Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“…”

“…”

“Are you just going to stay silent this entire time?”

“Is there any reason I shouldn't? I don't even want to be here, unlike you godforsaken lot.”

“I mean, everyone has their reasons.”

“And yours are as stupid as everyone else's. I mean, do you even realize why you're here? You're-”

“Yeah, tell me something I don't know. Any advice then, from one protagonist to another?”

“…You shouldn't have come here. By the end of all this, we'll both almost definitely be dead.”

“…Nah. I like my chances.”

“If you say so.”

TEAM DANGANRONPA PRESENTS…

Episode Zero:

"Once in a Blood Moon"

The first thing that stands out to me, before I even open my eyes, is the cold. It passes through the velvety blankets I'm wrapped up in and seems to grow even cooler the more I try to ignore it.

Seriously, where am I, Antarctica?

Ignoring it doesn't do any good, so with a sigh, I open my eyes and throw off the blankets. Automatically, I get up to open the door and-

Bump into… a wall? I might be bad with directions, but I definitely know my way around my bedroom even if I've only been in Japan for a handful of months.

Oh God. This isn't right. The wallpaper, the layout, the door — none of this is right. It takes a minute for the obvious conclusion to come to me: this isn't my room.

And that opens the floodgates of panic; after all, if this isn't my room, then where the hell is this? How'd I even get here? Why??

I rack my brain for answers and get nothing. There has to be some reason this is happening, but I can't think of anything and I can't remember and I can't-

Vaguely, I register a knock from somewhere. Probably a door. An exit, if only from this room.

Okay, just calm down, have a look around and- there! Right next to the bed, a long mahogany door stands nearby. I unlock the door and turn the knob.

Behind the door, there's some green-haired guy with a striped blue shirt and a fur-lined parka standing under the frame. I bet he's probably feeling a lot warmer than I am.

???: Finally up, huh?

Edgar: Uh, yeah, how'd you know?

???: You weren't the only one here knocked out. I think all of us were actually. Now we're just trying to figure out what's going on.

Edgar: It would be nice if I knew literally anything here… like your name. Who even are you?

Rantaro: Forgot to introduce myself, huh? Sorry about that — the name's Rantaro Amami. I'm the Ultimate Adventurer.

He flashes me a languid sort of smile as he says that. I wish I could be that at ease in a situation like this.

I try to act calm like him as I introduce myself, the words coming out without me even having to think about it.

Edgar: Edgar Reich. I'm supposed to be this year's Lucky Student…. if you could consider anything about this “lucky”.

And I don't even have the accent anymore! Looks like all those Duolingo lessons actually came in handy!

Edgar: So where is everyone anyways?

Rantaro: They've all mostly gone their own ways. Although… I think there is someone that hasn't come out yet.

Edgar: Wait, how do you know?

Rantaro: Well, you're the fifteenth person here if we include myself. Don't Hope's Peak classes usually have sixteen?

I'm about to ask what Hope's Peak is when the information instantly seems to pop into my mind. Of course it's only now I'm starting to remember.

Honestly, how did I even forget Hope's Peak? It's basically the most famous school in the entire country — rumor has it once you're in, you're set for life. Of course, they only accept mega-talented high schoolers, except for me.

If Rantaro's right about this, does that mean everyone here is an Ultimate? I guess that sort of explain things, though not by much.

While I think about all this, I notice Rantaro leaving and realize that it's time to wrap up this train of thought. Following him into the hallway, I take it all in for a second.

It's a luxurious place with chandeliers and silver-plated doors, everything seeming to be in some shade of white or blue except for the doors. Talk about a winter wonderland.

One of the plates glimmers with light that catches my eye and I realize there's a name engraved into it.

Edgar: …Who's “Sumire Mizuno”?

Rantaro goes silent, eyebrows scrunched as he tries to come up with an answer. If he doesn't know her, then I'm assuming she must be our mysterious sixteenth student.

Only one way to find out!

I swing open the door, thankfully already unlocked, and walk in. This room is identical to mine and I can't find any major differences… I can’t find Sumire either. I do a quick scan of the room and notice another smaller door on the opposite wall, the word “Bathroom” written on the door.

Edgar: Uh, Sumire? You here?

The bathroom door opens and with quivering steps, Sumire finally steps out. With her puffy white coat and blue dress, her outfit seems sort of fitting with this place. She briefly returns my gaze before staring down to look at the floor.

Sumire: S-sorry… I just p-panicked a little when I woke up here…

Edgar: Nah, it’s alright! To be honest, I’m still a little freaked out.

My voice trails off as those unbidden worries of mine return. Thankfully, I don’t have much time to dwell on them as Rantaro joins the conversation.

Rantaro: It’s nothing to be ashamed of. Though for what it’s worth, it doesn’t look like we’re in any danger yet.

Sumire: “Y-yet”?

Rantaro: …It doesn’t hurt to keep an open mind. Anything could happen after all.

His posture is still casual despite the frankly unsettling statement he’s just uttered. Anything could happen, anything bad, and—

Nope! Not thinking about that right now! I’ll think about that later, when I actually have some substantial answers.

Edgar: [louder] But anyways! Your talent! [normal volume] Rantaro’s told me everyone here is an Ultimate. I’m the Lucky Student, what about you?

Sumire: I-I’m the Ultimate Ballerina. Sumire Mizuno… I guess y-you already knew my name though.

Edgar: So do you wanna tag along then? We’re… um-

Rantaro: Investigating. I’m not really sure if there’s an exit yet, but I think we should still try to learn as much as we can about the place.

Sumire: [nods] Th-that makes sense.

She clings to Rantaro’s arm as the three of us enter back into the hallway. I guess I can’t fault her. This is a pretty stressful situation after all.

With Rantaro slowing his pace down to match with Sumire, I guess I’m line leader now. Now where to go… to be honest, I don’t have much of a destination in mind. The three of us walk aimlessly down the hall until we eventually reach the room at the end of it.

The aroma of food wafts through the air as soon as I enter, the reason why immediately becomes clear as I realize where we are now: the kitchen.

A girl with short blue hair and a shorter boy with a red T-shirt stand near the oven, probably waiting for whatever they’re baking to finish, while another guy with star-shaped sunglasses sits at the table with his feet up.

Star: Hey, are you here for the muffins too? Sorry to disappoint, but we aren’t done yet!

Blue: Well, I’m not quite sure if I’d say “we”…

Red: He did help out for some of it! He found the almonds, didn’t he?

Blue: Oh, right… come to think of it, we never did tell Takashi and Keisha we found those.

Star: [shrugs] I’m sure they’ll figure out soon enough.

Edgar: Wait a minute, who?? I am so confused right now.

Star: We still need to introduce ourselves? You’d think with how famous I am, I wouldn’t need to keep doing this. Looks like I need some better PR…

Daichi: But yeah, the name’s Daichi Hideyoshi, Ultimate Philanthropist and head of “MiraiBrite”. Is that ringing some bells?

Honestly, no?? From context clues, I can guess that “MiraiBrite” is supposed to be some sort of philanthropic organization, but I’m still hung up on the fact that he’s a kid too ?? Where is he getting this money from? Not to even mention the fact he looks more like the Ultimate Tourist than a philanthropist.

Rantaro nods in recognition, so he must at least recognize Daichi.

Hitomi: I guess I should introduce myself too then! I’m the Ultimate Optometrist, Ha- Hitomi Maiako!

She toys with her cloth headband as she says this, watching us intently. What I’m wondering is why she isn’t wearing those glasses she has clipped to her shirt. Is it for the aesthetic or something else?

Sumire: Oh! I-I think I know you — y-you’re the one on all those c-commercials, right?

Hitomi: Uh, yeah! I didn’t expect the clinic to get as famous as it did for the contacts, but I guess it got me a talent.

Edgar: What contacts?

Sumire: Sh-she made these eyedrops that b-basically work like contacts. M-my mentor uses them!

Hitomi’s smile briefly flickers, but it remains as she elaborates.

Hitomi: Not just that! I’m also able to give diagnoses and mostly know how to use all the necessary equipment.

Edgar: …Mostly? Is that legal?

Hitomi: [face reddens] Well, my dad helps out sometimes but I usually know what I’m doing.

Daichi: [nudges Red] How about you, Minoru? Feel like introducing yourself?

Minoru: Oh, right. I’m Minoru Maeda, the Ultimate… [sighs] Ultimate Speed Eater.

He doesn’t seem too proud of himself as he forces those last words out. Is he ashamed of his talent or something? I guess when compared to the people in this room, I can understand why he’d put himself down like that.

The mood sort of dampens as he says that, the smile sliding off even Daichi’s face as we don’t quite know what to say to that.

…Yeah, this is just awkward now.

I inch towards the closest door and slip into it, being met with a mind-boggling sight: every wall is lined with shelves that reach the ceiling, each and every one of them containing canned food.

Curious, I grab one off a shelf and- canned tamales ? That exists??

???: So you’ve found ‘em too, eh?

I turn to see a guy with shades and a leather jacket smirking at me. I guess this is the “Takashi” Hitomi mentioned earlier. Actually, if I peer behind Takashi, I can see a girl with a jacket draped over her shoulders examining some cans too — that must be Keisha.

Edgar: I guess. Any other crazy canned foods to show me, Takashi?

Takashi: Wh- huh!?

He’s so shocked the shades almost fall off his face, though he manages to fix that quickly.

Takashi: I didn’t tell you my name yet! Are you the Ultimate Clairvoyant or something?

Edgar: Maybe. How about you?

Takashi: Ahem! Well, I am the Ultimate Pyrotechnician, Takashi Akahono! I’m sure you’ve already heard of me though, I’m a pretty cool dude after all.

He puffs out his chest as he says that, with a thin grin that reminds me of those bad boy characters from cheesy rom-com movies. Or maybe a pigeon. I let out a small snicker.

Takashi: H-hey! What are you laughing at?!

Keisha: To be fair, it is hard to take you seriously a lot of the time. Especially when you start breaking out honorifics like “Keisha-sama”.

I have to let out a full laugh this time.

Edgar: Damn, why not call her “Keisha-ojousama” while you’re at it?!

Takashi: H-hey! It’s nothing to laugh at, she deserves the respect!

Keisha: I’m flattered, but we’re all peers here. I mean, we’re already on a first-name basis.

Edgar: Speaking of names, I’m Edgar Reich, this year’s Lucky Student. Could Keisha-ue possibly grace us with a proper introduction?

Takashi: [shoves me] All right, I get it .

Keisha: [tersely] Keisha Abbas.

Edgar: And your talent?

She sighs, frowning a little as her expression seems to grow a little more tired.

Keisha: I don’t remember. And I know how suspicious that might sound, God knows I’ve been getting enough of that already, but I swear I know as much as any of you.

…Well, at least she admits it’s suspicious? She looks genuinely troubled though, so I guess I believe her here. For now. There isn’t a reason not to trust her, right?

Yeah, that’s just the paranoia talking. God, I really need to get over myself. It’s not like anything is going to happen…

…Right?

Edgar: I believe you.

Takashi: Of course! Why would she even lie to us?

Keisha nods, though she still continues to frown.

Is there something else bothering her?

Edgar: Are you feeling okay? You look… stressed.

Keisha: Honestly, not really. I’ve been thinking a lot about our situation and from what I’ve seen, it isn’t pretty.

Takashi: What is it then?

