeder! Remember it well, for it is the name that will one day rule this world!"

Komaru raises her brows. "R-Rule this world? But isn't the world already ruled by other people! Like politicians?"

"Keh. They are mere scum compared to the mighty Supreme Overlord of Ice!" He crosses his arms and closes his eyes. "Now then, it is my turn to ask you questions. Tell me, whose master are you?"

The brunette cups her chin and hums. "Uh… I have a dog back home?"

Gundham seems impressed if his smirk says anything. "Ah, the mighty beast… You managed to tame him with little trouble, I assume?"

"Y-Yeah, he's a good boy! I give him belly rubs and–and I give him extra treats when he's been extra good!"

"Fuhuhuhu…! Astounding! I have never met a mortal capable of correctly taming such a beast!" Gundham grins. "No, it would be wrong of me to call you a mortal; after all, you managed to touch me even though my touch is poisonous!"

Komaru gapes. "Y-You're poisonous?!"

"Indeed. My blood is thick with a deadly poison. It is why I have never been able to come into contact with worthless mortals," The animal breeder looks down at the hand Komaru grabbed earlier and stares intensely. "You… You are different."

Komaru grins toothily. "Yeah! My brother always says I'm different, so I can believe you too!"

"Very well," Gundham waves his hand and turns away. "Run along. We will reconvene at a later date to discuss our hellish beasts. Grrr! If only my Four Dark Devas of Destruction weren't lost…!"

He looks worried but is clearly trying to keep it together. Komaru sends him a small smile and moves on to the next person to talk to.

It's the overweight male with the white suit and blond hair. "State your business,"

Komaru falters. "U-Uh… I just want to introduce myself?"

"Don't sound so unsure of yourself. If you're going to speak to me, be sure about your words and how you say them," He crosses his arms and lifts his chin. "Now then. My name is Byakuya Togami, the Ultimate Affluent Progeny."

The medium is still silent.

"Well? Speak your business, Komaru. You may have already said your name, but I am being generous,"

"K-Komaru Naegi! Ultimate Spirit Medium!"

"Tch," He turns away.

Komaru pouts. He's pretty rude!

"Don't mind him," A smaller male says. Komaru turns to him and sees that he's about Makoto's height. He has shoulder length strawberry blonde hair and tired bags under his eyes. His uniform is disheveled, and he's holding a notebook and pencil in his hand. "He's been on edge ever since we woke up. I'm Ryota Mitarai, the Ultimate Animator."

Komaru smiles. Finally! Someone normal!

"Komaru Naegi!"

"O-Oh… uh, you don't need to talk to me," Ryota mumbles and shuffles on his feet. "Everyone I know steers clear of me because I'm, y’know, on top of the world from my animating skills. I don't want to get in your way."

"What…? Animating skills?" Komaru gasps. "Wait. You're Ryota Mitarai? That Ryota Mitarai?!"

"Y-Yeah, that's me…"

"You've inspired me so much in the past few years! I've always wanted to draw manga, but I've never known where to start!" Her hazel eyes sparkle as she bounces in place, hands clasped over her chest. "Will you please teach me your ways?!"

Ryota mumbles and nods.

"Yes!" Komaru pumps her fist. "I can show you what I do! This is so exciting! I can, hehe, illustrate my skills to you!"

"Was… Was that supposed to be a pun?"

"... That bad?"

"... No?"

Ah… She probably weirded him out…

She smiles awkwardly and turns to go to the next person. She bumps into a taller person with long, dark brown hair and blood red eyes. He's wearing a fancy black suit and tie.

"H-Hello! Sorry, didn't see you there," Komaru sweeps her hands over his broad shoulders and takes a step back. He stares at her unfazed. "Um… What's your name?"

The male blinks. "Izuru Kamukura, but I prefer to be called by my last name,"

Komaru waits for him to say more, but he remains silent. "Uh… What's your talent?"

"I see. You are the person who came into the school rather abruptly," Izuru tilts his head and blinks. "It threw off some plans; however, I already have predicted at least seven outcomes for this journey to end."

Komaru flinches. Talk about creepy…

"Uh, but… I walked into the school like a normal person. What do you mean by 'came into the school rather abruptly'?"

Izuru hums. "I cannot guarantee that you'll figure it out, but I know a lot. After all, I am the Ultimate Hope,"

Ultimate… Hope? This sounds like a simple talent. Actually, it sounds pretty vague. Who has a talent of being an "Ultimate Hope"? Not that she's discriminating against that, but… hope as a talent? Really?

Shuffling away, Komaru comes back to the white-haired male. He looks ghostly pale and sick yet healthy at the same time, and his eyes are a pale grey color. He's wearing a large green jacket with red squares dotting along his right shoulder. His white shirt has a red streak pattern on it, and his shoes have zippers on them. Zippers?

"You're Komaru Naegi, right?" He grabs her hands in his and holds them to his chest. Komaru grimaces as he sways back and forth. "I didn't see your name on the forums, but I must have missed such a name! Komaru Naegi… The world will be filled with more hope once you graduate!"

"Th-Thanks, but… Who are you?"

"Ah… You must not want someone like me touching you, right?" He pulls back with a smile, and he doesn't seem hurt at her reaction. "I understand. I'm Nagito Komaeda. My talent doesn't deserve to be held by me… My Ultimate Lucky Student title should go to someone who deserves it. Me? I'm just a guy who's dragged along even if no one wants to be around him. Despite that, I still believe in my luck."

"Don't be too hard on yourself!" Komaru grabs his hand and holds it tight, eyes intensely staring up into Nagito's. "If my older brother can have the talent of the Ultimate Lucky Student and be confident in himself, then you can too! I believe in you!"

Nagito's eyes widen and water. "What glorious hope! You believe in worthless filth like me…?"

"Don't call yourself worthless filth! And you aren't trash either!"

"I… never said trash, but if you want me to–"

"Sorry, I got caught up in the moment," Komaru pulls back and scratches her cheek. She smiles softly. "But… Please don't put yourself down."

Nagito's brows slowly raise as a flush overcomes his cheeks. "No one's ever said that to me…" He clasps his hands to his chest and nearly drools. "But I would be an idiot not to follow the command of the shining hope of the future!"

Komaru laughs slowly. He just… did it again.

"Hey, you're doing a lot of talking over here!" A girl with short red hair and a camera steps in and glares at Nagito. "Aren't we supposed to let her introduce herself to the rest of us? You're hogging her up and we'll be delayed!"

Nagito raises his hands passively, chuckling. "Ah, I understand. The power of hope must continue on and stay away from me… With my luck, I might taint it, right?"

The girl rolls her eyes and looks at Komaru. "Hey, he wasn't bothering you, right?"

"N-No, not at all!" Komaru promises. "He was just… being nice! In his own way…"

"Huh. These boys need to stand up and take some responsibility," The girl rambles. "I mean, we're currently barred inside of this school and the door won't open, but the guys won't stand up and try to help open it."

Komaru blinks. "Then… why don't the girls try and help them?"

"Because the guys are supposed to be protecting us in a situation like this!"

Right… That seems pretty mean to just put all the responsibility on guys like that. If she wants stuff done, why doesn't she try to get it done?

"But anyway, enough about boys," The girl smiles. "My name is Mahiru Koizumi, the Ultimate Photographer. It's a pleasure to meet you."

The brunette smiles. "Komaru Naegi…! But I guess you already know that,"

"Yeah, but it's sweet watching you introduce yourself only to realize you already did that," Mahiru giggles. Her cheeks tint pink and emphasizes her freckles. "You're pretty adorable, Komaru."

"A-Adorable? Heh, the only person who's ever called me adorable other than my parents was my teacher when I was younger!" The medium grins at the memory. "Actually! He made me realize I was a spirit medium because I woke up from sleeping during the night, and he was right next to my bed! He told me not to tell anyone what I saw, and the next day he wasn't at school because he died and I talked to his ghost!"

Mahiru sweatdrops. "Oh… R-Right, I'm sure that… man was a ghost…"

"I know right! It was scary, but I could see ghosts!"

Mahiru nods, becoming more and more uncomfortable.

"Bye, Mahiru!" Komaru skips to the next person and misses the concerned stare Mahiru sent her.

"Why, hello there!" A short round male with a long pompadour says. He's wearing a white cooking coat with a red apron wrapped around his waist. A small chef's hat sits on top of his hair which leans to the side. "I must say, you are looking mighty delicious, sweetheart!"

Komaru blushes. "Uh… Thanks?"

"Where are my manners? My name is Teruteru Hanamura. On the streets, they call me the Ultimate Cook, but… can you call me the Ultimate Chef?" He holds up two fingers with a wink. "It has more of a big city flavor to it."

Ultimate Chef… That's so cool! Komaru's mouth waters as she pictures all of the meals he could possibly make in her mind.

"Ooo, I know that look!" Teruteru swoops forward and combs his hair to fix it. "You're thinkin' of my cookin', right? Thinkin' about that fine sear on the meat and the crisp flavoring of the rice?

"Darlin', I wouldn't mind showin' you some'a my meat…"

Komaru nods feverishly. "Yes! I'd love to see it!"

"Excellent! Now then--Eep!"

Komaru sees a shadow fall over the short chef and turns around. She gulps when she sees the muscle-man from earlier, glaring down at the two of them.

"A-Actually!" The chef sweats. "I have somethin' else to do! Suddenly!" He scampers off.

"SHOW ME YOUR SPIRIT!" The man yells.

Komaru screeches and takes a step back. "I-I'm sorry!"

The man pauses and stares down at her for a long moment. Then he bursts into boisterous laughter.

"Gahaha! Sorry 'bout that! Didn't mean to scare ya, kid!" He grins. "Just wanted to meet the rebel who decided to be late!"

"What--I didn't try to be late!" She pouts. "I'm Komaru Naegi!"

"I'M NEKOMARU NIDAI! I'M THE ULTIMATE TEAM MANAGER!" He booms. The yell echoes off of the walls. "Now, introduce yourself to me."

Komaru furrows her brows. "Huh? But I already did?"

"No, you said it too soft!" Nekomaru exclaims. "Say it louder!"

"K-Komaru Naegi!"

"Louder!"

"I-I'm Komaru Naegi!"

"LOUDER!"

"MY NAME IS KOMARU NAEGI!"

Nekomaru smirks. "YES, YOU ARE! YOU INTRODUCE YOURSELF BY ANNOUNCING YOURSELF! I AM HERE!"

Komaru pants. "My voice…" It cracks.

Nekomaru gives her a slap on the back that forces the air out of her lungs. "Gahaha! You'll get used to that!"

Komaru gives a shaky smile and continues on to the next person.

This girl is a little shorter than Komaru with shoulder length, pale pink hair that curls at its ends. She has on a black jacket and a white blouse underneath that. Her beige skirt is covered slightly by her jacket and goes to her mid-thigh. She's wearing a pink backpack and a pink bow on her collar.

The girl glances at Komaru and smiles. "I'm Chiaki Nanami, the Ultimate Gamer. Video games are my life, and I play a multitude of genres,"

Ultimate Gamer, huh? That's so cool! Her class seems so fun so far! But Chiaki seems pretty bored. Did she forget her game system at home?

"Komaru Naegi. Hey, is that a Galaga pin in your hair?" Komaru points at it.

Almost immediately, the girl's bored eyes snap to Komaru with a new vigor filling them. "You know about Galaga?! I thought I was the only one who knew about and played it in today's age!"

Komaru giggles and cocks her head. "It's hard not to know a classic. Me and my brother Makoto played this game in an old arcade all the time before it was torn down and turned into a real estate market,"

"We should discuss games we've played growing up! Or--Or games we play today! Or games we wish we could play but can't get a hold of them!" Chiaki rambles with an excited gleam in her pink eyes.

"Totally! That sounds like so much fun!" Komaru smiles.

"Will you two stop yelling over there?" A short male in a black suit, striped with thin white lines, snaps at them. He has cropped blond hair with two wave-like patterns on both sides of his head. His golden eyes are narrowed, but he doesn't look too threatening due to the roundness of his face, the freckles tickling his nose, and the blush on his cheeks.

Komaru blinks. "Huh? We're just… talking?"

"Tch. What you're doing is bursting my fucking ear drums! Stop fucking yelling and get on with whatever it is you're doing!" He yells.

"But you just yelled!"

"'Cause I have a contract for yelling!"

"Oh! I'm sorry, I didn't know!" The brunette bows her head.

The male scoffs. "What a fucking idiot…" He crosses his arms and glares at Komaru. "Fuyuhiko Kuzuryuu. Ultimate Yakuza."

Yakuza…?

Komaru squeaks and smiles tightly. She turns and speed walks past Fuyuhiko, looking back at him as she goes. In doing this, she bumps into another person who grabs her shoulder and squeezes.

"State your business," Komaru turns her head back to the front to see a girl with a blank look on her face. She has on a dark school girl uniform with red accents. There's a red band on her arm, and she has on stockings (leggings?) that come up past her dark skirt. Her grey hair is styled into braided pigtails with white ribbons wrapped at the base. Her red eyes are bracketed by glasses, and a long object is strapped to her back.

"Did you not hear me? State your business,"

Her fingers dig into Komaru's arms until the brunette whines. "Hey! Please stop! I'm just trying to introduce myself!"

The girl swiftly let's go of Komaru and stands neutrally, deeply eyeing Komaru with her red eyes.

"Understood. I apologize, I have been trained to never take a hit from another person," The girl nods her head. "My name is Peko Pekyama. I am the Ultimate Swordswoman."

"Swordswoman?" Komaru perks up. "You mean like--Samurai?!"

Peko grimaces. "I… suppose. However, you shouldn't call me a samurai; I find the name rather… rude,"

The medium gasps. "Oh, I'm sorry! It just got the best of me and slipped out--I should've known it would make you uncomfortable!" She smiles and brings her hands to her chest. "I'm sure we'll be very good friends!"

"... Friends?" Peko looks surprised. "I haven't ever had a friend. And I don't plan on having any. My duty isn't making friends."

Komaru raises her brows. "Huh…?"

The swordswoman tuts. "I am not here to make friends, Komaru, and I plan on protecting… myself. It is why I… became a swordswoman,"

Sadly, Komaru nods her head. "Ok…"

The medium passes over to a tall, pale blonde girl with a royal air around her. Her clothes are mainly a navy blue with puffy white sleeves and red accents. She has royal blue eyes and a black sequenced bow on her head.

"Stop right there!" The girl holds out her hand with her arm straight.

Komaru halts in her place. What is this feeling…? Komaru has the urge to kneel and bow her head down. What kind of power is this?

The girl smiles. "I apologize, but you were just about to pass me by!"

"Oh, I guess I must've moved too far, haha!" Komaru smiles with her eyes closed. "My name is Komaru Naegi."

"I am the Ultimate Princess, Sonia Nevermind!" The girl, Sonia, greets her with a smile. "I am set to rule my home kingdom of Novoselic, and I have come to Hope's Peak Academy to… experience the Japanese school life!"

Komaru laughs. "Well, there isn't much besides working in class then cleaning up after school ends,"

"How fascinating!" Sonia's eyes light up. "In Novoselic, the children do not clean up the classrooms! Rather, we have trained spider monkeys which tidy the school for us!"

Spider monkeys…? Where exactly is Novoselic?

"Hey, Sonia, where did you say Novoselic was again?" Komaru asks.

"In Europe of course! We're a rather small country, but we pack a large fist!" Sonia grabs her bicep with a proud grin.

Oh… Komaru must have skipped over a history and world lesson about Novoselic. She should learn more to make Sonia feel at home!

"Farewell, Komaru Naegi!" Sonia waves as Komaru skips to the next person.

The next girl has a wild loudness to her--from her multicolored hair with horns sticking out the top, piercings on her ears and face, blue and pink stockings on each leg, and a striped glove-like sleeve on her arm. Her magenta eyes open and close randomly as she taps her fingers to her temples.

"Hmm! Thinking, thinking…!"

Komaru blinks. "Uh, hello?"

The girl snaps her eyes open and screams which causes Komaru to scream. Which… causes the girl to scream even louder.

"Please, no more yelling!" The medium pleads.

The girl grins and gets in Komaru's face, nodding and humming and giggling. "Wait, wait, wait! I know why you're here!"

Komaru blinks. "Y-You do?"

"You're here to take shelter!" The girl roars. "Shelter from a zombie apocalypse that's happened all over the world! Ibuki knows it!"

"I-Ibuki?"

"That's me, the Ultimate Musician!" Ibuki squeals. "I! Buki! Mio! Da! Put it together and what do ya get?! Ibuki Mioda!"

Komaru watches as she does a little dance in place and grins widely. Ibuki claps her hands together.

"I was wondering when you'd get over here because you were taking so long, so I started singing some songs to myself that I wrote, and Ibuki says ROCK ON and I headbang the hardest headbang I possibly can until--SNAP!" The musician points at Komaru, poking her in the chest. "You come over and introduce yourself! Hehe! This is a fun game! We should play twenty questions!"

Komaru smiles. "That sounds fun! Maybe we could get the others to join!"

"YAHOO!" Ibuki shouts. Her spit flies from her mouth at the loud exclamation. "That sounds like so much fun! I can't even express my excitement except as a YAHOO!"

Komaru covers her ears, head ringing. "Yahoo!"

Ibuki grits her teeth and groans. "Ugh! Ibuki has such a big headache after all that headbanging and screaming! Even more than usual! Maybe it's because I woke up on a desk,"

Komaru smiles at the girl as she walks away. She thinks to herself. Is it normal to talk in both first and third person? No matter! Ibuki seems pretty fun!

Skipping to the next person, Komaru smiles. The girl has purple hair that's cut in layered ways… actually, it looks like it was sliced unevenly with scissors. She has on a pink blouse and a pale blue skirt with a white apron covering them both. On her right leg and left arm are bandages, and only her fingers are uncovered. She has a beauty mark under her right eye (both eyes purple) and a worried furrow in her brows.

"Hello!" Komaru greets her.

The girl shrieks and pales, backing up from Komaru in a panic. Komaru pinches her brows together and bites her lip.

"A-Are you ok?" Komaru asks.

The girl nods. "Y-Yes, you just happened to st-startle me…"

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to! I'll try to get better at controlling my volume!" The medium holds out her pinky.

The girl stares at the appendage with wide purple eyes.

Komaru smiles awkwardly. "Um… It's a pinky swear?"

The girl hesitantly wraps her pinky around Komaru's and blushes. "Hehehe…!"

What? What's so funny? Komaru can't help but wonder it while watching the girl blush from her touch.

As if coming back to her senses, the girl snaps back into herself and yanks her pinky from Komaru. She curls her shaking hands around each other and tears up.

"I-I'm sorry! You p-probably don't want m-me to touch you!" The girl sobs heavily. "Wah…! This isn't o-one of the f-five hundred conversation t-topics I learned!"

Komaru sweatdrops. Five hundred conversation topics?!

"How about…" Komaru taps her finger to her chin with a slight smile. The girl stops crying and looks at her. "How about we start with your name? I'm Komaru Naegi, the Ultimate Medium."

The girl is silent for a few beats before her jaw drops in a gasp. She shakily smiles. "I-I… I'm M-Mikan Tsumiki, the Ultimate N-Nurse. I h-hope from the bottom of m-my heart that we get along…!"

"A nurse?" Komaru didn't expect that from such a shaky and nervous girl, but she likes being surprised by life! As long as nothing bad happens, anyway. "That's such a cool talent! I bet you go full nurse and heal everyone like… like a healer in an RPG!"

Mikan blinks. "Oh… I… do enjoy m-making people feel better…" She whimpers. "B-But you don't really w-want to hear about m-me. If you w-want, we can pl-play a game of h-human bowling…?"

"There's professionals who play human bowling?" Komaru gasps in surprise. "That sounds fun! Of course I'll play!"

"O-Ok! I'll take o-off my clothes and stand s-super still so you can th-throw balls at me!"

Th-That's not a real game! That's not a game at all; that's just mean!

The brunette waves her hands in the air with a sheepish laugh. "A-Actually, I just remembered--I'm not good at sports! Or games! Or human bowling in general!"

The nurse deflates a little. "That's fine… I can l-let you write and draw on m-my body instead…?"

"I'm not good at writing! Or drawing!"

"Th-Then–"

Komaru leaps and grabs Mikan's hands in her own. "Pl-Please don't say anything else! I don't want to hurt you or be mean to you!"

Mikan flinches at the contact just as the medium realizes her mistake. Komaru backs up and smiles.

"Mikan, I want to be your friend! I want to be everyone's friend! I never had many friends… but I know you aren't supposed to hurt them,"

"I-I… Wah!" Mikan dissolves into hiccupping sobs that wrack her body.

Komaru cries out in shock. She can feel eyes on her back as the nurse cries in front of her.

It's Nagito who speaks up. "Bullying a girl, Komaru? Not cool,"

"Wh-What…?!" Komaru whines.

As Mikan continues to cry, Komaru pats her on the shoulder before sneaking away to talk to the last person.

It's a male with a beanie covering his long pink hair. His eyes match the color of his hair, and his brows are down in a heavy pinch. He's dressed in a dirty neon yellow jumpsuit, and his sleeves are rolled up his arms. Below his cuffed pant legs are bright yellow shoes.

He's staring at the dull colored walls and shuffling nervously on his feet.

"Hi!"

The male yelps in shock and whips around to Komaru. He relaxes when he sees her and straightens his spine, scratching the back of his head. Nonchalantly, he smirks.

"Name's Kazuichi Soda! I'm the Ultimate Mechanic! Nice to meetcha!" Kazuichi greets her with a thumbs up.

Komaru smiles. "I'm Komaru,"

"I'm not scared or anything just cuz I screamed," He says out of the blue.

"Oh!" Komaru giggles. "Well, it was kinda funny when you screamed like a little girl. I won't hold it against you, though, this school looks pretty scary right now!"

Kazuichi balks. "I-I didn't scream like a little girl!" His voice cracks.

"Haha! Don't worry, I won't tease you about it!"

"G-Girls don't like men who scream at anything! Especially not a lovely princess like Ms. Sonia…" The mechanic flushes slightly as he glances at Sonia who stands peacefully. "But see, I got a chance to talk to her!"

Curious, Komaru tilts her head. "Huh? How?"

He pulls her in with his arm over her shoulder. "You're my in!"

"Me?!"

"You're gonna be my wingman! Can you tell me what she likes in a guy when you get the chance?" Kazuichi pleads.

"Isn't that kind of…" She bites her lip and furrows her brows. "wrong? What if it's private information?"

"Well–"

"Alright, that's enough talking. Let's get down to business," Byakuya steps forward and turns so that he's facing everyone else. "This is no time to stand around and dilly dally. Making friends isn't in our agenda."

"Oh, I guess you're right," Komaru steps away from Kazuichi and cups her hands to her chest. "Didn't someone say something about a big problem?"

"Well…" Mahiru sighs. "Komaru, when you said that you fell asleep and woke up somewhere else… The same is true for the rest of us."

What? Really? Everyone else fell asleep and woke up in a completely different place too? What a coincidence!

"Just after each of us got to the main hall, we lost consciousness. And when we came to, we were somewhere here in the school," Nagito smiles and raises his hand, friendly. "That's what happened to you right?"

"Yes, but… Isn't that a little weird?" The medium questions. "All of us getting knocked out like that?"

"That's why we're all freaking out! GAAAH!" Ibuki screams.

"And that's not the only thing. You saw where all the windows in the classes and hallways were, right?" Nagito asks. He crosses his arms and sighs. "But instead of normal glass windows, it was a bunch of big metal plates. It's like…"

"And all of my things are missing," Chiaki sighs. "Even my Gameboy color…"

"Kh! My Four Dark Devas of Destruction are also gone from my scarf!" Gundham growls. He's sweating and his fists are clenched tight. "What fiend did this…? What devil stole my Devas from me?! Gundham Tanaka!"

Nagito tries to talk over everyone but is failing. "And then there's the main hall here. The front exit is completely blocked by some giant metal hatch–"

"IT WASN'T LIKE THAT WHEN I GOT HERE!" Nekomaru yells.

"Due to the fact that we're Ultimate students, it isn't hard to believe that we were caught up in a crime of some kind," Byakuya thoughtfully states as he pushes his glasses up with his finger.

"Are we sure your status as the heir to the Togami Corporation didn't cause this?" Mahiru narrows her grey eyes at the blonde.

"I'm sure it didn't, so don't speak like that to me again,"

"So, what, we're caught in some… kidnapping?!" Kazuichi presses his palm to his forehead and pales. "You think maybe someone grabbed us and hauled us off and we're not actually at school?"

"Tch, yeah right. This is probably some fucked up prank by the upper classes," Fuyuhiko scoffs. A smirk crawls onto his face until he's amused at the others' discomfort. "Or this is Hope's Peak Academy's way of an orientation procedure."

Hiyoko looks doubtful. "Like a surprise?" She grins and throws her hands in the air. "Yay! I love surprises! Especially when I'm doing the scaring!"

"S-Surprising people is nice, b-but…" Mikan trembles. "It's s-scary when all the e-exits are blocked…!"

"A nasty trashy pig shit like you wouldn't understand jack about surprise parties!" The dancer sneers at the nurse. "I bet the only surprise you've ever gotten in your life was your own unfortunate birth!"

"W-Wah?!"

"A prank is all this is!" Teruteru reassures everyone while combing his hair. "Nothin' more, nothin' less! Now then, why don't we find a kitchen so I can cook us up some food?"

"Food?" Akane drools. "I'm starvin'!"

The tension begins to evaporate… but then…

Ding dong! Bing bong!

The screen in the corner of the room flickers to life. A faint outline of something is in the middle of the buzzing static.

"Ahem! Ahem! Testing, testing! Mic check, one two! This is a test of the school broadcast system! Am I on? Can everyone hear me? Okay, well then...!"

The voice is higher in pitch and slightly scratchy. It's so out of place and unbothered… Komaru shivers at the voice. It sends a large, uncomfortable lump down her throat and sticks to her larynx. Dread stabs her senses.

"Ah, to all incoming students! I would like to begin the entrance ceremony at… right now! Please make your way to the gymnasium at your earliest convenience… That's all. I'll be waiting!"

The screen turns off.

Sonia brings her hand to her mouth. "Oh my! What a disturbingly ominous message!"

"Well then, if you'll excuse me," Byakuya turns and walks off.

Mahiru calls out rather angrily. "Hey, wait! You're just going to walk away like that?!"

Kazuichi relaxes and chuckles. "I get it now; this was to get us pumped for some sorta entrance ceremony!" He struts away. "Gotta check this out!"

"Man… I was totally lookin' forward to some food…!" Akane groans as she runs out of the entrance to the building.

"LET'S GO!" Nekomaru runs after Akane.

"I understand!" Sonia grins. "I will meet you all there in a banana split!"

She leaves with a regal air following her.

Teruteru slyly smirks. "Why, I wouldn't be a gentleman if I didn't escort the princess to the gymnasium…"

He walks away and a few more students follow in suit.

While everyone else left for the gym, Komaru is rooted in place by an uncertain force pushing her down. Her unease blossoms into a brewing fear. The few who stayed seem as uncertain as Komaru herself… or blank in Izuru's case.

"Th-This doesn't feel right…" Mikan stutters softly.

Mahiru hums. "Yeah, that announcement was strange,"

"Maybe, but just staying put doesn't mean we'll be safe," The lucky student points out. "Besides, aren't you guys just a little bit curious to find out what's going on around here?"

Komaru swallows and nods. She hesitantly leaves the area and searches for the gymnasium. She turns left and finds a flight of stairs leading up covered by metal grates.

She shakes her head as she walks closer. She needs to go to the gym before anything else happens.

With a heavy swallow, she turns and spots a hallway shining with a yellow light. She heads through the doors into an area that is the only place that looks remotely like a gym entrance with trophies in cases leading up to it.

Izuru is silent as he comes from behind Komaru and stalks into the gym. She shudders. Why is he so creepy…?

Komaru watches as the rest of her class enters the gym while nervously talking among themselves. As the doors close, she's left to think in silence.

Oh, Makoto, I wish you were here with me… I don't know what to do!

The silent corridor is oppressive now. She knows she won't go inside if she continues to wait in the hall, so she squares her shoulders and pushes her way into the gym.

Chapter Text

… Oh.

The gym is fairly normal aside from nobody being inside except for the students.

Chairs are set up on a red carpet and facing the stage where a podium sits. It looks…

"Just like an entrance ceremony…" Komaru smiles in relief, shoulders dropping.

"Told ya it was just an entrance ceremony," Kazuichi brags slightly. "Totally normal!"

He's right, but… Doesn't the "totally normal" emphasize the not normal everyone here is?

There's a rustling noise on the stage that collects everyone's attention. In front of their very eyes, a two-foot tall stuffed bear shoots out from behind the podium, flies into the air, and lands with a thump on the podium's top.

It's a black and white bear with the former on the left side and the latter on the right. It has a white patch on its stomach with a rather large belly button in the middle of it. On the black side of its face, the mouth is extended out and up in a sinister grin, and a glowing red eye in the shape of Hope's Peak Academy's crest sits.

Komaru audibly sighs at the sight of the bear. A small grin crawls onto her face. It's just a cute little bear!

"Huh?" Hiyoko sounds disappointed. "A teddy bear? Tch, lame."

"I'm not a teddy bear!" The bear speaks after a brief awkward pause, like it was waiting for something. "I… am… Monokuma! And I am this school's headmaster!"

Out of everything Komaru predicted might happen… this isn't one of them. It's the strangest thing she's ever seen! Before her very eyes is something strange even to her.

The bear nods. "Nice to meet you all!"

Such a bright and carefree voice coming from a stuffed bear… It's completely out of place in this creepy environment!

Any anxiety Komaru has skyrockets into bone-chilling fear.

"Th-The teddy bear can talk?!" Akane's mouth gapes open.

"Calm down, I…" Mahiru looks at the bear and bites her lip. "I'm sure there's just a speaker inside of it."

The bear growls. "I told you already," His face turns red as he raises his arms in a mighty growl. "I'm Monokuma! And I'm your headmaster!"

"IT MOVED!" Nekomaru shouts. His tan face is pale as he backs away.

Komaru scratches her cheek. For such a large guy, he sure is afraid of smaller things.

"I-I said calm down! It's probably a remote control toy," Mahiru snaps slightly at the manager who slowly calms himself.

Monokuma looks down with a sigh. "How dare you compare me to a child's plaything! You've cut me deep. Deeper than the Mariana Trench…" He perks up and holds his paws to his stomach with a blush on his cheeks. "My remote control system is so complex, even the folks at NASA can't recreate or even comprehend it!

"Ah, but don't make me say stuff that might destroy NASA's dreams. I just couldn't BEAR that!"

Gundham scoffs and looks away, arms crossed. "'Bear' that? How unfortunate you are to use such an overused tactic for humor,"

"Man, forget that," Kazuichi has stars in his eyes as he looks down at the bear. "Your remote control system is that complex…? I'd love to get my hands on you and take you apart…"

"Now then, moving on! We really must hurry and get started…" The bear ignores Kazuichi and walks forward, off of the podium, and onto the polished hardwood flooring.

Komaru furrows her brows at the brief pauses the bear makes to speak. It's so... robotic...

Ibuki scratches the back of her head. "Aw man… No more bear puns?"

"Of course a mortal like you would enjoy such an awful form of delivery and humor," Gundham grunts.

"Everyone stand at attention and bow! And… good morning!" Monokuma exclaims happily.

Mikan blinks. "O-Oh! Good morning!"

"Stupid bitch…" Hiyoko rolls her eyes. "You don't have to say it back."

"I'm s-sorry!"

"Now then, let us commence with a most noteworthy and memorable entrance ceremony! First, let's talk a bit about what your school life here will be like. Now, ah, make no mistake--you few students, so full of potential, represent the hope of the world," Monokuma sighs. "And to protect such splendid hope… you will all live a communal life together solely within the confines of this school. Everyone will live in harmony together, and adhere to the rules and regulations of the school."

Huh? What… does he mean?

"Ah, now then...regarding the end date for this communal life…There isn't one!" He reveals without a care in the world. He's ignorant to the gasps that go through the gym. "In other words, you'll all be here until the day you die! Such is the school life you've been assigned."

"Wh-What did he just say?" Teruteru pinches his eyebrows as he sweats. "Until the day we die?!"

"Oh, but fear not! We have quite an abundant budget, so you won't lack for all the common conveniences,"

"Haha, I don't think that's our priority right now," Nagito smiles lightly.

"What the hell, you bastard?! You're saying I have to live here forever?!" Fuyuhiko growls. A vein pops out of his forehead. "Don't fucking mess with me!"

"I am not messing with you! I am no liar, of that you can be one hundred percent sure," The bear raises his arms open opens his mouth to show his sharp teeth. "Ah, and just for your information… you're completely cut off from the outside world. So you don't have to worry about that dirty dirty land beyond these walls ever again!"

Komaru taps her chin. "Wait… so the metal plates on the walls all over the school…" She looks up. "They're here to keep us trapped here?!"

"That's exactly what they're there for. No matter how much you may yell and scream for help… help will not come. So with all of that in mind, feel free to live out your life here with reckless abandon!"

"What is this?" Peko grimaces. "If this is supposed to be a prank, it is an extremely bad one."

"Yeah, cut that shit out!" The yakuza spits. "This shit isn't funny!"

"You keep saying this is a lie, or a joke. A bunch of skeptics, all of you," Monokuma's eye glows red.

Komaru takes a step back and cups her hands to her chest. This… This has to be a joke. Right…?

"But I guess you can't help it, huh? You all grew up in an age where you're taught to doubt your neighbor… Well you'll have plenty of time to find out whether or not what I say is true. And when that time comes, you'll see with your own eyeballs that I speak the undeniable truth,"

Sonia looks downtrodden. "How unfortunate… If I spend my whole life in here, what of my kingdom…?"

"Come, now. What's the matter with all of you? You decided of your own free will to attend Hope's Peak Academy, didn't you?" The bear tilts his head to the side and presses his paw to his chin. "And now, before the entrance ceremony is even finished, you've already decided you want to leave?

"Oh but you know... I guess I did forget to mention one thing. There is one way for you to leave the school…"

Teruteru perks up. "R-Really?"

"As headmaster, I've crafted a special clause for those of you who would like to leave! I call it… the Graduation Clause! Now, let me tell you about this fun little rule. As I mentioned, in order to maintain an environment of harmony here, we rely on a communal lifestyle. And if someone were to disrupt that harmony, they and they alone would be allowed to leave the school. That, my students, is the Graduation Clause!"

"What do you mean by 'disrupt the harmony'?" Byakuya demands.

"Puhuhu… Well, you know… If one person were to murder another,"

Komaru gasps. "M-Murder?!"

Murder can't happen! It's an awful thing to do, and no one would ever think about doing that to their friends!

"Stabbing, strangling, bludgeoning, crushing, hacking, drowning, igniting, how you do it doesn't matter. You must kill someone if you want to leave. It's as simple as that," Monokuma says. "The rest is up to you. Give it your all to achieve the best outcome in the worst way possible."

Chills stab Komaru's spine. "You must kill someone if you want to leave." As soon as she heard those words, a numbing cold spread to her body.

"Puhuhu. I bet that got your brain juices flowing! Beats the heck out of a human catching a salmon, huh? Like I said before, you guys are the hope of the world. But you know… Taking that hope and seeing it get murdered creates a darkened shadow of despair. And I just find that so… darn… exciting!"

"Wh-What the hell are you talking about?" Kazuichi breaks into a sweat. "Killing each other is… It's…!"

"To kill each other is to kill each other. I'm sure there's a dictionary here somewhere if you need it," The bear sounds sarcastic as he teases the mechanic.

"We understand the definition of killing, bear," Gundham pulls his scarf up over his nose and mouth, eyes glinting with nerves. "The question is… Why must we end our lives?"

"Yeah! Stop blabbering about nothing!" Hiyoko grabs her head and cries out. "Just let us go home!"

"... Blabbering?"

Monokuma's once carefree voice goes robotically stagnant. His red eye glows bright red and pulls Komaru into despair. He starts to pace and rant.

"Blabbering, blabbering, what do you mean blabbering!? Stop blabbering on about blabbering on! You guys just don't get it do you? 'Let us go, let us go!' You keep on saying the same thing over and over and over and over…! Listen. From this moment on, this school is your home, your life, your world. Got it?

"And you can kill as much as you wanna kill! So go ahead, go on a kill-kill-killing spree!"

Teruteru chuckles. "Alrighty, now… That's enough outta you,"

Monokuma tilts his head, taken aback. "Eh?"

"You scared us real good. You can reveal the trick now,"

"Reveal the trick?"

"Yeah, cuz, uh…" The chef sweats under the burning gaze of the bear. "Cuz this is all some kinda trick and all, right? So, um…"

Akane shoves her way forward and kicks the chef to the side. "Outta my way!"

"Beaten up by a busty beauty…! Oh my dream!"

Akane places herself in front of Monokuma, squatting down to his level. She pokes her finger to his belly and speaks, her voice a rolling thunder.

"Listen up! This has gone way too far!" She pokes him harder and narrows her grey eyes. "What kinda joke is this?!"

"Joke?" Monokuma asks. "What, you mean like those split ends of yours?"

Akane roars out, and then there is a sudden boom. The gymnast's hand strikes like lightning and wraps tight around the bear's neck. She hauls him up over her head.

"Gotcha! Now I don't know if you're a stuffed toy or whatever!" Akane shakes the bear in her grasp as he wiggles desperately. "Either way, I gotta bone to pick with you as my target!"

"Wah!" Monokuma flails his limbs around. "Violence against the headmaster is in violation of school regulations!"

"Shut up and let us outta here! Or else–!"

Monokuma goes limp in Akane's hand, his chin dropping on her hand. A steady beeping starts to play.

"What?" She taunts with a smirk. "No dumb comebacks?"

The beeping gets faster.

She shakes him around. "Stop beepin' and say somethin'!"

Chiaki perks up and gasps. "A-Akane, get rid of it!"

Turning back to the gamer, Akane groans. "What? Why?"

The beeper gets faster.

"Just trust me! Hurry up and throw it!"

Without another word, Akane chucks the bear into the air. After a few seconds of being airborne, the bear explodes into pieces of metal and sparking wire.

Komaru covers her ears. "I-Is it gone…?"

"Wh-What the hell?" Akane croaks as she takes a few steps back, stumbling down onto her butt. "That… That wasn't a joke… It just blew up!"

Komaru has heard explosions in games and movies before, but they are far more terrifying in person. She can smell the gunpowder and hear bells ringing in her ears.

"Th-This means that the teddy bear is destroyed! Right?" Ryota looks relieved, hands shoved into his pockets.

"Yep yep!" Ibuki wipes a bead of sweat from her forehead. All attention turns from the animator in the back of the group to the front. "Teddy's all gone! Bye-bye, see ya later alligator!"

"I told you, I'm not a teddy bear! I'm Monokuma!" Monokuma appears from behind the podium again and drops down from the stage.

"Another one?!" Kazuichi whines.

"You bastard…!" Akane trips to her feet and points at the bear in fear. "You just tried to kill me!"

"Well, yes. I was serious about trying to kill you. You did violate one of the school regulations, after all," He raises his arm and unsheathes pointy white claws. "I'll let you off with a warning this time, but you'd better be careful from now on. Any naughty boy or girl who violates my rules won't get off with just a little swat on the butt."

Komaru looks around the gym, paranoid. "H-Hey… Does this mean there's a bunch more of you around here?"

"Monokumas have been placed all throughout the school, yes," The monochromatic bear confirms with a nod of his head. "Plus, don't forget the surveillance cameras installed everywhere. And if you're caught breaking any rules, well… you all just saw what happened, right?

"Puhuhu… And I won't be so forgiving with my punishment next time. So don't let it happen again!"

Mikan squeezes her eyes shut and whimpers. "Th-That's not punishment… That's wrong…"

"Now then, lastly… To commemorate your joyous entry into our school, I have a little something for you…" Monokuma throws his arm behind his head. He lifts his paw and shows a fair number of tablets like spreading cards. "This is our official student handbook! Pretty cool, huh? As you can see, it's fully digital. So naturally, we call it… The e-Handbook!"

He passes them out to everyone as he talks. "Ahem. Yes, well, moving on… This handbook is absolutely vital to a healthy school life, so don't lose it! When you start it up, it will display your name. Always make sure you have the right one!" He finishes and smiles. His smile turns to a glare when Ryota drops his e-Handbook as the bear reaches him, but he fixes himself. "Now, this is not your everyday notebook. It has so many more uses than that!

"Also, it's completely waterproof. Splash it, wash it, drown it, it'll keep on ticking! And thanks to its space-age design, it can withstand an impact force of up to ten tons. Very resistant! It contains all of our school regulations, so make sure you review them thoroughly!"

Komaru clicks her e-Handbook on. Her name pops onto the middle of the screen. Fascinated, she runs her fingers along the smooth screen.

"You'll hear me say this a lot, but any violation of school regulations will not be tolerated. Rules restrict, yes, but they also protect. Society, for example, would be utter chaos without laws," He throws his head back in an insane laugh. "The same thing applies here! Which is why it's crucial we have strict punishments in place for violators. Okay, well… that brings our entrance ceremony to a close! Please enjoy your abundantly dreary school life! And… see ya!"

Monokuma hops back onto the stage and disappears behind the podium.

He's gone just like that. He left everyone in a state of shocked silence.

"So, guys…" Nagito adopts a thinking pose. "How would you define what we just experienced?"

"What… Why…" Nekomaru clenches his fist and jaw. A shine of sweat is slick on his brow. "I don't understand shit…"

"We have to l-live here… or k-kill…?" Mikan tugs at her own hair and pales. "Wh-What… What j-just happened…?"

"Based on what Monokuma said, we have two options," Izuru says blankly. His red eyes look from side to side at everyone. "Choice number one is that we live here in a communal life until the day we die. The second option…"

Ibuki squeals in shock. "Is to have a totally not real killing fun time!" She shudders violently. "Grrr! Monokuma doesn't know the definition of fun! Ibuki should teach him!"

"But killing someone is…" Ryota bites his thumb and furrows his eyebrows.

"We were all abducted in front of Hope's Peak Academy and placed into a murder den!" Sonia exclaims. "And now, we must kill each other to survive! The idea in real life is so barbaric!"

Chiaki sweatdrops. "As if it isn't barbaric someplace else…?"

"A lie!" Teruteru cries out. "A lie is all it is! Whatever ridiculous things we heard from that bear are lies! Alla it's fake!"

"Right now it doesn't really matter if it's real or fake. What matters is…" Byakuya folds his arms. He turns his head sharply and narrows his blue eyes. "Is there anyone here who's seriously considering all of this…?"

To that, there is no response. Everyone is silent until it grows uncomfortable and unbearable to be in. The air is so thick it could be sliced through with a knife. Or the sword on Peko's back. The heaviness of the air weighs down on their shoulders and raises pessimistic emotions within them all.

Komaru stands in the middle of the thick, overwhelming tension. Her head is being pushed under over and over again to drown her in the thick waters of negativity. Can she ever come back up from drowning this long…?

Can everyone else manage to stop drowning and start swimming? How can everyone stop the situation if they don't stop doubting each other?

Everyone is staring at each other--glaring in a way that screams hostility. The hostility is pungent in the air and wafts against one another's noses to fuel them with doubt and suspicion.

It's at that moment that Komaru realizes her life is changing for the worse. Her school life… is starting now in the most unpredictable way. Hope's Peak Academy is seemingly gone, and in its place is a rotting husk of hope.

The school which she had come to in hopes of raising herself up and becoming a new hope to the world… is a lie. This school isn't a school of hope.

It's a school of despair.

Chapter Text

"You must kill someone if you want to leave"... Those words echo around my head, bouncing wall to wall and corner to corner like a Windows logo. I could hear the fear and adrenaline pumping through my blood and bursting my ears, but I’m too numb to stop the pounding. The air is heavy on my shoulders and pushes against me to weigh me down…

But for as heavy as the air felt… all it took to pierce it was his sharp yet stoic words.

“So… What are you going to do now?” Izuru cocks his head to the side. “I’m curious to know whether you will stand and glare at each other or not.”

His words knock some sense back into the room.

“Not that you want someone like me agreeing with you, but you’re right,” Nagito looks down at his palm with a forlorn smile. “As expected of the Ultimate Hope…! Uniting us with your talent and building our foundation of hope!"

Hiyoko sneers. "Ew, you're gross… I bet you're one of those guys who gets a hard-on whenever you're complimented,"

"... Um," Nagito grimaces.

"With his front tail?!" Akane asks.

"What exactly is our goal here?" Kazuichi asks, looking off to the side with his hand on her beanie.

Sonia juts her arm out. "To search for a way out!"

Nekomaru cracks his fingers in loud pops that make Komaru's own fingers hurt. "And find the person who put us in here and beat the shit outta them!"

"Sounds like a fun time!" Ibuki cheerfully squeals. "I've been practicing battle music, and this is the perfect scenario to use it! My first piece is called 'Help! A Magic Shortie Took Over the Kingdom and We Need Your Help!'"

What a lengthy title!

"But before we do all that, maybe we should take a look at the handbook… It's probably best to check out the school regulations Monokuma mentioned before doing anything else," Ryota says as he clicks his e-Handbook on.

"True. If we stumble along with no guidance," Nekomaru glances at Akane who's picking at her ear. "then something like that may happen again."

"Hm?" The gymnast opens her eyes nonchalantly.

Komaru turns her e-Handbook on and taps on the School Regulations icon. An itemized list appears on screen. The rules being brought down on them all are here…

Regulation 1: Students may reside only within the school. Leaving campus is an unacceptable use of time.

Regulation 2: "Nighttime" is from 10 PM to 7 AM. Some areas are off-limits at night, so please exercise caution.

Regulation 3: Sleeping anywhere other than the dormitory will be seen as sleeping in class and punished accordingly.

Regulation 4: With minimal restrictions, you are free to explore Hope's Peak Academy at your discretion.

Regulation 5: Violence against Headmaster Monokuma is strictly prohibited, as is destruction of surveillance cameras.

Regulation 6: Anyone who kills a fellow student and becomes "blackened" will graduate, unless they are discovered.

Regulation 7: Additional school regulations may be added as necessary.

Komaru presses her hand to her head to stop the dizziness from overtaking her. Glancing around, many of the others have stormy expressions on their faces at the rules.

"This is bullshit. There's no way I'm going to let them control me!" Fuyuhiko's face burns angrily.

Magiru rolls her eyes and bends forward, hands on her hips. "Well, by all means, break the rules and see what's left of your body when Monokuma explodes you!"

Grumbling, Fuyuhiko settles back down, but he does not look happy about any of this.

"Does this mean you'll follow the rules?" Mahiru narrows her grey eyes.

The yakuza tuts and says nothing else.

"U-Um, I'm terribly s-sorry, but wh-what does regulation n-number six mean?"

Regulation 6: Anyone who kills a fellow student and becomes "blackened" will graduate, unless they are discovered.

"You're talking about the second half, right? Where…" Komaru taps her cheek with her finger. "Where it says 'unless they are discovered'... I'm really curious about that!"

"It's saying that if you want to graduate, you have to kill someone without anyone finding out it was you," Byakuya explains with an irritated sigh.

Ibuki's eyes go wide as her jaw drops. "Wuh?! For reals?! Why do we have to do that?!"

"I don't see any reason to worry about it. Just worry about following the rules as they've been explained to us," The blonde smirks. "Frankly, I don't see a problem as long as none of us kill."

Akane flicks whatever was in her ear away. It flies past Nagito's head and lands in the center of Kazuichi's face. The latter squawks and claws at his face to get it off.

"Eh, let's just forget about all that junk and focus on more important things…" Akane grins. "What's for lunch?"

"Hmph, no wonder mortals like you are always the first to die," Gundham slips his eyes closed and folds his arms. "Thinking with your stomach instead of your head is your downfall. That is why I, the Supreme Overlord of Ice, will survive this hellish zone and conquer the world!"

The mechanic finishes wiping his face and glares at Gundham. "Yeah right…"

"As heir to the dark throne of shadows, I command thee!" He flexes his hand up and clutches his elbow with his other hand. "We shall search the school to locate clues as to where we are! The more we have, the stronger our skills will become!"

The princess nods, utterly fascinating by Gundham. "Amazing! You would make a great leader, Gundham!"

The male blushes and pulls his scarf up to cover his nose.

"We should also search for supplies other than means of escape--food, water, places to sleep…"

Kazuichi tears up at Sonia and Gundham working together. "Damn it…! That's supposed to be me and Ms. Sonia…!"

"That's right! A group like this is large enough to scout the area and have a plan of attack," Chiaki's eyes light up in excitement. "Count me in!"

Fuyuhiko scoffs and proceeds to the gym's doors. "I'm going alone,"

"Excuse me?" Mahiru lifts her eyebrows. "Don't you think that's a dumb plan?"

"Tch, I'm not getting caught up in this murder bullshit. That's your problem, not mine," He jabs his finger out and touches the front of the photographer's shoulder. "I'm not risking my fucking life with people I don't know and dying for it."

"Hold on, now…" The manager raises his hands to try and calm the blonde. "There's no way that's gonna happen…"

"Don't bother saying it won't happen! I saw the way you all tensed when the graduation rule was made clear; don't deny it!" Fuyuhiko raises his fist and scowls at them. "Am I wrong?"

"Th-That's…" Mikan shrinks under his glare until she becomes silent.

"I'm doing what's best for myself. I'm not getting involved in this shitty game ever!"

Just as he turns to leave, Mahiru snatches his shoulder and whips him around to face her. Peko twitches in the back but stays still, watching on silently.

"Hold on! I'm not going to let you leave and not help the group!"

"Out of my way, bitch!"

"B-Bitch…?" The photographer recoils at the insult. "Y-You–!"

"Keep testing me and I'll get my gang on you the moment we leave this fucking building!" Fuyuhiko threatens. "What good is a photographer who can't see to take photos? Maybe I'll sell your ass to a whore house since you want to keep running your mouth at me!"

Komaru rushes forward. "Wh-What--Stop! Guys, we shouldn't fight!"

Unfortunately, she trips over her cape and goes barreling into an unaware Akane who perks up at the accidental attack.

"Alright! I knew you had it in ya, Kathy!" Akane cracks her knuckles and comes forward when Komaru shuffles back. "Now c'mere and fight me! Stand still so I can punch ya or else I'll punch ya even more!"

Komaru waves her hands. "I-I didn't mean it--I swear I–!"

The last thing Komaru feels is the solid hit to her cheek and her body crumbling to the floor.

Then… darkness…

Groaning, Komaru comes into consciousness on a soft surface. She blinks and pushes herself up on wobbly elbows.

She's in a plain looking room decorated with a desk and chair, a few posters of Sayaka Maizono's idol group on the wall, and a bed. There's another room to the left of her which she guesses is the bathroom.

But… where is she exactly?

"Calm yourself, Dark Observer,"

Komaru jumps and watches as Gundham stalks his way into the room while carrying two keys in his bandaged hand. "G-Gundham?"

"It is I, yes, however, I took over the role of watching you until you awoke from unconsciousness," He crosses his arms. "Tell me, are you in a better state than earlier?"

"Earlier…?"

Right… Komaru brings her hand to her cheek, tender and sore, and winces. Akane does not hold back her punches… Ow…

"Is it bruising?" She asks.

Gundham scoffs. "At most, it will leave a small battle scar. Why worry about a minor injury?"

Komaru groans. "Because it hurts really bad!"

"You must own up to your defeats and losses in battle! A scar is an example of proof to show your opponents that you are a symbol of strength!" He yells with a smirk. "I, too, have been damaged in battles with unruly beasts in need of taming."

I-Is Gundham calling Akane a beast that needs to be tamed? Komaru sweatdrops.

"However, now is not the time to share stories of defeat," He sits on the bed beside her legs and hands her a key. "That bear Monokuma told me to give this to you. The original key to your space was broken, but it has since been fixed. Now, only you and I share the key to this room… If you are ever in need of discussing plans of overthrowing the world, I am here!"

Komaru stares down at the key with a blue keychain on it labeled "K. Naegi" in white lettering.

"It might be best if you searched your room yourself," Gundham watches as the medium climbs out of the bed and walks around the room.

Komaru looks around. She finds some sort of lint roller next to the foot of her bed. It looks like she'll have to clean up after herself…

On the table beside her bed, there's a notepad. She opens the drawers and finds a sewing kit in the top drawer. It must be brand new because it's still in shrink-wrap. She closes the drawer; she doesn't need that right now.

Noticing a piece of paper on the wall, Komaru stumbles over to it. She runs her finger on the lines of text to keep her place.

Announcement from Headmaster Monokuma: Each room's lock has been designed to completely protect against tampering or lock-picking. Remaking an individual room key is quite troublesome, so please make sure not to lose yours. Your room comes furnished with a shower, but please note that the water is turned off at nighttime. Also, the bathrooms in the girls' rooms include a lock of their own.

Finally, we've prepared a small gift for each of you. For the girls, a sewing kit. And for the boys, a toolkit. The sewing kit includes a map of the body's vital organs. One stab will do the job, girls! For the boys, we believe a strong blow to the head with any of the tools should be ample. Don't think! Just feel! And let's all enjoy ourselves!

Komaru stares at the piece of paper. She rips the paper off the wall, crumbles it into a ball, and throws it in the small trash can by her desk. Which just so happens to be a regular, ordinary trash can. Nothing special about it.

Digging inside of it, she finds a coin with Monokuma's face on it. She twirls it between her fingers, awed at its shine, and places it on her desk for safekeeping.

The door which she assumes goes to the bathroom… Komaru walks over and opens it. It creaks open to reveal a clean bathroom--about what she expected. She peaks around to see the lock on the door.

Curious, she clicks the lock closed and turns the knob. Yeah, it's locked alright.

She continues exploring her bathroom. It's really small, smaller than the bathroom back home. She twists the knob on the sink to cold water.

Nothing. Does her water not work?

She tries the hot water and, to her dismay, it doesn't work either. Aw man… How is she supposed to get a good shower now?

Dejected, Komaru unlocks her bathroom door and leaves the small room. "I think I'm done looking around,"

Gundham rises from the bed. "That's good. We must go to the dining hall now,"

Komaru sputters and follows him out of the room and into the hallway. The red lighting hits her eyes as the door closes behind her.

"What? Why?"

"I didn't just come to check up on you; I came to bring you to the dining hall,"

"But…" Komaru tilts her head. "Why?"

Gundham stops and turns around, arms crossed. "After you were knocked, the rest of those below us decided to search and do their own thing," He huffs. "We decided it would be best to split up and search and reconvene later."

"Which means now?" Komaru gasps. "It's that time already?! Then we have to go!"

Gundham swats her hand away when she goes to grab him. "Explore around here first. I'll be waiting in the dining hall,"

With that, the breeder leaves Komaru standing in a red hallway all alone. She deflates and groans.

"By myself…?" She nods and goes off to explore.

After looking around for a bit, Komaru finds the dining hall and enters it. There's a long rectangular table in the center with chairs surrounding all sides of it, and two-person circle tables sparsely litter the area surrounding the big table. The floors are surprisingly clean with square tile flooring in two different shades of red. The walls are painted a nice cream color, and there's a clock hanging on the wall above the kitchen window line.

"It's seven?!" Komaru sweats at the revelation. "At night?!"

Gundham grunts from where he swipes a chair from one of the side tables and sits in it. "You happened to be unconscious for a long while,"

But… nearly twelve hours of her life? Gone to a punch-induced sleep?

Her cheek throbs uncomfortably. Yeah, that's gonna leave a scar…

"Hmph, I was a fool to think anyone would show up on time," Gundham sighs.

As if reading his mind, Nekomaru appears with a dejected Akane in tow. "Ahaha! Komaru, Gundham!" He slaps Komaru on the back. "Good to know you're still in the game!"

Komaru nods with a wheeze. "Y-Yes…!"

"Coach Nekomaru, do I have to…?" Akane kicks her feet against the ground and glares at something a ways away. Komaru would hate to be in the hateful line of sight.

Nekomaru puts his hands on his hips. "Now Akane, if we're gonna work as a team, we need to build camaraderie first! Show some spirit!"

Akane's cheeks are dark in color as she shuffles forward. Komaru tilts her head, confused, and flinches when the gymnast raises her hand. Her fist gently bumps against the medium's arm.

"Sorry 'bout the punch, I guess…" Akane mumbles.

"LOUDER!"

"I'm sorry for punchin' you!" Akane yells. "It won't happen again…! Unless I have a reason!"

Nekomaru sighs. "I guess that's as close as she'll get…"

During the apology, other people trickled into the dining hall until the middle table and a few side tables were filled up. Byakuya stands from his seat and takes charge.

"Now that everyone's here, we shouldn't waste another minute," The heir says. "You on the end, start with what you discovered and then we'll go around."

"W-Wait!" Ryota speaks up.

Byakuya pinches his nose. "Yes, what is it?"

"What about Nagito?" After seeing no recognition on Byakuya's face, Ryota hugs himself tight. "Uh… the white-haired guy? With the Ultimate Lucky Student title?"

"What about him?"

Komaru sweatdrops. Does he not see that Nagito isn't here?

"He's not here!" The animator exclaims.

Byakuya tuts nonchalantly and Izuru sighs, but everyone else looks worried.

"I wonder where he went," Mahiru hisses under her breath. She raises her voice to address the others. "Alright, has anyone seen him?"

Nods of denial go around the room.

"Wait, nobody's seen 'em?" Akane rubs her head, bemused.

Why hasn't he shown up yet? Could it be because… Is it possible that…? No, she's just overthinking things. Nagito is completely fine!

"It's his own fault for running off and being late," Byakuya waves his hand for the conversation to continue. "It was foolish of me to think everyone would be serious about this."

Mahiru narrows her eyes. "You're being awfully calm about all of this,"

"People in power have to be calm about things or else nothing will get done. Now then, I suggest we start the meeting. Nagito will turn up sooner or later,"

Komaru pays attention to the heir as he speaks with an air of authority over his shoulders.

"I wanted to try and find some clue as to who's responsible for imprisoning us here… But unfortunately, I made no such discoveries. That's all from me…" Byakuya states.

… That's it?

"That's it?" Peko has the same thoughts as Komaru.

"If I'd uncovered anything, naturally I would have more to say. But I didn't. So I don't,"

Peko sweatdrops. "Understood…"

"I looked around and found fuck all," Fuyuhiko briefly supplies before going silent.

Hiyoko rolls her eyes. "What a lazy bum…"

"A-Anyway," Mahiru says before Fuyuhiko can blow up. "Me, Hiyoko, Ibuki, and Chiaki checked the dorm rooms."

"Each door has a nameplate on it, so it seems like our rooms were already assigned," Chiaki says, sliding her arms down to rest her chin on them.

"Each room has a key with the person's name attached!" Ibuki giggles. "One to one! Ibuki's glad no one can sneak into her room!"

Komaru glances over at the silent Gundham. Well, at least I have a trusted friend to help watch over my room.

"Hiyoko and Ibuki found out the rooms are completely soundproof!" Ibuki yells. Kazuichi flinches away from her and covers his ears. "Yell, scream, moan, and sing--!"

"But your next door neighbor won't hear a thing!" Hiyoko tilts her head with a pleasant smile.

"Each room has a bathroom that could lock," Mahiru explains. "However…"

"So they got a bunch of rooms ready for us?" Akane moans in relief. "Can't wait to sleep this dream off…"

"They assume we're going to be here for a while," Sonia huffs and leans back in her chair, poised yet relaxed.

"Nekomaru, Kazuichi, Akane, and I went around the school, double-checking the windows in all the hallways and classrooms," Peko tells her group's task. "We wanted to see if we could remove the plates, but…"

"Nothin' happened! Not even after me and Coach Nekomaru hit it with all we got!" 

Nekomaru nods firmly. "Our strength was no match for them at all!"

"I couldn't even get the bolts off cuz there's no tools big enough around here," Kazuichi groans. He leans his elbows on the table and holds his head in his hands. "Man, this sucks…"

Akane crosses her arms. "I even went back to the main hall to get that door open, but when I punched it, it was hard like… like metal!"

"That's because it is metal, dumbass," The yakuza rolls his eyes at the gymnast's airheaded nature.

"And there was no way we could communicate with anyone on the outside. Everything is blocked off--stairs, communication, everything," Nekomaru pales and clears his throat. "Stairs in both the school and dorm areas are stairs leading to different floors."

"But we couldn't open 'em!" Akane sighs.

"Honestly, w-we didn't do a-anything together," Mikan admits with a shake in her timbre. "Rather, we don't n-nothing together."

Hiyoko glares at the purple-haired girl. "So you didn't do anything?"

"Someone wouldn't let me do anything…" Sonia bitterly mumbles.

Izuru blinks. "I have no reason to investigate the building,"

"I-I was too scared to leave my group…" Ryota admits.

Teruteru shrugs. "I was content in… comforting the stragglers,"

"What the hell is wrong with you five?! Our lives are on the line, and you just sat back and relaxed?!" The traditional dancer spits and the quintet.

Mikan tries to assure her. "I-I'm sorry, but nobody w-would want to w-work with me!"

"That's because you're just a dirty, piggish slut!"

"Sl-Slut…?" Mikan blushes.

Mahiru stands up, her chair screeching on the ground. "Hey, that's enough! Infighting won't do us any good!"

Hiyoko's orange eyes glare into Mikan's tearful purple ones. She clicks her tongue and crosses her arms, obediently calming down.

"Such imbeciles. Fighting among themselves," Gundham speaks up and addresses Komaru who listens intensely. "Since I am the last one left, I shall tell you what I was doing."

"Of course," She nods.

"I searched the dining hall and kitchen and found a refrigerator overflowing with treats," Gundham growls. "My Devas would appreciate the food…! Grrr! But at least food isn't running low."

Teruteru huffs. "For now! There are eighteen of us, so how am I s'posed to make food everyday?!"

"Mr. Ham Hands over there can eat sesame seeds," Hiyoko covers her mouth to hide her malicious smile.

Byakuya blinks. "Mr. Ham Hands? Hm, I can appreciate this nickname as it holds true,"

"What the hell…?" The blonde rolls her eyes.

"We don't have to worry about a shortage of food," Gundham retorts. He lifts his head and seems to glare at the mortals before him. "The food is automatically restocked everyday. That is what the bear told me."

"The bear?" Byakuya turns his attention to the breeder, intense and curious. "You saw Monokuma?"

"Indeed, he came from the air and disappeared into the air," He sighs. "It is difficult to believe someone is controlling him with a mere remote."

"A weaponized toy that can just appear from nowhere… I can't tell if we're supposed to be afraid or not," Kazuichi's pink eyes sparkle with joy.

"And everything was ok?" Sonia asks the breeder in worry. "He didn't try to eat you?"

"Eat him…?" Teruteru has a nosebleed. "If you could explain the eatin' in more detail… I would appreciate it…"

"Fucking shit…" Fuyuhiko curses. "Shut up, tubby!"

"You're acting like a sleazy drunk man!" Mahiru berates the chef even though he seems to enjoy it.

"There's no good kind of sleazy drunk dude…" Akane glares at the chef.

"Stop getting off track, all of you!" Byakuya yells to break up the heated argument, but it doesn't work.

"Is this what hope is like? Or… is it the despair getting to you?"

Komaru's eyes widen as she looks to the dining hall's entrance to see Nagito walking forward. He has a bruise on his forehead, but he's carrying a piece of paper in his hand.

"Nagito, you're late," Byakuya simply states and narrows his eyes.

Nagito waves the paper around. "I apologize but…" He lays the thin paper on the table. "I found this while exploring and was distracted."

Komaru, as well as other people who cannot see, shuffles forward to gaze at the paper Nagito found. She tilts her head.

"What…?" Komaru cups her chin.

Nagito answers the questions. "It appears to be a map of Hope's Peak Academy,"

"A map of Hope's Peak?" Komaru looks up from the boxes, eyes wide.

Mahiru addresses the lucky student. "Where did you find this?"

"That's not important,"

"It is important!" Mahiru deadpans. "You're freaking us out right now!"

Byakuya rolls his eyes. "Ignore her and continue,"

Nagito chuckles, eyes closing. "Well, the building we're in has precisely the same layout as Hope's Peak Academy,"

"So… this is really Hope's Peak Academy?" Komaru pulls her hands to her chest and says.

"Construction-wise, yes… However," Nagito taps on the outer edge of the picture. "It has some renovations done to it. Along here and here."

"Renovations?" Komaru cocks her head.

"I only found this paper that details the first floor, so I don't know all the details,"

"But then… this really is Hope's Peak," Ryota mumbles. "We didn't get kidnapped and taken to some other place…"

"Man, this blows… I mean, this," Akane waves her arm around before crossing her arms. "is where the country's future elite are s'posed to come and learn? Tch."

"But if this is Hope's Peak, where are the other students?" Chiaki points out.

She's right. Are there other students on other floors? Like when there are already NPCs loaded in a locked area, but you have to somehow get to them?

It's dangerous to go alone! Take a group of friends on your journey!

"Now, why are we talkin' about this negative stuff?" Teruteru slides his hand smoothly over his hair and grins.

Komaru blinks and shakes her head. "Bwah? Huh? Aren't you worried? I mean, things aren't looking so good…"

The chef laughs, unconcerned. "Worried? What's there to be worried about, sugar?" He taps the table with his finger, a relaxed grin on his face. "This was all just one big prank by Hope's Peak Academy. Monokuma's just a hoax sent to prank us! 'Sides, they wouldn't just have us kill each other; a prank is all it is. Yep."

He doesn't sound too sure of that despite his unfazed smile.

Nagito starts to laugh, chuckling into his fist. He draws the attention of the other students to him.

Hiyoko sneers. "What's so funny?"

"Oh, I'm just happy!"

"H-Happy?!" Hiyoko gapes in disbelief, taken aback.

"Us splitting up gave us new information!" Nagito opens his eyes, wheezing now. Komaru is concerned at the slight rattle in his chest. "We found out that we're trapped in a hidden location with no way out! Isn't this great?"

Kazuichi sweatdrops. "Dude's lost it…"

"Now I can see the shining hope of everyone as they work to get out of here! How exciting…! To be so close to the world's hope… Oh, it's amazing!"

Komaru chuckles and backs up a slight step. The look in his eyes is… kind of scary…

She'll wait it out so they can talk later!

Mikan whimpers. "Tr-Trapped… We c-can't really be trapped i-in here… r-right?"

To that, nobody has an answer. Only a frost of realization weighs down and smothers the hopeful warmth that had built slightly.

"How about… I propose a rule?"

Komaru looks at Sonia who has her chin down in thought, fingers brushing against it. "A rule? What do you mean?"

"We cannot leave the building, this holds true, so why not adapt?" Sonia suggests. "In order to survive… we must adapt to the harsh conditions holding us captive."

Kazuichi makes goo-goo eyes at the princess, leaning on the table with a dorky grin. "We're all ears, Ms. Sonia…"

Sonia's eye twitches. "Since we're trapped here, we'll be staying the night. However… the rule regarding nighttime…"

Regulation 2: "Nighttime" is from 10 PM to 7 AM. Some areas are off-limits at night, so please exercise caution.

Regulation 3: Sleeping anywhere other than the dormitory will be seen as sleeping in class and punished accordingly.

"I impose a rule that going out at nighttime at all should be prohibited altogether," The princess claims with a nod. "We would all have to comply with it, of course, so nobody is anxious about something happening."

Kazuichi stands and raises his fist. "On behalf of the guys here, I agree!"

"Don't fucking speak for us!" Fuyuhiko spits at the mechanic.

"We're all in agreement?" Sonia's air of authority wafts over everyone as they nod in agreement. "Perfect! I'll be on my way now!"

She stands and makes her way to the exit, but Kazuichi cries out. "M-Ms. Sonia?! Where're you going?!"

Sonia turns slightly, an annoyed smile on her face. "Just. To rest. To rid myself of… annoyances,"

After she leaves, Kazuichi gasps and rounds on Gundham. The mechanic points at the breeder accusingly.

"You! You did something to Ms. Sonia! I knew it, you're a no-good man! No, a no-good boy! You're an annoyance to her!"

Gundham deadpans. "My Dark Queen is rather fond of my company. Myself, my Dark Queen, and–"

Komaru blushes and waves her hands. "Pl-Please don't say the name! It's really embarrassing!"

Gundham tuts and nods, rising to his feet. "Very well… Komaru. I'll be on my way,"

Flicking his scarf, Gundham leaves.

Slowly, everyone returns to their dorms.

"Wait, Mahiru!" Komaru calls out to the photographer.

Mahiru jolts in shock when she turns around and Komaru is standing there with wide, puppy-like eyes. "... Yes?"

"C-Can I use your shower?"

"What? Why?"

"Well…"

"You weren't kidding," Mahiru grunts as she tries to turn the sink's handles only to come up with no water. She sighs and twists the nozzles back. "These don't work at all."

Komaru nods. "Yeah, I didn't really know what to do, but I thought of you and… well…"

"Of course you can use my shower, Komaru," Mahiru giggles as the two leave the medium's bathroom.

Ding dong! Bing bong!

"Mm, ahem, this is a school announcement. It is now ten PM As such, it is officially nighttime. Soon the doors to the dining hall will be locked, and entry at that point is strictly prohibited. Okay then... sweet dreams, everyone! Good night, sleep tight, don't let the bed bugs bite…"

Mahiru sighs. "Tomorrow, I guess. Just come over sometime before the nighttime announcement,"

"Alright," Komaru waves at Mahiru's back as she walks away. "Bye!"

The door closes, and Komaru drops her smile. She plops down on the edge of her bed with a groan.

Great. Trapped in a building with a murder-bot forcing them to kill each other. Is this how she's going to die? Without ever saying "I love you" to her family again?

And Makoto… where's he in all of this? Is he ok? Are her parents ok?

… She'll get out. She has to. For her family.

Chapter Text

Komaru woke to a sudden spark of life given to the screen in her room. She sits up and wipes the drool from the corner of her mouth, blinking her drowsiness away.

"Good morning, everyone! It is now seven AM and nighttime is officially over! Time to rise and shine! Get ready to greet another beee-yutiful day!"

… Did she accidentally fall asleep in her clothes last night?

Komaru glances down at herself and notices that, no, she didn't fall asleep in her clothes. She's wearing a loose-fitting pink shirt and no pants. 

Oh… I somehow got into some PJs… Must've been too tired to remember it.

She pushes herself off of her bed and stretches, yawning loudly. Her mouth closes with a slight click.

Alright! New day, new chance at escaping! Komaru thinks in determination. She reaches towards the hem of her shirt and pulls it off of her.

She makes quick work of clipping her bra on and sliding her clothes on. She buttons her cape into place and flicks the collar up slightly. Sticking her tongue out, she lowers the collar until it's the perfect combination of raised and lowered.

Balanced. As all things should be.

"I should go see if Gundham wants to explore this place with me," Komaru mutters to herself as she skips to her door. "Maybe we can find a way out and tell our other classmates!"

As she closes the door behind her, she sees Nekomaru leaning his back against the wall. She jogs over and waves.

"Hey Nekomaru!"

The manager turns his attention to Komaru and grins. "Hey kid! You're up bright and early!"

"So are you, you know? I'm just going to grab Gundham so we can look around together," She says.

"I see… I am waiting for my stomach to signal the beginning of my morning shit!"

Komaru sweatdrops and scratches her cheek. "Ha ha… Isn't that a little gross to talk about?"

"Shit? It's part of human nature to shit in the morning!" Nekomaru lifts up off of the wall and crosses his arms. "A good shit starts your day! I'm walking around to get the bowels going so in about fifteen minutes, I can go and SHIT!"

"I-I understand, sir!"

Sir? Komaru smiles, strained. Where did that come from? Wait, why is Nekomaru laughing at me?!

"Gah-hahaha! You're funny, kid… 'Sir'. Hahaha! Ghh!" He jerks back into himself and grabs at his chest.

Komaru flinches at the sudden change in mood. She pulls her hands to her chest. "A-Are you ok?!"

Nekomaru grunts, rubbing his chest over his left side. "Yeah… Yeah, it's just heartburn…"

"Oh…! Heartburn sucks, but it'll get better after a few minutes!"

Nekomaru blinks. "I… I guess so…"

Komaru walks backwards. "Bye!"

She turns and goes to Gundham's door, right next to her own, and rings the bell at the door's side. It opens to reveal Gundham in the middle of clipping his sleeve back over his bandages.

"Ah, Dark Observer," Gundham nods. "Have you come to accompany me to find an escape route?"

Komaru chuckles. "I-I just want to be called Komaru…"

"In fact, I have a favor to ask of you,"

Komaru cocks her head. "A favor?"

"I had a thought of there being a weapon for self-defense," Gundham steps out of his room and closes the door. "Since my power is nullified in this oppressive environment, the next best thing is to obtain a weapon!"

He does have a point there. Whoever kidnapped them could show up at any point and… attack them! Maybe self-defense is a good idea!

"Come with me to the gym, Dark Observer, there was a display case of items there that could serve us well," Gundham begins to walk but is halted in his path.