Keisha: Well, I’ve been wondering — why is it all canned food exactly? A lot of money clearly went into this and we even have a couple of fridges in the kitchen, so why get all this canned food instead?

That’s a strange question, but a valid one the more I think about it. This is a lot of food and we have a lot of options too, as I could see with those canned tamales, but she does have a point with the fridges.

Keisha: Canned food is nonperishable and it lasts a really long time-

Edgar: Hold up, are you implying this place is supposed to be a doomsday bunker or something?! That sounds crazy!

Keisha: Well, that’s one reason why they might want to keep us here. But what if the danger doesn’t come from outside? What if it’s already here?

…Well, that doesn’t sound sinister at all.

Keisha: After all, this place is both underground and well-stocked — if anybody’s looking for us, this would be the perfect place to hide us. Not to even mention the memories we’re missing-

Takashi: Hold on, “memories”? What memories?

Edgar: Yeah, I remember everything! There isn’t anything I’m forgetting…

At least I don’t think so.

My stomach lurches at that thought, the idea that somebody just reached into my mind and stole those memories from me-

I try to stop thinking about it, but I can’t , not while Keisha’s still clinically listing it all out like this doesn’t involve us too.

Keisha: We don’t know how we got here, or who’s behind this. Isn’t it suspicious we don’t know either of these things?

Takashi: So what’s going on? Who’s behind this??

Before anybody can respond to that, the door to the pantry creaks open again and Sumire. pokes her head in through the gap.

Sumire: U-um, guys? Th-the muffins are ready.

Edgar: All right then, let’s head over!

Forcing a smile on my face, I walked out the pantry with the others to see pretty much everyone I’d met so far at the table. A plate in the center of the table held a mountain of almond muffins, and Daichi already had one in his mouth.

Daichi: [slightly muffled] Look at the fruits of our labor! They’re delicious!

Minoru: Hehe, glad you enjoy them!

Daichi: If we get it off here, you think I can bribe Hope's Peak to make you the Ultimate Baker?

Hitomi: Why is bribery the first thing that comes to mind?

Rantaro: You sure you don't want one, Minoru? I'm sure you spent a lot of time making all this.

Minoru: No, I'll just… wait for everyone else. Isn't for better with company?

Takashi: Yeah, where'd they all go?

Edgar: We can find it together. I still haven't met everyone yet, so I was planning to do that soon. [turns to Rantaro] You still up to complete that investigation?

Rantaro: [shrugs] Sure. Sumire, you'll be fine without me, right?

Sumire: Y-yeah. Th-there's a lot of us, after all. I-I'll be fine!

I take that as my cue to exit, Rantaro following behind me shortly afterwards. Now that we're out of the kitchen, I finally have some time to think by myself.

And boy do I have shit to think about: Keisha's talent, her predictions, this entire situation. How does she even tie into all this anyways?

There's no way she's just a normal girl, not when she doesn't even have the luxury of remembering what her talent is. Why would our kidnapper do that?

Is her talent… dangerous? Even so, dangerous for who ?

I know I said I trusted her before, but the more I look back on it, the less sure I am that's really the right decision, even with how smart she is.

(Maybe a little too smart for her own good.)

She's certainly right about one thing though: whatever reason we were brought here for, it can't be a good one.

And something tells me that this won't end well.

Chapter Text

Deep in thought, I come to a stop as I just… think. Distrust. Panic.

No, not panic! Now is not the time for that!! Jesus Christ, this place is messing with my head. Rantaro’s starting to stare at me a little weirdly, so I think I have to start moving now. I still don’t have any clue where to go, so I decide to go and open some of the dorm doors. Maybe there’s someone else hiding in there?

Fortunately, this seems to be the case when I open Naoki Yazawa’s door: I can see his legs sticking out from under the bed… wait a minute, why is Naoki under the bed?

Edgar: [whispering to Rantaro] What the fuck am I supposed to say here?

Rantaro: [confused; also whispering] Just… give him a second, I guess. Maybe he’s scared?

After a minute or two, Naoki emerges from under the bed, holding a strange black-and-white tablet. Did he get that under the bed? How did he even know that was there?

Naoki brushes his suit and straightens his tie, turning to speak to us.

Naoki: I’m sorry I couldn’t respond to you earlier, I just wanted to completely inspect the room before I did anything.

Rantaro: Well, it turned out pretty well. Are you the Ultimate Detective or something?

Naoki: I’m flattered, but I’m afraid not. I’m simply a lawmaker.

Rantaro and I both introduce ourselves, but my eyes drift to the tablet Naoki’s holding.

Edgar: So does that thing work? If it has an Internet connection, it could be super helpful.

Rantaro: Maybe we should wait until we can gather everyone in one place. That way, they can all be caught up to speed. Naoki, can you head over to the kitchen?

He nods and exits the room, walking to meet up with everyone else in the kitchen. As for me and Rantaro, we headed in the opposite direction once we were in the hall to see if there were any rooms we missed.

The hallway’s end branched off into three paths, each with a door. And in the middle path was… an elevator!

It feels like my prayers have finally been answered from on high as I approach the elevator, a girl with a salmon braid and an intricate purple dress eyeing me as I do so. Two boys, a buff one with a gold chain and a lankier one with a cyan tracksuit, are trying to pry open the doors with their bare hands and are currently failing.

That’s pretty weird, since there’s a button to open the elevator right here. I move and press it and… nothing. Okay, maybe I should’ve expected that.

Braid: Décevante ! Can’t you two do better than this?!

Chain: Ngh- I’m trying, dammit! [sighs; backs away] This is fuckin’ useless…

Track: Come on, Tsuyoshi! Let’s try one more time!

Tsuyoshi: You kidding? I’m a weightlifter , not a miracle worker — I know when a battle’s lost.

Braid: So you’re simply giving up then? Pathetic.

Tsuyoshi: The fuck did you just say?!

He began approaching the braided girl menacingly, though she doesn’t look too worried, until Rantaro comes between the two of them.

Rantaro: Hey, let’s not start a fight here, okay? Tsuyoshi, was it— might have a bit of a point here-

Edgar: Wasn’t he about to beat up that girl though…?

Tsuyoshi turns his gaze on me, eyes narrowed as I start to get a bad feeling. I shouldn’t have pissed him off, should I? This guy could fold me like a pretzel, I should’ve kept my mouth shut, shouldn’t I-

Braid: [scoffs] “That girl”?! I have a name, you know, and a rather well-known one for your information!

Rantaro: You’re… Kaoru Durand, right? If I remember correctly, you recently opened your own company.

Kaoru: That was actually a few years prior, but I have. I presume you’ve all heard of ‘Duranoroma’?

Edgar: Yeah, it’s that perfume brand, right? My sister has a ton of your products, which I always thought was pretty weird since I assumed the company was French.

Kaoru: I did spend a good portion of my life in France. In truth, it hasn’t been long since I moved here from Lyon, though I suppose it’s rather fortunate I did — it is how I became the Ultimate Perfumist.

Track: It’s pretty cool how many millionaires we have in our class! Like, we have… two, I think. But it’s still really impressive!

Kaoru: Maybe, but I doubt Daichi can claim he built his fortune completely by himself. My feats were built on no such inheritance.

Tsuyoshi: I dunno, at least he doesn’t flaunt his wealth.

Kaoru scowls, seemingly about to say something before Tsuyoshi cuts her off.

Tsuyoshi: Name’s Chikara — Tsuyoshi Chikara. And despite what Durand’s been saying, I ain’t the Ultimate Elevator Opener. Just a weightlifter.

He flashes us a sharklike grin as he introduces himself, pointed teeth peeking out from inside his mouth. Is that natural? He definitely doesn’t give me good vibes, but I’m sure as hell not voicing that out loud.

Track: Hey, should I go too?

Sora: I’m Sora Hayakaze, but you guys can just call me Sora! I’m a pretty outdoorsy guy, but I like sprinting the best. And as for my talent… well, I don’t really have to spell it out, do I?

Rantaro: [nods] By the way, if you guys are done, can you all head back into the kitchen? We’re planning a group meeting to get our bearings, so it’d be really useful to have everyone there.

Sora nods back and immediately runs out, so fast I almost miss him, with the other two deciding to follow him after a minute of deliberation.

Well, that was an… interesting group of people, to put it nicely. To put it less nicely, I think Sora’s the only one in that group I can actually tolerate, probably because he’s the most normal person in that group. I can see it in my head right now: a billionaire, a delinquent and a runner walk into an elevator…

…Actually, what was I doing here again?

Right! Meeting new people! Almost forgot.

With the elevator out of the question, there’s only two more places to check, so I guess I’ll take the right door. Right is always the right choice after all!

The room inside is a cozy one, the temperature not feeling like it’s subzero for once. Between the beanbag chairs and couches strewn around the room, the board games I see littering the floor and just the comfy vibe of it all — it feels like somewhere I could be at peace in, rather than the hotel-quality places outside of it.

Two girls seem to be playing tennis at one table, one wearing an eye-catching yellow jacket and the other wearing a simple pink seifuku. The ball they’re using rolls off the table and onto the floor, close by my shoe.

Seifuku: Hehe, another win for me! You put up a good fight though, Ko-chan!

Jacket: Thanks. I should probably get the ball though…

Edgar: Got it.

I throw the ball at her and her eyes widen as she fails to catch it. Oops.

Jacket: Hey, when did you guys get here?!

Edgar: Just a few seconds. Was this a bad time or something?

Seifuku: Nah, it’s all good! I’m sure you guys mean well!

Aika: Anyways, I’m Aika Yamazaki — Internet Sensation and HPA freshman! Charmed, I’m sure~

We all look expectantly at the other girl, waiting for her to introduce herself. She clearly seems aware of this but stubbornly keeps her mouth shut; after a few minutes of this, she seems to realize we aren’t going and reluctantly gives in.

Kokoro: Kokoro Miyamoto. Ultimate Advertiser. Now that I’ve said that, can you guys please go? We… have a game to complete, I guess.

Edgar: Is your table tennis game really that important?

Rantaro: I doubt it. Kokoro, are you… scared? I know this is a stressful situation, but-

Kokoro: Nope. Just want some alone time.

Rantaro: …All right. But we’re holding a meeting in the kitchen to figure this whole thing out, so if the two of you feel like coming, you should probably go. It could be pretty important.

Kokoro: …I’ll consider it.

Aika: Yup! Thanks for telling us, Amami~

I nod and the two of us are almost out the door when Rantaro freezes for a moment. His face is inscrutable, though he looks intently at the ground like he’s thinking really hard about something.

Edgar: Uh, Rantaro? Aren’t we leaving?

Rantaro: R-right! [smiles] Sorry about that.

He quickens his pace after that, but I can’t help but be suspicious. This must be the first time Rantaro’s seemed legitimately worried about something, assuming I’m not just reading way too hard into this, and it’s over a sentence?

There wasn’t anything suspicious about the two of them, right?

…Whatever, this isn’t worth thinking too hard about. I’ll just ask Rantaro later and then he can explain himself or something.

We finally walk into the last room, which is pretty spartan with rows filled with soil and blossoming plants and flowers growing in artificial light, though the real eye-catcher is the gigantic evergreen tree in the middle of the room. And underneath it… somebody’s sleeping?

I blink, thinking my eyes are playing tricks on me or something, but nope — there’s actually some girl sleeping under the tree.

???: She’s not dead, if you’re wondering?

A little spooked, I turn around to see a girl in a black hoodie with wild brown hair behind me. Is this her idea of a joke? Not funny!