Akane snorts. "'Dark Observer'?" She places her hands on her hips and eyes both Komaru and Gundham. "What's that s'posed to mean?"

Komaru waves her hands to dissuade her curiosity. "O-Oh, nothing, it's–"

"Why, it is Komaru's name for when we take over the world," Gundham says without a care in the world.

"You hearin' this, coach?" Akane calls to Nekomaru who inches closer with sweat going down his face.

"D-Dark Observer…!" There's a rumbling sound coming from Nekomaru followed by a dry toot. "Ugh! It's time! Ten minutes went by so fast!"

He hurries away down the corridor and into his room, slamming the door shut.

Komaru covers her nose and gags while Gundham goes slightly green in the face. Akane doesn't look disturbed as much as they do.

"Eh, livin' in a dump will getcha used to those smells," Akane pats Komaru on the shoulder and frowns. "Huh. Guess I hit ya hard enough to scar." She shrugs and walks off.

"Let us hurry," Gundham walks away with Komaru in tow. "Before the stench overwhelms us."

Komaru already feels overwhelmed.

They hurry off though the hall and towards the school side, passing Teruteru who gives them a wink.

"A boy and a girl runnin' off together? What deeds they'll get up to…" The chef's words fade out as they power-walk to the gym.

There's an unlikely combination of Izuru, Mikan, and Hiyoko by the school store. Hiyoko is terrorizing the nurse while she cries and trips over her own feet, barreling into Izuru who watches the two interact boredly.

Komaru winces as she slams against his chest with a cry and he is unmoved.

On the other side, she can see Kazuichi and Byakuya in the entrance hallway talking. Kazuichi knocks his fist on the metal and shakes his head which causes the heir to point at him then the sealed off door. Kazuichi droops.

Gundham and Komaru push through to the gym and step through the doors to the room before the gym with the display cases.

"Ah, here we are," Gundham pulls his scarf up over his nose. "Surely we'll be able to find something to defend ourselves with…!"

Komaru takes a few steps towards the display case. Self-defense… The only thing that looks defense-like is this sword. Well, it's just a replica, covered by a gold coat. She grabs the handle and lifts it only to cringe.

"Geez, I barely even touched it!" Komaru props the sword up against the case and grimaces at the excess golden glitter on her palms. "The gold's all over my hands…!"

Gundham huffs. "You're correct; it fell off into your palms. Even if it can be used for self-defense, it seems to be… well…"

"It's still better than nothing, right?" Komaru gestures to the sword with a smile.

"I suppose…" Gundham cracks a small soft smile. "But I believe you should keep up with it. After all, your room could use more decoration."

"But… What about you?"

"Hm. There is no need to worry about me," The breeder grins. "I am always able to protect myself."

"Since we're here…" Komaru smiles. "Do you want to hang out?"

"'Hang out'... I will agree to this…"

Komaru phews, relieved.

"What are your dreams, Dark… Komaru?" Gundham asks.

Komaru is taken aback. "My… dreams? Well, I got into Hope's Peak Academy kinda from my spirit seeing ability, but…" She raises her hand in determination. "My dream was always to write manga!"

Gundham deadpans. "Manga…?"

"Mhm! Manga!" Komaru grins at her dream. "It's so close, I can almost touch it! Maybe Ryota can help turn it into an anime!"

"I see…"

"What about you, Gundham? What are your dreams?"

"My dream is simple. I wish to rule the world…! As well as… care for the animals I have," Gundham's mouth forms into a soft smile. "I wish I had a computer to show you my blog… They are all good companions.

"Me being trapped in this place is only hurting them! Their lord is trapped someplace else…" He becomes worried, sweat beading on his forehead. "What will become of them if I am here for too long? No one aside from myself knows how to properly care for them! I need to get out to see them again!"

Komaru bites her lower lip. "I-It's ok! When we get out of here, I'll help you with your animals!"

Gundham freezes. His frantic dual-colored eyes snap over to her, wide and trembling. His body relaxes until his stance turns weak and restless.

"You will…?"

"Of course! We're friends after all," Komaru smiles and tilts her head. "Friends help other friends! At least… I think so."

Gundham blushes. "Yes, well… Run along and put your blade away. I will be in my room if you happen to need me,"

He rushes away and leaves Komaru to her own devices. The medium tilts her head and sighs.

Man, everyone's talent seems so useful in this situation. Komaru grimaces as she grabs the sword and stand with her hand wrapped up in her cape. She carefully walks through the halls to not be seen as suspicious by her classmates. But me? I'm a spirit medium. How can I help unless someone's already dead?

Komaru enters her room and kicks the door closed. She walks over to her desk and places the sword on its stand.

Huh… it did manage to brighten her room up a little bit.

She has some time to spend. Who should she hang out with?

Well, Gundham said he'd be in his room if she needed him…

Komaru leaves her room and goes to Gundham's room, ringing the doorbell with an excited grin. He opens the door and blinks in surprise.

"Dark Observer?"

Sonia, who was walking by, raises her brow. "Dark Observer…?"

Komaru chuckles. "O-Oh, don't worry about it!"

Sonia shrugs and keeps walking to her room.

Gundhan gestures for the medium to come inside his room which is… surprisingly bare. Seeing her perplexed expression, Gundham tuts.

"Earthly possessions only slow me down," The breeder strolls past Komaru and sits down at his desk. "I only rely on the bare necessities."

Bear necessities? Like honey?

"I actually wanted to ask about bears… Uh, not bears, but animals in general,"

Gundham slowly nods his head. "I see. Well then, speak your mind. I will do my best to answer your most promising questions,"

Komaru looks away in thought. "Hmm… What kinds of animals do you see everyday?"

"The beasts I see are plentiful and vary in species. I have encountered large and small," Gundham explains. "For example, the more obedient one which you mount to travel and the wild grizzly which would kill any mortal."

"The more obedient… Do you mean a horse?" Komaru blinks. "It's the only animal I can think of that you ride and is obedient. The grizzly is probably a bear."

Gundham nods. "You are correct. These two beasts have nothing in common and yet, I have managed to tame both in a short time span,"

"Wow! That's amazing!"

"Y-Yes, well… It's no easy feat. Due to the dangerous findings I come across, I have been scarred by the beasts flown my way," He rubs at the bandages on his arm.

Komaru rubs her hands together. "Oh… I'm sorry you got hurt,"

"It was a flesh wound; nothing to cause any serious damage," Gundham smirks.

Gundham is so cool! Facing off against wild animals and being able to take them is… hard! And he's done it many times!

"Another time and I'll tell you of how I came to be cursed!"

Cursed?!

"However… that is a story for a greater relationship than now," Gundham stands and flicks his scarf over his shoulder. "I must attend to other matters, so it would be best if you left for the day."

Aw… But she was having so much fun learning about his adventures! She understands, though.

At least she became closer to Gundham… in a way!

She bids goodbye to the breeder and exits his room. The problem with such a simple task, unfortunately, is that she managed to run into Mikan. Who apparently is really clumsy.

"Kyah!" Mikan cries out and falls over onto Komaru who fumbles and eventually trips and tumbles back against Gundham's door. Mikan shiver in her lap, face pressed to her stomach. "I-I'm so sorry! I d-didn't mean to g-get in the w-way! Please w-write on my b-body! F-Forgive meee!"

Komaru flails her limbs. "H-Heavy! I-I can't move…! Can't… breathe!" She wheezes.

Mikan sits up and scurries away from her until she's sitting on the opposite wall. Tears bubble in her eyes. "W-Wah!"

Komaru gapes helplessly as the nurse trips to her feet and runs away. She stands and runs after her.

"W-Wait, Mikan! I'm sorry! I didn't mean to scare you!" She corners the nurse in the trash room, and she's… somehow managed to tangle the top of her foot in the locked hatch's handle on the ground. "Mikan…"

"D-Don't look!"

It's hard to look at anything seeing as Mikan's shoe is covering her up, but Komaru hurriedly looks away. Komaru holds her hands out, placating.

"Can I… Can I help you up?"

She hears Mikan whimper. "... I kn-know you d-don't want to…"

"I'm going to look now," Komaru states and turns her head back to the purple-haired girl. She makes her work quick in helping Mikan stand. "There! Are you ok?"

Mikan stares at Komaru with emotions crashing together like a wreck in her tearful purple eyes. Slowly she nods.

"That's good…" Komaru sighs in relief and swipes her hand through her fringe.

"I…" Mikan pulls her fists to her chest and squeezes her eyes shut, backing herself into a corner. Literally. "I'm s-sorry, I probably m-made you mad! I-I'll take my cl-clothes off–"

"No no no no!" Komaru shakes her head and slaps her hands over her eyes. "I-I'm sure you're really pretty, but I don't wanna see that!"

"... You don't?"

The confusion and heartbreak lacing Mikan's voice is enough to make Komaru lift her hands and peer at the cowering nurse. Her purple eyes are wide in disbelief.

This honestly wasn't what Komaru was expecting when talking to the nurse.

"Wh-Why don't you want to s-see me naked?" Mikan lifts up slightly. "Do you w-want money instead? I-I can give you m-money!"

"N-No thanks," Sweatdropping, Komaru scratches her head.

"B-But…!"

"I want to know you, Mikan! I wanna know who the Ultimate Nurse is!" Komaru shuffles on her feet, blushing at her own speech. "I want to be her friend."

Mikan searches her face for a long while. Komaru is surprised to see a fiercely guarded yet open face on the nurse. Her chin is a quivering leaf in the winds of their conversation.

"You want… f-friend…" Mikan licks her lips.

"Yeah! So let's have a normal conversation!"

"Then... It's a b-beautiful day t-today…!"

"Y-Yeah…"

Mikan blinks.

Komaru blinks back.

"I'm s-sorry… Sh-Should I… t-take m-my clothes off now?"

"N-No! Just a conversation with clothes on!"

Quick quick quick…! I need to make Mikan comfortable! Oh, I know!

"What's your favorite kind of bandage?!" Komaru exclaims.

Mikan freezes with her hands on the bottom of her skirt. "Bandage…?" A small smile spreads on her face. "There are a lot of different types these days. It's extremely convenient because there are waterproof types and sticky types… But I definitely like the non-elastic types the best. They're not too constricting, but they still firmly secure wounds!"

Komaru sighs. She's really getting into the conversation… I'm so happy. Phew!

"Ah, s-sorry…" Mikan's smile turns to a wobbly blank line. "I didn't mean to j-jump the conversation."

The medium shakes her head. "No, you're fine! I… liked listening to you talk about what you like,"

"I-If you want to kn-know more, I c-can teach you wh-what I know!" Mikan shuffles closer to Komaru with a dreamy sigh. "Like r-roleplay…"

Komaru smiles. "That sounds fun! I've always wanted to roleplay, but I never had time to go to cons! This would be the next best thing!"

Mikan nods. "Yes! But I-I would need to t-teach you more before we… roleplay…"

The brunette grabs Mikan's hands and holds them close. She beams at the purple-haired girl. "Thank you for teaching me something!"

Mikan blushes.

Komaru pulls away. "I gotta go since it's almost nighttime, but we should hang out again!"

She skips off with a grin. Even though Mikan's gaze on her back is burning, Komaru is glad she broke through some of Mikan's exterior and got to know her.

She roams back through the hall and slides over to Mahiru's door. She rings the bell and smiles when it opens to reveal the redhead.

Perking up, Mahiru backs up. "Oh! You're here for your shower, huh?"

Komaru nods. "Thank you so much, Mahiru! You're, like, one of the nicest people I've ever met!"

"Oh, it's nothing. Take your shower and we can talk for a little bit, ok?"

"Sounds great!"

"So," Komaru hums as Mahiru pokes at the ahoge sticking from the top of her head. It wiggles and falls back into place. "What did you want to talk about?"

Mahiru says nothing for a long while. The sudden silence is what makes Komaru open her eyes in worry only to become face-to-lens with the redhead's camera.

"Say 'cheese'!"

Komaru flinches as the shutter goes off.

Mahiru looks at the picture thoughtfully, lips pursed. She nods slowly. "Not bad. You know, you have a really photogenic face,"

"I do?" Komaru cocks her head.

"Yeah," Mahiru shows Komaru the picture. "It's as beautiful as the night sky--photogenic and ready to be photographed. However, I don't tend to photograph the night sky."

Komaru perks up. She shuffles forward closer to Mahiru and leans in. "What do you photograph?!"

Mahiru smiles softly. "People's smiles,"

"Smiles…?"

"Yeah, smiles. It just puts me in a creative and good mood whenever people are smiling because I can show them how beautiful they are," She explains.

"That's really nice!" Komaru leans away from Mahiru and circles her finger on the bed. "Mediumship sometimes puts a smile on people's faces after seeing a relative or lover, but I always smile at one thing."

"Oh?" Mahiru cocks her head. "What's that?"

"Dog videos!"

"D-Dog… videos?"

"Doggy smiles are the best smiles to photograph!" The medium claims with a serious nod. She points at Mahiru in a semi-serious manner. "If you take pictures of smiles, you should branch out and capture animal smiles too!"

Mahiru blinks at the suggestion. She's caught up in the idea, thinking it over while staring at Komaru's pleadingly determined eyes. She relents and nods.

"I could always give it a shot," Mahiru grins. "But when we get out of here… Do you want to travel to take these photos with me?"

Gasping, Komaru nods. "Of course!"

Mahiru laughs at Komaru's eagerness, and the latter can't help but have stars in her eyes. It's going to be amazing to go around and snap photos of both human and animal smiles!

She feels like she knows a little bit more about Mahiru!

Ding dong! Bing bong!

"Mm, ahem, this is a school announcement. It is now ten PM As such, it is officially nighttime. Soon the doors to the dining hall will be locked, and entry at that point is strictly prohibited. Okay then... sweet dreams, everyone! Good night, sleep tight, don't let the bed bugs bite…"

Komaru stands. "I guess that's my cue,"

Mahiru nods. "Yeah. Hey, if you ever need another shower, my door is always open,"

"I'll see if Kazuichi can fix it for me, but thanks for the offer, Mahiru," Komaru giggles.

"Anytime,"

Komaru leaves Mahiru's room with a quick goodbye and goes back to her own room. She locks the door and changes into her PJs.

As soon as her head hits the pillow, Komaru is out like a light.

Chapter Text

Ding dong! Bing bong!

Komaru smothers her head with her pillow listening to Monokuma's way too enthusiastic voice. It's only seven in the morning…

Another night of restless sleep… How many more until the days pile up where she's still exhausted even after sleeping?

Wait! Komaru sits up and smiles. I can search the school for other clues! With my friends!

Komaru clumsily stumbles to life and throws on some clothes before racing out of her room. She locks it behind her just as Nekomaru passes her to stand at the wall past her, stomach gurgling. Not wanting to be left behind in the aftermath again, Komaru hurries and rings Gundham's doorbell.

He opens the door. "Ah, Dark… K-Komaru. State your business,"

"Since we wandered and found something to defend ourselves, we should find some clues!" Komaru raises her hand with a grin. "To get out of here!"

Gundham hums. "Very well. Show me where you would like to investigate,"

Komaru shows him where she wants to investigate but, unfortunately, there just aren't any clues where they searched. Either way, she feels like she's gotten closer with Gundham.

They're sitting in the dining hall now, bored from their lack of finding anything.

"Hey, Gundham," Said male hums to signal her to continue. "What other animals have you taken care of?"

"The range of beats I have cared for is numerous. What type do you wish to know about?"

Komaru scratches her cheek and leans on her elbow. Her fingertips are tapped on the table in a slow, rhythmic manner as she ponders the question.

If she remembers correctly, Gundham mentioned something about "Devas"... Could those be some animals he was taking care of?

"What about your… Four Dark Devas of Destruction?" Komaru her thoughts.

Gundham's face falls for a brief moment and he looks… fearful. A mask falls back on his face in an attempt to cover up what he was feeling at the moment.

"My Four Dark Devas of Destruction are my generals. They are small yet mighty, witty in the way I had them trained," He sighs. "When I entered this school with them, we were suddenly struck with darkness and… and I still have not found them."

Haven't found them…? So they're lost?

"They were resting in my hell bound scarf when we entered, yet when I awoke from my peaceful slumber, they were gone!" There's a pinched knot in between where his eyebrows are supposed to be. "When I find whoever took them… that person will feel the raw wrath of the Supreme Overlord of Ice!"

Komaru gives him a soft smile. "They have to be somewhere in here! I'm sure we'll find them…" She lifts up from the table and folds her arms over her chest. "And there will be lots of love for them when they return!"

"Kh! I am only realizing it now!" Gundham looks horrified as he says this. "My Devas… They have been without affection for the past three days! I have not been able to properly care for them for days!"

He begins to sweat and pulls anxiously at his scarf. Komaru leaps out of her chair and brings him in for a hug.

"It'll be a-ok! I promise that when we find them, I'll help you take care of them if they're hurt!"

Gundham pushes Komaru back, but he doesn't seem that bothered by the hug. "You… would make an oath with me?"

"Mhm!" Komaru holds out her pinky which he wraps with his own. She smiles. "When we find them, they'll be in good hands."

"I appreciate it, Komaru. Ah, I should mention they are hamsters,"

"H-Hamsters?" She blinks.

"Yes. I will begin my search for them now!" Gundham stands from his chair and raises his hand in determination. "They will come barreling back to me as I call for them, surely!"

Komaru watches as Gundham flees the dining hall while calling out for his Devas. She plops back into her seat with a slight chuckle.

Well, she learned a bit more about Gundham!

A confused Peko wanders into the dining hall and scratches her head. Her red eyes lock onto Komaru, and she immediately comes closer.

"Komaru," Peko nods at the medium. "I'm only asking this once before I do it with force." She reaches behind her and grabs the handle of her sword.

Komaru cries out. "Wh-What…?! You didn't ask your question!"

Kazuichi wanders in with a sigh.

Peko tuts and relaxes her stance, crossing her arms. "I am requesting your sewing kit. Sonia wishes to gather them all up and store them somewhere no one will find them,"

Oh, that sounds like a cool idea! Especially since they can be used to hurt others, so they could be hidden away for good!

Kazuichi slides over with a dreamy look. "Ms. Sonia wants to get the sewing kits and hide them…?" He pumps his fists. "Oh, that just gave me an idea! Now Ms. Sonia will praise me for my genius…!"

He sprints out of the dining hall.

Peko sighs. "Also, I am on laundry duty. I will be doing everyone's laundry starting the day after tomorrow and continuing each week on that day," She unfolds her arms. "May I have your key to grab your sewing kit then return it to you here?"

Komaru nods and hands over her dorm key. She sinks on the table, waiting for Peko to come back, which she does a few minutes later. The swordswoman gives a slight nod and exits the dining hall just in time for Mikan to slip past her.

Mikan's purple eyes lock onto Komaru and her face heats up. "H-Hello…"

"Hm? Oh Mikan!" The medium stands and rushes to the nurse with starry eyes. "Do you wanna see if we can open some of the locked doors to find clues? A way out could be through those doors!"

Mikan stares at Komaru for a long long moment before she presses her fingertips together and blushes. "If you wouldn't m-mind having me around…"

Komaru takes the initiative and practically drags the nurse across the school and dorm areas. They don't find anything, but Komaru does find that she understands Mikan a little more.

Deep in thought, Mikan stares at the locked nurse's office. Komaru watches as the purple-haired girl sinks into herself and sighs deeply, shoulders up to her ears.

She looks… distraught. As if she found out some bad news recently (besides the killing game) and is taking it bad.

Komaru opens her mouth to say something, but she falters and closes her mouth.

Given how timid she is, Mikan starts the conversation. "Yesterday, we were talking a-about bandages… It's b-been on my mind f-for a while…"

"Really?" Komaru cocks her head.

"Yes… I wanted t-to know…" Mikan turns around with a pleased smile on her face even though her eyes are wet with unshed tears. "A-Are you hurt in a-any way?"

"Hurt? Of course not!" Komaru smiles softly. "What gave you that impression?"

Disappointment flickers across Mikan's face at the clear dismissal of her idea. In fact, she seemed almost happy at the thought of Komaru being hurt.

Ohhh… She must want to use her talent! Komaru thinks about it more and comes up with an idea.

"Hfff!" Komaru keels over slightly and folds her arms over her stomach, holding her breath to force her cheeks to burn red. "Oh…!"

Mikan perks up, bewildered at the sudden change. "A-Are you ok?!"

Komaru dramatically straightens back up but makes sure to keep a hand on the wall and her stomach. "Ugh, yeah… Just some cramping pain here and there, haha,"

"What--You're h-hurt and didn't t-tell me?!" Mikan toughens up. "I need to get you to sit down, there's no telling what those cramps might be the cause of! The menstrual cycle is on the low end of worry with stomach infections or appendicitis on the high end! Oh, I need my tools, I need a bed, I need… I need ten CCs of–"

Watching as Mikan rants about medical knowledge while being dragged towards the dorms, Komaru sweatdrops. I knew Mikan needed to use her talent, but this obsession seems too much…

"--And you need to eat plenty of fruits and vegetables!" Mikan turns the conversation and their route back to the dining hall where several people are scattered about and talking with each other. The nurse drags the medium to the kitchen. "Hehe, I'll supply you with the things you need… After all, you might be too weak to even lift your fork…!"

Ok, this is getting out of hand… Komaru pulls her hand away from Mikan and gasps, having a fake miracle.

"Oh my goodness!" Komaru holds her stomach in fake shock. "It just went away while I was talking to you, Mikan!"

Mikan stammers in shock at the development, clearly not suspecting the good intentions earlier and the not-so-honest intentions now. She blinks and picks at her bandages, murmuring that Komaru is sure.

"Yep!" The sweat dripping down Komaru's brow is damning to her guilt, but Mikan doesn't suspect a thing. "Must be that time of the month. Periods and stuff, y'know? I'll just get some stuff from my bathroom and handle it."

"D-Do you want some r-remedies to soothe the cramping pain?" Mikan asks.

"I'm good, but…" Komaru grabs Mikan's shoulders, loose so she could pull away but tight enough to keep her attention. "Thank you for being such a good friend."

Mikan giggles. She closes her eyes and blushes.

Komaru feels like a huge jerk. Why would she get Mikan's nursing hopes up and then squash it like a bug? She's just the worst…

But… Komaru is glad she knows how willing Mikan is to take care of people.

She grins at Mikan and waves goodbye slightly before turning and leaving the kitchen. In her path, she finds Byakuya standing with his head down and irritation set on his face.

"Byakuya? What's wrong…? You look mad!" Komaru points out.

The heir opens his blue eyes and stares down at Komaru for a few long and awkward (for Komaru, at least) moments. Then he tuts.

"I have a task for you, Komaru," Byakuya states, jumping to his point immediately. "Try and keep up with me."

Without another word, Byakuya stalks out of the dining hall. Komaru follows him with a squeak, cape billowing behind her.

"Where…! Where are we going?" Komaru huffs. If this is how their bonding time is going to go, Komaru really doesn't want it! She hates being left behind!

Byakuya and Komaru enter the trash room and stare at the gate to the incinerator. "I called you here because I have a strange feeling inside of this room. As if it's important later on,"

… Why would a trash room be important?

"But I digress. Komaru, tell me, how did you obtain your talent?"

Oh, Byakuya wants to know more about me! This is fine!

"Well… My teacher was in my house in my room and told me not to tell anyone, but I did, and the next day he was mysteriously gone!" Komaru smiles and pulls her hands to her chest. "Isn't that neat? I got to talk to a real life ghost, then they all started popping up!"

Byakuya doesn't seem as amused and entertained at the story. He is more nonchalant about the story and nodding while processing it.

"I understand now–your role in this story," Byakuya smirks. "You're a gullible child who has no idea of the horrors people do in their day-to-day lives."

Komaru flinches in shock.

"Whether it be visiting children secretly in the night or not, you don't understand the ways people are dysfunctional," He says. "You say you talk to the dead, that you're a spirit medium, but I don't want to believe in a delusional child's fantasy."

Harsh… Komaru blinks as the heir rants to her.

"However… If your talent is the only one that can possibly hold up and solve crimes… Maybe it isn't that bad,"

"... Really?" Komaru cups her chin at the thought. "Huh. I never thought of using my talent for solving crimes."

"A spirit medium solving crimes," Byakuya chuckles. "Where have I heard that one before?"

Komaru shrugs. "I dunno. Sounds familiar, though!"

"When a body pops up, I want you not to expect the killer to come to the trash room," Byakuya pulls a key from his pocket. "Because I have the key to this gate. It's only when I'm killed to expect usage of this room."

Ah, so that's how important this room will be! Byakuya's going to protect it!

He may seem like a tough and… harsh guy, but Komaru sees a more protective side to him. She feels like she knows some of the real Byakuya now.

"Enough of this. I will be taking my leave now, and I expect you to come through with your skills," Pointedly, Byakuya narrows his eyes at the brunette. "We'll be counting on you when the time comes. I don't put my faith in others, but I believe you will save me… save us from this despair."

Komaru scratches her head as the blond leaves her alone in the trash room. She's only known him for a few days, but he's acting… strange.

"Man, too bad Byakuya's gonna get the shock of his life when he finds out you can't use your talent to find out who killed who!" Monokuma pops in from nowhere and nearly scares Komaru out of her skin.

Coming down from her shock, Komaru furrows her eyebrows. "What, why not?"

"Cuz as much as you try to bend it, I won't consider dead students as participants!" The bear explains. "You can ask, but it would mean that you're breaking a rule…!"

Ding!

Komaru fumbles her e-Handbook out and stares in shock at the screen.

Regulation 7: Komaru Naegi is not allowed to interact with the dead in certain situations as they are not students anymore and are not allowed to participate in the killing game.

"Thank you for reminding me of that, I almost forgot about your OP talent!" Monokuma wipes away a sweat droplet from his brow. "It would have cost the fun of the whole game! And we don't want that, don'tcha know?

With anger in her heart, Komaru grunts. "Y-You are sick… "

"Oh come on! I'm not banning your talent twenty-four seven! Just for a short period of time," He places his paws on his stomach. "Then you can go back to talking up the dead for some action… Would that be a body count or a ghost count at that point?"

Komaru grits her teeth. "I… I…!"

Ding dong! Bing bong!

She numbly listens as the nighttime announcement goes off over their heads. Monokuma smirks.

"Might wanna head back to bed, Komaru; teenagers need at least eight hours of sleep per night!"

Trying to hold back her anger, Komaru storms out of the trash room and to her dorm.

Sleep. Sleep is all she needs…

Chapter Text

Groaning, Komaru wakes to the morning announcement going off above her head. 

She pulls herself together and gets ready. As she's about to leave to go wander around, her doorbell rings. Curious, Komaru goes over to her door and opens it to reveal… Byakuya?

Without any introduction, he pushes his way into Komaru's room and stands with his arms crossed. She closes the door with a blink of her eyes.

"What's up, Byakuya?" She asks.

The blonde hums. "As long as the seas of despair rage on, I will remain planted on the ground. You agree with me,"

That… didn't sound like a question…

"I'm not sure I understand…" Komaru protests.

"This is why I decided that thirty minutes after the morning announcement, every morning, we will all meet up and eat together as a class," Byakuya states, smirking in contentment. "Do what you will before breakfast, but you will be there for the meeting.

"If you'll excuse me, I need to inform the others of this development. Teruteru is already cooking in the kitchen as we speak, and I would hate for such delicious food to go to waste,"

He gives her a pointed stare before leaving without waiting for a reply.

I guess I should finish up then go to the dining hall. Komaru thinks to herself.

She leaves her room and wanders around, catching a few of the others already up and ready like Nekomaru and some groaning at being forced to participate in a morning meeting.

"Yo, Komaru!" Said girl stops and waits for Kazuichi to catch up with her. He frowns slightly. "What's the deal with that new rule saying you can't use your talent?"

Komaru sighs. "I don't know, I just can't use it for some time after someone dies,"

"Tch, lame. Monokuma has the nerve to tell you not to use your talent and you don't know why," He sighs. "This whole situation sucks…"

Complaining, Kazuichi rambles to Komaru as the two head off to the dining hall.

Everyone is gathered in the dining hall now. Komaru licks her lips. She should probably talk to Byakuya before doing anything else.

"Since everyone's here, grab some food and we'll discuss everything we know," Byakuya states.

The blonde waits until everyone's settled down before talking again. "In order to leave this game, we need to cooperate with one another. As expected, we need a leader--I'll happily accept the position," He says much to Mahiru's ire. "Now, onto more pressing concerns–"

"Hey, why are you automatically made the leader?" Mahiru counters him.

"Seeing as I'm the only one willing and able to, I'd say my reasoning is solid,"

"What about Sonia?"

Sonia sweatdrops as the attention is turned to her. Kazuichi nods. "Of course! Ms. Sonia is an amazing princess, so she'd have no problem leading us!"

"Ah, no," She denies the offer. "I am merely a figurehead. I have no desire to lead here."

"B-But…! Ms. Sonia, you already took action as a leader!" The mechanic begs the princess who ignores him.

Tutting, Gundham lifts his nose. "My Dark Queen should not have to explain herself to the likes of those lower to her," He grins and closes his eyes, missing the obvious irritation in Kazuichi's pink eyes. "If she does not wish to lead this sad bunch of mortals, then she is welcome to join Komaru and myself."

Sonia's eyes sparkle. "I would be honored!"

Kazuichi's head drops into his plate.

Mahiru is pale, searching for someone else to lead. Her eyes land on Fuyuhiko then turn away.

"No comments or objections with my position?" Byakuya asks to which no one answers. "Then let us continue. Did anyone happen to find any clues to freedom?"

Silence. Nobody answers the heir.

"Seriously?" A vein pulses out of his forehead. "No one found anything of use? Tch, your efforts have been noted as useless."

Peko crosses her arms from her standing position. "And what, pray tell, have you found?"

"Moving on," Byakuya pushes forward. He's either ignorant of what Peko asked or is ignoring her.

"I can tell you who's behind this!" Ibuki throws her arm up. Many perk up but then deflate at her next sentence. "Someone totally crazy! This is a cray-cray situation!"

Sonia hums and gains Chiaki's attention. "What is it?"

"I was thinking of 'evil mastermind' options and thought of two people… two murderous fiends,"

Komaru perks up. "Two people? Two murderous fiends?" The brunette tries to think of what she's talking about but draws a blank. "Yeah, I got nothing."

"Sparkling Justice and Genocider Syo, of course! However, we can narrow it down to Genocider Syo," The princess says. "Only because Sparkling Justice just so happens to be… not native to Japan."

Genocider Syo…? Like that serial killer on the news and stuff?

"A plausible theory and certainly out there," Byakuya trails off with a slight frown. He pushes the frames of his glasses up with his thick finger. "However, it's the only lead we have at the moment."

"But a killer being the mastermind… isn't that a killer problem for us?!" Kazuichi freaks out, breaking into a sweat.

Chiaki stands in determination. "There's no need to worry, everyone! As of now, I'm sure help is on the way!"

"Huh? Help?" Hiyoko sits up straighter in her chair.

"Of course! We've been stuck in here for a few days already; nobody's been able to contact us, so they must he worried," The gamer points out. "I have hope that someone is coming for us--the authorities like the police!"

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAA!"

Monokuma pops out over the edge of the table and jumps on it. "The police? You're putting your faith in the police?!"

"What are you doing here?!" Nekomaru pales.

"You guys, seriously... Do you understand what role the police exist to fill? All they're good for is being a foil, playing against a villain or anti-hero or evil organization. The bad guys come along and destroy them, and that shows just how badass they really are. Are you sure you wanna rely on such an unreliable group of losers? I mean come on! If you really, really wanna get out of here, all you gotta do is kill!" The bear grins.

Teruteru chuckles.

Hiyoko blinks. "Why the hell are you laughing?"

"Ah, I'm only surprised at the dedication this joke has. The commitment of this act, y'see?" The chef explains himself.

"You're still denying it…?" Nekomaru sweatdrops.

"Fucking serial killer psycho bitch…" Fuyuhiko raises his fist, and a vein pops out of his forehead. "What the hell do you want?"

Monokuma tilts his head. "Fuckingserialkillerpsychobitch… Is that German? Is that what you think my name is?"

Fuyuhiko growls. "We know who you are, you bastard!"

"Maybe if I ignore the shorty, he'll go away…"

"The shorty?! I'll kill you!"

"Ok, ok, let's get back to business. Your life here has already begun and a couple of days have gone by, and nobody's killing anybody!" Monokuma whines. He kicks his feet dejectedly, face sad. "I thought all you kids were lazy and selfish, and here you are working together. But I'm totally bored…"

"We wouldn't just start killing each other!" Komaru proclaims, fists clutched to her chest. "We're friends! We have no reason to hurt each other!"

"Wait, I think--yes! Ding ding ding! I figured it out!" All the mystery ingredients are here--right people, right place. So why hasn't anyone killed anyone yet? That's what I couldn't understand. But I just realized there was one very important piece missing!"

Confused at what Monokuma is talking about, Komaru tilts her head slightly. "Huh? What do you…?"

"If you wanna know, I'll tell ya! It's motive! Puhuhu!" Monokuma lifts his arm with a dark smirk. "It's so simple! I just have to give everyone a motive!"

"Motive?" Hiyoko questions. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"Oh, by the way! There's something I wanna show you guys!" The bear says.

Kazuichi shouts, spit flying from his mouth and his hands shaking. "Pl-Please stop changing the subject…"

"I have a little video I'd like you all to see. Oh, but don't worry. It's not some pervy 'adult' video or anything," The bear blushes and sweats. "Seriously, it's nothing like that! It's a special video for each of you showing what's going on outside the school."

"O-Outside the school?" Sonia mutters. "What do you mean?"

"Heh heh! Ooh, Master's so impatient today! Why don't you just watch it and find out?" Monokuma suggests with a sly grin. "Here in the school, there's a specific place you can go that has everything you need to watch the video."

"Splendid. Then we can watch the videos now. But first, I'd like to know…" Byakuya's face shifts through many emotions. Flickering worryingly. "Why? Why me--um… Why us?"

Monokuma stays silent, staring at the blonde with intense eyes. He giggles. "Oh Byakuya, that's some weird phrasing you have there," His red eye glows bright. "Care to say it again?"

It's Ryota who speaks this time, brows worried together. "U-Uh… Why are you doing this to us? What do you want?"

Another strange robotic pause. "What do I want…?" Monokuma chuckles. "Despair. That's it.

"If you want to know more than that, you'll have to figure it out for yourselves. Do whatever you need to to uncover the mystery hidden within this school. I won't try and stop you," He throws his head back in a nasally laugh. "Cuz to be honest, it's entertaining as heck watching you guys search so desperately for an answer! So I guess I want amusement from you, too."

With that, Monokuma jumps off of the table and disappears beneath it.

"He's gone. Hmph," Gundham grunts, lip curled. "And once again, he has left us before I could figure out his tricks."

Kazuichi sneers at the breeder. "What, your lame magic tricks can't be more useful?"

"Gundham, I wish for your powers to become stronger so you can learn of Monokuma's identity!" Sonia exclaims.

"W-Wait…! Uh…!" Kazuichi fumbles before smirking and flexing his arm muscles. "What about me, Ms. Sonia? I can totally take out the bear and his identity! See…? Ms. Sonia…?"

Sonia doesn't spare him a glance, fascinated by Gundham's retelling of his Hell status. The mechanic sinks back into himself much to Hiyoko's (tormentful) amusement.

"Actually Gundham, I think we did find out something from Monokuma," Nagito says while raising his index finger.

Chiaki, following Nagito's train of thought, nods. "That's right! He said something about a video… That should be the first place we search,"

"Yeah!" Akane looks around, lips pursed before her grey eyes land on Komaru. "Hey Komaru! Check this out for us, yeah?"

So the only time she remembers my name is when she wants me to do something…? Komaru deadpans.

"Why me?" Komaru cocks her head.

Sonia tilts her head. "You happen to be the closest to the door!"

"Yeah, what Sonia said!" Akane throws her arm over the princess's shoulders and jostles her slightly.

Komaru thinks about it which Akane takes as a negative reaction.

"Hey… Hey hey hey hey HEY!" Akane shouts. "I'm beggin' ya! See? Askin' politely too!"

"O-Ok, I'll go check it out…" Komaru says.

Sonia smiles, eyes twinkling. "Ah Komaru, thank you! You are a nice friend!"

Kazuichi zooms away from his chair and stands next to Komaru, a figurative cloud of smoke following him. He grins with his sharp, shark-like teeth.

"H-Hey, Ms. Sonia, I'm gonna check it out too!" He points at Komaru and himself with his thumb. "Don't I deserve some praise?"

Sonia frowns.

"Ms. Sonia…?"

Komaru sweatdrops at the silence. "Uh… I don't think she's going to reply…" She guides the pink-haired male out of the dining hall and towards the audio/video room on the school side of the building.

"Komaru, do you think I'm not trying hard enough to win her love?" Kazuichi asks with tears in his eyes.

"I think you're trying too hard. You need an in!" The brunette states as the two open the door to the AV room and enter. "I read somewhere that the way to a girl's heart is food! You should ask Teruteru to make something for Sonia!"

He clicks his tongue, crossing his arms defensively. "But she'll know I didn't make it…!"

True…

"Oh!" She hums. She steps forward towards a cardboard box on the table in front of them. With a tilt of her head, Komaru digs into the box and locates a DVD pack with her name scratched on the cover. "DVDs? Are these the motives Monokuma was talking about?"

Kazuichi comes from behind the medium and grabs a disk with Ibuki's name on it. "Looks like it. They all got our names written on 'em, so they're for us I guess…" He drops the disk with a nervous cough. Sweat is beaded on his brow. "I'll, uh, go get the others…! Be back soon!"

He leaves Komaru alone. He ran off just like that and left her alone. She didn't even try and stop him for her gaze is focused on the DVD with her name on it.

It… wouldn't be a bad idea to watch her own before the others get here. Yeah, it'll be quick!

Komaru turns to the nearest monitor and pops the disk in, slipping on the headphones attached to the jack on the computer.

The video starts.

It's… her parents and Makoto!

"Ah!" Komaru smiles.

"You being picked by Hope's Peak Academy right after Makoto is like a dream come true!" Her mother states with an award-winning smile. "I love you so much, and I know you're going to do great things!"

"I'm so proud of you, Komaru. But remember!" Her dad sends the camera a mock-stern frown. "Don't push yourself too hard! And if you ever need advice, come to us or Makoto!"

Makoto grins at the camera. "I had to take a sick day to be in this! I knew you could do it!" His smile becomes softer. "Hey, you're gonna do great."

Komaru's smile becomes watery. Oh… she misses her family so much…

Now… if the video had ended there, everything would've been fine. A message of love and support from her family. A feeling of hope while leaving home to go to a place filled with talent…

But something is up; Komaru feels it in her gut. Because if this was an ordinary day in a (kind of) ordinary school, Komaru would believe this video would be nothing but encouraging for her. But… she knows better.

This school… this life she has isn't normal anymore. She lost any sense of normality the moment she received her scouting letter to Hope's Peak.

The screen distorts and turns into the most horrifying sight Komaru has ever seen. The couch is ripped to shreds and the room is trashed. Bile rises in her throat, and it's sour on her tongue.

The voice… The voice who speaks is familiar. Monokuma.

"Komaru Naegi, accepted into Hope's Peak Academy. And her family, who supported such a spirited girl… But it seems like… something's happened to this family's well-being! Oh boy, this is bad! What could have possibly happened to this family's well-being?!"

The screen goes black. Red words appear on the screen.

Look for the answer after graduation!

"Wh-What is this?! What happened to everyone?!" Komaru throws the headphones off of her head and grabs at her cape.

She starts to tremble as a heavy feeling of unease and fear washes over her. The fear mixes with a justified anger. Hot anger boiling like lava and readt to explode from the volcano of Komaru's mind.

"D-Damn it!" She cards her fingers through her hair as hot tears gather on her bottom lid.

Her hands rip out of her hair and form fists, slamming down on the desk. A single thought races through her mind on the darkest track it could detour onto. What else could she think about when it's obvious?

"I need to get out of here… I have to get out now!" She bangs the desk a couple of times before shouting. "Damn it…! Let me out! I need to know they're safe!"

"Komaru…?"

The brunette turns to see the rest of her classmates gathered and looking at her with worry. Chiaki takes a slight step forward, grabbing the straps of her bag tight.

"Are you ok?" Chiaki asks. "What happened? Know who's safe?"

Everyone is muttering in confusion.

"What's goin' on?" Teruteru whines.

Wordlessly, Komaru points at the box sitting on top of the table.

Nekomaru steps up and grabs his own disk from the cardboard box. "So this is what Monokuma was talking about,"

"What's on them?" Ibuki snatches her own and inserts it into a monitor to view. "Hope it isn't too kinky!"

It didn't take long for everyone to grab their DVD and rush to a computer. It took a shorter amount of time for reactions to pop up.

"What the hell?!"

"Th-This can't be real! This has to be fake!"

"Yeah…! No w-way it's real… mhm!"

"How predictable," Izuru comments dryly before leaving without another word.

Aside from Izuru, Nagito remains the most calm. It's almost as if he didn't see anyone too important to him.

"Ah, I see. So this is what Monokuma meant by motive," He says. "He wants to fuel our desire to leave so we're more likely to kill each other. Pretty smart, but you all won't succumb to him!"

"The prisoner's dilemma…" Sonia says. Her face is stuck in a petrified state and a shadow is over her eyes.

Komaru flinches when Gundham stands and tosses his keyboard off of the table. It slams into the wall and nearly breaks, and the keys scatter along the ground.

Gundham…?

He growls. "I need to get out of here!" He turns and sprints out of the AV room.

"G-Gundham!" Komaru cries. "Wait!"

She runs out after him and catches him in the hall. He's leaning against the wall, shoulders trembling.

"Gundham…? It'll be ok!" Komaru tries to cheer the taller male up with a shaky smile. "We'll get out of here and whatever you saw–"

"Don't patronize me!" He spits at her, whirling around with hard eyes. "I have done nothing to deserve this foolish treatment! Whoever imprisoned us here will feel my wrath and regret the day they cross the Gundham Tanaka!"

Gundham takes off with a flick of his purple scarf over his shoulder. Komaru whimpers as he leaves.

"K-Komaru…?" Mikan hesitantly speaks from behind her.

"Yeah?" The medium turns to see the nurse shifting uncomfortably.

"I-I'm sorry, but… Do you w-want to spend s-some time with me?" She asks. With a gasp, Mikan crumbles into tearful shakes. "If you d-don't want to, i-it's fine! I just d-didn't want to… be a-alone right n-now…"

Komaru's eyes soften. "Yeah, we can do that,"

It beats trying to hang out with Gundham right now… He'd probably yell at me some more.

"I was th-thinking about some medical things I c-could show you," Mikan starts the conversation.

Komaru perks up. "Oh really?" She sends the nurse a teasing grin. "Like what?"

"Surgical things are too c-complicated, so I decided to t-tell you something… easier to understand,"

"What is it, what is it, what is it?!"

"Bruises,"

All the excitement built up in Komaru's body drains like a bathtub. Her head cocks to the side as her brows knot together.

"Bruises?" The medium repeats.

Mikan nods.

Bruises… What's so special about bruises? I mean, bruises are just bruises right?

"When you get h-hit on a place of your body… hard, you can e-experience that area turning a different color," Mikan explains, losing her stutter as she focuses on explaining the details of bruising. "Black and purple is when it is the worst of it while yellow tends to be when it fades."

"Oh wow… I didn't know that!" Komaru smiles slightly.

"I-It's amazing, right? You can tell how long you have until your bruise is completely gone!"

"That won't be much of a problem for me. My brother Makoto… has some luck troubles," The brunette giggles. "It'll be nice to see him and tell him what you told me!"

Makoto… Her gut twists. Will she ever see him again? Will she see her parents…?

Mikan's mouth quirks into a hesitant grin. "Bruising can be very important in other things too… Like figuring out if injuries were made pre-mortem or post-mortem," She taps her finger to her cheek, blushing slightly. "A-Ah, but bruising is just internal bleeding! As long as it doesn't get too big, you should be fine!"

Bruising is what?!

Komaru wants to panic at the thought of internal bleeding because isn't all bleeding done internally?! Then wouldn't everyone be covered in bruises?!

Despite her worries… Komaru smiles as the purple-haired girl giggles in front of her. Mikan's knowledge in medical things is fascinating… She feels like she knows more about the medical field now!

"Hey, I need to go find Gundham now, ok?" The medium asks to be sure.

Mikan deflates a little at the sentence. "Oh…! Um… Th-That's alright…"

"I-It's just--He was acting mean earlier cuz of the motive and I need to make sure he's ok and–"

Mikan scowls. "I said it's fine!" She blinks and blushes as Komaru gapes in shock. "I'm t-terribly sorry! I just had a-a… jealous feeling come over me."

Understanding Mikan's dilemma, Komaru smiles. "You don't need to be jealous! I'm your friend just like I'm Gundham's friend!" She tilts her head with a smile. "I'll always be there for you."

Crying out, Mikan's eyes overflow with tears. "W-Waaaaaaah!"

Panicking, Komaru hands the nurse some of her cape. "Do you need…?"

"N-No… It probably h-has--Hic!--bacteria on it t-to cause an i-infection!"

Komaru sweatdrops and releases her cape. "Oook… I'm just gonna… go now…"

Without waiting for Mikan's response, Komaru speed walks down the hall. She looks all around for Gundham until she wanders over to the dorm side of the school. She calls out Gundham's name a few times.

She turns to go into the laundry room when Sonia exits, a shadow cast over her face. Nagito trails out behind the princess with his usual smile.

"Oh Komaru!" He waves at the brunette. "I was talking to Sonia about something regarding her video. I was--What are you looking for?"

He watches as Komaru races past him and forces her body into the washing machines and dryers. He sweatdrops.

"I'm looking--Ghhh!" She pops her head from the dryer, pouting at the white-haired male. "For Gundham! I can't find him anywhere!"

Nagito cups his chin. "Hmm… You don't have to follow my lead, but he might be in the guy's bathroom?"

Komaru races to the lucky student with glossy hazel eyes. "Please help me find him please!"

He blinks. "Of course! A student of hope asking me to help them with a task…? I am delighted!"

Komaru sweats. He just won't stop talking bad about himself…

Nagito falls silent which makes Komaru blink. "Uh Nagito?"

"Sorry, just felt a presence…" He turns and comes face to face with Izuru. Nagito lights up. "Izuru–!"

"Kamukura,"

"K-Kamukura!" Nagito quickly corrects himself.

Komaru smiles at the long-haired male. "Hi, Kamukura! What brings you here?"

"I heard a ruckus and came to check it out. I had a feeling it wasn't a murder based on the squeals, but I wanted to observe either way," Izuru explains with not a lift in his tone at all.

He's pretty… blunt. Komaru sweatdrops.

"Being observed by the Ultimate Hope…? This must truly be a wonderful day!" Nagito hugs himself and drools slightly.

Izuru snaps his red, emotionless eyes to Nagito. "Leave us be,"

"Of course!" The lucky student turns to Komaru. "I'll find Gundham for you and tell him to meet you at your dorm room."

Komaru stares at Izuru as his red gaze bores into her. She gulps as he steps forward until she's backed up against the table.

"Kamukura, uh…" She fumbles for her words. "What's up?"

Izuru watches her for another few moments before backing off and tutting. "I wonder what grudge has built between you two,"

"Wh-What…?"

"You two. You and the mastermind,"

"What do you mean?" Komaru chuckles nervously. "I don't even know who the mastermind is!"

"... Right, of course not. However, you seem to have been quite the enemy if your talent was blocked before anything could officially begin," Izuru tilts his head. "I wonder why that is. It isn't everyday I come across a riddle I cannot solve. What makes you so special?"

Komaru scratches her cheek. "I'm pretty normal… If I didn't have my talent, I'd probably be cooped up in some apartment by myself!"

"That would be boring. To live a day-to-day life trapped within the confines of your mind, represented by an apartment," Izuru mutters. "You intrigue me, Komaru, you really do."

The brunette's brows raise. "Huh?"

"I have not had this much curiosity since my creation. The mystery surrounding you is abundant," He averts his red gaze to the wall, taking a few more steps back. "The possibilities are endless, yet I cannot pinpoint a single answer as to why. Why were you spared?"

Spared…? From what…?

"A riddle you can't solve? How am I special?" Komaru kicks at the floor. "I can barely use my talent normally, and now it's totally reatricted."

"The riddle about you is an enigma. As I said before, the possibilities are endless," He hums beneath his breath. "If only I had been given that analyst talent before everything... Dwelling over the past won't change the future, but it will impact my reaction time."

Komaru is at a loss for words. "I-I'm sorry, you're kinda confusing me..."

"I must take my leave, but I will figure it out in the near future," He turns and walks away, his dress shoes tapping at every step.

Komaru shivers. Since his creation… Oh, he must be talking about when he was born! And… Why was she spared? What exactly was she spared from? And a reaction time? For what?

The mysteries surrounding Izuru continue to grow more muddled, but Komaru knows that even he doesn't have all the answers. She feels like she knows Izuru a little better now.

Oh crap! Gundham!

Snapping out of her head, Komaru jogs to her dorm to see Gundham standing outside her door. He perks up upon seeing her.

"Komaru," He states. He opens his mouth then shuts it again.

He looks… nervous. Is there a reason to be nervous around her?

"My time spent with you was truly grand, and I wish to tell you the story of how my Devas became my Devas," He speaks softly. "In truth, those beasts were left to rot on the pavement."

Komaru's eyes widen. They were… abandoned? Like in those sad animal commercials on TV…? She tears up just thinking about their sad little eyes.

"I couldn't allow myself to leave such defenseless creatures, so I took them to my lair… And I nursed them back to health," Gundham folds his arms and looks away with a sigh.

What a wonderful guy! Taking his time and energy to care for abandoned hamsters…!

"They were still beasts in need of taming, however, so I rewarded them accordingly with punishments as needed. One day…"

Komaru watches as a slight smile grows on his face, clearly lost in the memories.

"They marked me as their master--on my left arm they did!" He raises his arm, gripping his elbow tight. "I was forever marked by them, and I knew they did so for a reason! I took them under my wing and trained them as my seconds in command!

"Training was ruthless and horrifying, but creatures like my Devas are intelligent and completed their training in less than a few days!"

Komaru gasps. "And… And they became your partners?!"

"Indeed they did. Under the leadership of me, the spirit of the damned! The embodiment of the cataclysm! Gundham Tanaka!"

Teary-eyed, Komaru claps as Gundham breathes heavily. He pulls his scarf up slightly.

"Calm your praise, Dark Observer…"

She can't…! Because her friendship with Gundham has gotten so close these past few days, she needs to show how much she cares!

She understands Gundham's love for animals even more now.

Gundham clears his throat, effectively cutting Komaru off. "Now then, I have some business to take care of," His two-toned eyes slip closed. "Komaru, I am letting you know that I wish to protect you. Now that this motive has gone around, I fear you may be a victim of this bear's game."

She pulls her hands to her chest. "R-Really?"

"Whether you believe me or not… I shall devote my life to protecting you! You will not be harmed under my watch, and I will trust no one except for you!"

"I… I don't understand…"

"I will guard your room to protect you. You are my closest companion, and I wish for your safety," Hesitantly, Gundham holds Komaru's hands in his own hands. He's clammy, nervous about something. "So I will step up and do what it takes to keep you safe! You are dear to me…"

Komaru blushes. "Aw Gundham, you don't need to do that! I'll be fine!"

"I insist!" He backs away to fold his arms. "Now go rest. I will be here throughout the night and the morning before the inevitable meeting,"

Komaru shakes her head but chuckles. "You aren't changing your mind about this, are you?" She unlocks her door and steps inside, but she hesitates on closing the door. Komaru glances at the breeder standing to attention, his back facing her. "Please be careful."

She doesn't receive an answer, so she closes the door and begins her night routine.

Ding dong! Bing bong!

Komaru groans as she pushes herself up from her bed and gets ready. She mimics the overly cheerful Monokuma as he says his morning announcement, giggling at herself.

"Ohhh!" Komaru bursts out of her room with a grin. "Gundham–! Huh?"

He isn't here…?

Komaru scratches her head. He must be using the bathroom or something and got caught up in his room.

She closes and locks her door and skips away, waving at Nekomaru down the hall as he walks past her door, sweat dripping down his forehead.

Her feet carry her to the dining hall where she finds both Kazuichi and Nagito seated at the middle table. She bounces over with a grin, plopping down beside Kazuichi and effectively startling him.

"Ghhh! K-Komaru, don't do that!" He grabs his beanie and pulls it over his face, shaking like a leaf.

She giggles, holding her fist up to her mouth to cover her amusement. "Sorry! I couldn't resist showing my spirit! Hehe!"

Nagito chuckles. "You're here early, Komaru. Yesterday you showed up when we were about  to start!"

"I like to sleep late sometimes…"

"Nothing wrong with that," Kazuichi cuts his eyes at Nagito, briefly taking his eyes off of the pen he's taking apart. "Some people just aren't morning people. My old man wasn't, but I was."

"Yeah, my older brother Makoto is a morning person," Komaru leans on her hands. "I can't wait to see him again."

The three dissolve into a comfortable silence. Chiaki, Izuru, Nekomaru, and Byakuya wander into the dining hall.

Komaru yawns.

"KOMARU!"

"WAH?!" Komaru jumps away from Ibuki who cackles at the medium, head tossed back and spitting everywhere.

Riiip!

"I totally got you! You were all like, 'I'M SHOCKED AND TERRIFIED!' Pffft!" The musician slaps her knee.

Komaru cries out as she sees the rip in her cape. "Oh no!"

Nekomaru's stomach gurgles. "OH NO!" He rushes out of the dining hall with his hands on his gut.

Ibuki gasps and slaps her palms to her cheeks. "Oh my! That looks like a tear-able stitch-uation!"

Those in the dining hall sweatdrop.

"Oh no, oh no, oh no, oh no!" Komaru unclips her cape and holds it mournfully. "Uh uh uh! Oh, I know! I'll be right back!"

Komaru races out of the dining hall and towards the laundry room. She passes by Mahiru and Mikan who both wave at her.

She bursts inside the laundry room and cries Peko's name to which the silver-haired girl jolts in shock, holding something behind her back. Peko deflates from her guarded stance.

"Komaru…" She places down a sewing kit on the table and raises her brow when the medium perks up. "What brings you here?"

Tearfully, Komaru holds out her cape. "I-It ripped! You're in charge of clothes, so I thought we could stitch it together!"

Peko looks uncomfortable, but nods anyway. "Let's stitch this up then,"

It takes too long to figure out. First, the hole in the needle was too small to loop the thread through, then they had to re-loop the thread when they moved it too hard at once, then there was the issue of actually sewing the fabric.

All in all, it took about fifteen minutes to complete.

"Does this look good?" Peko asks as she holds the cape up.

It doesn't look bad. It just has some more love and care put into it.

"Perfect," The brunette nods.

"Ah, we must hurry to the dining hall," The swordswoman grabs her sword and slings it over her back, looking at the sewing kit on the table with worry. "I'll catch up with you, but I have something to take care of right now."

Komaru nods and goes out of the laundry room while clipping her cape back around her neck. She enters the dining hall to see everyone except for Peko and Gundham there (the former is understandable, but the latter?).

Sonia is the center of attention. She has a bandage wrapped around her arm while Mikan is fussing over her.

"What's wrong?" Komaru hurries over, hazel eyes filled with worry.

Sonia waves everyone away. "There is no need to worry about me, I merely slipped on something in the hall,"

"You t-took a bad fall!" Mikan fusses over her. "It's a miracle you had b-bandages on you! Somehow! I d-don't even have bandages!"

"What's going on?" Peko asks as she comes into the dining hall.

Komaru shrugs. "Sonia slipped,"

"She said she was fine, so leave the lady alone. That goes to you mainly, Kazuichi," Byakuya scolds the mechanic who backs off with a sigh.

"Hey Peko, did you see Gundham on the way here?" The medium asks. "I never saw him this morning."

Peko furrows her brows. "Was I… supposed to see him?"

A shot of unease slips down her throat. Komaru chuckles. "Don't worry about it, I'll go find him!"

She ignores Byakuya snapping at her to come back and walks to the hall where the dorms are. Something causes her to slip and slide in the hall, but she regains her balance and sighs in relief. Komaru notices her door cracked open.

Huh? I could've sworn I closed my door… Komaru thinks to herself.

She pushes her door open to a total mess. The walls are slashed and jagged, and her Sayaka posters lay in pieces on the floor. The only thing that doesn't look destroyed is a folded purple scarf on the bed, innocent and inviting.

Komaru bites her bottom lip. Gundham isn't here, so could he be in the bathroom?

She goes to the bathroom door and grabs the knob, twisting it and pulling it open to reveal…

The dead body of Gundham Tanaka, the Ultimate Breeder, with pins and needles sticking out of his body.

Komaru isn't aware of the screaming until her ears stop ringing. Her body feels light as the darkness thumps against her head.

She hits the ground and blacks out.

Chapter Text

Komaru came into consciousness on the gymnasium floor. She blinks her hazel eyes open and groans.

Ibuki is sitting on her, tapping her fingers on the medium's cheek. "There she is! Wakey wakey, eggs and bakey! Good morning sleepy head! Rise and shine!"

Komaru pushes herself up on her elbows and rests her forehead on Ibuki's chest. "Wh-Wha…?"

"Good, you're awake. Stand up and stop whining like a child, we have important things to deal with," Byakuya's urgent voice snaps at her.

Grumbling, Komaru moves to stand only to be yanked up by the musician. She tries to steady her feet, fumbling like a baby deer. At last, Komaru rubs her head.

"You were unconscious, kid! Had to carry ya here over my shoulder!" Nekomaru states with a nervous chortle.

"Glad to see you're ok after…" Mahiru crosses her arms and looks away. "After what happened."

"What… happened?" Komaru croaks.

Then she remembers. The lifeless body in her bathroom. Stabbed all over with needles.

"Ghh!" Komaru cries out. "Gahhhhhh!"

"A-Are you ok? F-Feverish?" Mikan rushes over and shakily presses her hand to the brunette's forehead. "You don't… f-feel off…"

"What a slow bitch. She's obviously in shock after seeing that loser dead in the shower!" Hiyoko grins evilly and presses her fingers to her mouth. "Oops! I meant mega loser! Look at that, when dumb dies and dumber lives on!"

Nagito chuckles. "I think we get it, Hiyoko…"

Hiyoko flinches away from the white-haired male. "Ew, get away from me! Your face just screams pedo!"

Nagito frowns.

"S-So what I saw… was real…?" The medium whimpers.

"Yes," Izuru nods. "Gundham was the first to die."

A deep, chilling despair rushes over the surface of her body. Komaru turns and tries to speed toward the door, but Akane catches her wrist in a vice grip that has her struggling.

"Hey, where d'you think you're goin'?!" The gymnast barely moves when Komaru tries to kick her away and free herself.

"I-I need to see for myself! I have to see if he's–If Gundham's–"

Byakuya sighs in remorse. "You can check once, twice, a thousand times. Gundham is completely and irreversibly dead,"

Komaru slowly stops struggling in Akane's firm grip. She allows herself to be reined in and chained there by a single hand that didn't even budge when she fought. "N-No… I need to see… I need…!"

"Kid, listen to us," Nekomaru walks over and grabs her shoulder in camaraderie. "What d'you think's gonna happen when you walk out those doors?"

"Well what good is it gonna do just sitting around here?! I mean, why are we all hanging out in the gym at a time like this?! Our friend… Gundham… he's… He's dead!"

Dead. The words finally hit her. He's really gone…

"Trust me, no one wants to be here right now," Nagito assures her with one of his calming smiles.

"Then… why?" She whimpers.

"Shouldn't it be fucking obvious?" Fuyuhiko rolls his eyes. "Monokuma told us to come here."

The traditional dancer rolls her orange eyes. "Yeah right! We protested, but he said to move our asses!"

"I'm the one who convinced them to come!" Nagito says with a slight sigh. "I had to be their stepping stone to a new hope! To find a path that fights one hope with another!"

"S-Seriously…?" Kazuichi sweatdrops.

"But we have to do as Monokuma says for now. We're his prisoners, right?" Nagito frowns and points his fingers near his face in thought. "It's not good to defy him without reason. After all, we probably don't need to make any more sacrifices already."

A-Already…? Does he think there will be more sacrifices…? More people dead?

"Why should we listen to him?!" Komaru tries, once again, to pull herself away from Akane. Her face turns red. "What if he killed Gundham?!"

Monokuma steps out of nowhere and shakes his head. "I would never do that! If you can believe anything, you can believe that!"

"He's here again…" Kazuichi presses his palm to his forehead, sweating nervously.

"Unless someone violates a school regulation, I absolutely will not interfere. I can promise you, I won't do anything that goes against the purpose of your school life here," Monokuma says. "I'm famous at safari parks throughout the world for following the 'Bear-Times-One' rule!"

"Then… who did it?" Mahiru asks. "Who killed him?"

"You already know the answer! The one who killed her is… one of you!"

Nobody replied to that. No… that's not possible. None of them did that…

"Hmm? What's the matter? You guys all look like you're about to see a dove get shot up with a Gatling gun!" The bear covers his mouth with his paws. "Don't you remember what I told you when this all began?" He throws his head back in a fierce cackle. "One of you decided to kill Gundham so that you could graduate! Someone's just following the rules. There's nothing wrong with that!"

"Y-You're lyin'…" Teruteru bites his lip and raises his fists in a silent begging motion. "Right?"

Komaru stomps her foot and hits Akane's wrist, but the latter doesn't even flinch. "Liar! You k-killed him!"

"Nope, sorry. One of you is now a bona fide killer. If they wanted to, the one who did it could testify to that little fact,"

"Wha…?" Komaru, without thinking, looks around to see the others with the same looks on their faces. A combination of confusion, fear, and suspicion.

"A-Are you serious?" Mikan covers her eyes and whimpers.

"Someone…" Ryota blanches. "killed someone…?!"

Peko has sweat beaded on her forehead. "To kill so mercilessly in this situation…"

Fuyuhiko rolls his eyes and looks down. "Don't just assume he's telling the truth,"

"That's enough. Before we do anything else, I'd like to confirm something with the stuffed animal here," Byakuya squares his shoulders and glares down at the bear. "If one of us really did kill her, that person gets to graduate from the school, right?"

"... Huh?" The bear tilts his head.

"Don't play dumb! That's what you said, isn't it?! If you kill someone, you get to leave!"

"Puhuhu… Puhuhu! Poohohoho!" His giggles progress into booming cackles. "Bwaaahahahaha!"

Sonia clenches her fists. "Wh-Why are you laughing?!"

"Puhu… it's cuz… Naive... You're just so naive! You think it's really that easy? You can just kill someone and waltz on outta here?" Monokuma drops his arms back to his sides. "You're super naive! Devilishly naive! HELLISHLY NAIVE! No no no, the real thing has just begun."

Komaru whimpers. "The… The real thing?"

"Are you ready?! Allow me to explain the second part of the rule regarding graduation! Just like I explained before, you must kill someone if you want to leave. However… even if you do that, there's still one more part to the agreement you have to upload, remember?"

Mahiru hums. "You're talking about rule number six of the school regulations…"

Komaru thinks back to that rule.

Regulation 6: Anyone who kills a fellow student and becomes "blackened" will graduate, unless they are discovered.

"If you're the 'blackened' who committed murder," Mahiru taps her cheek with her finger and glances down. "you can't be found out. That is what you're talking about, right?"

"Bingo! It's not enough to just kill someone. You have to actually get away with it! Which naturally means you need a system in place to assess whether or not it's been gotten away with!" He raises his arms and growls. "So, a certain amount of time after a murder has taken place, a class trial will begin!"

A… class trial? What's that?

"Yup! It'll begin a few hours after the murder! Everyone will gather together, including the blackened who committed the murder. And they and the spotless students will all engage in one big debate showdown!

"During the trial, you'll have to present your arguments about who you think the blackened is. And once everything comes to an end, the outcome will be decided by popular vote!

"If the answer you've arrived at is correct… only the one that disturbed your peace will be punished. The rest may continue their communal life. However… if you choose poorly… then the one who got away with murder will survive, and the rest of you will receive your punishment. Which of course means your school life will come to an end! As far as class trial rules go… that's all there is to it!" Monokuma explains.

"So…" Mikan clasps her hands together. "Wh-What exactly i-is this 'punishment' you said?"

"Oh! Well, to put it simply…" Monokuma's grin widens. "It's execution!"

Mikan flinches in shock. "E-Execution?!"

"And by execution, you mean…" Peko is cut off by Monokuma stalking forward and stopping in front of her, his eye glowing and intimidating red.

"Execution is… execution. Ex-e-cution! Electric chair, bzzt bzzt! Poison gas, cough cough! Torn apart like a paper plane in a hurricane!"

"So to make sure I understand…" Nagito cups his chin and bites his lip. "If we get the culprit right, then only they die. But if we get it wrong… all the rest of us are executed?"

"What a smart little chimpanzee you are! Look at you, implying you didn't do it without actually saying it! So it's basically what the outside world calls a 'lay judge' system, or an inquisition type thing! Which means you'll be deciding who you think the killer is. But judge carefully, because all your lives are on the line!" Monokuma hums, paws on his stomach. "Ok, let me just add the rule I just described to your handbook. make sure to keep it in mind!"

Multiple chimes of e-Handbooks happen.

"No,"

"Hm?" Monokuma turns to the culprit.

Byakuya rolls his eyes. "You heard me: No. I won't be doing anything which risks our lives, and I encourage the others to follow me,"

"Why not?"

"Why must we waste our precious time figuring out who murdered who?" Byakuya lifts his chin and crosses his arms.

"What?! Are you saying you're not gonna participate in the trial?! Only punishment awaits such blasphemy!"

"Hmph, I seriously doubt that," He huffs. "But I'll play along. What punishment could you possibly have in mind?"

"I might… I dunno, throw you in a deep, dark, scary prison or something!"

"Oh please, this is a waste of my time,"

"Don't be selfish!" Monokuma's eye glows a furious red.

"Selfish?" Byakuya tuts. "I'm the least selfish here. Play your sick game, but I want no part of this."

As the heir turns to leave, Monokuma raises his claws. "The evil standing here before me... I'm trembling with fear...! But I won't give in to such evil! It's my style to stick it out and resist till the very end...! If you really wanna get out of here… You'll have to go through me first!"

Then he came charging at the heir… Well it was more like a waddle…

Byakuya turns, having noticed the sound of feet puttering on the ground, and pins the bear down with his foot.

Komaru stares in horror.

"Attacking the heir to the Togami throne?" Byakuya points down at the bear. "I'll have you ruined when I find out your true identity. You won't be able to get out of your house after the public humiliation I'll give you."

"Gyuh!"

"Are you enjoying yourself now?"

Monokuma smirks. "Are you?"

"Huh?"

"Violence against Headmaster Monokuma is not allowed. You've violated a school regulation... I invoke the mighty summon spell! Help! To me, Box of Iron!"

There's a clunking sound that is followed by a large metal box falling from the ceiling. It snaps closed around Byakuya and hoists him into the air, leaving Monokuma to stand and dust himself off.

"Wh-What is this?!" He sounds panicked. "This wasn't part of the--Hck!"

The box slams down to hover on the ground, chain yanking the box containing the heir. Then the floor and the bottom of the box opens up, and the floor swallows Byakuya into a black abyss below.

His scream of surprise cuts off as the floor slides closed.

Silence. Then someone sighs.

Izuru rolls his eyes. "How predictable. I figured from the start that a twist like this was to happen," He walks away without a care in the world.

"And where do you think you're going; skipping class like this?!"

"I'm leaving to my dorm," Izuru turns back to the group only slightly. "I decided this game is boring."

"Oh, no you're not! I won't have another trouble maker on my hands!" Monokuma raises his arms above his head. "Spear of Betrayal! I command thee!"

Dozens of pole-like spears rain down from the ceiling and pierce through Izuru's body. His red eyes are wide, finally shocked by something. Finally showing emotion. He brings his hands to the poles sticking from his body before his eyes flutter and his body falls back.

And he never moves again…

"Wh-What the fuck…" Fuyuhiko gasps.

"Oh my God…" A pale Mahiru covers her mouth in horror.

"This cannot be real…" Sonia pulls her hands to her chest.

"NO WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY!" Nekomaru screams, hands on his head.

"Now I am painfully aware of the great power and meaning of a promise... I really wanted to keep a corpse from popping up for no good reason, ya know?" Monokuma wipes his ruffled fur, but it's a haphazard job. "But I guess you all needed to be taught a lesson, after all. Ahh, what an amazing promise! But now you guys understand, right?

"Now you see just how serious I am... Defy me and you get shot full of holes, exploded, buried alive, disintegrated… et cetera. So if you don't want that to happen to you, you'd best obey those school regulations!"

Izuru's body has been impaled by a bunch of spears… Byakuya fell to death… An unbelievable amount of blood is pouring from Izuru's body. It was the first time Komaru had seen a person's life come to an end. Nobody could deny it anymore… Izuru and Byakuya were alive… and then they were dead before their very eyes.

"It's really not all that shocking. They just died, that's all. Just went and died. It's no more remarkable than the inevitable demise of the entire human race. It's just as natural as the eventual end of the world itself. This isn't some superhero comic. So it's not like when you die, you didn't really die. This is reality!"

Hiyoko flinches. "Didn't you say you'd lock them up?!"

"I changed my mind,"

"No, you've been wanting to kill the entire time!" Hiyoko points at the bear. "You're a liar! You–"

"Kill this entire time...? Don't be silly, you can't kill time! Or are you being metaphorical? Are you saying I wanted to waste time this whole time? Come on, what do you take me for? I'm Monokuma!

"Anyways, none of that matters right now. I have something I'd like to give you to help you in your search for the blackened!"

A series of pings from their e-Handbooks makes everyone pull out the tablet by instinct.

"This little file has all the information I've gathered about the death in question. I like to call it... The Monokuma File! I mean, naturally you guys aren't experts at this kind of thing, so you can only do so much with a corpse. So instead, I've gathered up everything I know about the circumstances and cause of death.

"What's that? How do I know the cause of death, you ask? Cuz the surveillance cameras picked up the whole thing! I got to see it all go down!"

"Wait, so then… you know who killed Gundham?" Nagito asks.

"Of course I do! If I didn't, I couldn't possibly pass a fair and accurate judgment during the trial, now could I?"

"You have a fair point… The judge of the trial should have the ability to make the right decision, after all," The lucky student doesn't look particularly happy agreeing with the bear, but he acknowledges the facts.

"Now then, please put your full effort behind your investigation! After all, you don't have any choice but to give it your best shot!" Monokuma winks. "Seriously, you don't have a choice! Ok, so we'll meet up for the class trial… in a little while!"

He runs off and disappears. He left them with the dangling box and the impaled mass that is Izuru's body.

For a long time, no one said a word. Gundham, Byakuya, and now Izuru were all dead to their shock. But there's more than that…

One of us killed Gundham… Komaru feels Akane's hand loosen slightly around her wrist. And if we can't figure out who… we all die?

And even when three bodies dropped just like that… he still showed no sign of despair.

"I know you don't want to hear this coming from me, but we have to keep progressing forward," Nagito raises his arms and smiles albeit weakly. "What hope would come from us losing faith in each other?"

"What…?" Sonia furrows her brows. She scratches at the bandage over her arm.

"At this point, cooperation is key," He says. "Heh… But I know I'd get picked last to be someone's partner to investigate…"

"He's right," Peko speaks up. "Thinking about the deceased will do nothing for us at all."

Mikan furrows her brows. "S-Saying that is k-kind of harsh…"

"It's true, though. If we cannot figure out this situation…" She closes her red eyes with a sigh. "We will all die."

Heavy silence rains down on the gym.

"Right now, finding the killer is our main priority!" Nekomaru shouts, cracking his knuckles in determination.

Akane crosses her arm, forgetting her hand holding onto Komaru. "I guess so…"

Komaru struggles to pull herself free from the gymnast's grasp and sigh when she finally does. She flexes her hand and turns her attention towards her e-Handbook.

"I…" The medium licks her lips. "We just… have to keep moving forward."

"Tch, fucking idiots getting themselves killed," Fuyuhiko scoffs, but he's complying with the group's wishes to investigate.

"Amazing!" Nagito blushes. "Even in the wake of despair, your hopes still shine through…!"

Sonia sweats nervously. "I… I will not allow myself to perish in this school… I..."

Everyone keeps repeating quietly the need to live, and their eyes stare at the bloody mass that is Izuru and the covered hole where Byakuya was dropped. No matter how much they protest… Monokuma has made it clear that they have no choice. If that's what it takes to survive… A class trial…

I need to know. I need to know why Gundham died in my room… Komaru clutches the sides of her e-Handbook tight. Why did he have to be the one…? Why did any of them? I'm scared but… I have to face my fears. For me, for the others… For Makoto and my parents. I need to see them again!

But before anything… Komaru looks at the spiky figure lying on the ground bleeding to death. There's no way anyone could possibly survive that…

Teruteru screams shrilly. "I-I can't believe it! This ain't no prank and now Byakuya and Kamukura a-are… DEEAAAADDD?!"