Edgar: Of course she isn’t dead, why would you joke even joke about that?!

???: [shrugs] Who knows? Crazier things have happened, after all.

Edgar: Like?

???: Like a bunch of high-schoolers waking up in a weirdly expensive bunker with no clue why… actually, never mind — sounds too unrealistic.

Rantaro: You seem pretty put together for someone who thinks they have it all figured out. Take it you’re not one to scare easily.

???: Could say the same for you. But no, panic won’t get me anywhere after all.

Katsumi: The name’s Kurosawa, by the way. Katsumi Kurosawa. And I already know what you’re gonna ask next — I’m the visual kei singer. Do me a solid and buy my next album if you get outta here, hm?

Edgar: …”If you get outta here”? That sounds pretty cocky.

???: Ngh… will you all just stop talking already?

The girl from under the tree finally awakens, wiping her eyes from behind her long navy hair as she surveys us all with her tired gaze.

???: I swear, the first time I finally have some time to myself and I’m stuck here. There must be someone up there that hates me.

Katsumi: Busy schedule?

???: Yeah, tends to happen when you’re juggling three jobs.

Edgar: [dumbfounded] Th-three jobs?! Is that even legal??

Katsumi: Must be if she’s doing it. So are you the Ultimate Part-Timer, or are you just poor?

I wheeze, because no way Katsumi actually just said that. And she doesn't even seem to regret it, she's still smiling! I shove her arm, a little angry on this person's behalf.

Edgar: Katsumi!! You don’t just say shit like that!

???: Yeah. And the worst part is that she's right about it. [sighs] I guess companies just can’t resist the allure of having the Ultimate Statistician work for them.

Hifumi: And since I guess Katsumi’s already introduced herself — my name’s Hifumi Sunohara. I’m looking forward to working with you… sorry, it’s a habit.

Rantaro: It’s nice to meet you too. Are you going to come with us to the kitchen? We’re trying to see if we can figure out what’s going on.

Hifumi: Might as well. Even a small lead could turn out to be useful.

Katsumi only shrugs in response, so I guess she’s coming too. I’m still a little miffed about her earlier remark, but I guess if we’re going to unravel whatever the hell’s going on here, we’re going to need all hands on deck.

Rantaro, who’s somehow managed to keep a straight face throughout all this, leads us all back to the kitchen where everybody else is sitting at the table; Sora’s gorging himself on muffins, Keisha’s looking at Naoki and I think I can even see Kokoro sitting somewhere.

Everyone really is here!

Daichi: Finally, you two are back! Are we getting this meeting started or what?

Minoru: So that’s what this was?

Rantaro: Yup. We’re here to discuss the situation at hand — this whole kidnapping thing.

Sumire: S-so we really were… k-k-kidnapped. Why would s-somebody even do that!?

Kaoru: A ransom, perhaps? Most of us are at least somewhat notable, not to mention how wealthy some of us seem to be.

Aika: True! We have, like, three millionaires here!

Rantaro: Three? Are you… talking about me?

Aika: Oh, was I wrong? Sorry, you just look a lot like that one entrepreneur — do you know Kanemitsu Amami? I think I heard somewhere he had a son, so I guess I just assumed… sorry!

Rantaro: Well, you aren’t exactly wrong. He is my father…

His voice trails off as he tries to finish his sentence. Clearly, there’s a story there he isn’t telling us. Then again, right now might not be the best time to be prying for sensitive info like that.

Keisha: We’re getting sidetracked. Does anyone have any other ideas or clues that might be helpful?

Edgar: What about Naoki’s tablet? You guys haven’t turned it on yet?

Naoki: Ah, sorry. I planned to do so earlier, but I got distracted…

Sora: Yeah, he was trying to explain what a lawmaker was to me. Sorry guys, I thought he was a lawyer!

Edgar: We thought he was a detective.

Tsuyoshi: I think y’all need to shut up. Naoki, turn on the stupid tablet already.

We all crowd around Naoki as he presses the button on the bottom of the tablet, the screen soon lighting up as it loads. Eventually, a message pops up on the screen:

“WELCOME TO YOUR MONOPAD, NAOKI YAZAWA”

Eventually, five buttons show up underneath it; each of them are captioned, though the last two seem to be disabled for some reason. The ones he can press are captioned “Map”, “Profiles” and “Rules”.

Hitomi: Um, which one of these should we press first?

Katsumi: “Rules”. You could probably glean everything from the first two by walking around and talking with people.

Keisha: I guess it sounds like a good idea. If we know what rules our kidnappers set, we could get a better idea of how they think-

Katsumi: And outfox them? Sounds pretty hopeful.

Hifumi: You mean “unrealistic”.

Katsumi: But of course.

Naoki, ignoring the both of them, presses the “Rules” button. And what we see…

Ultimate Calamity Rules

1. Participants must live in the confines of the MonoBunker™ for the remainder of their foreseeable future. With minimal restrictions, you’ll be free to roam the premises.
2. "Nighttime" is from 10 p.m. to 8 a.m. During this time, all running water and most electronic devices will be disabled for a good night’s rest.
3. Do not lose your Monopαds! They are very important and very expensive to replace!
4. Violence toward Monokuma, the host of the Ultimate Calamity, is strictly prohibited and will result in punishment.
5. Monokuma will never directly commit a murder.
6. Once a body is discovered, all surviving participants will be given time to investigate before the class trial commences.
   1. The "Body Discovery Announcement" will play when three or more spotless (i.e., innocent participants) discover a body.
7. If the blackened (i.e., the culprit) receives the majority vote during the class trial, they alone will be punished. If the blackened is not exposed, all of the spotless will be punished and the blackened alone will graduate.
8. The killing game and class trials will continue until either two surviving participants remain, or until a blackened wins the class trial. At that point, all remaining participants will be allowed to leave the premises and be named the victor(s) of the killing game.
9. Furthermore, there may be new additions to the rules according to the convenience of the host.

…can’t be real. What the fuck. What the actual fuck is this?

“Ultimate Calamity”? “Monokuma”? It all sounds like made-up bullshit, but there’s one word that keeps coming back to me:

“Killing”. Killing, murder, killing game — it keeps popping up, inextricable from this stupid fucking “Ultimate Calamity” it’s describing.

Naoki: [face pales] What is this?!

Katsumi: It’s-

Edgar: Bullshit! It’s not real, it’s not real !

Daichi: Hey dude, are you okay?!

Edgar: Um, no ? Obviously?? How are you, because the way it looks, it’s starting to look like-

A loud chime plays like a school bell, smashing through the conversation as it repeated before giving way to a strange high-pitched voice.

???: Ahem! Testing, testing — okie-dokie, looks like this is working!

Kokoro: [muttering] Holy shit, it keeps getting worse, doesn’t it…?

Aika: Um, maybe it’s a prank or something?

Rantaro: I’m not so sure about that… we better pay attention.

???: Now, can everybody please report to the garden? This is an order by your lovely host, so be there or be square!

“Lovely host”? Is this voice… Monokuma?

What even is a Monokuma?

Monokuma: Don’t even think about skipping, by the way — I’m always watching and I get really mad when somebody spits my kindness back in my face. Hope to see you there, upupu~

With a click, the voice cuts off, leaving us all to wonder what to do now.

…

Tsuyoshi: …So we all agree we’re not going, right?

Sumire: B-but what if Monokuma gets m-mad?!

Tsuyoshi: It’s hosting a killing game , I ain’t listening to someone that insane.

Aika: Nothing’s happened yet though! This could totally still be a prank!

Kaoru: L’idiote . Isn’t it exceedingly clear at this point this is not a joke? I say we go.

Sora: But why? I agree with Tsuyoshi — we shouldn’t just let ourselves get manipulated by whoever Monokuma is!

Kokoro: …What’s the “punishment”?

Naoki: It doesn’t say.

Katsumi: Maybe but it’s not that hard to piece together. This is a killing game where people are meant to die, ergo-

Edgar: We fucking die??

Oh my God, Kokoro really is right, things keep getting worse and I can’t do anything about it.

I was just fucked from the moment I woke up here, huh? I don’t even know who or what Monokuma is yet, but without even appearing yet, it’s already made it awfully clear how much power it seems to have over us.

It’s a double bind, and I’m already caught in it. We’re all caught in it.

I can hear someone suck in a deep breath, and then begin to speak.

Rantaro: I think… I think we should get to the garden.

Sora: H-hey! Can’t we still fight this?

Rantaro: [sharply] No! If the punishment is death, even if we technically don’t know it, I don’t want to risk anything. Nobody’s going to die.

Keisha: …He’s right. This is the only way we’re going to avoid worsening this disaster,

I can see Naoki nod at this and the same uneasy acceptance pass through everyone’s face. I guess we’re just doing this now! Listening to the ominous voice that probably wants us all to die — this definitely won’t end well.

Even with how scared I am- no, because of how scared I am, I follow everyone’s lead.

Hanging near the back with Sumire, we all march down the hallway to the garden like soldiers. Or maybe prisoners.

Yeah, that’s probably more fitting at this point.

Eventually, we come to a stop as we reach that branch in the hallway again. The elevator is tantalizingly close, but of course when it’d be most useful, it doesn’t even work. There’s only one thing we can do at this point.

Rantaro opens the door and…

Chapter Text

I keep expecting the worst as we slowly begin to fill the room, but I don’t see anything. The garden looks completely unchanged from the last time I saw it, which doesn’t calm my nerves. In fact, I think it’s making them worse .

All I can do right now is wait for this anticipation to end, even when I already know that nothing about this can possibly end well.

Minoru: Um, is something supposed to happen now? If Monokuma doesn’t show up, we can just leave, right?

Daichi: Buddy, you’re gonna jinx us like that!

Tsuyoshi: You really believe that shit? What do you think he did, summon the bastard?

Before Daichi can retort on Minoru’s behalf, I hear a familiar “upupu” from somewhere above me. Oh my God, they really did jinx us.

Still, there doesn’t seem to be anything different. Am I just hearing things now? Great! It hasn’t even been five minutes since we got in this stupid garden and I’m already going insane from the paranoia!

I hear the laugh again and this time, some of the others seem to react.

Kokoro: Where’s that laugh coming from?

Takashi: Don’t worry! I’ll totally take care of Monokuma if that’s what it takes to protect you!

Aika: Wow, Ko-chan! Looks like you have a fan here too~

Kokoro: [blushes] U-uh—

Hifumi: We’re getting distracted. Again. I swear, I’m going to leave this place if nothing happens.

Monokuma: [muffled] That sounds like my cue!

All of a sudden, something seems to drop from out of nowhere to the top of the evergreen tree — some kind of monochrome bear? It looks pretty freaky with its weird red eye and wide toothy smile on its left side.

Is this… Monokuma? Well, I guess it’d make sense Mono kuma would be a bear, but my knee-jerk reaction is that there’s no way a toy could possibly be responsible for this situation. Then again, considering the rules…

(Underestimating this thing will just get me killed, won’t it?)

Monokuma: Hello, my wonderful guests! I’m sure you’re wondering-

Daichi: [mutters] I’d be surprised if there was anybody wondering at this point.

Monokuma: What’s with the backtalk? Don’t you know who I am?!

Keisha: Aren’t you Monokuma?

Katsumi: Can you stop playing dumb and just get to the point?

Monokuma: Huh?! [whispering] You guys weren’t supposed to figure that out yet…

Naoki: I suppose this means we can assume everything on that Monopad was true then. And that means-

Monokuma: Hold on there! I’m not just gonna let you guys steal my thunder! After all, I’m the one running the killing game!