"Have you been shoving a baguette up your ass for the past ten minutes?!" Hiyoko glares at him.

The chef whimpers, nearly crying.

"Before anything, we should have people stay at the crime scene," Chiaki states.

Komaru looks up. "Huh? Why?"

"As expected from the Ultimate Gamer… You've probably played games where securing the crime scene helps in keeping evidence from being lost or destroyed," The lucky student says.

Chiaki points her index finger up in a determined pose. "Yes. Two people would be ideal to guard the room so that if one of them is the killer, the other keeps them from doing anything,"

Nekomaru places his hands on his hips. "I volunteer both Akane and myself to guard the room,"

"Huh? Why?" Akane pouts.

"Because–" Nekomaru rubs the bridge of his nose. "Because we're no doubt the strongest, so we can subdue the killer if necessary."

"Alright!" Akane gives a sinister grin. "I can finally punch someone without needin' to say sorry!"

Komaru sweatdrops and takes a few steps away from the fired up gymnast.

Kazuichi scratches his cheek. "Man, why can't we just have Komaru talk with his ghost? It'd make this a lot easier…"

"Unfortunately no," Mahiru shakes her head to the mechanic's displeasure. "Remember the new regulation Monokuma added?"

Komaru grimaces. Yeah, she remembers it alright…

Regulation 8: Komaru Naegi is not allowed to interact with the dead in certain situations as they are not students anymore and are not allowed to participate in the killing game.

"Ah, then this 'certain amount of time' Komaru can't use her talent must be the investigation and trial," Nagito says, figuring the rule out completely. "How unfortunate… but I suppose it must be done to keep the game 'fair'."

"'Fair' my ass," Hiyoko sighs. "This is bullying in its highest form!"

Mikan smiles. "Don't w-worry, Hiyoko, we'll be a-able to figure i-it out…!"

"I wasn't talking to you, you nasty waste of human flesh!"

"I-I… I'm sorrrryyyyy!"

"Hm?" Fuyuhiko looks up from his e-Handbook and stares straight at Komaru with a look of disdain. "What the fuck?!"

Nagito raises his brows before smiling. "Oh, you noticed? I was waiting for the moment when someone noticed,"

Komaru furrows her brows. "Huh? Noticed what?"

"Earlier when the Monokuma File was passed out, I noticed something strange,"

"Strange?" Peko turns to the white-haired male and raises her eyebrow. "Please explain."

"Take a look. It says here that Gundham died in Komaru's room," Nagito chuckles.

Taken aback, Komaru looks around in bewilderment.

"The creep's right!" Hiyoko backs away from the brunette with heavy suspicion in her orange eyes.

"Then c-could it be…?" Mikan looks away in thought.

Komaru frantically waves around her hands. "N-No…! Wait wait wait, I didn't do this! He… Gundham told me he was guarding my room and that… to not worry!"

Fuyuhiko clenches his jaw. "Like we're going to believe that shit!"

Everyone's sympathy for Komaru turned on its head, and now those eyes are dark with suspicion and fear. Komaru tries to keep the tears from her eyes. They think I did it?! I was the closest to Gundham, but I would never do that!

"We should really begin investigating now," Nagito says. "You don't have to listen to me, but we should probably split up to find Gundham's killer. Good luck."

The white-haired male turns and leaves the gym, stepping around the corpse of Izuru on the way.

Following his example, other students trickle out of the gym until only a few are left behind.

Komaru sees Hiyoko glaring at her. "Tch, we don't need any evidence… We know who the killer is…"

She flinches at the few still in the gym glaring in suspicion. Without another word, Komaru turns away from them and opens the Monokuma File to read over.

The victim is Gundham Tanaka. He was found and killed in Komaru Naegi's bathroom. The time of death is 7:30 AM.

The cause of death is a series of needles stuck into the victim's body which led to a fatal death, and his right wrist is fractured.

It… doesn't tell her what she wants to know, but she'll have to settle with it for now.

New Truth Bullet: Monokuma File #1

With a desperate sigh, Komaru walks around Izuru's body and out of the gym. The urge to throw up is great, but she can handle that matter after figuring out who the killer is!

… If she can do that…

She's in the hall outside of her dorm when she notices it. A small puddle outside of her door. It looks like someone both slipped on it and ran through it at the same time.

Komaru kneels down to get a closer look. It… Is that blood?! She stands nauseously and stares down at the blood in horror.

What's this even doing here?! How… How did it just appear here?

Maybe… Is it important to the case somehow?

New Truth Bullet: Puddle

"Hey, Komaru," Mahiru waves her over. Komaru goes to her and fiddles her hands together, bothered by the heavy frown on her face. "I need to ask you something."

"Y-Yes…?" The medium flinches when the redhead tilts her head and narrows her eyes.

"Where did you come from this morning?"

"Huh…?"

"This morning?" Seeing the confusion in those hazel-green eyes, Mahiru scratches her cheek. "Um, when Mikan and I passed you in the hall, it looked like you were running somewhere in a hurry. Remember? At seven-fifteen?"

Komaru's eyes light up. "Oh, I remember that!" She cups her chin. "Hmmm… I was in the dining hall with some of the others but then my cape ripped, so I went to find Peko so she could help me fix it."

"So… you were with people this morning?"

"Mhm!"

"I…" Mahiru sighs. "I don't know why I'm accusing you of anything. Hell, it could be anyone, but… you do have a lot of suspicion on you."

Komaru shrinks at the observation.

"I was going to see if you were alright, but then we saw Sonia slip and fall in the hall after we turned the corner," The redhead crosses her arms. "She banged her head pretty hard on the ground and hurt her arm, but we're lucky it wasn't too bad."

Banged her head… Hurt her arm… Slip and fall…? Komaru glances over her shoulder at the puddle of blood. Is it possible she tripped over that…?

New Truth Bullet: Mahiru's Account

"Thanks for talking to me, Mahiru…! It… everyone just accused me so fast, and I…"

Mahiru sets her hand on the brunette's shoulder. "Hey, calm down, no need to panic. If anything happens, I'll try to stick up for you,"

Komaru sniffles. "R-Really…?"

"Really really,"

Throwing herself at the photographer, Komaru cries out. "Thank you so much, I-I…!"

Mahiru gently pushes the medium off of her and smiles, blushing slightly. "Alright alright, get out of here,"

Komaru nods and turns to her door only to pause and stare at something.

The plate on the door… is Gundham's? Wait but… isn't this her room? Oh no, has she mixed up the doors this entire time?!

However, it doesn't make much sense, right? It says Gundham died in "Komaru Naegi's bathroom", so this is her room. But then why is Gundham's face plate on her door?

Komaru looks to the side of Gundham's door adjacent to her own, and it… has her face plate on it. Have they been… swapped somehow?

New Truth Bullet: Swapped Plates

Taking her gaze away from the plates on the doors, Komaru grabs her doorknob and twists it. She walks through the door to see many people inside and investigating the room. She feels slightly out of place… Ok maybe a lot out of place. Especially when the shuffling around pauses to look at the medium who came through the door then continues awkwardly, trying to simultaneously do their investigating and keep an eye on Komaru.

Komaru closes the door behind her and walks slowly around. It's… a mess in here. Deep lacerations are sliced on the walls and floors, and things have been thrown around the room.

Poor Gundham… Komaru thinks to herself as she runs her fingers along one of the cuts on the wall. She bites her lip. Why did you have the need to protect me…? I didn't want this…

She blinks the tears away from her eyes and turns back to investigate something else.

New Truth Bullet: State of Room

"Huh?" Komaru notices something near her bed and goes over to it. She picks up the two pieces of it to examine it. "It's a knife…? Where'd this come from?"

"The kitchen, duh," Akane suddenly appears in front of the medium with a smirk. "So that's the murder weapon, right?"

Komaru shakes her head. "Uh… No? Th-The Monokuma File said… pins and needles?"

Akane cocks her head before guffawing. "Ah man! That's a good one, K-Komaru… Yeah…"

Does she still not know my name? It's been days! Komaru sweatdrops.

"But if a knife's here, why's it broken?" The gymnast grabs the handle and the knife and lifts it up, taking the blade also which is hanging by a thread on the wooden handle. "Tch, this thing wouldn't stab anyone! There is blood on it though, so maybe it took Gundham out then broke!"

She remembers Gundham's name but not mine?! And what about the pins…? And needles…?

"Like in video games when the durability of your weapon gets too low!" Chiaki's eyes sparkle as she joins the conversation.

"Exactly!" Komaru agrees.

Maybe this knife didn't kill Gundham, but it probably is important somehow.

New Truth Bullet: Broken Knife

Komaru walks away from Akane playing with the broken knife and Chiaki gently yet firmly scolding her. She looks around and notices her lint roller on the floor. It's missing a lot of tape from it since it's almost out of the thin white sheet.

"Did you find something, Komaru?" Nagito bends down with her and squats on the floor.

Komaru looks up in surprise. His pale gray eyes shine with understanding. "Oh, the lint roller… I was looking around and noticed something off about the flooring…"

"The… flooring?" Komaru looks around at the clean floor then to Nagito. "Did I forget to sweep? It doesn't look that dirty, but…"

Nagito seems to be in disbelief. "Um… No. The lack of hair on the floor…"

"Hair? But I never used my lint roller for anything!"

"Never used your lint roller… Hm," The lucky student cups his chin. He looks back up, an unknown emotion in his eyes. "You aren't one to lie, so I'll believe you. Besides, ahaha, I'm rooting for your hope as well as the other's hope. The fight to see who comes out on top… I can't wait!"

Komaru laughs nervously. "Y-Yeah…"

New Truth Bullet: Lint Roller

"KOMARU!"

Said girl jumps to her feet, turns, and salutes. "Y-Yes sir!"

Nekomaru blinks. "Uh… This morning! I have questions about that!"

"Th-This morning, sir?"

Nagito stands and scratches the back of his neck. "I'll meet you in the bathroom after you're done in here," He walks away.

Nekomaru crosses his arms and closes his eyes. "I saw you, you know,"

"Saw me, sir…?"

"Coming out of Gundham's room this morning!" He shouts. "Right after the announcement went off, I saw you leaving this room, but then after I went to the dining hall, I saw your door cracked open!"

Komaru cocks her head. "Really?"

"I'm pretty sure I heard your door lock when I was walking by, so I have NO IDEA HOW YOUR DOOR UNLOCKED BY ITSELF!" Nekomaru exclaims.

"Oh!" Confused, Komaru furrows her brows. "Uh… When did this happen?"

"WHEN I NEEDED TO SHIT!"

Komaru sweatdrops. O-Oh…

"Maybe… Hmmm…" He picks his nose thoughtfully. Flicking the booger away, he grunts. "Around seven-ten? Yeah, that's when I saw the door cracked open."

Even though I locked it? Could this be the work of… Komaru's eyes widen. A ghost?! I hope it doesn't haunt me if I ask it!

"Th-Thanks, sir, I have to go now!" She hustles away.

"Bye, kid!"

Her locked door suddenly opening again… Could it really be a ghost? Or maybe…

New Truth Bullet: Nekomaru's Account

She nearly trips on the replica sword she brought to her room a few days ago. Cocking her head, she squats and examines it.

The sheath is still on it… Wouldn't the sheath need to be removed in order for it to properly be used? Unless… It's some sort of sword trick! Komaru will have to ask Peko about that later when she sees her.

She runs her fingers lightly on the deep scratches so as to not pick up any of the gold flaking. Something sharp must have made these scratches…

Carefully, Komaru slides the sword out of its sheath. The blade isn't damaged or anything, so what's the deal?

New Truth Bullet: Golden Katana

Komaru stands up and glances towards the bathroom. It's time…

Her feet carry her to the open door where she stands for a few moments, staring at the floor. Gulping, she passes the threshold.

Gundham's body is lying in her shower, slumped against the wall and staring off into space. His pale skin is paling even more, fresh from death, and his eyes stare straight at Komaru when she enters.

I'm going to throw up…

"Ah, Komaru!" Nagito waves the medium over and gestures to the spot next to him to crouch down.

She follows the silent direction.

"How'd your investigation go?" Komaru stays silent. "I understand. Talking to trash like me is just inviting my luck into your life."

"I said not to talk about yourself like that…" Her words are sharp, but the blankness to them doesn't back up how stern she wants to sound. "You're my friend."

"Anyway," He ignores the word and purposefully talks over it. "I thought I'd guide you this time to help you get some confidence."

Her shoulders droop. "Thanks… you're a good friend, Nagito…"

Nagito stares at Gundham's body silently which prompts Komaru to do the same. She has to do this… She has to…

Shakily, she grabs Gundham's wrist and lifts it. Huh? Is this… glitter on his right hand?

"The file said that Gundham had a fracture on his right hand, but this glitter…" Nagito cups his chin. "I wonder if…"

"Could he have had a glitter bomb explode him?"

Nagito face palms.

"Wh-What?" The medium looks at the lucky student. "Did I do something wrong?"

"Nothing, I just… thought of something…"

Ok…?

"What's this blood on his left hand?" Komaru switches hands and tilts her head at the blood splotches on the tips of his fingers. "He wasn't injured anywhere else but his wrist and… the needles, so then why does he have blood on his fingers?"

"It could have been from his killer," Nagito mentions. "The killer could've gotten hurt during their scuffle and started bleeding. Gundham could've used that to write the message behind him."

The message behind him?!

New Truth Bullet: Gundham's Wrist

Komaru glances behind her friend's body and sees an obvious message behind him written out in blood. It says…

DARK OBS

As in… Dark Observer? The name Gundham used to call Komaru?

"DARK OBS?" Nagito cocks his head. "Is this some sort of code?"

"N-No…" Komaru goes white. "That's the name he called me…"

Nagito's brows raise as his mouth parts in a soft "Oh…" He hums. "Actually, is there anyone else who knows about that name?"

She thinks for a moment. "Um… Gundam… me… Oh! Akane, she knows!"

"Anyone else?"

"Uh… Sonia and Nekomaru. Why?"

"Oh, no reason," He waves off her question. "It must not be that important if only a handful of people know about the name. Sorry for my mix-up."

Komaru shakes the conversation off and looks more closely at the lettering.

DARK is shaky and almost illegible, but OBS… it's neat in blocky lettering that looks kind of similar to DARK. It's almost like the two words are written by two different people.

New Truth Bullet: Dying Message

Komaru looks to the side at the sink to see Mikan standing there anxiously, twiddling her fingers together. She stands up and goes to the nurse in short strides.

"You look kind of lonely over here!" Komaru smiles. "What's up?"

"Oh, w-well…" Mikan looks slightly unsure. "I… wasn't p-positive about what M-Monokuma wrote in the f-file, so I wanted to ch-check to be sure."

"Wasn't sure?" Komaru tilts her head. "About what?"

"The c-cause of death. It isn't common that p-people die by sewing n-needles, so I-I wanted to check…" The nurse glances behind Komaru at the shower. "But h-he definitely d-died by sewing needles… However…"

However…?

"It's p-possible he could've lived for about f-fifteen minutes after being stabbed w-with that many needles," She bites her lip. "U-Um… a-after fifteen minutes, h-he died."

So Gundham lived for fifteen minutes before… dying? Does that mean he was attacked at seven-fifteen at the latest?

"So if he died at seven-thirty…" Komaru sighs. "Thanks, Mikan, you're a good friend…"

Mikan blinks. "F-Friend…"

New Truth Bullet: Mikan's Autopsy

"I guess this means that the Monokuma Files are always going to tell the truth then," The medium murmurs to herself. She raises her gaze at the nurse. "I gotta go, but… talk to you later?"

Mikan doesn't do anything except blush. Komaru smiles and goes to leave the bathroom in a hurry. She doesn't want to be in there for any longer than she must.

As she grabs the doorknob, it nearly falls apart. She jolts back in shock and stares at the know in disbelief.

It's… broken? How?

Nagito, hearing the slight commotion, stands and leans over Komaru to see the broken knob. "Huh… that's not something you see everyday,"

"How did it break?" Komaru utters softly.

"Well, your door has a lock on it, so the killer must have unscrewed the screws," Nagito hums. "Which means both a tool kit and a sewing kit were used in this incident."

Both a sewing kit and tool kit… but the sewing kits were hidden! Only a few people know where they're hidden…! But the toolkits… Is it possible another guy killed Gundham?

New Truth Bullet: Bathroom Doorknob

She needs to find out the deal with that knife. It obviously must have come from the kitchen, but why was it in her room in the first place? And now that she thinks about it…

What happened to the key to her room that Gundham had?

"Oh, Komaru, darlin'!" Teruteru waves at the medium as soon as she steps foot into the dining hall. "Done already?"

She shakes her head. "No, but I needed to see something in the kitchen…"

"Alright! Just…" He glances at Kazuichi sitting at a different table. "Come talk to me when you're done, alright?"

Komaru nods and goes to the kitchen. It still looks like it did when she viewed it the first few times. The only difference…

"Yeah…" Komaru sighs. "The knife rack is missing a knife…"

Then the knife in her room did in fact come from the kitchen. The only problem is… is she doesn't know who brought it there.

New Truth Bullet: Knife Rack

She turns on her heel and speeds out of the kitchen. She turns to Kazuichi first who's tinkering with a pen, taking it apart and putting it back together over and over again.

"Kazuichi, can I ask you something?"

The mechanic nearly falls out of his seat as he flounders around in shock at Komaru's sudden appearance. He whips around with wide pink eyes and relaxes once he sees the medium.

"Oh… Hey, Komaru," He turns back to messing with the pen.

Komaru sits in the chair next to her friends with a heavy sigh. She places her elbows on the table and rests her chin on top of them. Kazuichi eyes her warily.

"Y-You aren't here to kill me, right…?"

Komaru flinches. So he thinks she did it too…

"I… I didn't do it, I promise!" Komaru tears up at being blamed for something she didn't do. "But I… I just wanted to hear your side of the story from this morning."

Kazuichi rolls his eyes. "This morning?"

"About… me?"

"Oh… Um, well, you were in here with me and Nagito," He sets down the pen parts. "From the time the dining hall opened up till about seven-fifteen. Then you left after your cape got ripped and came back a little after seven-thirty. When Gundham died."

Komaru tenses. She knows how this will look to the others. Komaru came back from somewhere else when Gundham died just minutes earlier… It's suspicious.

Kazuichi doesn't say another word to Komaru about this morning and tinkers with the pen again.

New Truth Bullet: Kazuichi's Account

"Tch…" He sighs. "Wish I had something bigger to tinker with. Then I could take those tool kits outta hiding."

Komaru's brows raise. "Out of hiding?" She folds her arms then taps her finger to her cheek. "You hid them?"

"Well y-yeah, but only a few people know where they are," Kazuichi clams up. "B-But that doesn't mean I'll tell you!"

Komaru deflates. Maybe he'll tell her later…?

Her feet carry her over to Teruteru who grins at her arrival. "Komaru! I was thinkin' you weren't gonna show up and talk to lil ol' me!"

"You… said you needed me to talk to you when I was done?" She tilts her head.

The chef nods. "Yes, well I was wonderin'... Not wonderin', per se, but rather…"

Komaru watches the chef struggle with his words.

"Last night, I was in the dining hall when one'a the knives disappeared," The brunette states. "I admit, I wasn't really payin' attention since Akane wanted a late night snack, but it just vanished by the time I finished satisfyin' Akane's stomach!"

"The knife disappeared last night…" Komaru taps her cheek. Her hazel eyes wander to the kitchen's entrance. "And you didn't see me go in there at all?"

"No ma'am! Ms. Komaru Naegi didn't enter the kitchen at all!"

Right… So the killer must have attacked Gundham with the knife first, then it broke, then killed him with needles. And if Teruteru confirms that I wasn't in there… then I'm in the clear! But it still doesn't clear up who killed Gundham!

New Truth Bullet: Teruteru's Account

"Thanks, Teruteru, but I need to go," Komaru absent-mindedly states. "There's something I need to check."

Teruteru waves as she slips past him. "Anytime, sweet thing! You can always come visit me anytime…!"

As Komaru exits, she hears a shrill cry of "What the hell?!" from Kazuichi.

Sewing needles… Peko knows where they are since she sewed her cape!

Komaru hurries to the laundry room and bursts inside, effectively startling Peko enough that she swings her sheathed sword around until it rests against the side of the medium's neck. Peko is frozen for a moment before sighing and lowering her sword from the frozen girl's neck.

"State your business,"

Komaru stammers out a couple of words before gulping. Peko sighs and rests her sword on the edge of the table and raises her hands.

"No harm will come to you, I promise," The silver-haired girl says. She lowers her arms. "Now, what're you doing here?"

"G-Gundham was killed by sewing needles, right? I just wanted to know about them!"

Peko blinks. "The… sewing kits? You want to know about them?"

"Yes!"

Peko hums in thought before turning to one of the washing machines and crouching down. Komaru watches as she reaches in between the cracks of the machines and pulls out a thin box. She turns and opens it to reveal all of the sewing kits collected…

Wait… One's missing?

"I see you've noticed my dilemma," Peko softly says. "Even in this hard-to-see spot, one of the sewing kits somehow went missing last night."

Last night? As in, at the same time the knife went missing?!

"I don't understand how but when I came in here to do the last bit of laundry, I checked to make sure they were still there, but…" She closes her red eyes and places the box down on the table. "One of the boxes was gone. It was a few hours after the motive was introduced, but I have some ideas as to who could've taken it."

Some ideas…? This is great!

New Truth Bullet: Sewing Kits

"You know some people who know where the sewing kits are?!" Komaru's eyes sparkle.

Peko nods. "Yes. Besides myself, only Mikan, Sonia, and Nagito know where they're hidden,"

"Nagito?" Komaru sputters.

"It was… an accident how he found out…"

Peko crosses her arms as Sonia directs the box to be set in between the washing machines. Mikan dutifully pushes the thin box between the machines.

"This is the perfect spot!" Sonia gleams. "Now no one will know we hid the sewing kits between these machines!"

There's a crash from behind the three girls that has them slowly turn around to see Nagito lying face-first on the ground. He pushes himself up with a slight chuckle.

"Pardon the interruption!" He scratches the back of his head. "I guess I tripped too hard and landed here by accident!"

Mikan gulps. "Y-You didn't hear that w-we put the sewing k-kits between the washing m-machines, right?"

"Unfortunately… I did…"

Sonia covers her nose and mouth, huffs, and smiles. But the dark air around her head makes the three people in the room take a step back.

"You're absolutely fine, Nagito!" The princess declares. "You just won't tell the others what you saw!"

Nagito nods as he pushes himself to his feet. "I figured as much!"

Komaru sweatdrops. Wow… Nagito really gets himself into the wildest of situations…

Peko sighs. "I have to put this load of laundry into the dryer. My work is never done, it seems…"

"O-Ok! Bye!" Komaru exclaims as she backs up to leave the laundry room.

New Truth Bullet: Peko's Account

She turns around and walks out of the laundry room. As she's in deep thought, she bumps into Nagito.

"Komaru…!" He grunts in surprise. He smiles at her and raises his hand. "Long time no see."

Komaru cocks her head. "It hasn't been that long… has it?" She thinks about it and shakes her head.

Nagito raises his finger. "I spoke to Nekomaru, and he told me something interesting. He told me that your door was cracked open at seven-ten this morning,"

"Y-Yeah, he told me that…"

"Did he tell you that your door had closed again by the time he reached his room?" The lucky student asks. "He said it slammed shut."

It… slammed shut? Someone must have been in there with Gundham and attacking him…

"That's not important, though," Nagito crosses his arms. "I found some evidence that I wanted to go over with you. Both of them I picked up before anyone could see."

Komaru nods. "Of course!"

Ding dong! Bing bong!

"Erm, so ah… I'm getting tired of waiting. What say we just get started, hm? It's time for the long-awaited Class Trial! Now then, allow me to appoint a proper location for the proceedings. Please go through the red door on the first floor of the school! Puhuhu. See you soon!"

Nagito sighs. "I guess it'll have to wait for the trial, then," He waves. "Bye now."

Komaru is rooted in place by fear. It's… time? Already? But she feels like she doesn't know anything!

Monokuma said the red door on the first floor… Komaru shuffles through the halls until she stands face-to-face with the red door. Then I just… walk in here? Here goes…!

Komaru pushes through the doors and is burned by many eyes piercing into her as she steps in. She pulls her cape closer to her body.

"You're late," Mahiru notices with disappointment lacing her voice. "But you're here now which is good."

Hiyoko rolls her eyes, looking away. "She's probably just afraid she'd be outed as the murderer she is,"

Komaru pales. She isn't a murderer!

"HEY!" Nekomaru cracks his fingers. "Let's not jump to conclusions!"

"Yeah, we can discuss all of Ms. Komaru's crimes when we can," Teruteru hums.

They… really think I did it… I didn't! I don't even know how to hold sewing needles properly!

The screen on the wall flickers to life and shows Monokuma leaning in eagerly. "Puhuhu... Is everyone here? Okay then… Please board the elevator in front of you, which will transport you to the courtroom… where all your fates will be decided. Puhu. I'll meet you all down there. I'll be waiting…"

"Let's… do this!" Ryota squeaks as he boards the elevator.

Ibuki nods her head and skips forward. "Elevator elevator!"

Komaru waits until everyone else has boarded to get on herself. She sinks in on herself and holds her cape tight.

The doors screech closed and the elevator descends with clunky, slow movements.

Chapter Text

It's a large room with a circle of wooden podiums in the middle of it. A large throne sits behind the circle directly across from the elevator.

Komaru shuffles out of the elevator and around the circle, searching for her name on one of the podiums, but she doesn't find one with her name on it.

"Oh, Komaru, I'm so sorry that you don't have a podium!" Monokuma sighs and slinks over to where she's standing, unsure. "Since that troublemaker Izuru Kamukura skipped his classes, I decided to expel him altogether! You can sit at the far podium right there!"

The podium is right across from the throne so she's staring directly at Monokuma… It's nerve-wracking.

Komaru is well aware of the other eyes on her as she slowly goes and stands at the podium that was supposed to be Izuru's. She glances across from her and to the next right to see a stand with a picture of Byakuya's face on it, a pink X drawn over it.

"So what do you all think? It took me hours to set up such an intricate trial system!"

Mahiru deadpans. "It's very… plain,"

Everyone quietly voices their own form of agreements much to the bear's shock and disdain.

"Such ungrateful students! I plan such a fun game for you all to play and you spit on it! Spit on it!" Monokuma throws his arms up in exasperation. "This is the definition of ingrate! Ingrates, all of you!

"Now then," He perks up and goes to sit on his throne. "Let's begin with a basic explanation of the class trial! So, your votes will determine the results. If you can figure out 'whodunnit' then only they will receive punishment. But if you pick the wrong one... then I'll punish everyone besides the blackened, and the one that deceived everyone else will graduate!"

"And…" Komaru looks around.

The people on her right to the empty podium are Ibuki, Fuyuhiko, Kazuichi, Akane, Sonia, Mahiru, Teruteru, and Byakuya. The people to her left are Hiyoko, Peko, Chiaki, Nagito, Nekomaru, Gundham, Mikan, and Ryota.

"And one of us killed him, right…?" She asks to be sure.

"Of course!" This bear is sadistic to be so cheerful at a time like this…

Akane cracks her knuckles. "Alright, whoever killed 'em come out already or I'll punch ya to death!"

"I-I don't think your th-threat would help them c-come out…" Mikan shakily points out much to the brunette's annoyance.

"Before we start the class trial, I have a quick question," Nagito glances at the two podiums with picture stands at them, pink Xs over both Byakuya's and Gundham's faces. "What's going on with… those pictures?"

Komaru looks to the left at Gundham's face in the picture. A face she'll never see again…

It's so awful… It's only been a few days and someone already killed someone else.

She doesn't want to play this sick and twisted game, but she needs to survive to see her family again. She needs… to find out the truth. She needs to know who killed her friend!

If she doesn't… then everyone will…

"I'd feel awful if they got left out just because they died. Friendship penetrates even death's barrier!" Monokuma states 

"Friendship… penetrates?" Teruteru smirks and glances at Mahiru at his side. "Cher, if I may–"

Mahiru doesn't even look at him. "No, you may not,"

"Oh…"

"What about the other empty seat?" Hiyoko questions. "Why couldn't Snotmaru have sat there?"

"S-Snotmaru?!" Komaru stutters.

"Because reasons!" Monokuma giggles. "But even if Kamukura wasn't expelled, Ms. Komaru Naegi would have nowhere to stand!

"So since Kamukura was expelled, there are still seventeen students combined, alive and dead," Peko points out. "Meaning Komaru has a place to stand… but…"

"But nothing! Stop thinking about it so hard!" The bear sounds annoyed. "Now that does it for the preamble. Get ready to get started! First up is the case summary. Now, let the class trial… begin!"

Komaru gulps.

"The one who died… is Gundham Tanaka!" Nekomaru exclaims.

Kazuichi sweatdrops. "Yeah, we know that part already…"

"And the murder took place in Komaru's room," Sonia frowns. "In the bathroom…"

"Then it's most likely the killer took him by surprise in the bathroom," Peko says. "He didn't have the chance to resist."

Huh? Didn't have the chance to resist? But then why was her State of Room like that then…?

"No, that's wrong!"

"H-Hang on, Peko! My room looked messed up beyond relief!" Komaru clutches her fists to her chest. "Things were damaged and cut and stuff, so there had to have been some kinda struggle!"

Peko's red eyes widen. "I see… A struggle between who and who?"

"Between…" Komaru bites her lip. "Uh, the killer and Gundham!"

"So Gundham wasn't caught by surprise in the bathroom…" She mutters.

"He must have been attacked in the main room first," Nagito says. "Then when he ran to hide in the bathroom, the killer followed and finished the job."

Komaru shivers. How can he talk about this stuff so easily…?

"It should've been clear just by looking at the room!" Hiyoko glares at the swordswoman to her left and giggles maliciously. "I guess that sword of yours carries most of your brain cells too."

Peko sighs, but the tint in her cheeks show her slight embarrassment. "I apologize. I hadn't seen the room as I had been instructed to take care of the laundry,"

"What--But there was a dead body!" Kazuichi points at Peko. "You could've taken a break for a few hours!"

"Oh… I didn't think about that…"

"So wh-what's next?" Mikan asks.

Nagito hums as he strokes his chin thoughtfully. "How about the murder weapon?"

"My my, this is starting to sound like a real trial…" Teruteru grins.

We need to determine what was used to kill Gundham…? But don't we already know that?

"What was used to kill him?"

"There were some small objects sticking from his body," Nagito crosses his arms and looks at Mahiru who has asked the question. "Like sewing needles."

"Sewing needles…" Sonia hums. "Couldn't the strange knife we found be the murder weapon?"

"And the sewing needles were a distraction!" Kazuichi nods and grins at the princess's deduction. "You're absolutely right, Ms. Sonia!"

Sewing needles as a distraction… but the Sewing Needles…

"A-Actually, the sewing needles were in a tough place to get to…" Komaru says.

Akane groans. "What? So the needles were a distraction?"

"Wh-What I mean is…!" Komaru stammers unhelpfully while the others became more confused. "Is that since they were hard to get to…! Uh… um!"

Nagito sighs but looks at Komaru with a helpful smile. "I… think you may need to think about it again,"

Komaru sweatdrops at the dubious stares directed her way. Dang it!

Then… if not that, then wouldn't the Monokuma File #1 explain it?

"No, that's wrong!"

"No, I'm positive that it was sewing needles that killed him!" Komaru cries out.

"Huh?" Kazuichi flinches in shock. "For real?"

"Y-Yeah, the Monokuma File said that the cause of death was a ton of needles stuck in his body," The medium sighs in relief at being right.

"Which means that sewing needles was the cause of death all along!" Hiyoko throws her arms happily into the air. "Yay, Komaru! You aren't sucking at this at all!"

Komaru blinks. Thanks…?

"Oh, right… If one looks close enough, you can see the needles poking from Gundham's body!" Sonia exclaims.

"Even if we know that sewing needles killed Gundham…" Nagito tilts his head. "Isn't Komaru still suspicious? Because she had a way of killing him!"

What…? Komaru looks in betrayal at the lucky student. I thought you were helping me!

Hiyoko drops her arms and sneers at the brunette next to her. "That's right… Komaru's room was the scene of the crime. What more do you need?"

"W-Wait a sec! I'm not–"

Nagito interrupts Komaru. "Ah, but we shouldn't jump to conclusions too soon, right?"

"Huh?" A petrified Komaru utters.

"We should draw our conclusions after our discussions. Otherwise, what's the point of a class trial?"

Kazuichi grumbles. "Didn't you say Komaru was suspicious…?"

"I did say suspicious, but I never said killer," Nagito smiles. "I'm touched that you took what I said into account… It makes me happy knowing I can affect the story and help win you guys' hopes!"

"We can discuss all we like, but it's not going to change our minds," Fuyuhiko glares at Komaru.

"If that's what you guys want, I won't stop you," Nagito easily relents to the burning gazes without protest.

Komaru swallows. Now she's alone in this fight to clear her name… against people that want her dead. Hoo boy…

"So we know that, no question, the sewing needles are the cause of death," Mahiru crosses her arms with a slight frown. "But what about the other stuff in the room?"

"Other stuff?" Ryota cocks his head.

"Yeah, like the knife," The redhead states.

"There's no need to worry about that," Fuyuhiko grins. "All Komaru did was take the knife this morning when nobody was in the dining hall and threaten Gundham. Then she fucking stabbed him with needles!"

"But why use needles?" Mahiru glances at the yakuza with a raised brow.

"It's easier to conceal needle wounds than knife wounds, dumbass!" He shouts. "A knife wound would've drawn the attention back to the kitchen!"

"So she really did do it!" Hiyoko sneers.

"Ah, the case slowly comes together," Teruteru claps his hands. "Then we reached the end, I say!"

When no one was in the dining hall this morning? But according to Kazuichi's Account, there were people there!

"No, that's wrong!"

"Hold on, I didn't take the knife from the dining hall this morning!" Komaru defends herself, looking to Nagito for backup which he clearly isn't giving.

Teruteru huffs. "Next you're gonna say you didn't kill him!"

"But I have witnesses!"

"Eh?" The chef falters. "Witnesses?"

"Kazuichi and Nagito,"

Both males perk up at the mention of their names.

Komaru looks at them pleadingly. "Remember what you said, Kazuichi?"

The mechanic scratches his cheek. "Well… yeah?" He closes his eyes to escape the piercing eyes of his peers. "Komaru, Nagito, and I were in the dining hall from when it opened till about seven-fifteen when Komaru left. She came back at around seven-thirty."

"After Gundham's death?" Nekomaru folds his arms and glances at the medium.

"Yes!"

"So what?" The manager lowers his gaze and pales slightly. "It just means you didn't get the knife in the morning!"

"Wh-What?" Komaru's eyes bug out of her head. "Then when…?"

Nagito chuckles. "He's saying that you went and took the knife last night… Unless, of course, someone here can deny that,"

Someone can deny that… Wait. There was one person who was in the dining hall last night who could confirm that Komaru wasn't there! Teruteru said he was there, so what he said should be useful.

"Teruteru was in the dining hall last night," Komaru says.

The chef nods before stiffening and crying out. "N-Now now, hold on a minute–!"

Mikan's eyebrows knit together. "He was th-there?"

"Remember what you told me earlier, Teruteru?" Komaru asks.

"Last night, I was in the dining hall when one'a the knives disappeared," The brunette states. "I admit, I wasn't really payin' attention since Akane wanted a late night snack, but it just vanished by the time I finished satisfyin' Akane's stomach!"

"The knife disappeared last night…" Komaru taps her cheek. Her hazel eyes wander to the kitchen's entrance. "And you didn't see me go in there at all?"

"No ma'am! Ms. Komaru Naegi didn't enter the kitchen at all!"

"You said the knife disappeared last night while you were in the dining hall," Komaru clutches the clasp on her cape. "And you didn't see me enter the dining hall, right?"

"No ma'am, I didn't!"

"Then the knife disappeared last night when I wasn't there, and Teruteru didn't see me," A smile spreading on her face, Komaru triumphantly states. "And that means there's no way I attacked Gundham with it!"

"Then how about this…" Fuyuhiko turns away sharply. "You and the cook are in cahoots with each other. One of you threatened Gundham and the other fucking killed him! You're in this together!"

Teruteru grumbles. "Call me chef…" He nervously combs his limp pompadour. "A-And besides, why would I get involved with somethin' like that?"

"Hm… Speaking of which, I'd like to ask Monokuma something," The white-haired male turns to the bear. "If there is an accomplice, do they also become 'blackened'?"

There's a slight silence. "So you ask, and so I fuckin' answer! Each murder is allowed to have an accomplice, but only the one who does the damn killing will get to graduate," The bear explains.