Sumire: S-so that was r-real?!

Aika: Of course not! How would we even play a killing game?

Monokuma: Oh, it’s not that hard! You could stab someone with a kitchen knife, drown them in the bathroom, poison their food, suffocate them, strangle them-

I clamp my hands over my ears and shut my eyes close, trying to drown out Monokuma’s words. It doesn’t work and I can still hear Monokuma babbling about the ways we could die, the ways I could die-

And for some reason, the noise stops. I register some sort of rustling noise and open my eyes to see that Katsumi kicked the tree for some reason, sending Monokuma tumbling down to the floor.

Minoru: H-hey, is that safe?! The rules-

Katsumi: Fuck the rules! They're only a problem with Monokuma around, right? I've had enough of this thing anyways…

She raises a foot and brutally stomps it down on the robotic bear, plastic shell easily caving under it as tiny bits of metal sprinkled onto the floor.

Katsumi: There, problem solved. You can thank me later.

Hitomi: Is it really gone now?

I let out a sigh of relief, thankful that it's finally gone. At least it can't continue the killing game now… even if we're trapped in this bunker… with no escape and-

???: Well, that was just rude!

Sora: You've gotta be kidding me.

Right back on top of the tree, as if nothing had even happened, was Monokuma. I blinked, hoping to God that I was just hallucinating or something. Ugh, of course I wasn’t, Sora even pointed it out before I did. Still, I guess I just wanted to hope.

Of course Monokuma would crush that all into despair.

Monokuma: Seriously! What does it take to get some respect around here?

Tsuyoshi: Ya put in a killing game and you want us to respect you?? Get real!

Monokuma: [unsheathes claws] Oh you will! Unless you want to be on the other end of these claws, I suggest you try not to punished, get me?

Reluctantly, Tsuyoshi backed off with some of the others even beginning to look horrified at the situation. Only a few, like Rantaro and Naoki, were able to keep a cool face; even then, I could see the cracks forming in their expressions.

The only one seemingly not intimidated at all was Katsumi, still appraising Monokuma with an unreadable expression.

Monokuma: [frustrated] Now since you know-it-alls already seem to know so many spoilers, anyone care to remind us what Rule #4 is?

Kokoro: “Violence towards Monokuma is strictly prohibited and”… [softer] “will result in punishment.”

Rantaro: Hold on, you can’t kill Katsumi! Isn’t that against the rules?

Katsumi: Don’t worry, it won’t.

Hifumi: [scoffs] You seem awful confident about that. Mind telling us why?

Katsumi: Please. I’ve dealt with people like Monokuma, and those kinds of people don’t care much about rules when it comes down to it. All they want is suffering.

Katsumi’s eyes darken when she says that, like she’s recalling an unpleasant experience. I consider getting a little closer to try and comfort her or something like that, but that means getting closer to Monokuma , and you couldn’t pay me to do that.

Speaking of Monokuma, the light in its eye seems to dim as it considers Katsumi’s words, drawing a paw to its chin as it hums audibly.

Minoru: Um, Monokuma? Are you still going to kill Katsumi or-

Tsuyoshi: What the hell?! Do you want her to die or some shit??

Kaoru: However crass that oaf may be, he does have a point. Talking like that makes you sound almost eager to start the game.

Minoru: [horrified] Of course not! I just want to know whether Katsumi will be okay!

Monokuma: Sure!

The words come out too chipper for what they are: a second chance, proof that maybe Monokuma maybe isn’t completely sadistic. Rantaro still glares at it, trying to discern whether or not it’s a trick… oh, what if it is a trick?

My worries are quickly dispelled as Monokuma sheathes its claws again. It hops down from the tree to look us all in the eyes.

Monokuma: That being said… I can’t just ignore this, you know?

Sumire: W-what does th-that mean??

Monokuma: It means I’m gonna have to dole out a group punishment!

My blood freezes. It… it can’t kill everyone , right? It doesn’t even have its claws out!

I’m not going to die, I’m not going to die, I’m not going to die-

(Somewhere along the line, it begins to sound more like fact than fiction.)

Monokuma: Everybody, get ready for your heart-stopping… motive!!

Daichi: “Motive”?!

Hitomi: A motive for what exactly?

Rantaro: Well, the only thing I can think of is a motive to kill… [glares at Monokuma] Not that it would work. We aren’t as weak as you think, Monokuma.

Takashi: Yeah! I’ll protect Keisha-sama from all of your lies!

Hifumi: [mutters] What about the rest of us?

Takashi: And you, Hifumi-sama!

Keisha: …And what’s the motive?

Kaoru: Vous aussi , Keisha? I might’ve underestimated the bloodlust some of you lot hold.

Monokuma: Sorry, but we’re not dealing with any serial killers yet! This motive’s a little bit simpler — pop quiz! How many of you guys are missing your memories?

Sora: Uh, just Keisha, right?

Monokuma: [buzzer noise] Wrong! All of you are missing three years’ worth of memories!

…

Edgar: …No.

I don’t even realize I’ve said it out loud because I’m still reeling from those simple words. It shouldn’t be that hard to comprehend, but the words refuse to sink in.

“Three years”. That’s impossible. I know I’m not the smartest person, but I’m pretty damn sure that’s not how amnesia works. It’s just too perfect of a cutoff, the way I conveniently can’t remember anything after trying to step into Hope’s Peak. But if this isn’t the case, how did I forget ?!

I hate it. I hate the fact I’m even considering this. But if Monokuma’s right…

Then are Mom and Frieda still okay? Do they miss me, do they even know I’m gone??

I try not to think about it, try to focus on anything else, but all I can see when I look around is everyone’s haunted faces; even Rantaro isn’t able to keep up his facade of calmness as he thinks about this. Monokuma only smirks and chuckles and for a brief second, I consider punting the damn thing across the room.

Then again, I’m not strong enough for that. Not to even mention that Katsumi only got lucky that Monokuma didn’t actually consider punishing her. If I try to follow her example, who’s to say I won’t end up dead?

No, don’t think about that! Don’t think about this, any of this-

I run out the garden, just trying to clear my head. The hall is mercifully quiet and I take a deep breath, then breathe out. Deep breath, breathe out. Deep breathe, breathe out. Everything’s fine. Everything is fine .

Now that I’ve had a second to think about it, it’s… ridiculous! Of course it’s ridiculous! Nobody’s going to just kill a person, a child , because some shady plush toy told them to. And neither am I! I’m just thirteen-

(Sixteen.)

Normal teens don’t kill each other. Nothing’s going to happen. Nothing’s going to happen.

Rantaro: Edgar!

I can see Rantaro walking towards me, most of the group loosely trailing behind him. He reaches out to me with a concerned look on his face as he pulls me closer.

Rantaro: You’re feeling okay, right? You left pretty suddenly.

Katsumi: Yeah, we don’t need anyone forming murder plans five minutes after the murder drops.

Daichi: Do you have any empathy at all? Monokuma just dropped the double bomb of a killing game and a motive at the same time! Should that even be allowed?

Keisha: That’s true, but I think it’s also dangerous to leave anyone unstable alone. Let’s just stick together. There’s safety in numbers, after all.

Aika: I guess we could hang out in the game room then? Or we could go back to the kitchen-

Sora: Yeah, let’s go to the kitchen! Isn’t food supposed to help improve your mood? That sounds like something we could all use after Monokuma’s announcement.

Tsuyoshi: You just want more of Minoru’s muffins, don’t you?

Sora: …Maybe a little bit.

Tsuyoshi laughs, a hearty and loud bark that echoes throughout the hall. It’s… a little scary, in all honesty. Still, part of me wishes I had the confidence to be able to laugh like that right after such a scary announcement.

I follow the group to the kitchen, where that plate of muffins still lies on the table. Minoru and Naoki dutifully distribute them out to all of us and I can hear some people, somewhat awkwardly, begin to talk. The mood is still tense, but with every word spoken, that tension seems to break just a little more.

Still, I can’t quite bring myself to join their conversations. Not just yet. I don’t think I’m that brave yet.

I bite into the muffin I'm holding into my hand. It's good, at least. Not the masterpiece Daichi’s making it out to be, in my opinion, but it isn't bad either.

Either way, I don't think there's much to do here anymore, so I leave the room and head back to my own dorm. It’s quiet here and I’m alone… it feels a little lonely honestly. I immediately cringe at how stupid that sounds because it is. It was my choice to come here, I could totally leave if I wanted to, so…

So why can’t I just work up the nerve to do it?

The door creaks open and for a moment, my heart leaps into my stomach before I realize it’s only Sumire. She wouldn’t do anything to me, she’s probably just as scared as I am. I’m fine! I’m fine !

Sumire: U-um, are you o-okay? You left p-pretty suddenly…

No.

Edgar: [thumbs-up] Yup!

Sumire: Oh…

I’m not really sure whether or not she believes me, but she invites herself onto my bed and sits next to me. The silence seems to grow more pronounced the longer we stay here, Sumire not even attempting to spark conversation.

Edgar: So, uh…

Sumire: I-is something wrong?

…Frankly, I have no clue how to word this kindly, so I just say exactly what I’m thinking.

Edgar: [bluntly] Why are you still here?

Sumire: [embarrased] A-am I bothering you?! S-sorry, I can go!

She quickly makes her way out the room, not even giving me time to interject. The door shuts with a final slam and the silence returns. With only my thoughts for company, I quickly start to feel bad for talking to Sumire like that. Yeah, I definitely should’ve found a way to say that more tactfully…

The sheets seem to have been pushed over a little with Sumire’s hasty escape, so I try to fix them back up, unveiling something else in the process.

It’s…

Edgar: [thinking out loud] A Monopad… Naoki did find his under his bed, didn’t he?

I pick up the tablet and activate it, pulling up that same familiar menu I’d seen only… wow, that can’t have happened any more than a couple of hours ago, could it?

Not wanting to see the rules again, I decide to pull up the profiles this time. Mine isn’t really anything mind-blowing, nor is it information you couldn’t have probably looked up about me on a student registry or whatever. The only thing that really catches my eye is the age listed in my profile: 16.

So it isn’t a lie, huh?

I guess that was too much to hope for…

Disinterested, I begin to flick through the rest of them, most of which seem to follow the same format. The only one that stands out in this regard is Keisha’s, which is basically completely broken; both her talent and blurb seem to be either completely bugged or defunct for some reason.

Is it just because this is an alpha model, or is it something else? Was Monokuma really not able to find any information her? Somehow I doubt it.

So what does it even mean then? Either Monokuma’s deliberately hiding that information from us, or…

…Or Keisha removed it somehow. I immediately reject the notion. Literally how would she even do that? We only woke up a couple of hours ago and knew that the Monopads even existed for even less time than that.

For some reason, the word “mastermind” comes to mind. That could explain it, couldn’t it? Keisha could be the mastermind…

But she isn’t even the only suspect, is she? It could be anyone.

My eyes widen at the realization and I just crash into the bed, slamming my head against the pillow. God, this all sucks . This entire situation feels like hell.

How did we get here?

How did I go from high school hopeful to killing game participant in what feels like less than a day? It's so hard to keep my hopes up when on day one, it's already starting to feel like my days are numbered.

I force my eyes shut and just try to force myself to fall asleep. I already feel so tired, it shouldn't be that hard.