Komaru sputters at the change of speech. Is this even the same bear anymore?

"So in other words, two people can work together; however, only one of them can profit off of it…" Nagito nods along at the reasoning.

"Then there's no way anyone would work together… right?" Ryota questions.

"But what if they did work together and didn't know about the rule?" Peko crosses her arms and looks around for an answer.

Monokuma huffs. "Ugh, Goddammit! Enough already! No, okay?! There are no accomplices in this case…! Shit! Did I say that out loud…?"

"I didn't go to the dining hall," Komaru sighs, relieved at the turn of events. "So I'm not the killer!"

Hiyoko rolls her eyes and turns her head to face the circle. "Alright, so who did take the knife?"

"Teruteru seems like the obvious candidate," Nagito taps his cheek and places his hand on his hip. "I mean, he did say he was in the dining hall last night."

"Absolutely not!" Teruteru looks around before locking his eyes on Akane's bored posture. "Akane, back me up here!"

The gymnast snorts as she comes to consciousness from an impromptu nap. The room deadpans as she wakes up.

"Huh?" Akane rubs her eyes. "Yeah, me and Teruteru were there together. I was hungry, so I woke 'em up and had 'em make me some food."

"So a snoring water buffalo needed food before hibernating," Hiyoko snorts. "Makes sense. Her brain is probably a lump of gyūdon at this point!"

"Gyūdon?" Akane's stomach growls. "Man, that sounds so good right now! When this is over, I want me some of that!"

Teruteru salutes and salivates. "I'm on it!"

"But couldn't either one of them have taken the knife?" The swordswoman points out with an exasperated air around her.

"Nah, we left the dining hall together then it locked up for the night," Akane digs her finger into her ear with a hum. "No way either of us did it."

"But if it wasn't either one of you…" Sonia clutches her hands to her chest and squeezes her eyes shut. "Then what other possibility is there?!"

Teruteru's face lights up as he snaps his fingers. "Actually, there is another possibility!"

"Huh…? Oh yeah," Akane laughs, lighthearted. "Totally forgot about that. Another person came into the dining hall while we were there."

"Why didn't you say anything, Akane?" Nekomaru lifts his gaze at his pupil.

"Cuz they ain't here anymore,"

Komaru is taken aback. They… aren't here anymore?

"Byakuya?" Komaru feebly asks. "He liked to eat, so he could've used it as an excuse…"

Akane shakes her head. "Nah, he wasn't there,"

"I… think you need to walk it through again," Nagito suggests.

Dang it!

"Wait…" Komaru's eyes widen. She looks to the podium with his plate behind it. "You don't mean… Gundham, do you?"

"Yeah, he came into the dinin' hall and then…" The chef grimaces. "He wound up dead."

"That's the only possibility I can think of. And he was actin' really weird too," The gymnast states, crossing her arms and frowning. "He didn't even look at us. Just went to the kitchen then left. Said he wanted some water, but…"

"Then the person who took the knife was the victim himself?" Peko scratches the back of her neck. "So he threatened… himself and was killed with needles after?"

"It… must have been self-defense…" Komaru mutters.

"So you're saying the knife he took…" Fuyuhiko pinches his nose, irritated. "Was taken from him, broke somehow, then he was killed with needles? So Komaru may not have taken the knife, but she still could have fucking killed him!"

Komaru flinches. "What?!"

Hiyoko harrumphs with delight. "Aha! So she did do it all along!"

"No, you're wrong!" Komaru whimpers.

"Taking advantage of your friend, threatening him, and then stabbing him with needles…!" Nekomaru roars. "IT'S DIABOLICAL! UNFORGIVABLE!"

"I guess the killer doing something bewildering was just to throw us all off," Nagito looks down with a melodramatic sigh.

"Something bewildering?" Mahiru leans forward and glares at Nagito. "What are you talking about?"

"Oh it's nothing!" Nagito raises his hands in a calming motion. "Just… something removed from the crime scene. It doesn't seem that far-fetched--something that should have been there just wasn't there."

Something… removed? Something that should have been there? It must be something important since Nagito is… kind of helping again. She just has to figure out what it is, right?

What was removed from the crime scene? H-A-I-R

"That's it!"

Komaru gasps. "That's right! There wasn't a single hair on the floor!"

Sonia furrows her brows. "So the culprit removed evidence?"

"Yes… If I were the killer, why would I need to get my hair off the floor of my own room?" Komaru says. "It wouldn't be weird to find my hair at the crime scene since it's my room!"

"The reason all the hair was gone was to remove any trace of Gundham's body being there," Nagito argues, but he doesn't seem to believe it himself.

The medium shakes her head. "No, they would have to do something about his body!"

Peko hums. "True…"

"Ok then why wasn't there any hair on the ground?"

"The killer got rid of it, of course," Kazuichi perks up. "To remove any trace of them being in the room!"

Shock breaks out in the trial room.

"It's beyond reason to believe that the killer and the room's owner are one and the same," Peko places her hands on her podium.

"Then… Komaru isn't the culprit?" Relieved, Mahiru sighs.

"But can we prove that based on something as absent as hair?" Nekomaru cocks his head dubiously.

"Of course not!" Nagito chuckles. "There is more evidence for Komaru's innocence!"

"And we're just hearing this now?" Fuyuhiko balks at the lucky student hiding information.

"Do you all remember the scene of the crime? Specifically the way Gundham was attacked in the main room before fleeing to the bathroom?" Nagito asks.

"Yes, the killer ran after him, got into the bathroom, and killed him!" Teruteru nods.

"And how did the killer get into the bathroom?" Nagito's smile widens. "I bet they had some trouble with it."

Komaru blinks. Does… Does he mean the Bathroom Doorknob?

"Evidence that they had trouble with getting in…" Komaru lifts her gaze from her podium. "The doorknob, right?"

Kazuichi scratches the back of his head. "Doorknob? What doorknob?"

"The doorknob in my bathroom was completely broken!"

Ok, that may be an exaggeration, but it's true!

"See how the knob was about to fall off since many of the screws were undone?" She cocks her head as everyone looks at the Truth Bullets.

"Oh yeah, true," Akane props her hand on her hip. "But what's it mean?"

"It means…" Something in Mahiru's grey eyes lights up. "Komaru should be beyond suspicion!"

Peko shakes her head. "You're saying that Komaru wouldn't break her own doorknob to get at Gundham? It's the only choice she would have,"

"You still don't see?" Mahiru frowns and points her hand out. "Think about it. Komaru's a girl, so she wouldn't have been able to unscrew her own door."

Sonia tilts her head. "Why not?" She cups her chin. "It should have been simple."

"Because only the guys have the tools to unscrew the doors!" The photographer exclaims.

"Not true," Kazuichi speaks up with an anxious chuckle. "You see, I was… inspired by Ms. Sonia hiding the sewing kits that I… I took every guy's tool kit and stashed them in the laundry room. Only me, Ms. Sonia, Nekomaru, and K-Kamukura knew about it…"

Mahiru deflates. "So then…"

"It's possible she could've found the tool kits, stole one, and then killed Gundham…" The mechanic softly says.

"Even so, we know that both boys and girls can lock their doors," The princess declares. "So Komaru had the opportunity to unlock the door!"

"What?" Nagito frowns. "Both boys and girls? I think you have that information mixed up, Sonia."

Komaru nods. "Yeah, only the girls can lock their doors. Privacy or something,"

Sonia flushes. "Then…! I mistranslated it…?"

"Don't worry, Ms. Sonia, I still get mixed up when I have to translate English!" Kazuichi reassures the princess.

"I didn't read that hunk of paper on the wall after I saw it was from Monokuma," Hiyoko rolls her eyes. "Guess I should've before trashing it."

Nekomaru nods. "So did I…"

Komaru sweats as everyone but her, Nagito, Mahiru, Mikan, and Ryota agrees they didn't read the note. That's… kind of irresponsible…

"So based on that, the killer must not have known it was my room," Komaru scratches her cheek. "Because guy bathrooms don't lock and…"

"I-It narrows it down a-a little…" The nurse smiles softly in Komaru's direction.

"But even so…!" Teruteru gulps. "Couldn't you tell the difference between your room and Gundham's?!"

"Not really," Komaru admits. "Gundham's room looks identical to mine except for the fact that mine has posters of Sayaka on the walls. His is… surprisingly bare of anything. Something about the 'bear necessities'?

"So based on what we know," Chiaki cups her chin. Komaru jumps because she's been so quiet. "Komaru's door was broken in, but anyone could've had the tools necessary to do it. However…"

"However!" Ibuki yells, startling Komaru. Wasn't she asleep when Komaru looked earlier?! "Everyone believed that both boys and girls could lock their doors!"

"Exactly. So that makes the killer someone who thought boys can lock their doors," Chiaki raises her arm and points her finger up. "Again, it could be Komaru, but what are the chances she stole a tool kit without being caught if everything had to be collected last night after the motive?"

"Low," Peko admits.

"Then we have to find someone else?!" Ryota shudders.

"Damn it…!" Akane hisses under her breath.

"What if Gundham took the sewing kit and tool kit?" Komaru suggests.

"Not possible," Peko shakes her head.

"How about this?" Nagito speaks up. "How about we discuss the nature of Gundham's murder and work on the timeliness of events later?"

Focus on Gundham's murder… Komaru shivers. Is it that time already?

"How did Gundham manage to get into Komaru's room?" Ibuki raises her hand and sticks her tongue out.

"Obviously Gundham must have picked the lock to get in!" Akane punches her fist into her palm.

Mahiru shakes her head. "No, it isn't possible that he picked the lock,"

"Then he broke it!" Akane tries again.

"No…" The redhead sighs.

"Then maybe Komaru simply left the door open?" Ryota cups his chin and fiddles with the pencil in his hand. "And Gundham got in that way?"

"That could be it, yeah," Chiaki nods. "His knife must have been taken from him before entering the room so he entered the room and…"

"All the other stuff happened," Kazuichi nods..

I never left my door open in the first place; I locked it. Komaru cups her chin. But there is someone who knows what happened because Nekomaru's Account confirms it.

"No, that's wrong!"

"I left my door open?" Komaru shakes her head. "That can't be what happened!"

Nekomaru nods. "Yeah, I saw Komaru leave her dorm at seven AM and head to the dining hall,"

"So it was locked?" Hiyoko's eyes cut over to Komaru. "Then Gundham could've only been inside during that time!"

"Actually…" The muscled man shakes his head. "When I went back to my room at around seven-ten, the door was cracked open!"

Hiyoko flinches. "Cracked open?"

"Wait, Komaru was in the dining hall with me and Nagito…" Kazuichi pales as he slaps his hand to his head. "There's no way she could've unlocked that damn door!"

"No, she couldn't have done that," Nagito nods. He slips his hand into his pocket and pulls out… Komaru gasps. The other key to my room! "However, someone else had access to Komaru's room. Someone very connected to the crime,"

"You're saying that Gundham unlocked the door?!" Komaru shakes her head. "But why would he do that?!"

"I gotta answer!" Akane leans on her podium, shark-like teeth glinting dangerously. "Cuz he was runnin' from the killer! He lost his knife to defend himself and wound up unlockin' Komaru's door to hide himself!"

… Really? Is it that simple? It feels like there's something still missing. Because if he went into Komaru's room to get away from the killer, why didn't he just go into his own room?

"But why didn't he lock the door back if he was being chased?" Chiaki tilts her head. "He had the door unlocked and opened, so it would've been easy to close and lock. The killer couldn't have gotten in."

"Unless…" Ibuki gasps. "What if Gundham wanted to let the killer in?! That's one heck of a plot twist!"

"Don't listen to her," Kazuichi sighs. "She's just distracting us."

"Hey, I can be smart!"

"Moving on…!" The pink-haired male cuts his eyes at the musician.

"Gundham said he wanted to protect me…" Komaru grips the podium tight. "He told me he wouldn't trust anyone else, so he would've locked the door to escape the killer!"

"What if his lack of trust was a lie?"

The whole room turns to Nagito who's contemplating about the situation. Komaru sputters at the audacity he's spitting.

"Huh? N-No, he told me that he wouldn't be trusting anyone…" She shakes her head. "Why would he lie about that?"

"It's the evidence I didn't have time to show you," Nagito unfolds a piece of paper from his pocket and reads it aloud. "'Come to my room in ten minutes. I have something business to discuss with you since I place my trust in you. Make sure to check the nameplates as to not enter the wrong room.'"

"What the hell…" Akane stares at the paper in disbelief.

"What…" Komaru looks at the paper, mouth agape. "Is that…?"

"Yes, a note to a certain someone. Gundham drew them into his room with this note," Nagito looks at Komaru and raises his brows. "I assume you didn't write this?"

"N-No, but–"

"Of course you didn't!" His raspy voice grates against the medium's ears. "Gundham's name is signed at the bottom!

"I even took his dorm key to look at his notepad on his dresser, and it was scratched with the same note!" Nagito reveals.

Gundham really… wrote that…?

"But why?" Her voice comes out choked and her hazel eyes gleam with tears. "Why would he write that?"

"To get in touch with the killer…?" Ryota suggests feebly. "He must have done it before the morning announcement went off and slipped it under their door. That way, they would go to his room and… the rest happened."

"I would assume so…" Sonia murmurs.

"But a-are we sure anyone got the note?" The mechanic looks away with a frown. "I doubt it…"

Mikan blinks. "Wh-Why do you d-doubt it?"

"Alright, listen up!" Kazuichi grins.

Komaru tilts her head at his confidence.

"Gundham and Komaru have different rooms, that's obvious," He wipes his nose as his lips quirk up. "But the note said 'my room'."

"So if someone read that note…" Peko crosses her arms. "They would've gone to the wrong room."

"Exactly!" The mechanic exclaims. He points his hand out and extends his finger at Gundham's portrait. "They would've gone to the room Gundham was staying in! So really, they would have no connection to the case at all!"

"Can't believe he has a point…" Hiyoko rolls her eyes.

The killer went to my room instead of Gundham's because… of the Swapped Plates guiding them. That's the only way!

"No, that's wrong!"

Komaru clasps her hands to her chest. "The nameplates on mine and Gundham's doors were swapped!"

Kazuichi fumbles. "They got swapped?"

"So what you're sayin' is Gundham's room had Komaru's plate on it," Akane scratches the back of her head. "And Komaru's room had Gundham's plate?"

"What a mystery!" Ibuki cries, spit flying from her mouth. "I wonder who swapped them!"

"Obviously not Komaru, right?" Nagito presses the issue.

"R-Right…"

"Switching the plates would be no problem since their rooms are right next to each other," The white-haired male goes on to say.

"Ok, then who did it?" Mahiru asks.

Who swapped the nameplates… It has to be someone connected to the case. It can't be Komaru since she wasn't there to do it, and the killer obviously didn't know… Which means…

"Gundham must have switched our nameplates…" Komaru looks at his picture. "He… was the only one involved who could've done it."

"Y-You can infer as m-much from the note," Mikan looks down at her trembling hands and clenches them together. "It said… to ch-check the n-nameplates. He would only h-have written that if he kn-knew the plates were switched."

"You're forgetting the most important question, pig!" Hiyoko snaps at the nurse. "Why did he switch the plates in the first place?!"

"I-I'm sorry!"

Ibuki gasps. "Mikan looks so pretty when she cries!"

"I'm s-sorry!"

"Pigs don't cry! What a caffeinated bozo,"

Komaru tilts her head at the exclamations. "Pigs don't cry?"

Mikan flinches. "I-I won't–Wah! I won't cry a-anymore!"

"Swapping the plates conceals the fact that it's a different room," Nekomaru states. He places his hands on his hips and puffs his chest out.

"Hah?" Akane groans. "Swappin' the plates and then invitin' someone to your room… Why would someone do that?"

"To understand that, we have to understand what happened in that room," The animator looks up. "That's where the answer is."

"What happened was probably… Whoever he invited over… killed him!" Teruteru smoothly combs over his hair, confident he solved the case. "Then whoever he invited over this mornin' is the killer!"

Fuyuhiko scoffs. "We don't know who that is. Fucking idiot…"

"Gundham fought with the killer in the room right?" Chiaki questions with a tilt of her head. "The answer to our question lies in that struggle."

"Then we just need to figure out what happened durin' that fight!" The gymnast grins.

"That reminds me…" Nekomaru scratches his head. "There was a replica sword in the room. Think that could be important?"

"Oh yeah, there was a sword on the ground," Chiaki recalls.

"It… Gundham said I should hold on to it for self-defense…" The medium licks her lips and sighs. "But I'm pretty sure it was used to break his wrist."

Sonia tilts her head with a furrow in her brow. "Huh? How can you tell what broke his wrist?"

The reason I know the sword broke Gundham's wrist… is because of Gundham's Wrist . There's no doubt about it.

"All we have to do is look at his wrist and you can tell," Komaru says. "Right on his swollen bits, you can see something glittery, right?"

"His swollen bits?" Teruteru suggestively raises his brows. He goes ignored.

"I-Is… Is that gold?" Ryota's eyes widen.

Komaru nods. "Specifically the gold coating from the replica sword. You barely need to touch it and it'll stick to you,"

"And there's some on his wrist because he got hit with the sword!" Mahiru nods along in understanding.

"Then it's time to solve this mystery, gang!" Sonia flexes her arm and grabs it with her hand. A symbol of power, indeed. "We're extremely close!"

What happened in my room… Gundham's death… Komaru closes her eyes. That's what we need to know. What I want to know.

"When the fight broke out between Gundham and the killer," Mahiru nods, determined. "the killer grabbed the sword!"

Akane hums. "And from there… they performed an attack with the sword first!"

Peko sweatdrops as people look over at her. "What? I wasn't in the room killing Gundham,"

"Riiight…" Kazuichi purses his lips and narrows his eyes. "Then Gundham tried to fight back, and grabbed the kitchen knife he had hidden away."

"Then the killer took that too," The yakuza sighs. "Then threatened him with it before it broke."

"And then they killed him with the sewing pins," Sonia becomes downtrodden at the final blow.

"And that's what happened!" Kazuichi grins and folds his arms over his chest.

The… sword was used first? No, that can't be it. The Golden Katana wasn't in the right state to fight.

"No, that's wrong!"

"Actually…" Komaru declares. "I don't think the sword started the fight."

Akane balks. "Huh? Why not?!"

"Because the sword's sheath has scratches in it," She explains. "Like… Like someone cut into it with something sharp."

Ryota bites his lip. "Something sharp… Like the kitchen knife? That's the only sharp thing we found,"

"Stop jumpin' ahead!" Akane pouts. "I'm gettin' confused! Slow down and explain what's goin' on!"

"If the sword was used to attack first, then the sheath would have to be removed," Peko closes her red eyes and crosses her arms. "However, since there are scratches in the sheath, it implies that something else attacked first."

Akane nods. "Yeah, ok… I get it,"

"Ok, so how did the sheath get damaged?" The photographer wonders.

"If they were attacked with the kitchen knife, they would have to grab the sword in defense, right?" Kazuichi grins and pumps his fists. "So the one who had the knife attacked first!"

"So the killer grabbed the kitchen knife, threatened Gundham with it, then he grabbed the damn sword to defend himself," Fuyuhiko theorizes. "But the killer took that, broke his wrist, and used needles to kill him!"

"S-Sorry, but I don't think Gundham handled the sword at all…" Komaru opposes the yakuza's theory to which he yells at her.

"What?! How the fuck can you deny that?! It makes perfect sense!"

"Because…" Komaru looks down in thought. "His palms were clean."

Chiaki hums in recognition. "Ah! Cuz you said earlier that the gold glitter stuff barely even needs to touch you for it to stick!"

"Who says he didn't wash it off?" Hiyoko questions sharply.

While being in the middle of a murder chase…? Komaru deadpans.

"It can't be that either," Komaru answers the traditional dancer, treading lightly. "Because my water doesn't work. I had to shower in Mahiru's room."

Eyes turn to the redhead to which she nods. "Yeah, it's true. The water wouldn't turn on at all,"

"So if Gundham never touched the sword…" Nekomaru scratches his chin and cheek. "Then the killer was the one with the sword."

"What?" Kazuichi squawks. "But the person with the sword was the one who was attacked!"

And the one with the knife who attacked them was…

"Gundham…?" Komaru's voice comes out croaked and in shock. "He had the knife?"

"But we already said the attack started with the knife…!" Hiyoko claims.

"The person with the knife attacked first," Nagito reminds them. "So the sword was used as an impromptu defense."

Teruteru gasps. "Then the one who attacked first was…?!"

"... G-Gundham?!" Komaru stares at his portrait in disbelief.

"So he wasn't a blameless victim in all of this," Nagito holds up his hand with a smile.

Komaru swallows thickly. "B-But…"

"It's almost like…" Fuyuhiko smirks. "He had been planning this murder of his own."

But… no…

"He took the knife from the kitchen, then invited the culprit to Komaru's room since he knew she'd probably be out," The small blonde props his hand on his hip. "And then he used that knife and attacked the culprit."

"Yes, these are all actions of an assailant," Peko remarks bluntly.

"Which makes that blood puddle in the hallway a bit more clear," Mahiru says. "He attacked out in the hall while the door was already open which forced both of them into Komaru's room. Probably after Nekomaru passed by."

"And the swapped nameplates," Kazuichi nervously rubs on his face. "Gundham switched 'em around cuz he was planning on pinning the crime on Komaru!"

"Gundham was planning…!" Komaru clutches her fists to her chest and shakes her head. "On me?!"

"B-But doesn't that seem a tad risky?" Teruteru speaks up among the chaos. "Anyone could've walked by and seen the crime taking place, it was durin' the day! And Komaru could've sold 'em out by sayin' she wasn't there!"

"I don't know. Komaru's softhearted nature doesn't seem to be the kind that rats someone out," Nagito points out. "Even Gundham must've realized it which is why he did it during the morning while everyone was spread out before breakfast. No one sees the crime, so it's easier to place the blame."

Komaru's chest feels cold. She was going to be used as a scapegoat…? By her own friend? Her… first real friend?

"But in the end, his plan backfired. He launched his attack just when the tables turned," Nekomaru says. "That must be when the killer broke his wrist, and he was forced to drop the knife."

Chiaki hums. "The knife could've broken when it hit the ground also. Or it was also hit but no glitter was on it because of the blood,"

"How the turn tables!" Ibuku shouts.

Komaru shakes her head. "Wait! Th-That can't be true because… because…!"

"Hey, hey! You guys have totally fuckin' derailed the argument!" Monokuma threatens. "You're being super boring right now! Come on, hurry up and decide who did it! Wouldn't it be shitty if I had to punish you all just because you ran out of time?!"

"Oh right, we have to decide who did it!" Ibuki grits her teeth and growls. "Whoever did it raise your hand! Ibuki won't look!"

"Dumbass," Fuyuhiko scoffs 

Is there even anything left? All of this… can't just be for nothing, right?

"It's easy to say, 'Decide who did it!', but there aren't any clues left…" Sonia dejectedly sighs.

Nekomaru lifts his chin and cracks his knuckles. "Then let's start over and review all the clues we've found one more time!"

Ryota sweatdrops. "Do we really have time to do that?"

"D-Die…" Mikan squeals. "W-We need to do something o-or else w-we're going to die!"

Is this really it, the end of the road? There… There is another clue! The Dying Message!

"No, that's wrong!"

"There might be one clue left," Komaru brings her hands down to the podium. "Gundham's dying message."

"Pardon?" Sonia's brows knit together. "Dying message?"

"The dying message. He wrote something on the wall behind him," Nagito hums. "DARK OBS, written in blood. A clue to the killer's identity should be in there."

"Before we get too far, did the edge lord really write that?" Hiyoko inquires.

"I… think it was written by two different people," Komaru mutters.

"Why d'you say that?" Akane cocks her head.

"Oh oh!" Ibuki raises her hand. "I know! I know! Cuz even though Gundham's left hand fingers have blood on them, the writing has two different fonts! Like ℙ𝕣𝕖𝕞𝕚𝕦𝕞 and 𝚃𝚢𝚙𝚎𝚠𝚛𝚒𝚝𝚎𝚛!"

Komaru sweatdrops. Did Ibuki just speak in both of those fonts?

"Hey, Chiaki, you're a pro at video games," Kazuichi looks to the gamer for help. "Is there some kinda cheat code like this?"

"Up up, down down, left right, left right, B, A, start…" Chiaki mutters. Sadly, she shakes her head. "Sorry, I've never seen a cheat code like that before."

Nagito cups his chin silently. He lifts his gaze to someone on the other side of the circle. "Which one looks like Gundham's in this situation?"

"What?" Mahiru is taken aback.

Komaru looks to Nagito for more help. "It's… the one that's messed up, right? Because he was in pain…"

"However, we cannot be completely sure Gundham did not write both phrases," Sonia counters Komaru's claim.

Nagito tilts his head slightly. "And why's that?"

"I see that the message was behind Gundham, so there is a chance the killer did not see the message!"

"That doesn't explain why they're in two different styles," Peko states. "Here's what I propose: Gundham wrote DARK while OBS was written by someone else."

"It…" Mikan thinks for a moment. "It makes s-sense. Gundham's h-handwritting being shaky and hard to r-read then being replaced b-by a clean slate? The k-killer could h-have punctured a p-pressure point that made him stop w-writing."

That makes sense… So Gundham writing DARK must be the path to follow.

Wait… DARK being written by Gundham must mean that that word is significant. OBS was written to frame me. So then…

Hold on, Gundham called another person by the title "Dark". Dark Observer… Dark Queen…

"Gundham only had two titles for people that had Dark involved," Komaru remembers. "There's mine, Dark Observer… but there's also Dark Queen. Sonia's title."

The princess gasps. "E-Excuse me?"

Kazuichi jumps on the "Defend Sonia Train". "Uh, no! Ms. Sonia wouldn't do something like that! She's a perfect regal princess… she isn't a killer!"

"That's right," Sonia narrows her blue eyes at Komaru. "There's no reason to think my title was involved."

"But the fact that two people have the title Dark in their nickname is telling," Nagito says. "And only a few people happen to know about Komaru's title since she was probably too embarrassed to hear it."

Peko raises her eyebrow. "And who are these people?"

"Komaru and Gundham, of course, Akane, Nekomaru, and Sonia," The lucky student recounts while staring straight at the princess.

"Sonia knew? Tch, she probably saw that Gundham wrote DARK and put OBS to start the word observer to further frame Komaru," Surprisingly, Fuyuhiko backs Komaru up.

"And OBS is legible, nothing how DARK looks," Mahiru looks at the fuming princess next to her.

"This is blasphemy!" Sonia exclaims, putting a silence to the room. She extends her arm out. "I am not the killer! Akane, Nekomaru, or Komaru could still easily be Gundham's killer!"

"But…" Komaru flinches as the royal's gaze is fixed onto her. "Nothing can be a coincidence! I believe in fate, and fate says you did this!"

"I did not! I have no connections to this heinous crime!"

"Y-Yeah!"

Not helping, Kazuichi!

"If you aren't involved in this crime…" Nagito tilts his head curiously. "Then how come you had the perfect way to know about the sewing kits?"

Sonia balks. "What?!"

Sonia knowing about the sewing kits… is explained with Peko's Account.

"Peko told me that only herself, Mikan, and Sonia knew about the needles," Komaru says, pointing forward. "Nagito knew by accident!"

Peko nods. "Yes, the sewing kits were in a tough spot to see and get to," Her red eyes bore into Sonia's trembling irises. "One of them went missing last night after the motive."

"S-So what?" Sonia smoothes her hands over the front of her dress and gives a strained smile. "That doesn't implicate me at all. I don't appreciate being convicted of a murder I did not commit."

"Oh, Sonia…"

Sonia snaps her gaze to Nagito that seethes and screams "Shut up!".

"If that isn't enough to convict you, isn't what Kazuichi said more proof?"

"Not true," Kazuichi speaks up with an anxious chuckle. "You see, I was… inspired by Ms. Sonia hiding the sewing kits that I… I took every guy's tool kit and stashed them in the laundry room. Only me, Ms. Sonia, Nekomaru, and K-Kamukura knew about it…"

Nagito raises his finger. "About only a few people knowing about the location of the tool kits. You, Nekomaru, Kamukura, and Sonia,"

Teruteru gulps. "So then…" He tugs at his collar and wipes the sweat away from his forehead. "Sonia could've taken both the tool kit and the sewing kit at the same time!"

"I will not stand for this!" Sonia slams her fist on the wooden podium and glares around the circle. "Nagito, stand down! You told me to–"

"But alas…" Nagito cuts the princess off. "That still isn't enough evidence."

"Y-Yeah!" The mechanic cries weakly. "Just a coincidence! Nothing more than that!"

It can't be just a coincidence. Sonia has to be the killer, it's the only thing that makes sense!

"This is all just…" Sonia straightens her back and closes her eyes. "One big misunderstanding."

"Exactly!" Kazuichi nods.

"Anyone could've found those items in the laundry room," She continues on. "Besides, I was injured in the dining hall at seven-thirty! The exact time when Gundham was stabbed with needles and died instantly!"

"Yeah, she's got a point," Akane mentions with a sigh. "She was in there when I got up and went there."

"Then we understand now," Sonia's eyes are cold when she opens them again. "I am not Gundham's killer."

The exact time when Gundham was stabbed with needles and died instantly… It's not that simple because Mikan's Autopsy proves that false!

"No, that's wrong!"

"You may have been in there at seven-thirty, but according to Mikan, Gundham could've lived for fifteen minutes!"

Sonia jolts back and covers her mouth, an angry furrow in her brows.

"She checked to be sure the Monokuma File was right and found out that Gundham could've been stabbed at seven-fifteen at the latest!"

Mikan nods at Komaru's words. "Y-Yes, that's r-right…"

"If you're wrong about it, I'll hang you by your toes and beat you with a golf club!" Hiyoko threatens.

Mikan fumbles for words.

Sonia rolls her eyes. "So what?"

Mahiru perks up. "Hey, wait a minute. When Mikan and I saw you in the hall and you tripped…" She stares in horror at the princess next to her. "You were right next to Komaru's dorm!"

"Th-That's not… I…!"

"F-Falling doesn't c-cut your arm," Mikan says with a surprisingly stern tone despite her stuttering.

"I didn't do this!"

Nagito sighs. "I'm disappointed. Especially after giving you advice," He looks at Komaru. "I think we need a summary of the case. Just to prove it to everyone how it happened."

Komaru sweats. Me? No, to have more confidence, I need to do this! I need to prove it… To everyone!

"Here's what happened!"

"I think we should start at the beginning… This morning, the killer went to my room that Gundham marked as his. Gundham, uh, did this with the intention of killing them. He attacked them with the kitchen knife he took from the kitchen last night… but then the killer grabbed the replica sword and fought back. During the struggle, Gundham's r-right wrist broke as well as the knife.

"He was cornered, so he ran to the bathroom and locked himself in. The killer must have seen the time opportunity and began to sweep the floors clean with the lint roller in a hurry, to remove any trace of them from the room. They also quickly removed the gold dust from the sword off of their hands. Then, they went to the door to open it, still in a time crunch, and couldn't get it open. They decided to break in with the tool kit they took from the laundry room the night before. And with the sewing needles, hoping to leave little traces of evidence behind as possible, they stabbed Gundham. However, it was a botched death seeing as he was alive for fifteen minutes. He wrote down DARK before the killer had the idea to write down OBS in the killer's own blood since it was still on them.

"The killer left my room and slipped on the blood in the hall, hurting themself in the process. Mikan and Mahiru saw them and helped them to the dining hall where they claimed that they had a bad fall! Unfortunately, they thought Gundham's death wouldn't be found out and that he wouldn't live long enough to lead back to them.

"Isn't that right, Sonia?!"

Sonia is at a loss for words, fish-eyed and panting. Komaru licks her lips. "You were involved with just about everything in this case. From the sewing kits, to the tool kits, to the nicknames!"

"So Sonia…" Nagito crosses his arms. "Do you still object?"

"Do I… object?" Sonia's hauntingly blank voice ignites into a roar of fury. "Jesus shit! Son of a bitch!"

Kazuichi flinches at the loud princess. "M-Ms. Sonia…?!"

"Of course I object!" Sonia growls. "I object, I object, I object! This is all a bunch of hallorky! It's a large coincidence! Without true evidence, I refuse to acknowledge this fallacy!"

"You're hope rings true, Sonia, but I think this has gone on for long enough," Nagito says. "You're in possession of the last piece of evidence to prove you did it!"

She has what?

"Bow down!"

Sonia shakes her head. "This trial is bullshit! I won't acknowledge any of it without evidence!"

Komaru gulps and looks at her "injured" wrist. Is that…?

"I won't stand for this!"

"Stop talking… Stop it!"

"This is getting out of hand…"

"Do you know who I am?!"

"I will have you tried for treason!"

"This trial is bullshit!"

"Bow down!"

"I command you to stop talking!"

"This trial is bullshit! I won't acknowledge any of it without evidence!"

"This should prove it!"

Fake Injury

"Your wrist is supposedly injured, right?" Komaru asks.

Sonia huffs. "Please refrain from–"

"But where'd you get the bandages?" The medium continues.

"Th-The… bandages?"

"On your wrist," Komaru points at her wrist which she hurriedly tries to cover up. "The nurse's office isn't open and Mikan said she doesn't have any bandages. So what's on your wrist?"

Sonia burns her gaze into Komaru's face. "It-It's just…! Just…!"

"But my lint roller was missing a lot of paper from it. Paper that would be suspicious in a trash can,"

Peko hums. "And Byakuya had the key to the incinerator room because he didn't trust us with it,"

"Th-This is treason!" Sonia spits. "Treason against the princess of Novoselic!"

"So there's no way Sonia threw the paper away!"

"Treason treason treason!"

"So where did the paper go? Was it eaten?" Ibuki asks.

"Treason! This is treason!"

"The stuff around your wrist…" Komaru points at the rambling princess who everyone has blocked out. "Will have traces of your hair stuck to it! Because it's lint roller paper!"

"Treason treason… uh, huh?" Sonia clutches her wrist to her chest.

Mikan looks away from the betrayal on the blonde's face. "And… A-And you have t-to tell me where you g-got the bandages f-from… if y-you don't have lint r-roller paper a-around your wrist,"

Sonia is breathing heavy, eyes wide and blank. Her shoulders slowly heave up… and down…

"Trea… son…" Sonia chokes out. "Trea… son…?"

"Nothin'?" Teruteru feebly pokes his index fingers together at her silence.

Nagito sighs. "I guess we're done here,"

Sonia's eyes are glossy, mouth agape. Her already pale skin somehow became whiter with fear.

"Puhuhuhu… Looks like you've reached your verdict! Then are we ready to cast our votes? You all have a long, hard lever in front of you. Use it to make your selection!" Monokuma declares with a giggle. "Oh, just to remind you all… Make triple sure you vote for someone! You wouldn't want to be punished for something so minor, right? Ok! Then let's get excited!

"Who will be chosen as the blackened? Will you make the right choice, or the dreadfully wrong one? What's it gonna be? What's it gonna beeee?!"

Komaru pulls the lever and squeezes her eyes shut, crossing her fingers.

"Uh-oh!"

Those words makes Komaru peek between her eyelids.

"Looks like you got it right on the money! The blackened in this case, the one that killed Gundham… was none other than Sonia Nevermind!" The bear announces gleefully. "Too bad there was one vote for Kazuichi Soda by Kazuichi Soda! Be careful about that, dipshit…!"

Sonia croaks. "Huh…? What… no, wait…"

Komaru whimpers. "Sonia…" The princess looks at her. "Sonia, did you really… kill Gundham…?"

Akane squares her shoulders. "Why the hell would you kill someone?!"

"I-I didn't have a choice… I-It was kill or be killed! That's why I had to do it first!" Sonia tears up, droplets of water streaking down her face. "I am not perfect, but none of you are any different! It was by chance that I wound up in that position!"

No one responds to that. Kazuichi is frozen staring at Sonia.

"It's all because of those videos…" Komaru's voice cracks. She clenches her fists.

If it wasn't for that motive, Gundham might be alive! 

Was he tricking me the whole time? Did he only get close to me because he wanted to frame me? That's… I haven't had a lot of friends, but this is awful!

"Boy howdy!" Monokuma wipes his brow. "Those animals friends of his must be worth killing for! I mean, he descended into complete fuckin' madness!"

Komaru watches as the bear leaves his throne. She's barely aware of her own feet moving. "Wh… What did you say…?"

"I understand, really I do. Yup yup! You're in utter despair thanks to Gundham's betrayal, right? Compassion, intimacy, friendship... The stronger those feelings, the stronger the despair when they collapse!"

"Stop it! This is your fault!" Komaru yells. "Gundham being forced to do that… Everything… is your fault!"