Regardless, it takes far too long to finally sleep…

…

16 PLAYERS REMAIN

[ Item Obtained - Monopαd ]

A tablet whose case holds a familiar monochrome color scheme. It only has a portion of its full potential available right now, but something’s telling me this thing is important, so I better keep it handy… it’s annoying, but can’t be helped.

Chapter Text

2 YEARS AGO

It’s been three weeks since [The King] last saw Junichi in school. This isn’t just a “being oblivious as fuck” thing — at least they hope not; they know they have a tendency to get stuck in their head a lot of the time, but they’re sure they’d notice if their best friend went missing.

Because it’s not like some shitty test or boring chore that they’d easily able to push out of their mind — it’s… it’s Junichi fucking Yasuda they’re talking about! The same guy who puts up with their ribbing and even actually has a couple of good comebacks on occasion, who lets they copy off of him during tests no matter how many lectures Kirisame-sensei gives him, whose smile always manages to light up their day no matter how shitty it is…

…And apparently, he’s just dropped off the face of the planet.

[The King] is so caught up in their thoughts they don’t even see the boy in front of them until he’s sprawled on the floor. His books and papers scatter all over the hallway, and [The King] thinks they can make out a curse he mutters under his breath that makes them wince in embarrassment.

“Ah shit,” they curse. “Let me help they gather all this.”

“No no, it’s fine! Seriously!” his insistence feels so forced they feel like they have to ignore it — y’know, it wouldn’t be the decent thing to do. Not to mention, he looks scrawny as all hell. Why was he even carrying so much in the first place?

As they pick up textbooks and essays, one thing stands out among the boy’s belongings — some kind of poster with sixteen smiling teens and the words “Danganronpa 48 - Tune In Soon…” written on the bottom. At first, they’re not quite sure why it draws their attention so much, until-

“Oh, sorry!” the boy awkwardly yelps as he snatches the poster from their hands, violet eyes turned towards the floor. “I, uh, thought I left that at home…”

They ignore that shitty lie in favor of the image that has already seared itself into their mind. How are they not supposed to recognize their best friend’s smile? “T-that was Junichi? He signed up for fucking Danganronpa?!”

The boy doesn’t respond, simply taking his stuff from [The King]’s hands and leaving, but his silence and refusal to meet their eyes speaks volumes. Distantly, they register the ringing of a school bell and somehow muster up the lucidity to head over to Trigonometry. While they absentmindedly scratch out the law of cosines or whatever, [The King] thinks.

I didn’t get that guy’s name.

I don’t know why Junichi would even join that show…

I don’t even know if he’s still alive.

They make a mental note to check if Season 48’s aired yet once they get home, and try their hardest not to forget.

The next time [The King] sees Junichi, it’s on their phone in the middle of the night, huddled under the covers. The air conditioner’s cold whirring provides little comfort to them as they stare daggers into the screen, as if the boy will suddenly appear next to them if they stare long enough.

They know that Junichi wouldn’t really be the same if he came back now — memory replacement, and all that — but he still looks… he still looks so much like Junichi, even if the Junichi he knows (knew?) would never wear a leather jacket over a lab coat. He’s got the same wild burgundy hair, leans against his podium in that same languid way, speaks in that same sharp-tongued way…

(looks at the boy with the ribbons in his hair a bit too coldly, corrects that girl with the eyebags a lot harsher than he would’ve before, he doesn’t smile with his teeth anymore.)

(is he really the same person?)

[The King] has tuned in at possibly the most risky time for Junichi — the Class Trial, only the first of many. Junichi would never somebody, but they are aware there’s been seasons where the blackened’s successfully gotten away with their crime; hell, didn’t one like that only air a year or two ago?

[The King] watches with bated breath as the protagonist, a jittejutsu-ka with fiery red hair and a hakama with an embroidered sun on it, blearily managed to uncover the culprit. When the graffiti tagger ends up getting executed, they even end up crying alongside the rest of the cast — impressive, given they’ve only known most of these people(?) for a handful of hours.

(their eyes flit to junichi again, and they notice he doesn’t cry.)

(is he hiding his feelings, or does he really just not care?)

(the junichi they know would’ve cried regardless.)

They turn off their phone, hoping for Junichi’s survival as they drift into a restful sleep and dream of magenta-tinted murders.

Somewhere along the line, it becomes almost like an obsession, sneaking in as much Danganronpa as they can into their schedule while [The King] goes through their everyday life; they watch the show during breakfast, during school — there’s barely a moment in time [The King] isn’t staring at their phone.

They tell themself it’s all for Junichi, that they only want to make sure he’ll be fine, but they still watch even when the hematologist doesn’t get even a minute of screentime. It’s not exactly care they feel for these other contestants — [The King] never knew any of them before the game after all, but their heart still lurches whenever something emotional happens on screen. Perhaps “investment” would be a better term for it?

Yeah! They’re just really invested in these characters too!!

([The King] ignores the fact they don’t really know what the difference is at this point)

It’s been almost five days since that first trial when another body finally turns up — that ikebana artist that was starting to get close to the protagonist. This time, [The King] actually gives it their all to try and solve the case before it gets brought to trial — just so they can make sure Junichi isn’t the culprit, of course. Thankfully, none of the evidence really seems to stack in his direction, and he’s acting the same as ever.

[The King] beams with satisfaction on the train home when their guesswork turns out to be right. They’d even managed to guess the culprit right for this chapter too — a particularly impressive feat, if they said so themself.

As their head fills with theories that night, they don’t even realize how low Junichi’s fallen in their list of priorities.

(it’s not like a character needs to be living in their head rent-free, right?)

Unfortunately, if there’s one thing [The King] doesn’t excel at, it’s subtlety. This wouldn’t have been an issue about a week and a half ago, but now that they spend so much time at school sneaking glances at their phone as they watch the Season 48 livestream, it was really only a matter of time before they got busted. They couldn’t completely fault Kirisame-sensei for it — perhaps it looked a bit suspicious for them to be on their phone in the middle of a test, but couldn’t he at least wait until they got to the body discovery to take their phone??

That’s not even the worst part though — they’re gonna be holding onto it for the next few days.

Days!!

How the hell are they supposed to keep up with the show like this??

…And Junichi! They’re supposed to be keeping an eye on him too!

The next couple of days drag on like molasses, yet they all seem to blend together into a haze so badly [The King] can barely keep track of the date. Unfortunately, this has the exact opposite of the intended effect — without their phone, [The King] is left staring at the window daydreaming about Danganronpa, words reaching their ears but never really registered.

So when Kirisame-sensei pulls them aside after class to return their phone, they could almost cry. Instead, [The King] bows and goes through all the motions they need to with the widest, dumbest smile on their face. Almost as soon as they leave the classroom, they’re already tapping a URL into Google as the Season 48 livestream loads painfully slowly.

Yup…

Any second now…

… … …

Eventually, their patience is rewarded with the screen finally fills with color, displaying a crowd of nine trudging through some dust-covered part of a village and… and this isn’t anywhere close to where they left off! What the fuck?! As [The King]’s eyes rove over the video, they realize Chapter 4 must’ve already started.

Not only that, somebody isn’t in the group.

Logically, this means that somebody must’ve died.

But… but he can’t have died that easily! Not to mention, Junichi basically didn’t have any death flags last chapter — how could he possibly be dead?? He’s probably just hanging back, or maybe he’s in one of those musty buildings, or something.

(no tears fall from [The King]’s cheeks when they realize their friend is dead.

because again, isn’t he just a character? he’s not the same junichi anymore, right?

so this shouldn’t even affect them, right?

…

they decide they don’t want to think about this any longer)

XXXXXXXXX XXXXXXX

( August 16, 20XX )

♛: [ Again, I can’t thank you enough for your help so far! ]

♛: [ You’ve had some really great ideas so far, and I think Season 49 will be all the better thanks to them. ]

[ ASKVASBCAS THANK YOU??? ] :♚

[ that’s such high praise… honestly your giving me too much credit ] :♚

[ *you’re ] :♚

[ like, i’m just doing my job :/ ] :♚

♛: [ I guess that’s true. ]

♛: [ Even so, I’m really grateful you decided to join me in the scripting department. ]

[ seriously, you’re giving me too much credit!! ] :♚

[ i’m sure you can hold your own in this company too, [XXXXXXXXX]-senpai ] :♚

[ after all, i’m not even a full-fledged employee yet ] :♚

♛: [ … ]

[ [XXXXXXXXX]-senpai??? ] :♚

[ WHAT DOES THIS MEAN??? ] :♚

[ I DIDNT THINK I WAS ACTUALLY GETTING PROMOTED LMFAOOO ] :♚

♛: [ You didn’t hear this from me. ]

♛: [ Also, Okabe-san would probably have my head if he knew I told you this. ]

[ yikes ] :♚

[ thanks for putting ur job on the line for this www ] :♚

[ seriously. ] :♚

♛: [ I look forward to working with you too, [♚]-kun. ]

Chapter Text

When I open my eyes, I see… sunlight. It shines brightly against the harsh red sky, an odd sight since it feels like it should be daytime. The campus of Hope’s Peak looms over me and to my right, I can see a familiar face, despite the graduation cap covering most of his green hair.

Rantaro: So… graduation, huh?

It comes out somewhat awkwardly, which is really only to be expected given what we’re seeing. Not to even mention the state of the world right now…

…Hold on. Where did that thought come from?

Edgar: Yup. Sorta thought it’d feel a lot better, but, you know…

I gesture awkwardly at the air nearby. It’s definitely a shitty explanation, but Rantaro luckily seems to understand what I mean by it.

Edgar: So, do you have any plans now?

Rantaro: Not really. [sighs] I wanted to continue searching as soon as I graduated, but with everything going on, I think I’ll be lucky to even make it to Hokkaido in the first place.

He looks guilty as he says that, and I have no idea how to comfort him, mostly because I have no idea what’s even going on here. Even as I think that, the words are already halfway out my mouth like a movie I can only watch.

Edgar: Well… I heard some of the class finished working on whatever their “protection plan” was pretty recently.

Rantaro: You say “some of the class”, but I’m pretty sure it was just Keisha’s idea.

Edgar: Not just her. I’m pretty sure [XXXX] helped a lot with it too!

Wait a minute, what was that? Despite having said it only a few seconds ago, I can’t even remember the name I just said.

Before I can dwell on the implications of that for long, a long black limo pulls up in front of us, one of the windows lowering to reveal Sumire calling us to get inside with the rest of them. Looks like our ride has come.

I step into the limo and as I notice somebody’s smile, everything slowly begins to fade away, everything blurring together into the same indistinguishable darkness…

…

TEAM DANGANRONPA PRESENTS…

Episode One:

"Keep Your Friends Close"

Slowly, I start to awaken, groggily pushing myself out of bed as I try to sift through the fog in my brain. I feel like I’m forgetting something major, but don’t really know what. Forcibly going through everything, I remember…

A winter chill. Unfamiliar faces.

A killing game.

…Oh, that’s right. This still isn’t my room, not my real bedroom…

I try to push that out of mind, walking into my bathroom to splash some water in my face to really wake up. I need to get my act together! Keep it together, Edgar, you can do this!

I dry my face with a shower towel I find nearby and prepare to walk out the door. You’ll be fine Edgar, just keep it together. I confidently open the door and smell something strange… is that pancakes? When I head over to the kitchen, I see an entire feast spread out on the table, pancakes and French toast in bowls alongside warm rice and miso soup.

Edgar: Oh my God! Who made all this?!

Rantaro: That would be me.

I look up to see Rantaro smiling with satisfaction at my surprise, one hand stuffed in his parka pocket as the other grasped the back of his neck.

Rantaro: Decided to try and mix in some Western-style dishes here. Wasn’t sure if you or Keisha were more used to that since-

Edgar: This looks like it might actually be enough for everyone. We might even have leftovers for tomorrow! Where’d you learn to cook like this?

Rantaro: I usually cook for my family, so I guess I’ve gotten good at cooking big meals.

Edgar: Exactly how big is your family?

Rantaro: It’s… pretty big.

Before I can ask more questions, I hear one of the doors behind me creak open as Naoki lumbers past us. It doesn’t take long for Daichi to follow his example, then pretty much the entire group as the kitchen quickly fills up with people. Soon the kitchen even starts to feel lively as people start to chat with each other.

Naoki: [clears throat] Now that we’re all here, I think we should have a discussion about what to do next.

Everybody immediately freezes,the subject immediately becoming clear — the killing game. Why does he want to talk about that of all things?

Katsumi: Like, the killing game? I don’t think the motive was really that bad.

Rantaro: [annoyed] We all forgot an entire sixth of our memories. Just because you aren’t bothered by that doesn’t mean the rest of us aren’t.

I try to do the mental math in my head. Three over sixteen… that’s a little more than a sixth, right? Thanks to me skipping a couple grades, I’ve apparently technically lost more memories than everyone else here.

Naoki: Regardless, I think it’d be good for us to focus our efforts on ending this game prematurely.

Kaoru: Évidemment. Everybody wants the game to end, but in case you haven’t noticed yet, nobody knows how to.

Aika: Let’s not shoot him down just yet! Any ideas, Naoki?

Naoki: Erm, well… not yet…

Katsumi: [sighs] What did I expect? I doubt a couple rules are gonna stop anyone from killing anyways.

Edgar: Don’t talk like that! What if somebody actually kills now?

Katsumi: Well, you’re always gonna be in danger anyways. Until that elevator opens, we’ll always be only a few rooms away from a potential killer, so isn’t it better to stay on edge?

Keisha: No. Actually, talking like that is only more likely to make people panic. [scowls] If you think you’re so smart, shouldn’t you be aware talking like that will only make you a target?

Katsumi: Nah, I like my chances.

With that, Katsumi casually leaves the kitchen and heads back to her own room, the sound of her lock clicking somehow audible as everyone seems hesitant to start talking again. Naoki looks somewhat ashamed and Rantaro tries to comfort him wordlessly, giving the lawmaker an awkward pat on the back.

The tense silence is broken when another person sits out of their chair and leaves, getting the rest of the group to disperse within minutes. Admittedly, I’m not too sure what I want to do now but I don’t feel like being alone, especially after Katsumi’s whole thing.

At least I have some free time on my hands. The real question is: who do I spend it with?

Well, definitely not Katsumi. Probably someone reliable, someone who doesn’t act like they’d kill, someone like…

Naoki! Even if he hasn’t come up with anything yet, that could change, right?

I walk up to his door and knock, barely even having to wait for his response before the door opens. Inviting myself in, it looks like Naoki doesn’t quite get why I’m here… probably because I haven’t explained that yet. Should probably get to that sometime soon.

Naoki: Erm, Mr. Reich… what are you doing here?

Edgar: Oh, just here to see what ideas you got. It'd be nice if we could do anything without getting Monokuma on our backs.

Naoki: Maybe… we can get rid of it? Monokuma can't have infinite copies, right? If we can destroy them all, we may be able to end the killing game.

Edgar: But what if it strikes back? I don't think it's worth it to sacrifice someone just to get out of here…

Naoki: There could be other ways.

Edgar: Like…?

He furrows his bride as he tries to think of a response, clearly struggling… Yeah, maybe I should've expected this. Monokuma hasn't made it easy to find a way out.

Edgar: Okay, maybe instead of focusing on this, we can try to find ways to… not kill people?

Naoki: Like some sort of anti-motive?

Edgar: [nods] Exactly!

Naoki: Well, we could perhaps remove all the weapons on this floor. I know the kitchen likely has some knives, maybe we could take all of those?

…

There's nothing exactly wrong with the idea, not really, but something about it still makes me cringe. It takes me a moment to properly figure out why I'm so unnerved though.

Edgar: …You want me to trust you with holding all the weapons here?

Nope! Absolutely not!

The sheer rejection must be clear on my face, because Naoki stutters a bit and frowns before moving on.

Naoki: If we cannot do that, then it may be best to focus on how to prevent others from murdering then. A nighttime curfew would be easy to implement, but perhaps we could also make some sort of buddy system, perhaps?

Edgar: I guess, but if someone murdered their buddy, then it'd basically make that worthless… actually, can someone murder two people?

Naoki: Are you-

Edgar: [forcefully] No! I'm just thinking out loud!

???: Well, don't worry about that! You can always ask me!

I hear a voice below me and instinctively flinch, not even having to look down to know who's there. Despite that, Monokuma still jumps on top of the bed, forcing me to stand up and keep some justice from it.

Edgar: What the fuck are you doing here?!

Monokuma: Hm? Didn't you have a question for me?

Naoki: You mean his wondering about double murders?

Monokuma: Yup! It just reminds me of this special little time I always use, but forgot to program in before you guys tried to speedrun the investigation.

I hear my Monopad buzz in my jacket pocket and take it out to see a notification. I guess Monokuma updated the rules.

10. A single participant can only murder up to two victims. Breaking this rule will result in immediate punishment, and a class trial will not be held for them.

Edgar: Well, that's…

Monokuma: Useful? Of course! Who doesn't like a classic double murder? Just don't get to planning those out too soon, upupu.

With that frankly ridiculous parting line, Monokuma somehow disappears, leaving me and Naoki to awkwardly process the new rule.

What's so “classic” about double murders anyways? Why would Monokuma even want one when he basically just said he didn't want us to drop like flies too soon??

I can't really think of any reason and frankly, I don't think I want to. In fact, I should probably just leave now. It's getting way too awkward and I already have enough to be worried about without adding fucking double murders to the mix.

I leave the room, entering an empty hallway… sure am all alone here…

(Easy target.)

Bad idea, I should just find someone else to talk to. I just choose a door at random since I don't really have any idea who I want to hang out with and end up talking to…

Sora: Yo, what's up?

Sora, I guess? He's alright, especially compared to some of the others I'm stuck here with.

Sora: Uh, not to sound rude, but what exactly are you doing here?

Edgar: I came for… you, I guess? I just felt like hanging out.

His smile grows wider when I say that, a dorky and uneven grin blossoming onto his face. It’s… kind of cute, actually. Now I’m sort of wishing I had something to give him — like, as some sort of “thank-you” gift or whatever. Unfortunately, the only things I really have on me besides my clothes are my beanie and the pins on it… come to think of it, those could work, right?

I randomly pluck one off of it and hand it to Sora, one with a pretty simple design of a yellow star shining brightly against the navy background. I’m pretty sure it glows in the dark too. Damn, now I actually kind of want it back.

Seeing the way it makes Sora smile though, I start to regret it a little less.

Sora: Anyways, you wanna talk? I didn’t really have anything in mind… not that there’s much to do here anyways.

Edgar: I guess not. Normally, I’d probably be in class or on my computer around this time, but we obviously can’t do that here.

Sora: Yeah, but it’s more than just that! I just hate feeling cooped up like this! Don’t you feel the same way?

I briefly try to remember when the last time I left the house was that wasn’t for school, but decide that now is not the time to ponder that. Time for a subject change!

Edgar: So, why’re you a sprinter anyways?

Sora: It’s not really that impressive…

Edgar: Come on! You know you’re talking to the lucky student here, right? Even Monokuma mentioned how good you are in the profiles.

Sora: [laughs] It’s not that impressive! Basically, gym was the only thing I was really good at for, like… ever. I’m not a sit-down-and-study guy, you know?

Edgar: [nods] I get it.

Sora sounds a little sadder this time when he laughs.

Sora: Doubt it. My teachers really hated me, you know? The only one that really gave me a chance was the gym teacher — signed me up for some track meets, caught my mentor’s eye and that’s how I got here.

Edgar: Shit, that must’ve been hard… sorry if I brought up something uncomfortable.

Sora: Listen, it’s not that big a deal! Besides, I’m the Ultimate Sprinter now, so at least it wasn’t all for nothing.

Despite his reassurances, I’m pretty sure that I’ve fucked up somehow. He doesn’t look mad or anything like that, but there’s no way he’s just feeling okay after dumping that on me. I really don’t think it’s a good idea to talk like this anymore.

Edgar: Should we… get something to eat? It’s probably around lunchtime, right?

Sora nods, so we head over to the kitchen together. There, Aika and Kokoro seem to be trying to cook something together, the latter whipping up some kind of batter while the former manned the oven.

Aika: [turns around] Oh, you guys! What’re you doing here?

Sora: We came to get lunch.

Kokoro: I don’t think I made enough batter for more of us. I was only really expecting to have Ai-chan around.

“Ai-chan”? I just thought Aika was that casual with everyone, but maybe it’s just some mutual thing they have going on? They must be pretty close if they’re on that level with each other. I wonder if they knew each other before this…

Aika: Yeah, it was really sweet! [looks at me] You know, she wanted to do this all by herself at first. How sweet~

Edgar: [nods] You don’t have to make anything for us though. We’ll figure something out.

I tug on Sora’s arm and we enter the pantry together, digging through the shelves for fruits and other foods we could use to make a basic boxed lunch. After going back into the kitchen, I decide to wash the fruits and get a cutting board to prepare to dice them up. Now where are the knives…

From the corner of my eye, I notice Kokoro freeze as I finally find the knife rack and grab one from the six indents carved into the wood.

Kokoro: Edgar… where’s the second knife?

Edgar: Huh?

I look down at the knife rack to see what she’s actually talking about and when I finally realize why, the reason is enough to make my blood run cold:

There should be six knives here, five if we don’t count the one I just took out. There are only four in the knife rack now.

Everyone’s eyes widen as we all simultaneously realize what this must mean; there are only a few reasons a knife would go missing in a scenario like this, and it doesn’t take a genius to put two and two together.

Sora: H-hey, you didn’t take that other knife, right Edgar?

Edgar: Of course not! How am I supposed to know who took it?

Kokoro: [muttering] Anybody could’ve come in here between breakfast and now… so we don’t even have a main suspect. Anyone could’ve done it.

She seems to be right and that’s what’s most terrifying. Anybody — even someone in this room right now — could be responsible for this. Even worse, that same person could be planning someone’s murder, planning my murder-

Aika: Edgar, are you hurt?

I don’t even realize what she’s talking about until I look down at the cutting board. Somehow, I’ve accidentally cut my thumb with the knife, a slight iron smell tainting the display of diced fruit and juice on it.

Aika: I… don’t know if we should worry about this.

Kokoro: What?! Ai-chan, someone could be planning a murder-

Aika: We don’t know that though! I get that this looks really bad, but we shouldn’t suspect everyone because of this! Maybe we can try to wait it out?

Edgar: No, someone could turn up dead if we ignore this!

A thought crosses my mind and it feels too right to ignore.

Edgar: Aika… were you the one that took the knife?

Kokoro: What- of course she didn't! We've been together practically this entire time!