In a frenzy, Komaru lunges towards the bear as she comes closer. But… Akane grabs her and yanks her back into her firm grip.

"Alright, that's enough," Akane curls her fingers around the back of the medium's collar and sighs. "You're actin' just like my younger sibs…"

Her grip is like iron around Komaru's collar and waist, strong and unmoved. Komaru can barely flail her limbs, and Akane isn't budging.

"Damn it…!" Komaru's voice chokes.

"Ahh, that was a close one! I thought for sure you were gonna give me a good walloping! Just barely avoided punishment, you did! Now then! Since you so magnificently revealed the identity of the killer during the class trial… the blackened, Sonia Nevermind, will receive her punishment!"

Sonia breaks from her silence. "P-Punishment…? You mean execution?!" She backs away from the circle and runs to the elevator, trying to break in. "Y-You don't understand, I had to kill him! I didn't have a choice! Y-Yes, it was self-defense!"

Hiyoko's voice cuts through the panicked flailing of Sonia clawing at the walls.

"How exactly was it self-defense?" Her orange eyes pin the princess in place as she tries to break down a wall. "When you forced your way into the bathroom, you used a tool kit that was hidden away. After he locked himself in the bathroom, you still chose to go inside. You could've turned around and told someone, but you didn't."

Fuyuhiko snorts. "She just wants an excuse for her actions. She wanted to commit murder, so she ignored all the warning signs,"

"N-No!" Sonia denies it. She presses her back to the wall. "I-I didn't…!"

"Just… stop it…"

Hiyoko looks at Komaru with a roll of her eyes. "What? Didn't she kill your emo lover?"

"She doesn't deserve all the blame, just like Gundham doesn't…" Komaru shakes her head. "The only one who does is Monokuma."

"Whatever sense of justice you have is so fuckin' boring! B-O-R-I-N-G!" Monokuma laughs. "More importantly! Let's hurry up and get to what everyone's been waiting for! The punishment!"

Kazuichi dissolves into snotty tears. "W-Wait, you can't do this to her!"

Sonia falls to her knees and presses her hands together. "I'm begging you, pl-please don't do this…! I have a country to rule over; they need me!"

"No more begging! No more excuses! You must pay the penalty for breaking the rules! Society demands it!"

"St-Stop! Please!" She stands back up and rams her shoulder against the wall over and over, desperate gulps of air being downed into her lungs like she can't breathe properly.

"Now then, I've prepared a very special punishment for Sonia Nevermind, the Ultimate Princess!"

"No no no no no no no no!"

"Let's give it everything we've got! It's… PUNISHMENT TIIIME!"

"NNNOOOOOOOOOO!"

Sonia is surrounded by her peers as she devolves into a mess of tears and despair. A chain flies from an opening doorway and snaps around Sonia's neck. Panicked, she reaches out for help that only Kazuichi tries to grab before she's yanked off down the hall, leaving only her bow to glide down to the floor. The door closes with a slam.

Her body drags on the ground, and the ground burns on her exposed legs. Choking, she pulls at the chain until she's slammed into a chair and locked down. Her royal blue eyes shine in horror.

Let Them Eat Cake!

In front of Sonia is a long table with a lot of heavy, filling desserts on it from end to end. She flinches as a Chef Monokuma appears with a chef's hat and a pencil mustache.

"Dessert is served!"

He shovels the desserts into her mouth slowly then speeds up. Sonia can barely keep up as frosting and sugary pies and candy is shoved relentlessly into her mouth.

Her stomach tightens and expands out, ripping her dress. She can't throw up the food because of the quickness it's being forced into her mouth.

The table goes empty for a moment, but then the dessert switches to bloody body parts. Sonia throws up all over the food and is forced to eat it again.

Chef Monokuma panics and runs away as Sonia's enlarged stomach rumbles and starts to split. With a gasp, Sonia watches as her skin rips open and her innards spew out of her and onto the table. Her dull blue eyes grey out as her head falls back and she breathes her last breath.

Chef Monokuma scratches his head and winks at the camera before it blacks out.

Execution End!

Chapter Text

"Hey, Nagito…"

The lucky student looks up at Komaru as the others exit the elevator. He tilts his head at the furrow in her brow.

"Yes?" He asks.

Komaru purses her lips. "I, uh… I was thinking about the trial, and something's been on my mind for a bit,"

Nagito smiles. "Whatever you ask, I'll answer to the best of my abilities,"

"D-During the trial, something came up…"

"I will not stand for this!" Sonia slams her fist on the wooden podium and glares around the circle. "Nagito, stand down! You told me to–"

"Sonia said that you told her something. I-I don't want to sound… accusing, but I just need to know," Komaru steps out of the elevator, following the taller male and looks up at him. "What did she mean by that?"

Nagito's smile wipes from his face. "Ah, I see…"

"And not just that, but the thing you said later…"

Nagito sighs. "I'm disappointed. Especially after giving you advice,"

Komaru scratches her cheek and winces when she hits her bruise. "That's connected, right? You told Sonia some advice, but then something went wrong,"

"No,"

That one word throws Komaru for a loop. "N-No…?"

"Nothing went wrong at all. In fact…" Nagito's smile spread across his face. But it's different. The others were sheepish and full of excitement from being around the other students. This one… is crooked and scary. "I think everything went perfectly. I got to see just how much hope you guys have and how you put it to the test. You're… You're all true symbols of hope! Your all's hope was brighter than Sonia's!"

"Wh-What did you tell her?" Komaru shrinks at the gaze directed at her.

Was that when I ran into both Sonia and Nagito together in the laundry room after the motive…?

"Oh that? I just said she should have some tools to defend herself with, and to always go to that one person you can trust," Nagito turns and goes to exit the small room but pauses with his hand on the knob. "After all… they might be the key to getting you out of here."

With that, Nagito leaves and lets the door slam shut.

Komaru gapes at his exit. Did Nagito… manipulate this murder…?

She leaves out of the red doors and to the AV room. She needs to know why they did it. What made Gundham betray her…? What forced Sonia to snap and kill Gundham even when he backed down…?

So she pops in both disks one after the other, watching the screens with sad eyes.

Sonia's kingdom…

Gundham's animals…

Komaru buries her face in her hands and shudders, trying to hold onto her sobs.

Chapter Text

After the first trial, after watching both Gundham's and Sonia's motives, after everything… It's silent.

Komaru turns to the door in hopes that Gundham will walk through the door with the extra key in his hand and his babble about his animals.

A few minutes pass before Komaru sighs deeply. He's not coming back…

She lifts up and stares at the purple scarf folded neatly on her bed. He left that for her… but does she deserve to wear it? Why did he leave it to her in the first place?

She looks down at the black bow in her hand next. It had dropped off of Sonia's head when she was dragged down the hall, and Komaru picked it up instinctively.

She wants to throw the thing away--It belonged to Sonia. She killed Gundham, after all. Deep down, however, Komaru knew it wouldn't be fair. Blaming Sonia for everything that happened during the first kill wouldn't be fair, because Gundham had a hand in it too.

So she can't just abandon both the bow and the scarf. It wouldn't be fair to both her friends, even if they are dead.

Komaru ties the bow around her wrist and picks up the purple scarf. She stares at it for a long while before quickly wrapping it around her neck.

Her eyes dart to her bathroom. She hasn't been inside of it yet, and if what Monokuma said about the body being gone already is true…

She doesn't want to think about it.

Taking a few deep breaths, Komaru shuffles to her bathroom and opens the door. It's abnormally clean, cleaner than Komaru first found it in the first place. The smell of bleach stings her nostrils, and its pungency stabs her eyes until they water.

Monokuma was right, then… Gundham's body is gone. His body has been swept away, any trace of him scrubbed clean.

Byakuya and Izuru too. They're both gone just like Gundham and Sonia. Four people--gone just like that.

No one even had time to mourn. Komaru didn't have time to mourn. It's awful…

Monokuma is awful.

This is an awful dream, a sickening reality. Komaru doesn't understand why they have to go through this, but she has to make it out with as many people as possible.

Komaru leaves her room and goes to the dining hall to meet up with the others.

"Sorry I'm late," She says. Her voice is low and despondent.

Chiaki, who stood from her chair once she saw Komaru, walks to the medium and holds her shoulder. "Hey hey… Are you ok?"

"Well you sure took your time!" Teruteru exclaims as he pulls the lid off of a large portion of gyūdon. "Any longer and you would'a missed dinner! I don't like bein' kept, Ms. Komaru."

Komaru wilts under his unimpressed gaze. "S-Sorry…"

"Hey, that's pretty insensitive!" Mahiru chastises the chef. "She just lost her friend, and you're scolding her over it?!"

"But what happened?" The chef continues to pester Komaru. "Was it gone like Monokuma said? I reckon it'd be pretty hard to sleep with a rottin' dead person in your shower!"

"That's fucked up, man," Kazuichi winces at Teruteru's wording. "The hell you say that for?"

"My room was… spotless. Nothing was left," Komaru steps away from Chiaki to hold herself tight. "It was like… nothing happened."

"Why don't you just stay in Gundham's room?" Kazuichi suggests with malice in his voice. "Since you liked him so much."

Komaru doesn't notice the shift in his voice, but the others do.

"Oh! Well, uh… I would, but I don't have a key to his room like he did with mine," Komaru explains. "And, um, I don't think I could. It hurts too much. But I can't turn away from his death!"

Kazuichi scowls and turns away from Komaru, sitting hunched over in his chair.

"From… either of their deaths, actually," Komaru admits. She grabs at the scarf around her neck and sighs. "They didn't deserve that. Kamukura and Byakuya too."

Nodding slowly, Ryota says. "Oh… S-So that's why you're wearing Gundham's scarf and Sonia's bow!" Ryota nods and pulls out a small notepad, slipping the pencil out from behind his ear. "Protagonist mourns those they lost… Subtle…?"

I have no idea what he's talking about, but it might be for a new anime he's working on!

"You're right, Komaru," Mahiru smiles. "There's no need to get depressed over this. We just… We have to keep moving forward and work together! We'll surely find a way out of here!"

"Is that supposed to make us fucking feel better?"

Heads snap to where Fuyuhiko is sitting by himself, scowling at the blatant optimism in the room with his arms crossed over his chest.

"Huh?" The photographer stammers in response.

"We were already 'working together', yet someone still was fucking murdered!" He scoffs. "Any one of you bastards could betray us next. It happened once, damn it, it could happen again."

"Indeed," Peko nods. "Because Gundham made the first move."

Chiaki shakes her head and raises her hand. "But if we work together against the mastermind, nobody will have any reason to do that!"

"Keep fucking telling yourself that. I'll be over here in the real world," The yakuza states. "Working together, fighting a common enemy…? That's just bullshit served on a platter to placate everyone for a small time. It's not that simple."

"... What do you mean?" Komaru asks.

"The mastermind seems to be much more powerful than we ever suspected. They took over Hope's Peak, which was supposed to be well defended, then modified it to fit their desire. They created Monokuma, which seems to be incredibly advanced, and they're providing for our every need. And the cherry on top is the execution we witnessed," Peko states.

Komaru looks down at the floor as the swordswoman continues to monologue.

"Everything has been planned down to the last excruciating detail. This is not the work of your everyday psychopath. Defying them may be too great a risk…"

"Then what are we s'posed to do?" Akane huffs.

"Escape, don't escape. Kill or don't," Nagito sighs. "That's the only option now. The point of Monokuma's game."

Komaru grimaces at his voice. Knowing he manipulated the first trial so easily like that is disturbing. And now he's keeping up this "nice guy" act… How long will it be until he's revealed to be not as nice as he seems?

"No…"

Nagito blinks at Chiaki's firm denial. "No…?"

"No, I won't be killing anyone to escape here," Chiaki shakes her head. I don't wanna live if I have to resort to something like that. I'd rather die than kill one of my friends again!"

Chiaki…

"A-Again?" Hiyoko stammers. "Do you mean Sonia? She's a dumb killer and shouldn't be anyone's friend!"

"Hiyoko… Chiaki, what do you mean?" Mahiru turns from Hiyoko to Chiaki with worry pinching at her face.

"Sonia died because we voted for her, so we killed her ourselves," The gamer stands taller and sets her face.

"B-But…" Ryota mumbles.

"If we hadn't voted, then we would'a turned into human food chow!" Ibuki exclaims. "And I dunno about you, but Ibuki prefers dying by no one's hand!"

"Ms. Ibuki is right, my dear," Teruteru nods his head. "If you keep on blamin' yourself, you'll turn into a full-fledged masochist! Unless… you'd be into that, hm?"

Chiaki has a shadow cast over her face as she looks down.

Komaru swallows thickly. "Chiaki… You aren't to blame. Not you, not Sonia, not G-Gundham. The mastermind is the one at fault!" She tries to cheer the gamer up. "We had no choice but to vote, so we had to. And… it was really Monokuma who killed Sonia, so please don't be mad at yourself!"

Her speech seemed to do the trick. Chiaki is nodding and smiling.

Then… it happens.

Ding dong! Bing bong!

"Mm, ahem, this is a school announcement. It is now ten p.m. As such, it is officially nighttime. Soon the doors to the dining hall will be locked, and entry at that point is strictly prohibited. Oh, and one other thing… It was totally obvious before that you were trying to make yourselves feel better and justify what you did. See you, see you, don't see you, see you! That's about how much I can see you, even when you try to hide!

"Now pay attention and remember this well! The burden of judging others is a heavy one to bear. So be well aware of your actions! Order and stability rely on the sacrifice and responsibility of everyone! Okay then… sweet dreams, everyone! Good night, sleep tight, don't let the bed bugs bite…"

What the…?

Mikan whimpers. "What… w-was that a-about just n-now…?"

"Was he sayin' it was our fault what happened?" Akane growls. "That's dumb and cruel."

"Who does he think he is?!" Nekomaru curses under his breath.

As the dining hall full of students became crowded with fear and anger, Komaru stood by herself. Her eyes are locked onto Nagito's calm figure, standing with a hint of a smile on his face.

The situation is spiraling once again, with only fourteen students alive. Gundham, Byakuya, Izuru, and Sonia are gone. Komaru can only contact two of them.

This life she's living is only just beginning… The full weight of the despair Monokuma wants them to endure hasn't even arrived yet.

Komaru went to bed that night and had a fitful rest.

Waking up to Monokuma's usual morning announcement shouldn't be hard at this point, but Komaru can't help but grunt at the noise. But then there was something additional to his announcement…

He called everyone to the gym.

Strange…

Komaru got up and got dressed, making sure to keep both his scarf and her bow on her person. She heads to the gym only to notice everyone else already there.

Monokuma is on the stage, grinning while everyone is frozen in fear. Then… he begins.

"Okay! Lift your arms up, and down! One, two, three, four!" Monokuma begins a wide-armed stretch.

Nekomaru is quick to jump in. "One, two, three, four!"

"Now reach waaay up, and bend waaay down! Tighten those muscles! Let's add a little strength, a little speed to those young bodies of yours!"

Oh wow!

"Ahh, doesn't this feel just great?!" Monokuma brings his paws to his chest with a blush. "Being stuck inside like this, you gotta make sure to stay healthy!"

Ibuki taps her index fingers together. "Um… Aren't you the one keeping us 'stuck inside'? Like Saw?"

"Don't sweat the small stuff! That's my motto. Whoa, I sounded pretty cool just now, don'tcha think?" Monokuma grins and covers his mouth. "Did you fall in love with me? Am I just to die for? Am I just to die in writhing agony for?"

"What's a motto?" Komaru blinks.

Monokuma shrugs. "Nothing! What's a-motto with you?"

"So… Why'd you call us down here?" Hiyoko glances at the stretching Nekomaru with a curled lip. "It couldn't have been just cuz you wanted to make us exercise."

"'Just' cuz I wanted to make you exercise?! JUST to make you exercise?!" Monokuma throws his arms up angrily. "If exercise makes you laugh, exercise will make you cry! Now, if you keep doing these exercises, you will uncover the secret of the Assassin's Fist! Passed down from generation to generation in the empire of darkness… The power can be yours!"

"Assassin's Fist? That sounds pretty cool," The medium says much to everyone else's disbelief.

Monokuma giggles. "Too bad the Assassin's Fist is already in use… Maybe you can be next in line though!"

"We'll pass on whatever that is," Akane deadpans.

"Suit yourself!"

"Wh-Why did you call u-us down here?" Mikan feebly questions the bear. "Was it r-really to exercise?"

"Of course not!" The bear scoffs. "You think I have that kind of free time on my hands?!"

"I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean t-to assume–!"

"You know what they say about assuming? It makes an 'ASS' outta 'U' and 'ME'!" Monokuma strikes a pose. "Anyway."

He moves on fairly quickly… Komaru thinks to herself.

"Ahh, I'd like to make an announcement! Every time you overcome a class trial here at Hope's Peak, a whole new world will open up to you!"

"A whole new world?" Mahiru lowers her brows suspiciously.

"A dazzling place we never knew?!" Ibuki gasps, hands slapped to her cheeks.

"It'd really suck if you had to live here forever with nothing new to stimulate you! Besides, I know how you kids get these days with your ADD and ADHD. I gotta keep you motivated!" Monokuma waves his paws in acknowledgement of the cramped space they already have. "So go ahead, look around all you want! Enjoy the brave new post-trial world till you explode!"

With a wink, he steps offstage and disappears behind the curtains. He left the students even more confused than when he first showed up.

"A new world?" Komaru mutters.

"Is he talkin' 'bout a way to get outside?!" Teruteru exclaims in relief.

Peko destroys his hope. "It's unlikely,"

"We won't know until we look!" Mahiru places her fists on her hips and leans forward slightly, eyes scolding the gray-haired girl.

"Whatever he meant, it seems we'll have to search the school again," Peko relents to Mahiru's stern gaze.

"We should split up and start investigating!" Nekomaru claims with a strong stance. "After we're done, we'll meet back at the dining hall and share our findings!"

The team manager quickly rounds everyone together and sends them out while chanting positive feedback. Komaru stays behind and watches Nekomaru grab at his chest and groan weakly.

She wants to say something, she really does, but Nekomaru leaves the gym. His face is ashen and his eyes are fearful.

Biting her lip, Komaru leaves the gym and runs into Akane.

"Man, I'm hungry," Akane's stomach gurgles in agreement. "Yo Komaru, you got any snacks on you?"

"Uh no? You can always get a quick meal from the kitchen?"

"Tch, all that food is uncooked! I want some fresh… juicy… cooked meat!" Her mouth waters. "Screw investigatin' the school, I'm gonna go find some canned food or somethin'!"

Akane runs off and leaves a perplexed Komaru alone. Well… at least she's enthusiastic?

Komaru exits the trophy room and notices Nekomaru and Kazuichi standing beside the blocked off stairs to the second floor.

Wait, those stairs aren't blocked off! Is this what Monokuma was talking about when he said "a whole new world"?

"Ah, Komaru!" Nekomaru greets her. She salutes with a grin.

"Coach!" She giggles.

"So I've upgraded from 'sir' to 'coach'?" He pats her on the shoulder. "Glad to be of service to you kid."

Kazuichi glares at Komaru.

"The gate blocking the stairs to the second floor opened up. Guess this is a new path to victory!" The manager clenches his fists in determination. "But we should also check the areas we already know about just in case. Doubling back can win us the war against Monokuma."

That's true. Something else might have opened up in previously unlocked areas just like the next floor unlocked. It would be wise to check it out too.

Kazuichi doesn't meet Komaru's eyes as he speaks to her. "I went to check the metal hatch in the main hall to be sure, but… Damn, that thing didn't budge at all!" He sighs and goes quiet.

Nothing else comes from Kazuichi's mouth, so Komaru feels free to move on to the stairs.

"I wonder what's up here…" Komaru wonders as she climbs the stairs and enters a blue-lit hallway.

Chapter Text

As soon as Komaru steps onto the second floor, a blue light from the new hallway washes over her.

So this is the second floor. Komaru thinks to herself. It sure is… blue. Hey, maybe I'll find some clues up here! Think positively and everything will turn out fine!

Komaru walks to the left as soon as her feet completely leave the stairs. It's a purple door with a placard above it which reads "POOL". She enters and comes into a room with green walls, some pool items on the right, a boys and girls locker room (color-coded with blue and pink respectively), and a gun on the ceiling.

Wait. A gun on the ceiling?!

Komaru squawks at the sight of it.

"Hey hey!" Chiaki waves at the medium, beckons her closer. "I found a new level to explore–a pool. You usually don't see maps with pools on them, so I find this exciting."

Her deadpanned, lazy voice kind of gives off the opposite effect.

Peko, who is standing off to the side, gives a short chuckle. "There are numerous exercise equipment inside the locker room. I believe Nekomaru is going to push Akane to the best of her abilities,"

True. Nekomaru and Akane have formed a close bond despite only knowing each other for a short amount of time.

I kinda wish me and Gundham grew to have a closer bond of trust like Nekomaru and Akane…

"You're right about that," Komaru giggles half-heartedly.

Chiaki sighs and catches Komaru's attention. Is she upset about something?

"Are you ok?" Komaru asks. She thinks about it then comes up with an answer. "Oh, is it because you don't have a swimsuit?"

Chiaki shakes her head. "No, I prefer not to get in the water at all. My avatar may be able to swim, but I can't,"

You do seem like the type to not like swimming, but I figured you'd be able to.

"And the locker room exercise equipment isn't for me. I don't need to get stronger physically, but emotionally," Chiaki's cheeks puff out. "I need friends!"

Komaru smiles. "We can be friends!"

"No, I don't want to be given friendship. I want to earn it," She sighs, louder this time. "If I had a gaming console, maybe I'd be braver than I am now."

I don't really get it. Is she afraid of her friend-making skills? Weird phobia, but ok. But I can't really say anything involving friends considering I don't have many…

Peko leans back against the wall. "Hm. The second floor opening up seems to have provided us with temporary forms of stress relief," She says. "Not that the gun hanging from the ceiling is stress relieving."

Komaru cringes as the gun aims at the two locker room doors. That can't be a real gun, right? Why would anyone need it at all?

She looks to the doors. And behind there are the locker rooms. Komaru goes to the dark pink door and tries to open it only to fail.

"Oh, come on…!"

"I would think you would need your handbook to open the locker rooms,"

Komaru turns back to the nonchalant Peko with raised brows. "Seriously?"

"Really really!" Monokuma slips out of the boys locker room and closes the door.

Chiaki blinks at his entrance. "Oh!"

"If you wanna unlock the locker room you'll have to swipe your personal e-Handbook across the card reader next to the door," The monochromatic bear explains with a wave of his paw. "However, to ensure maximum security within each locker room only a boy's handbook can open the boys locker room, and the same goes for the girls! And that's the bottom line!"

"Hmm? What if…" Chiaki raises her index finger inquisitively. "someone opens the door, and then someone else sneaks in?"

"Anyone who commits such indecency will be punished without mercy for their scandalous sexual depravity!" Monokuma growls, showing his claws. "See, there's a Gatling gun mounted on the ceiling, right? And it'll be all DUKKA DUKKA DUKKA DUKKA!"

Komaru whimpers. "I bet it'd really hurt to get shot by that thing!"

"Um, no," Peko replies. "It would do a lot worse than 'hurt'."

"But what happens if someone loans their handbook to someone else? A boy could borrow a girl's handbook, and that would get them into the girls locker room, would it not?" Chiaki says to Monokuma.

The bear flounders at such an idea coming from Chiaki's mouth. His voice garbles for a minute before he angrily raises his arms over his head.

"Wh–?! That never even occurred to me! To think someone could be so low, so cowardly, so devilish! Hmm… Ok, then how's this sound?" He cocks his head as he says his next sentences. "Time for a new rule! As of this moment, loaning your e-Handbook to another student is strictly prohibited."

On command, the three girls' e-Handbooks ring to show the addition to the rules.

"There! So now nobody can give their handbook to anyone else, right? You like that? I'm kind of a genius, right? It's cuz my brain is one hundred percent cotton!"

Peko crosses her arms. "I can't imagine anyone loaning their handbook away. If anything were to happen, they would be held responsible for whatever the person did with their handbook,"

"You seem awfully concerned with this locker room security," The gamer points out.

Monokuma blushes, sweat dripping on his short fur. "It's cuz all you teenagers are sex-crazed maniacs! You're at that age you'd try humping a plastic bottle! So to keep anything unseemly from happening, I have to maintain a rigorous watch!"

"In that case, why not keep that same eye on our dorms?" Peko suggests idly, though a heavy blush tinges her cheeks. "If two people decided to share a room, there would be nothing to stop them."

"All I care about is protecting the holy image of the school itself!" Monokuma exclaims. He places his paws on his belly and laughs. "I don't care what happens in your private dorms! By force or by cunning, do whatever you want!"

Chiaki deadpans at the bear. "I really don't like you…"

"Ok, so the new regulation is now in place! See ya!" He waddles off and disappears back into the boys locker room.

"That ruined my mood. I think I'll go back to investigating somewhere else," Chiaki nods at both Komaru and Peko.

Komaru waves at the gamer's back as she leaves. Peko watches her go with a blank stare, not doing anything to stop her.

Taking a deep breath, the brunette prepares herself. She enters the locker room and finds nothing of value. The pool, similarly, has nothing worth noting besides a locker in the back with a shiny gold coin inside.

Kind of a waste of time…

Komaru leaves the pool and heads back into the hall where she encounters a frantic Ryota holding his crotch and rushing into the boys bathroom. He really must have needed to go.

She chuckles to herself and continues forward. The classroom to the immediate right had nothing in it except for chalk graffiti on the board and Fuyuhiko who's flicking a Zippo lighter on and off. It might be best to leave him to his own devices.

To the left is another barred staircase. Komaru grabs the metal bars blocking her from entering and heaves, gritting her teeth as she does so.

After a moment, Komaru staggers back and wheezes. "That… could've gone better…"

Since the gate is blocking another floor, not everything has opened up yet. The medium wonders what's up there. For now, she'll search somewhere else.

Walking through the hall, the cool lighting from the hall turns red as she steps into a large open corridor. She sees the library to the left, but she wants to see if there's anything down the hall where a green light shines.

Komaru goes to the green light and finds a small hall which leads to a classroom. She slides the door open and sees nothing inside. What a bummer.

With everything out of the way, Komaru heads to the library door and pushes into the room.

It's a sleek library with neatly placed, packed books on the shelves. Komaru walks around, swiping her hand on the spines of the books. She sneezes.

Dusty…! She sneezes again, trying to cover her nose in time.

Despite this library being in excellent condition, it's very dusty. Someone hasn't properly taken care of it in a while.

There's a plain wooden door to the left. Maybe in some alternate universe, it'd be useful to go inside.

The doors open to reveal a relieved Ryota, an irritated Akane being dragged in by Nekomaru, and the rest of the students.

Komaru smiles as they enter and turns back to the books on the shelf. Curiously, she drags her finger over "So Lingers the Ocean" by Toko Fukawa.

She's heard of Toko Fukawa before! She should be in Makoto's class as the Ultimate Writing Prodigy if she remembers right. He's so lucky, being able to be friends with such a literary genius!

"Eh, thing's broken, man," Komaru overhears Kazuichi clicking his tongue in disappointment. "Power button wouldn't work, but it isn't anything I can't fix!"

Interested, Komaru walks across the library to where Kazuichi and Nagito are. She hesitantly looks at Nagito before gazing at the laptop on the short shelf.

While Kazuichi and Nagito talk, Komaru investigates the rest of the dusty shelf. There's an envelope with a wax seal on the lip along with… a game console?

Komaru picks the square up and unfolds the top. "A Gameboy…?"

There's a snapping sound, and Chiaki is suddenly by Komaru's side. Her pink eyes are wide and sparkle with joy.

"You found a Gameboy?! Oh my goodness, I can't believe it!" She bounces in place, hands twitching in front of her. "I-I know you found it, but can I please have it? I'll pay you back!"

The medium giggles. "Don't worry about it. It's all yours,"

Chiaki squeals in delight, snatching the game from Komaru. Kazuichi, having watched raw exchange, sweatdrops at the viciousness in which Chiaki tampers with the game.

"C-Careful, Chiaki!" The mechanic's hands grab his beanie in panic. "You might break it!"

"Break it?" Monokuma appears. "Break what?"

Kazuichi screams and draws the rest of the students' attention.

Nagito chuckles. "Ah, he was worried Chiaki would break the Gameboy with the… vigor she has,"

Monokuma scoffs. "Break that Gameboy? I don't think so! That Gameboy is made up of the same materials as your e-Handbooks, so it isn't as fragile as you think it is!"

Kazuichi loosens up at the confirmation that the Gameboy won't break easily, and Monokuma leaves as quickly as he came. The rest of the students slowly go back to their own investigation.

Nagito picks up the wax-sealed letter. "Hope's Peak Academy…?"

Komaru hooks onto his words like a hungry fish, and rushes to lean in to look at the letter. His hands gently peel the wax off.

"It was buried under a thick layer of dust. It must've been sitting there for quite a while," Nagito offhandedly mentions. "Let's see what hopes lie in it, shall we?"

"B-But isn't it wrong to read other people's mail without permission?" Komaru cocks her head.

Nagito chuckles. "Haha, I'm sure someone would've already read it by now. Besides, it wouldn't be a good idea to leave mysteries unsolved,"

"Ok…" She relents.

Now, Komaru may have lost some trust in Nagito, but he's super smart. It wouldn't be a good idea to get on his bad side.

The white-haired male cracks the wax seal off and pulls the lip back. He pulls a single piece of paper from the envelope. He unfolds the paper and reads aloud what was written.

"'From the Hope's Peak Academy Executive Office'," Nagito begins. "'Throughout the years, we have been committed to shaping the youth who will one day shape the world. We have a long, proud history as an institution of higher learning with full government support. Our graduates enter society ready to take on active leadership roles in every major job field. However, Hope's Peak Academy must now lower the curtain on its glorious history, for the time being. This decision was not an easy one to make, but serious issues beyond our control have made it necessary. But make no mistake—this is not the end for Hope's Peak Academy. We intend to reopen our doors as soon as the issues forcing our closure have been resolved. That being said, this is the end for now, and I would like to personally and sincerely thank everyone for your help and support over the years. For now, we are awaiting official governmental authorization to formally cease operations.'"

"What does that mean?" The medium asks.

"Kinds sounds like Hope's Peak stopped functioning like a school," Kazuichi says. "The dust kinda makes it seem like it's been a while since this place was actually a school. Maybe a year."

Komaru's fists grab at the scarf around her neck. Kazuichi's eyes follow the bow tied to her wrist longingly, but he quickly looks away when Komaru talks.

"So… Hope's Peak Academy has been closed for a year…"

"Most likely," Nagito brushes his hand over the letter. "The mastermind took over the abandoned building in order to make this game possible."

"Wait, but that would mean that it was closed when I got here a few days ago!" Komaru exclaims. Some people turn to look at her curiously, but go back to their own devices. "But there wasn't that energy at all. Plus, if it had shut down, wouldn't there be dozens of news articles and stuff? If it closed down a year ago, then why didn't I see anything about it online?"

The mechanic rolls his eyes. "That dick of a mastermind must've lured us all here as part of their plan. Their murderous plan," Kazuichi glares down at the letter in Nagito's hands. " If that letter is real."

"If the letter is real, then it solves one mystery surrounding the school," Nagito presses the letter down on the dusty shelf. "The reason there are no other students here could be because the school had already closed down."

"That'd be one hell of an explanation…"

Komaru pulls the scarf over her nose. "B-But what about Makoto…?"

Nagito blinks. "Makoto?"

"My brother! He's in the class above me—class seventy-eight!" Her eyes fill with tears. "He should be here!"

Nagito's wide eyes narrow. "Class… seventy-eight…" He gives her a crooked smile, yet his eyes are hard. "Well, wherever he is, we'll be sure to find such a prominent figure of hope!"

"Hey!" Kazuichi cuts in. He taps his finger on the paper. "What the hell does this mean? 'This decision was not an easy one to make, but serious issues beyond our control have made it necessary. But make no mistake—this is not the end for Hope's Peak Academy. We intend to reopen our doors as soon as the issues forcing our closure have been resolved.' What kinda serious issues caused the school to close, and does it have somethin' to do with what's happening now?!"

Nagito raises his hands with a placating smile. "I'm sure that if the two events are related, it'll be a useful clue, as well as figuring out the mastermind's motive," He pats a weirded out Kazuichi on the shoulder. "As Ultimates, you can surely figure out the mastermind's motive. I wish I could be helping you in this situation, but my luck is weak—a bottom of the barrel waste of time."

Komaru sweatdrops. I wish he would stop doing that… Him and Mikan both...

The key to getting out of the school is the mastermind's motive, hopefully. If they can figure out why the mastermind wanted to imprison them, it might get them out! Or… would it do nothing?

"I have a pretty good understanding of the second floor…" Komaru murmurs under her breath.

Unfortunately, she didn't find a single clue that could lead to an exit. She'll rely on someone else and their investigation! To the dining hall!

"Alright team!" Nekomaru pumps his fists and yells at the table. "How'd it go?! Did anyone find anything useful?!"

Komaru smiles. "There's a library!"

"Perfect for losers like you!" Hiyoko giggles.

… Ouch.

"There's locker rooms! There's also a pool! A freakin' pool!" Ibuki exclaims. "I wanna write a song about the pool, and I have the perfect title! 'It's Somehow Wetter Than She Is'!"

Mikan blushes at the title.

"Unfortunately, we didn't find any escape options anywhere," Mahiru sinks down in her seat and crosses her arms.

Akane slams her hands on the table and jumps up with a grin. "Don't get all gray, Mahiru, cuz I found somethin' totally worthwhile!"

Many lean forward, interested in her discovery.

"The bathhouse and warehouse on the first floor are open now!" Akane starts to drool a little. "The warehouse has got so much food, it's insane! Oh yeah, there's clothes and other stuff in there too."

She doesn't sound particularly excited about clothes as she is about the food.

"I'm gonna stuff my face as much as I like for as long as I like!"

Take that back, she sounds way too excited about the food.

Kazuichi grunts. He kicks his feet up on the table and leans his chair back. "R-Remember Ms. Sonia's rule about not going out after nighttime!"

"She might've been a bloodthirsty killer, but that was a good rule," Hiyoko admits.

"Ok, and what about a fucking way out of here? Did you find anything like that?" Fuyuhiko asks from a side table.

Akane freezes and makes a long, unsure noise. It causes the yakuza to scoff and roll his eyes.

"There wasn't anything in that Goddamn warehouse to help us get our asses out of here?!"

"Didn't see anything…" Akane purses her lips.

Komaru scratches her cheek. It might be more like… She was too focused on the food to notice anything else. However, with what we know, I don't think escape would be that easy.

"You lazy fuckers…! Who gives a shit if we have a Goddamn pool now?! Or a warehouse, or whatever the fuck!" Fuyuhiko rises from his seat, the chair screeching as it slides across the floor.. "We're still trapped in this piece of shit school! We need to find a Goddamn way out!"

"Hey, man, stop taking your anger out on us!" Kazuichi jabs his thumb into his chest. "We're victims of this shit just like you are! Just cuz you're some piece of shit yakuza criminal doesn't mean you're more important than us!"

Fuyuhiko scoffs. "Keep telling yourself that. I'm out of here," He shoves his hands into his pockets and walks out of the dining hall. Peko, for some reason, stands, bows her head, and takes her leave.

Nekomaru runs his hand over his face. "Meeting adjourned…"

Komaru slowly stands up and watches the other students exit the dining hall. The air weighs down upon their shoulders, heavy and troubling. Her eyes are watching Kazuichi now. How did their friendship sour so quickly?

Was this the mastermind's plan? To give everyone hope only to rip the bandaid away?

The medium returns to her room and plops backward onto her bed. The nighttime announcement plays in her ears, but Komaru is content in staring at the ceiling. Not that she'll break the promise of leaving during nighttime…

"Dark Observer…"

Komaru sits up, eyes wide. She grabs the scarf and looks down at it. "G-Gundham?"

"Not just him…"

"Sonia…?"

Komaru closes her eyes tightly then opens them to see both Gundham and Sonia's blue-tinted ghosts floating in front of her. They're both missing the articles of clothing which Komaru has, but they are in better shape than Komaru last saw them.

"Sleep now, Komaru," Gundham commands her. "We will wake you should anything happen."

Sonia nods. "I… am sorry for putting everyone in this position. It was not my intention,"

Komaru's chest tingles and throbs, and her throat tightens. She isn't even aware of her crying until she can barely breathe.

"I'm sorry I couldn't stop it! I'm so sorry!"