Edgar: But she doesn’t want us to look into this?! That’s so obviously suspicious — there’s no way it isn’t her!

As Kokoro gives me a withering glare, it occurs to me that maybe it isn’t the best idea to be shit-talking someone who may or may not be holding onto a knife. Even though Aika still has that same shaky smile (though it seems to be faltering at this point) on her face, I’m positive it’s only a mask to hide her contempt for me.

Oh shit. She’s so going to target me, isn’t she? Fuck, I should’ve kept my mouth shut, why the fuck don’t I ever think to do that-

For once in my life, I actually do something smart and run out of there, barely hearing Sora calling for me as I rush into the first room I find. I slump to the floor and try to calm my breathing as I continue to tremble pathetically, barely even noticing as someone approached.

Rantaro doesn’t say anything at first, just kneeling down to check if I’m okay.

Rantaro: …Did something happen?

I don’t mean to do it but before I know it, I’ve already confessed to Rantaro everything that happened in the kitchen. He looks somewhat uneasy the more I talk, but somehow manages to keep a straight face as he tries to comfort me.

Rantaro: It’ll be okay. If it means anything, it doesn’t look like whoever stole the knife has done anything, right? Maybe… maybe they aren’t planning a murder.

Rantaro’s logic isn’t wrong, but my fear hasn’t subsided even as I stop shaking. Even if the knife stealer hasn’t done anything yet, there’s always the fact that they could . If not right now, maybe in a few minutes, a few hours, a few days if we don’t find out who did this.

Aika and Rantaro want to believe in this person for some reason, seemingly disregarding the fact we’re in a murder game. Am I the only one who’s freaked out by this!?

Edgar: We don’t know that though! They could be planning to murder you! Or me!!

Rantaro: …

He only frowns, hands in his pockets as he seemingly tries to come up with something else reassuring. It’s not going to work. Everybody seems so cavalier about this and I guess I’m in the wrong for being worried??

Frustrated, I decide to just head back to my room to stay there and climb into bed — I think I’ve had enough of talking to potential killers. Despite how comfortable the pillows are though, it feels like it takes forever to fall asleep.

Maybe it’s just the cold or maybe it’s because of the whirlwind of emotions I’d just faced today, but all I can do is wait to fall asleep.

It takes a long time.

Chapter Text

Ding dong bing bong!

Monokuma: [ear-piercingly loud] Ahem, attention everyone! Now that it’s 8 a.m., it’s time to seize the day and shed some blood! Happy killing~

…

…Ugh. How’d I sleep through that the first time? I’m still reeling from the noise even after a few minutes, but it’s annoyingly effective at its job as I stumble out of bed and into the bathroom to freshen up before leaving my room.

When I put my beanie on, I briefly wonder where my “Hope Supernova” pin is before I start to remember. That’s how sleepy I am — I almost forgot how I gave it to Sora before…

…never mind. Now’s not the time to linger on that. There’s no way anybody’s dead, it’s only been two days since Monokuma’s motive and the knife only got stolen yesterday. Maybe everyone is right! Maybe everyone will be fine!

I step out my door and, to my relief, don’t find any dead bodies. I breathe out a quick sigh before heading to the kitchen, which is surprisingly almost full; I think the only ones I don’t see here are Naoki, Minoru and Katsumi- wait, never mind, I think Minoru’s walking in right now.

Despite everybody being here though, it looks like Rantaro’s still cooking, though that isn’t the most surprising part to me — Kaoru of all people seems to be the one helping him out, though I really doubt he needs it.

Rantaro: [turns to pot] Hey, Kaoru, what are you doing?

Kaoru: [sprinkling in spices] This will give it more flavor! Why don’t you focus on what you were doing before?

Daichi: Millionaire fight! Millionaire fight!

Minoru: Daichi, don’t tease them. I thought you were a millionaire too anyways…

Tsuyoshi: Yeah, they’ve been at it for a while anyways, so it ain’t like it’s anything new.

Edgar: Really? [to Rantaro] Why are you two even working together at this point?

Rantaro: We’re almost done anyways, just wait for a few more minutes.

Kaoru: Besides, the knife disappeared under his watch yesterday. Since he clearly can’t be trusted to work alone, it only makes sense to him to pair up with someone. [squints] Goodness knows he’s already proved incompetent enough as is.

A flicker of anger crosses Rantaro’s features, but he quickly covers it up and just sighs, taking in a deep breath before he responds.

Rantaro: She’s… right. I should’ve been paying more attention.

Hifumi: You’re not even going to try defending yourself? Even if it’s technically your fault, you shouldn’t just let her talk down to you like that.

Rantaro: At least I managed to finish cooking. Breakfast is served.

As if on cue, both Katsumi and Naoki walk into the kitchen as he says that. While Katsumi seems none the worse for wear, even though her hoodie is a little rumpled, dark eyebags color the underside of Naoki’s eyes and he looks like he’s about to tip over.

Sora: Damn, did something happen last night, Naoki?

He doesn't respond, only shambling over to the table as he pours himself a cup of coffee. He looks like the living dead, what was he doing all night?

Wait a minute… he did say a nighttime curfew would be easy to implement, didn’t he?

That means he actually did it, didn’t he? And thank God for that. Naoki does look like he might tip over, so maybe this isn’t quite healthy for him to do, but at least now the knife thief can’t try anything. What are they gonna do — commit a murder in broad daylight?

Anyways, the kitchen seems just about cleared out now, the only ones remaining being Naoki, Rantaro and Hitomi. Rantaro seems to be cleaning the dishware, turning occasionally to make sure Naoki’s doing okay, and Hitomi…

…

Edgar: Are those pills ?

They're hard to see with her hand somewhat covering it, but I can make out a white pill in the cup of water she holds.

Hitomi: They’re testosterone blockers. For, well, you know …

She gestures vaguely at her headband in lieu of a verbal response.

Rantaro: Is that safe? We don't know if Monokuma could've replaced it with something dangerous.

Edgar: Wait, are you saying Monokuma replaced it with cyanide?

Hitomi: [alarmed] W-why is that the first thing your mind jumps to?!

Hitomi: [shakes head] That’s probably not the case anyways. These don’t look any different than they normally do — I think it’s even the same brand and everything…

Hitomi: I think Monokuma’s made accommodations for everyone who needs them. I went to Hifumi's room yesterday and I noticed she had a couple of EpiPens there.

Edgar: For what?

Hitomi: Her nut allergy. She told us a couple of days ago, but I don't think you stayed long enough to hear that.

I guess that makes sense. If she's talking about the day Monokuma announced the motive, then I do remember leaving pretty abruptly…

Speaking of leaving, it looks like Hitomi takes this as her cue, waving a quick goodbye before heading off to someone's room. With Naoki pretty much out for the count and Rantaro seemingly done washing, I guess I'll hang out with him.

Edgar: So… do you wanna talk?

Rantaro: I guess, but what are we gonna do with Naoki?

Good point. I slowly inch away from the kitchen and towards Rantaro's room, which he awkwardly does too after a few minutes. Taking a seat on top of his bed, I wait for him to come in so we can chat.

Rantaro: So is there any reason you wanted to talk? I've already gotten some questions about my talent, so if you're curious about that, I can explain.

Edgar: Um, not really. I wanted to ask about something else. You remember that guy Aika mentioned a while back, Kanemaru Amami?

Rantaro: [corrects] Kanemitsu , not Kanemaru.

Edgar: Who is he anyways?

Rantaro sighs, taking a moment to find the best way to word it. Is it really that touchy of a subject?

Rantaro: …Well, he’s my dad. Amami Corporation’s this big boating business — rentals, buying, lots of stuff — and he runs the company. It racked up a lot of money, especially from richer guys, so he naturally got pretty rich off it. That’s how I got into adventuring in the first place.

I guess that makes sense, but it still just raises more questions for me. Didn’t his profile say he’d “completely disconnected from the company”? Why would he do that if his dad’s basically a millionaire?

When I voice this out loud, Rantaro only stiffens, clearly uncomfortable. God, why do I keep pressing on shit like this?! Backtrack! Backtrack!!

Edgar: [quickly] Uh, we don’t really have to talk about that if you want! Maybe we can just chat about, like… shows! Or something!

He nods and I move over a little on the bed, making room for Rantaro to sit. When I do so, I feel something strange poking me, a little painfully. What the hell is that ?

Edgar: Hey, do you mind if I move these sheets a little? It kinda hurts for some reason…

Rantaro nods and tries to straighten them a little, taking my shot. In all honesty, I don’t notice much of a difference, but something must’ve changed since I don’t feel anything. We talk casually for a while more about our favorite shows, though the only ones Rantaro seems able to name are shows for little girls.

Guess he’s not into TV? I guess when you’re out as much as he is, you don’t get much leisure time.

Eventually, I start to get a little bored and leave, heading to the game room in search of something more entertaining. Surprisingly, despite how this place seems like the only real source of entertainment, it’s completely empty. Is everyone just talking with each other? I guess so.

I take out a random board game and decide to wait here because surely someone has to come eventually , right?

I wait for a good while, probably about thirty minutes, but my patience isn’t infinite and it really isn’t worth waiting this long for a stupid board game, so I prepare to leave when I notice a pair walking through the door.

Aika: Ready for round two? Gotta warn you, you won’t be winning easily~

Kokoro can’t help but smirk at that, though it comes off as more warm than condescending. I think it’s the first real smile I’ve seen coming from her.

As soon as I notice it, it seems to slip off her face as we make eye contact.

Kokoro: Oh… you.

Edgar: I can just go if you want! It’s not a big deal.

Honestly, I really don’t want to deal with these awkward stares any longer than I have to, but Aika must disagree because she’s quick to cut in.

Aika: Nah, it’s alright! That’s Monopoly you’re holding, right? I’ve never played, but I’m sure the three of us could have some fun with it!

Edgar: Alright, if you want…

I finally take the pieces out of the box and set up the game, explaining the game to the duo as I do so. Kokoro ends up dealing for us and the game’s a pretty boring one in all honesty, resulting in a landslide victory for me. Either I didn’t explain it well enough or they’re just not good at Monopoly. Despite Aika’s insistence on rematching me, she doesn’t seem as focused on the game this time as she was before.

She and Kokoro keep exchanging looks between the two of them, meaningful in a way I still can’t decipher. Every once in a while, the latter shoots me a glare as I try to regain their attention. Is this even about the game anymore?

Eventually, I work up the courage to ask.

Edgar: Do you guys… have a problem with me?

Aika: Hm?

Edgar: Like, I feel like I’m being left out of something and maybe you guys are mad at me?

Kokoro: [sarcastically] I wonder why…

Edgar: Uh, yeah, I am?? That's why I'm asking??

For her part, Aika seems just as confused as I am, but Kokoro's expression still remains accusatory, even sort of hateful. Seriously, what did I do ? Kokoro sighs as she begins to walk out.

Kokoro: I’m heading back. We can do this later, Ai-chan.

Aika: Sure then. Seeya…

Aika looks somewhat disappointed as Kokoro finally walks out, not sparing either of us a glance. Seriously, what is her problem…?

Well, since Aika is here, I guess I should try to ask her.

Edgar: Is something up with Kokoro? She’s been acting really strange today.

Aika: I’m… not really sure. She really only acts like this whenever you’re around, otherwise she’s pretty normal. Maybe she’s still mad about yesterday?

I almost ask what happened yesterday, but immediately realize how bad of an idea that is — I accused her of literal murder yesterday, I’d be surprised if she was anywhere near ready to talk about that. I didn’t expect Kokoro to be the one to take it to heart though.