The two ghosts hover close by as Komaru blubbers out apologies, hyperventilates, screams her frustrations, and mutters incoherently once she calms down. They say nothing of her breakdown and encourage her to sleep.

She passes out in her regular clothes, exhausted and miserable.

Chapter Text

When Komaru wakes in the morning, Gundham and Sonia are still floating in the air above her bed. They are talking to each other in hushed whispers, not noticing as Komaru blinks her eyes open.

"Gundham… Sonia…?"

Both ghosts glance down at her with surprise in their eyes. She sits up and watches both blue ghosts float down to stand, so to speak, next to her bed. She pushes herself up and wipes at her eyes, raw from crying last night.

"Y-You're both really here?" Komaru's voice breaks. "It wasn't a dream?"

Gundham shakes his head. "No. What happened wasn't a dream at all,"

"Indeed. We tried reaching out to you because of a," Sonia pauses to search for the right word. "connection of sorts. We do not fully understand it, but we felt drawn to you."

Gundham nods.

Komaru bites her lip. How can she even begin to apologize for their deaths?

"Stop that look upon your face… Komaru," Gundham takes a whispery step forward and crouches to look into her eyes. "You are not at fault for what has happened to us. Blame the bear."

"Wait—so you aren't mad at Sonia for k-killing you…? And Sonia isn't mad at you for trying to kill her?"

"Oh, I'm absolutely livid at him,"

"I am able to hide my anger,"

Both ghosts glance at each other before sighing.

"However," Sonia pulls her whispy blue hands to her chest. "In the afterlife, being angry is just… tiring. We will work on it, so don't worry, Komaru."

The medium slowly nods. "O-Ok… What should I do now?"

Gundham floats back to his previous position with a thoughtful hum. "Those fools have decided not to dwell at the dining hall this morning," He states. "You woke late, and with many others not showing up… Today's breakfast meeting has disbanded."

Komaru deflates. Aw man… that means I missed Teruteru's amazingly prepared breakfast…

"Do not look so down!" Sonia commands with her arm outstretched. "You should hang out with friends! We will be watching in case of an emergency!"

"Yeah… Yeah! I still have you guys, so I should have fun with the others!" Komaru stands from her bed and smiles. Then, curious, Komaru asks, "Hey…"

Sonia cocks her head. Her arm lowers. "Yes?"

"Can you guys… um… explore the rest of the school?"

Gundham and Sonia share a downtrodden glance. Gundham clears his throat.

"Unfortunately, we cannot do that. A hellish curse has been cast upon us, binding us to you,"

Oh… a curse? Am I that bad to be around?

Sonia slaps Gundham on the arm, and he immediately grunts.

"I did not mean it like that, I promise you," He bows his head. "I only meant that… our spirits have been bound to you somehow. We cannot leave within ten feet of you."

Komaru slowly nods. "Oh…"

Sonia says, "Do you perhaps know what this is?"

"I… don't. Sorry," Komaru looks away, saddened by the ghosts still trapped in this school because of her. "If I knew, I would do something to release you."

"Do not fret over something so minute," Gundham looks away and folds his arms. "Run along. Have some fun with your companions. We will be out of view in case you need anything."

"Out of view?"

"Oh, yes! We can cloak ourselves! Not that anyone besides you is able to see us, but!" Sonia grins. "If it provides you comfort, we will not be visible to you."

Komaru is rooted in place, staring at the two ghosts then the door.

Sonia's grin softens. "Go on. Live your life, Komaru,"

With that final sentence boosting her, Komaru steps past the ghosts and to the door. She spares a glance back at them before breathing in deeply… and opening the door.

As soon as she steps out, she's snatched by the wrist and held close to someone. She panics, flails her arm and smacks her assailant in the head, chest, wherever she can hit them.

"Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow, ow! Shit—Komaru, stop, I'm not trying to friggin' hurt you!"

Komaru recognizes that voice. She stops her attack, palm pushing against his face.

"K-Kazuichi?" Komaru utters.

Kazuichi grunts. "Can you take your hand off my face?"

She jolts back but doesn't go very far due to the mechanic's hand circled around her wrist. He realizes this and steps back, hands shoved into the pockets of his neon green coveralls.

"Sorry, man, I just wanted to talk to you for a sec," He mutters.

"You do…?" Komaru squeaks. So he isn't trying to ignore her anymore?

"You, uh, can see ghosts, right? You won't get in trouble unless it's during the class trial thing?"

Komaru nods slowly. "Yes?"

"Great! Perfect!" Kazuichi's smile lights up the red hallway. "You can get in touch with Ms. Sonia, then, so I can talk to her!"

He… doesn't want to talk to Komaru. He wants to talk to Sonia. That would be fine if he didn't treat her like garbage yesterday!

"What? No!" Komaru denies.

Kazuichi sputters at the rejection. "What? Why the hell not?!"

"You dropped me like a rotten egg and didn't wanna talk to me at all!" The medium pulls her fists to her chest, suddenly very angry. "And now you want me to do something for you? I-I can't do that… I can handle being ignored, but then wanting something like nothing happened…?" She shakes her head. "I can't. Not now, not ever."

Kazuichi claps his palms together in a prayer, eyes tearing up. "Pl-Please! It'll only be for a couple of minutes, and then I won't ask anymore!"

"I-I… No,"

He doesn't even know how much of a headache being possessed gives you! It's like going seven times on a roller-coaster and then three times on a carousel!

"F-Fine, I see how it is!" Kazuichi turns and walks away. His shoulders are up to his ears.

Komaru flinches when he goes to his room and slams the door shut. Sighing, Komaru closes her own door and sets off.

She wants to hang out with someone. With all of this excitement, it'd be nice to spend some time with someone. Maybe cheer them up if they're sad.

Not be taken advantage of.

It's only then that Komaru recognizes she's on the second floor, wandering aimlessly. She didn't mean to come up here. She should leave.

Before she can even turn to head towards the staircase, a ticked off Fuyuhiko exits the library, red in the cheeks, and stops once he notices Komaru. His finger slips into the front of his collar and tugs it, embarrassed. Then, without even offering her a greeting, Fuyuhiko stalks off towards the stairs.

Curiously, Komaru peeks into the library. Peko is sitting at the table reading a book, the lamp on the table shining a bright light in the dim, dusty library. Her red eyes shift back and forth, thumb idly turning the page as she reads.

Creak! Thud!

Peko's eyes snap up and, immediately, she's thrown herself into a defensive position. She draws her sword and shoves the sharp edge out.

Komaru pushes herself off the floor, comes face to face with the dangerous edge of a sword, and flings herself backwards with a yelp.

Peko blinks in recognition. The sword is replaced on her back instantly. "My apologies," She says with a slight bow at the waist.

Komaru shakes like a leaf on the hardwood floor. "I-It's no problem! Really!" She stands up and twists her fingers in her cape. "It's not the first time I've had a sharp object in my face."

"Really?" Peko is curious.

"Well, it's more like a dream, I guess, but I count it since it was scary! It was… a pair of scissors," Komaru says. "I don't know why it was in my dream, but it was action-packed!"

Peko blinks. "Sure,"

Oh, she doesn't look as interested as she once was! How can I possibly hang out with her if she doesn't seem interested in me?

"Komaru, I would like to ask something of you,"

Komaru nearly jumps out of her skin. "What?! I mean—Yes?!"

"You bring such joy to others—it is an undeniable fact—and it has me curious," Peko says. "How does one stay so… optimistic in times like these?"

Oh… Optimistic?

"I can't say I'm that optimistic, but I'm trying my best. After what happened…" Komaru trails off with a sigh. "But I don't know, people just come to me for help. I like having friends to help!"

As long as they don't take advantage of you…

"Hm. Although I do not understand it, I admire your tenacity," She sweats a little, a blush adorning her cheeks. "I… would like to ask you something else."

Komaru cocks her head. Is Peko… blushing? It's cute! "Yeeeah?"

"Do I come off as cold?"

"What?"

"Whenever I am around our classmates, they seem to gravitate away from me. I can only conclude that it is because of my face," The swordswoman blurts out.

"Your… face?" Komaru's eyes comb Peko's face. There's nothing embarrassing like acne anywhere, so she has no idea what Peko means.

Peko closes her eyes tightly and clenches her teeth. Her hands form tight fists. The distress on her face is concerning and terrifying to look at at the same time.

"I… cannot smile!" Peko reveals.

Komaru takes a moment to reflect on the other girl's words. Once it catches up to her brain, she remembers how Peko's "smile" has always come off as strained smirks and uncomfortable grimaces. Can Peko really not smile?

"I-I'm sure you can!"

"Please do not patronize me. I know you are rubbing your ability to smile in my face!"

Ouch…

"No, wait, I mean it!" Komaru grabs Peko by her shoulders and shakes her a little. "You can smile! You just need some proper smile training!"

Peko leans her head back. "Smile… training?"

"Uh huh!"

"... That sounds ridiculous,"

Komaru's heart is crushed under a press.

"However…" Komaru perks back up as Peko hesitantly clears her throat to continue. "It would not be the most ridiculous thing I've heard. Alright, I will attend your 'smile lessons'. I have to…"

With an embarrassed flush to her cheeks, Peko strips Komaru's hands from her shoulders and races back to the desk, shoving her face in her book. Komaru watches her go with a wide grin.

Smile training with Peko! I hope it'll all go according to plan! Komaru backtracks. Wait… What is the plan?

Oh well. Even if Komaru has no idea what she'll do the next time her and Peko hang out for "smile training", she's glad she got to know one of Peko's insecurities.

Komaru leaves Peko alone to read. She wanders the second floor before, now very bored, she descends down to the first floor. She's making her way to the dining hall for a small snack.

As soon as she enters, Komaru knows she interrupted something.

Chiaki and Mahiru are speaking in a hushed excitement. The positivity is radiating from them in strong waves. Mahiru catches Komaru watching them with a cocked head and says a quick goodbye to the gamer before speeding off, hands clutching the strap of her bag.

"Hey, Chiaki, what was that about?" Komaru comes towards the energized gamer.

Chiaki lifts her finger with a cheeky smile. "We were planning a small get-together with a few other people. I'll tell you more later when our plans are concrete,"

Wow, she's really stepped up in terms of energy. Komaru notes. Instead of stepping up, this is more like climbing the entire staircase! Her energy completely changed!

"But…" Chiaki pulls her fists to her chest and leans forward, eyes sparkling. "Since you're here, do you wanna hang out with me?"

How can Komaru say no to that face…?

"Sounds fun!" Komaru giggles. "You really changed since you found that Gameboy! N-Not to sound rude, of course."

"Hm? Are you saying I was… boring earlier on?" Chiaki puffs her cheeks out, flustered.

Komaru waves her hands, panicking. "No, that's not what I meant!"

"Then… what did you mean?"

"Well, it's j-just… You were pretty isolated from everyone else, kept to yourself. And now," Komaru struggles to find her words, so she simply gestures at Chiaki. "You know."

Chiaki adopts an understanding position. "Ah, I understand. You're saying that I'm having character development,"

"Exactly!"

"Would that mean I'm a character in a game?"

"What…?"

Chiaki shrugs. "Seems like the most obvious solution," She grabs the straps of her bag. "If I was a character in a game, I would like to be the protagonist's friend. A more important role stemming from a side character."

Komaru taps her finger to her cheek. "Huh, I never thought about what kind of character I'd be in a video game…"

"A protagonist,"

"What, me? A protagonist?" Komaru shakes her head. "I'm just a normal girl who can see ghosts. Half the time they don't even want to talk to me. How can I be a protagonist?"

Chiaki shrugs. "I dunno. You have to figure that path out for yourself. I'm not in charge of your story,"

Blunt…

"However…" Komaru perks up at Chiaki's thoughtful stance. "I may be able to influence it."

Influencing Komaru's story… Sounds like one of those "you choose your fate" games.

"Komaru, I have a serious question for you."

Immediately, Komaru takes her mind out of protagonist-land. "Yes?"

"What game do you think is the best game in the world? This includes any genre, including sandboxes," Chiaki says.

Oh, that's a tough one. Looking back on everything Komaru has played, she might have to stick with a known title so everyone in the comments can understand.

"Personally, I like Yoshi's Island from Nintendo," The medium states. "It's bright and colorful, and it's one of my favorites!"

Chiaki nods, processing the answer. "Hm. Hmm. Hmmm. Hmmmm,"

Komaru sweatdrops. I have the feeling she's judging me for my answer!

"Ok. I can't choose the best game I've ever played because I enjoy all of them so much. I can play any genre of game with ease," She pulls her hood over her head to hide her grimace. "Except for one kind of game…"

Komaru's brows raise up. "Huh? You aren't good at a game?"

She can see Chiaki's cheeks flush in a pale pink color to show her embarrassment. To save Chiaki from her embarrassment, Komaru wants to back out of her questioning, but it's interesting to know that the Ultimate Gamer has a weakness!

"What game is it? Is it that one block game?"

Chiaki makes a disgruntled noise. "I don't wanna talk about it. Oh, look at the time, I gotta save myself from this interrogation!"

The gamer's legs carry her out of the dining hall as fast as possible, which is surprisingly quick.

Chiaki says she can't swim, but her leg movements say otherwise. Komaru should test her!

But… it's pretty cool getting to know Chiaki, even if she's embarrassed about her supposed "weakness".

Komaru grabs a quick snack of sliced apples before exiting the dining hall. It wouldn't hurt to take a look at the warehouse and bathhouse since she hasn't seen them yet.

Wandering out of the dining hall, Komaru spots Ryota slipping into the bathhouse. His eyes are glued to his handbook as he steps into the room, and he's muttering to himself.

Oh my God! Komaru frantically glances around before squealing and following after Ryota. Getting to talk to the biggest animator in Japan! If not the entire world! This is a huge opportunity to talk about the manga adaptations he's done. Heck, I can ask about references and get some tips about drawing!

"Ryota, hey!"

The animator cries out in shock. He fumbles his handbook before it claps to the floor of the bathhouse changing room. They both stare at the device for a long, awkward pause.

"Oh my gosh, I didn't mean to—" Komaru reaches down to pick the handbook up, but Ryota snatches it up before she can get to it. He cradles it to his chest, cheeks red and humiliation on his face.

The medium waits for Ryota to calm down and put his e-Handbook in his pocket before pouncing.

Komaru grabs his hand and shakes it. "This is so exciting! You're one of my all time favorite creators! Sayaka Maizono will always be the first, but you're second!"

Ryota ducks his head, looks away bashfully. "O-Oh, uh…"

"Wah?! What am I doing?!" Komaru jumps back and bows repeatedly. "I am so so sorry! I don't know what got into me!"

Ryota gives a strained laugh. "It's fine, um, I guess. You… really like my work?"

"How could I not?! You're one of the coolest people ever when it comes to anime and anime adaptations of manga!" Komaru's fists pull to her chest. "I mean, you inspire me a lot!"

"You're inspired by me?" Ryota's surprise morphs into shame. "I… You shouldn't take your inspiration from someone like me."

"What do you mean?"

"I can barely make my deadlines, and sometimes I have to restart frames. What kind of Ultimate has to restart on something?" Ryota runs his palms over his face.

This… isn't what I was expecting when I went to meet my second favorite idol…

"I-I'm sure you're being too hard on yourself," Komaru rests her hands on his arms.

Nagito, Mikan, and now Ryota? Why are they all so hard on themselves? Please don't let there be another person like this, I don't know if my heart could take another break.

"... Too hard on myself?" Ryota tilts his head.

"Yeah, I mean. Maybe all you need is a spark of inspiration!"

"Inspiration, huh…? Alright, I'm all ears. What should I do?"

Oh, Komaru hasn't thought this far ahead.

Well, if she were an animation person, she would draw something bright and colorful. A nice show that seems like a slice of life anime but actually has a deeper meaning behind it. Like… Oh, she has no idea.

"Oh, I know!" She smiles. "You should totally do an anime about finding the true meaning of family."

Ryota is taken aback. "F-Family?"

"Yeah! Because family's important, y'know, and they bring you so much love and support and…"

"Hope?" Ryota mutters. "That's right. And family is more than blood relations…"

Komaru grins, crosses her arms. She just helped the Ultimate Animator with a problem! How cool is that?!

"Hey, Komaru," Ryota is still tapping something on his handbook. Probably about his new ideas. "What does family mean to you…?"

Komaru hums. "What family means to me? They're… people who are always there for me no matter what. Despite your bad days and all," She taps her cheek in thought. "Hmm. It could be friends, parents, siblings, teachers, even your pet!"

"And if your family is someone you never trusted?"

"Uh… then I guess they were never family to begin with?"

He nods as he rapidly types in his handbook.

"Ok… Ok, that could work…" He mutters. He slips past Komaru and exits the bathhouse.

Komaru watches him leave in a sweatdrop. He… really isn't one for social interactions, is he?

She's glad she got to help him, at least.

With a deep sigh, Komaru sits on one of the wooden benches. She thinks back to Kazuichi's pleading eyes to see Sonia again and instantly feels bad. She covers her face.

Was she too mean…?

I could've at least talked to Sonia for Kazuichi. Instead I pushed him away… He admired Sonia so much, and I refused to give him closure. How bad of a friend am I…?

No. No, I need to make this right. Maybe. How do I do that?

Chapter Text

Komaru slept on her decision to help Kazuichi and repair their friendship. She woke a few times in the night due to chills poking her spine and frantic whispers in her ears.

The aura of grief and rage and despair drips from the ceiling into Komaru's skin. The feeling is of maggots wriggling beneath the surface, tickling and itching and present. It's awful.

With Gundham and Sonia somehow bound to her, Komaru doesn't know how to investigate it. At least…

Without another murder happening.

She doesn't want that to happen. Nobody wants that. Right?

With a sigh, Komaru pushes herself out of the bed and gets ready. 'Maybe I can ask Mahiru if I can use her shower again… It beats the lack of water in my bathroom.'

Komaru has barely clipped on her cape when someone knocks at the door. Well, several knocks in a specific pattern.

Knock knock kno-knock knock!

Over and over again.

Komaru is curious. She stands and goes to her door, opening it to find Ibuki ready to wrap her knuckles to Komaru's forehead. Ibuki gasps.

"What?! Komaru, you were supposed to knock back!"

Knock… back?

"Uh," Komaru knocks twice on her open door and smiles. "Like that?"

Ibuki shakes her head. "No, no! KNOCK BACK! Here, I'll show you! It'll be our own secret knocking pattern!"

Ibuki ushers Komaru out of her own room and closes the door, and Komaru waits awkwardly. Then, with a hum, Komaru knocks on the door.

Knock knock kno-knock knock!

…

Nothing.

Komaru waits for a long moment before Ibuki opens the door with a wide grin.

"Did it work?" The musician asks.

Shaking her head, Komaru replies, "No. I'm sorry,"

Ibuki deflates. "Aw man, I was sure it would work! I had, like, tons of money riding on it working,"

Komaru squeals when Ibuki flops into her and groans. She goes limp on the medium.

"Uh?" Komaru giggles. She pats between the hair-horns. "There there. I'm sure you can find something that'll work."

Ibuki straightens her spine, a grin now on her face. "You're right! In fact, Ibuki should go around knocking on all the doors!" She bolts with a call over her shoulder. "See ya at breakfast!"

Komaru fondly shakes her head and closes her door once more. She goes to the dining hall to see Teruteru already occupying the space with Nekomaru and Akane. But…

"A-Akane?!" Komaru cries out.

Akane is scarfing down all of the food on the table much to the loud disapproval from Teruteru and Nekomaru. In fact, Teruteru is on his knees begging her to stop.

"Akane, breakfast hasn't started yet!" The chef cries. "The others ain't even here! Pl-Please stop!"

Akane speaks through a mouth full of miso soup and tamagoyaki. "Can't stop! Gotta keep up my eatin' routine!"

"I told you to eat and exercise more, Akane!" Nekomaru lectures his pupil. He sweats as the gymnast slurps through the last of her bowls before reaching for Tamago Gohan. "Eating like this without the addition of working out won't do you any good!"

"Man, you two are too strict!"

"St-Strict?!" Teruteru's face goes red. "I know I want people to eat my food, but you're goin' too far! This food's for everybody!"

Komaru watches the scene in silence. "What's going on?"

Teruteru shakes his head. "Ever since the the second floor opened up, Nekomaru's been pressurin' Akane to eat and exercise more," He slaps Akane's hand with the wooden spoon in his hand whenever goes for another bowl. "And that would'a been fine if Akane isn't eatin' more than her own thirds!"

Thirds…? Has she already skipped past her seconds?

"Man, what the hell is this?" Kazuichi sweatdrops at the food chaos. He presses his hand to his forehead. "Is she pigging out again? Yesterday was too much to watch!"

"Yesterday was fun! Watching Akane eat so much reminded me of Hungry Hungry Hippos!" Hiyoko snickers. "What a pig. Another one, at least!"

Mikan whimpers when those orange eyes settle on her.

Mahiru gives the blonde a firm stare. "Hiyoko, you know that isn't nice,"

Hiyoko rolls her eyes but stays quiet.

"Good nom-nom-nomming everyone!" Ibuki skips into the dining hall next and salutes. "I did my best, but I couldn't find Peko or Fuyuhiko!"

Komaru bites her lip. "Couldn't find them? So they weren't in their rooms?"

"Nope! Man, and I was super pumped to hang out with Peko-Peko today. But if she ignores me, that's fine," Ibuki shrugs, but she looks hurt.

Thinking back to yesterday, there is one place Komaru can think of where both Peko and Fuyuhiko may be.

"I… think I might know where they are," Komaru says.

Komaru pushes open the doors to the library and leads some of the others inside. Akane stayed behind to finish all the food she could, and a few others stayed, too, like Mikan, Hiyoko, and Kazuichi.

"Peko? Fuyuhiko?" The brunette calls out.

Both of them look up from where they're reading their books. A look of irritation crosses Fuyuhiko's face.

"The fuck do you bastards want?" He asks.

Mahiru bristles at the casual tone. "What do we want? We were worried about you two!"

"What, did you think one of us was off fucking killing the other?" The yakuza rolls his eyes and looks back at his book. "None of us are dead."

"Yes, now if you all would leave, please," Peko also stares back at her book.

"Pekooo!" Ibuki pouts. "You said we'd hang out today, and you're totally blowing me off! Ibuki had a fun day of screaming and headbanging to a drum solo disk she found!"

'That doesn't really sound fun. That sounds like it would hurt,' Komaru ponders.

"We can always do so later. As of now, I'm content with reading in the library,"

"Pssh, Ibuki can totally read with you two!"

Fuyuhiko snaps his book shut. "Goddammit, would you fucking leave already?! Peko and I were doing just fine before you dumbasses decided to ruin the peace!"

Nekomaru shouts. "The peace?! There was no peace when we believed you two disappeared!"

"Then mind your fucking business. God, you all are so Goddamn annoying," Fuyuhiko spits.

"Sorry, but we were all going to have breakfast together," Komaru reminds them. "Not that there is any breakfast left…"

"And if Teruteru happened to poison our food, then what?"

The chef startles at Peko's question. "Now, what're you tryna get at?!"

Peko doesn't let up. "You could poison our food at any moment. All of us could die, and then you would escape without a trial,"

"L-Like I would ever contaminate my food like that!" He points at Peko and huffs. "Food is a sacred thing to me, and to even suggest that I'd do somethin' like that is terrible!"

Nagito chuckles. "Why don't we all calm down? I'm sure Teruteru wouldn't kill all of us like that,"

"You can bet on that!" Monokuma appears with a growl.

Ryota looks up from his handbook in shock. "M-Monokuma…?!"

Pause. "I heard you guys talking about Teruteru killing everyone and it's got me fired up!" The bear states. "In anger. Seriously, if I allowed everyone to die by one person in a way that isn't the trial, that wouldn't be any fun!"

Teruteru crosses his arms. "Not like I would anyway,"

"But for my students to have these thoughts… Puhuhu… The doubt's started to creep in, right?"

"Doubt will inevitably push everyone forward, you know," Nagito states. "Their doubt will lead to them becoming closer as a result."

Monokuma grumbles. "What kind of kumbaya nonsense is this…? I don't have time to dwell on your… hope cuz this talk reminded me of a rule I wanted to create!"

Ding!

Komaru looks at her e-Handbook.

Regulation 12: The guilty party may only kill a maximum of two people during any single "Killing Game."

"Just so everyone can't be wiped out just like that," Monokuma holds his stomach. "I wouldn't want some kind of serial killer slashing everyone before despair could kick in! Alright. Toodles!"

Monokuma disappears as fast as he arrived.

Peko tuts. "No matter. Any of you could be plotting to kill someone,"

"We wouldn't do that!" Komaru exclaims.

"Oh?" Peko stands and points her book at Komaru who suddenly feels very small despite nearly being Peko's height. "And why are we here now? It's because both Gundham and Sonia made a move. The rest of us didn't."

Komaru sees Gundham and Sonia cringe out of the corner of her eye.

"Th-That…"

Peko crosses her arms when Komaru can't find the words to defend her late friends. With a roll of her eyes, she places the book down on the table and leaves.

Fuyuhiko scoffs at everyone's faces and takes his leave, too.

Komaru sighs as the other students leave the library, too.

"Komaruuu!"

"Gyah?!" Komaru jolts.

Ibuki salutes her with a wide grin. "Komaruuu!"

Komaru scratches her cheek and sweats. "You don't have to keep repeating my name like that…"

"Komaruuu!"

"Um…"

"Komaruuu!"

"I-Ibukiii…?"

"WOO-HOO!"

"Woo-hoo?"

Ibuki shakes her head and pokes Komaru repeatedly in the shoulder. "Get excited! Get pumped! Cuz me and you and you and me?! We're having fun!"

Komaru cocks her head. "We are?"

"Yep! C'mon! To the pool!"

Nana nana nana nana IBUKI!

Komaru doesn't know how she and Ibuki teleported to the pool all of a sudden, and she kind of doesn't want to question it. Especially not when there are bigger things to question.

Like why Ibuki has made a stack of buckets into an impromptu drum set.

"Are you going to play me a song?" Komaru asks. She holds her hand close to her chest and blushes. "That's sweet. Is it soft rock?"

Ibuki looks confused as she sets the last blue bucket down for the seat. "Huh? Ibuki didn't bring you here so she could play for you," Ibuki pats the seat. "She's gonna show you how to play the drums! The bucket drums, anyway, because music can be anything!"

Komaru blanches, but she takes a seat on the bucket. It's more like a squat, but she isn't going to complain.

"Perfect! Hmmm… We're missing something," Ibuki strokes her chin with a pout of her lips. "Ah!" She snaps her fingers. "I know! We're missing the things we use to beat the drums!"

'The things we use to beat the drums?' Komaru thinks for a moment. 'Oh!'

"You mean… drumsticks, right?" The brunette inquires. "Unless they're bongos at the moment, but you did say drums so…"

Ibuki groans, teeth clenched. "Darn it! How am I supposed to teach you important drumming beats if you don't even have any sticks?!"

"It's ok, I can use my hands!" Komaru shows her palms in an attempt to calm Ibuki. "Because, uh."

She pats the bottom of the bucket twice then another bucket once. She repeats the pattern until Ibuki shakes her head.

"No no no! You need different sounds! Here!" Ibuki stacks a few of the buckets on top of each other and steps back. She presses her hands together and grins behind them. "Ok, now give it a bang!"

Komaru lifts her hands and starts a random beat on the buckets. The single buckets have the deepest sound, being the most hollow, while those that are stacked are full. All in all, Komaru isn't doing too bad.

Until…

"Now headbang!"

Komaru falters. "What?"

"Like this!" Ibuki starts to snap her head up and down while screaming, throaty and wild. Then she stops with a cute smile. "It's your turn!"

Komaru scratches her cheek nervously. "Um… Ibuki, can I take a rain check on the headbanging?"

"What? Why?!"

Oh crap, Komaru has to give an excuse now!

"Ah, it's just… I'm learning the buckets right now, so it wouldn't be a good idea to start headbanging when I don't know the buckets!"

Ibuki gasps. She slaps her palms to her face. "I totally forgot about you needing to learn it before you can add stuff! Grah!"

Komaru sweatdrops when the musician starts to pace and mutter.

"Ah-hah! You can learn headbanging while playing an instrument for our next lesson!" Ibuki stands proudly, hands on her hips. "Look at me, being all assertive. You're my pupil now, Komaru, so make sure to keep practicing and come back for our next lesson!"

Komaru gulps. "Got it!"

Ibuki starts to laugh in a giddy, childish way. It's nice to hear.

While Ibuki may be pretty wild, it's fun being able to see how passionate she is about music. And teaching it, apparently. Komaru should come back for another lesson sometime.

Komaru excuses herself from the pool for a cup of water, but Ibuki shrugs.

"All good musicians need at least eight cups of water a day! Keeps the chords moist and the chords sung!" Ibuki snorts. "Hehe... moist."

With that, Komaru left the pool with a smile.

Entering the dining hall, Komaru's lips quirk up. Ibuki sure is exhausting to be around, but it's refreshing in a way. That excitement she has isn't matched by anyone else.

Komaru falters at seeing Kazuichi in the dining hall still. She looks from the kitchen to the mechanic. Should she get her water and then sit down, or sit down, talk, and then get her water.

… She should patch things up now. Sooner the better.

Komaru makes her way to Kazuichi but pauses on her way to the round table. She narrows her eyes at the long table in the center of the dining hall. Is that…?

"Uh… Mikan?" The brunette blinks at the huddle underneath the table. "Are you ok?"

Komaru stares awkwardly as Mikan shuffles out from under the long table, bumping into the chairs as she does. The nurse stands and taps her index fingers together.

"A-Ah, Komaru!" Mikan greets her cheerfully. "You needed s-something from m-me? Your cl-classmate? I-I can do whatever y-you'd like!"

Komaru wants to hang out with the nurse, but her face is scary when she smiles like that. No, that's rude. Komaru smiles instead and scratches her cheek.

"I was kinda wondering why you're under the table," She asks.

Mikan's smile wipes from her face. "O-Oh… Well, Hiyoko o-ordered me to go u-under the table so n-no one will look at me,"

"What?" Komaru sweatdrops.

"Y-Yes, I must've b-breathed too hard and f-freaked her out," Mikan looks at the ground with a deep sigh. "Also, sh-she said my b-breath st-stank, so…"

'Why is Hiyoko so mean like that?'

"Mikan, you can't let her talk to you like that! In fact, nobody should talk to you like that," Komaru is angry at the traditional dancer for her mean words. "I'll go talk to her and get her to stop talking to you like—"

"No!" Mikan exclaims. "Pl-Please don't talk to her! It w-was my fault, I promise! You don't h-have to go to her b-because everything i-is my fault!"

Komaru flinches at Mikan's scream and pulls her hands to her chest in surprise. Mikan is as shocked as Komaru, purple eyes wide and face paler than normal.

"I-I'm so sorry!" Mikan starts to sob into her hands. "I d-didn't mean to y-yell, I promise! Pl-Please forgive me! Forgive m-me!"

Komaru steps forward and wraps her arms around Mikan's waist, face pressed to the nurse's shoulder. Mikan trembles against her, and she seems unsure about the one-sided hug.

"I won't go talk to her if it makes you uncomfortable, Mikan," Komaru mumbles into her shoulder.

Mikan's hands come down to grab at the medium's cape for comfort. She splutters. "You promise? You w-won't go to her?"

"I promise,"

"You r-really mean it? You won't b-break your p-promise?"

"Mhm. If you don't want me to, then I won't,"

Mikan freezes. She shakes harder and harder as she sobs—deep and shuddering. Komaru holds her through it,

"I-I'm sorry f-for crying on y-you. Please, f-forgive me…" Mikan whimpers. "I-I'll do anything… anything for y-you to forgive me. I'll t-take my clothes off, pl-please…!"

Komaru squeezes the purple-haired girl and pulls back. Her hazel-green eyes are both sad and angry at the cause of Mikan's mental state.

"Mikan, you don't need to apologize for having feelings. If you're sad, cry," Komaru runs her hands on the purple-haired girl's arms. "Your wants and feelings matter."

Mikan is doubtful, but Komaru doesn't know how to convince her.

Mikan's bottom lip wobbles. "I-I need to go l-lay down,"

"That's fine. Whatever you want,"

Conflicted, Mikan stumbles out of the dining hall.

Komaru has no idea where all of that came from, but she doesn't want Mikan to keep experiencing it. No matter what, she'll get to the root of her troubles.

Chiaki comes into the dining hall next, replacing the tearful Mikan. She scans the room. Her eyes skip over the silent Kazuichi and stop on Komaru, and she rushes forward.

"Komaru, this is for you!" She holds up a slip of paper.

Komaru scratches her cheek. "Um… What's that for?"

Chiaki shoves the paper at Komaru until the medium takes it. "You see, I wanted to have the girls get together and go to the pool,"

"The pool? But you said you couldn't swim," Komaru says.

"Yeah, but that doesn't mean I can't hang out with my friends," Chiaki counters. She smiles. "Will you be able to go?"

Komaru looks at the chicken scratch that is Chiaki's handwriting. Later tonight? She squints her eyes. Is that what that says…?

"Y-Yeah, I'll be there tonight," Komaru assures her.

"Ah, that's good! And, uh…" Chiaki glances across the dining hall at Kazuichi whose head is down on the table. "Don't tell any of the guys, ok? This is a secret between us girls."

Komaru nods and shoves the paper into her cape pocket. "Got it!"

Before Chiaki can turn and leave, Komaru grabs her hand. "Uh, wait, while you're here, do you wanna hang out?"

Chiaki blinks while Komaru smiles. Chiaki nods. "Yeah, sure,"

"So, I was thinking about what you told me the last time we talked," Chiaki tenses visibly at Komaru's sentence and pulls back.

"Oh, you were? Sorry, but that's a secret I think I'll have to keep,"

"Oh, no, it's not your weakness. It was about the protagonist thing," The medium says. Chiaki relaxes. "It's been on my mind, you know?"

Chiaki grabs the straps of her backpack. "Really?" She cocks her head. "What about it?"

"I mean, you were adamant that I was a protagonist, but I really don't see it,"

"Komaru…"

Chiaki reaches out and grabs Komaru's face in her hands. The medium squeaks when she's dragged forward a little until she's bent awkwardly and her cheeks are squished.

"You know the important thing about a protagonist? They can be anyone," This doesn't make Komaru feel better, but Chiaki is still speaking. "However, you are better than the protagonist. Because you just so happen to be another character along with the protagonist."

Komaru thinks about it even as Chiaki pulls her hands away. Something better than the protagonist but can still be a protagonist… Oh, she's talking about…

"A hero?" Komaru gapes. "You think I'm a hero?"

Chiaki grins. "Why not? I see how you brighten everyone's day, even if it's a tiny amount," Her fists come to her chest in her own excitement. "And the way you guided everyone through what happened, you're a hero, Komaru."

"I don't think so. Nagito did most of the thinking, really,"

"But you helped convince everyone. Even if you did need to depend on Nagito, you," Chiaki taps Komaru's forehead with her finger. "are the one everyone listened to. Like a hero."

Komaru giggles. "I don't understand your views, but… I'll keep that in mind, Chiaki,"

Chiaki smiles and leaves.

Even though Komaru doesn't fully agree with Chiaki's opinion on her, she's glad she has the opportunity to know them. With them, Komaru has become closer to the gamer.

With a deep breath, Komaru goes to where Kazuichi is despondently sitting. She sits down in the chair opposite to him, and he looks up from his arms.

"What do you want?" Kazuichi mutters.

"You… You want to talk to Sonia, right?"

Kazuichi perks up, pink eyes wide. Then he narrows them and leans back in his chair, arms crossed. "What's the catch?"

"Catch? There is none. I thought about it some more and… you still hurt me by wanting to talk to Sonia more than me, but it'd be mean to not give you closure," The medium explains. She shows her palms. "You still want to talk to Sonia?"

Kazuichi waits for Komaru to say something else—take the opportunity away. When she doesn't, Kazuichi hesitantly clears his throat.

"Yeah. Yeah, I just wanna say some things,"

Komaru grabs the bow around her wrist and closes her eyes. 'OK, Sonia. It'll only be for a few minutes, ok?'

Sonia, as if hearing Komaru's thoughts, nods and says, "... I understand,"

Komaru isn't sure what the two talked about because she tried to block herself off from their conversation, but when she came back into herself and Kazuichi was crying, she felt awful.

"Are you ok?" Komaru asks.

Kazuichi wipes his eyes. "I-I'm fine!" He snivels weakly. "And I made a promise. Komaru, from this moment on, I have officially adopted you as my sister!"

It takes Komaru a moment to properly process what Kazuichi said, but as soon as she does…

"Wh-What…?!" She sputters.

Behind Kazuichi, Sonia pinches her nose. "That is not what I intended…"