Edgar: Yeah, but there’s clearly some reason she’s acting like this.

Aika: I wouldn’t think much of it. I’m all for forgiving and forgetting, but it doesn’t come as easy to Ko-chan. She’s just protective is all.

Forgive and forget, huh? I’m still not sure how much I trust that’s the case, but she doesn’t seem outwardly vengeful, which is… comforting, maybe. I couldn’t possibly imagine shrugging off what I accused of yesterday, but I guess Aika really is that forgiving.

Maybe I really was just paranoid.

Yeah! Just because Aika wasn’t as concerned as me doesn’t mean she took it! The knife thief’s probably just someone else then… someone like…

Well, I have an idea of who it could be, it couldn’t possibly be them, right?

Ugh, what did I just say about being paranoid?? If Aika can be so trusting and make it work, then I should be able to do the same! And starting right now, I’m going to start doing just that!

With as much confidence as I can muster, I stride out of the game room and into the garden where once again, I find Katsumi. Definitely not my ideal first choice, but I guess now that I’m here, I should at least try to talk to her. I try to wave to her and she looks back at me, a wry smile blooming on her face as she begins to look somewhat amused.

Katsumi: Hanging out with me now, huh? Didn’t think I’d still have fans after my little stunt yesterday.

Edgar: I guess… what does that mean, though?

Katsumi: [shrugs] I mean, Tsuyoshi’s gotten a little pissy now and Keisha doesn’t appreciate me “lowering morale”, but who really cares right? She’s acting like we’re in the middle of a war or something. Is it her talent or something?

Edgar: I mean, it could be. She caught onto the bunker thing pretty early too… maybe she’s the Ultimate Theorist?

Katsumi nods, more to acknowledge the theory than anything. Keisha’s talent is definitely one of those mysteries I don’t think we’re gonna get an answer for in a long time, especially since the only person (bear? whatever) who seems to even have a clue is refusing to give us any information on it.

At this rate, we might become the Ultimate Theorists with how this conversation is progressing. It’d certainly be a more interesting talent than “Ultimate Lucky Student”, even if I’m kind of reaching at this point…

Anyways, since I’ve got Katsumi here, now’s probably the best time to try and understand her. What would be a good question to ask?

I guess the first thing is why she’s like… that. There’s probably a more tactful way to word it though.

Edgar: …You’re pretty lax about this, right?

Katsumi raises an eyebrow, a little confused by the statement.

Edgar: Like, about the whole killing game. You stood up to Monokuma, you insulted it to its face, you aren’t panicking like anyone else here.

(Like me.)

Katsumi: And your point is?

Edgar: Just- how ?! How can you just go on and act like this and still think you’ll be okay?!

It comes out a lot angrier than I mean it to me, and I guess I am a little angry at her, but I also really want to know how she’s coping with this. I feel like I’m about to break out into tears every time I dwell on this damn game, but she apparently feels confident enough to piss off just about everybody in the MonoBunker.

“Please. I’ve dealt with people like Monokuma, and those kinds of people don’t care much about rules when it comes down to it. All they want is suffering .”

Something finally seems to click as a fragment of a memory floats to mind. Does Katsumi… know Monokuma?

Katsumi: No.

Edgar: What the- how did you even hear that?

Katsumi: You said that out loud. Don’t tell me you’re one of those people who narrates their thoughts out loud…

Katsumi: But if you’re really interested… let’s just say I’ve pissed off a lot of people before coming here.

Edgar: Really? I’m gonna be honest, I never heard of you before waking up here. Did you really anger that many people?

Katsumi: You don’t know the half of it. Tons of people got pissed off at me and Mato-kun when we made it big and needless to say, they got pretty sadistic with how they showed off their anger.

Edgar: Oh… are you guys okay?

Katsumi: [sardonically] I’m here now, aren’t I?

I nod halfheartedly, but she seems tuned out of the conversation now, looking idly at all the nature that surrounds us. My guess is that she’s probably trying to distract herself — whatever she’s trying to recall clearly wasn’t pretty, from what little she divulged.

Now I’m starting to feel like an asshole for asking about all this. Katsumi already seemed cagey about it when Monokuma appeared, what if I made it even worse?!

God, I just can’t win today, can I??

I head out of the garden and try to distract myself by finding another person to talk with. Unfortunately, everybody else either seems to be in the middle of a conversation already or in their rooms, leaving me stuck in the kitchen. Kaoru and Rantaro walk in after a while, surprisingly without any sort of argument breaking out, and get straight to cooking dinner.

I try to help out, but Rantaro reassures me I can just wait while he and Kaoru handle this… he’s probably right anyways. The two of them seem a lot more competent than I am and if one of them doesn’t even want me to help out, there isn’t much I can do.

…God, I really am useless, aren’t I?

Either way, I hear a lot less arguing this time as the two of them work together to whip up our next dinner, with the cooking going a lot smoother this time. Their banter kind of reminds me of those stereotypical couples or whatever I used to see on TV.

When they’re done cooking, they leave to gather everyone else for dinner and I’m left alone in the kitchen. I catch a glimpse of the knife rack from the corner of my eye, still missing one, and…

…

Hitomi: Oh! You’re already here, Edgar?

I don’t even realize Hitomi’s come until she’s standing right in front of me. Leaning casually against the wall, I try to play it cool. Looks like I’m not getting away with that anytime soon…

Edgar: Yeah. What are you doing here?

Hitomi: Rantaro asked me to come here for dinner. He didn’t tell you the same thing?

Edgar: Oh right…

And now it’s awkward again. At least the others are starting to join in, room slowly getting livelier as more people start to come in. It’s a little overwhelming having fifteen other people talking at the same time, but I can’t really complain with how homely it feels here; Daichi and Minoru are talking about some murder-mystery they played in the game room, Aika’s asking Rantaro about his family and Sora even manages to rope me into some debate he’s having with Naoki.

Even when we all dismiss and I’m alone in my room again, I feel a little lighter. I can’t quite call it happiness — maybe “optimism” is a better word. Even with everything that happened today, I still feel like I managed to befriend Aika and Rantaro. Maybe even Katsumi if we’re being generous?

If I can really find friends in a place like this, maybe everything really will turn out okay…

Yeah. I think tomorrow’s going to be just fine.

Chapter Text

Ding dong bing bong!

Monokuma: [ear-piercingly loud] Ahem, attention everyone! Now that it’s 8 a.m., it’s time to seize the day and shed some blood! And I think we’ll be seeing some bloodshed this time…

Even though I’m technically already awake by now, Monokuma’s words snap me into full awareness. What the hell does it mean it thinks it’ll be seeing some bloodshed? That can’t be good…

Monokuma: So report to the kitchen as soon as you can! I’ve got another beary special announcement to make~

Oh shit, it is so announcing another motive, isn’t it? If it’s anything like the one Monokuma released before, I genuinely don’t think I’ll be able to handle it, but I also sort of don’t want to die -

I wince as the thought comes to mind and try to take some deep breaths to unwind the knot in my chest. It’s probably going to be fine… nobody’s killed in three days, maybe this won’t even work. Maybe it’s not even a motive!

I repeat these affirmations to myself as I walk into the kitchen, finding about half the class gathered with taut faces. Even as people slowly start to wake up and walk in, the mood doesn’t get any lighter, despite some attempts.

Daichi: So… the weather, huh?

Tsuyoshi: [sighs] What the fuck are you even saying, this place doesn’t have any weather!

Daichi: Alright, geez! I talk a lot when I’m nervous, fuck off…

Keisha: We probably all have good reason to be nervous given Monokuma’s announcement. Maybe… should we all just leave? You don’t think it could kill us all with just its claws, right?

Sumire: Th-that doesn’t sound like a good idea.

Takashi: [stands up dramatically] Well, if it comes down to that, I’ll protect you guys!

Almost everyone just gives him a flat stare, the disbelief on our faces clear. The confident smirk he tries to keep up wilts a little at the negative attention, before melting into an uneasy line as he sits back down in his seat.

Katsumi: [nods] True.

Katsumi’s the last person to walk in, surveying us with dull eyes as she leans against the countertop.

Katsumi: So unless you feel like committing suicide via Monokuma, maybe don’t try to do that.

Minoru: Hey, don’t joke about that!

Hifumi: Does Katsumi look like she’s joking? She’s just heartless.

Hitomi: Guys, we really don’t have to be fighting like this!

???: Yeah, you’re taking away from my drama. Maybe I should make a rule for that too… but never mind that! Your lovable host has arrived!

I really shouldn’t be as surprised as I am, but I still jump back a bit when Monokuma appears, grinning as wide as always. Everybody seems to bristle as it approaches and I have to wonder just why it’s even doing this. Isn’t one motive enough??

Monokuma: Anyways, I’m sure you’re wondering what’s going on-

Hifumi: No, we aren’t.

Tsuyoshi: Yeah, this is just another stupid motive, isn’t it?

Monokuma: What? No… [mutters] Curse my predictability!

Minoru: What is it this time then? More amnesia? Secrets?? Poison?!?

Daichi: [hisses] Holy shit, dude, stop giving him ideas!

Monokuma: Hm, maybe next time. But today’s motive is actually a lot more tame — just a simple little deadline. You don’t even have to worry about it, really! Your little game of whodunnit’s been a lot more interesting anyways.

Rantaro: Hold on a second, why’re you just ignoring the motive? Is this some sort of trap?

Kokoro: Maybe it’s not “despairful” enough or whatever.

Monokuma: Well, you all sure want to get to killing, don’t you? I’m happy to oblige though, so here it is-

Monokuma: If I don’t see a body drop in the next twenty-four hours, there will be no graduating from the MonoBunker™!

You… you’ve gotta be kidding me.

This is what we don’t have to worry about?! It’s giving us a goddamn time limit to escape and it’s just brushing it off because of something else that isn’t even a motive?? It doesn’t even have the decency to leave gracefully, just giving us another stupid “upupu” before it waddles off.

…

Well, fine! Fine! This can be okay, right?

Everyone is starting to look pretty worried, but nobody really looks like they’re panicking, which I think is a good sign?

(Then again, nobody here looks like a knife thief either…)

Ugh, I really don’t want to be thinking about that now of all times, but I also don’t want to just sit here twiddling my thumbs until something happens. There is one idea I have, but now might not be the time to delve into that , so…

No use stressing out over this. I guess I’ll just try to talk with someone around here… someone like Rantaro, I guess — he is the only person left here, so I guess I don’t have much of a choice.

Rantaro: …

Edgar: …So… your family, huh?

Rantaro: [confused] What about them?

Edgar: I dunno, it was just really awkward sitting here in silence. But…

Edgar: …You didn’t really talk a lot about your family. What they did , yeah, but not a lot about them . Do you get what I’m trying to say here?

Rantaro: I do, it’s just a really long story. Not sure if you’d be interested.

Edgar: Why not? We have basically the rest of forever, don’t we?

Rantaro: [mutters] More like 24 hours…

Well, that’s… pessimistic. Not that he might not have a point there, it’s unfortunately starting to seem more and more plausible- but that’s irrelevant! We’re here for a casual talk and we can save that depressing train of thought for later!

I go up to Rantaro’s room and, while I wait for him to come in, decide to do a little snooping. It’s not going to be anything too big, just for peace of mind! Yeah! I push past the pang of regret I feel to check under the bed really quickly, though it doesn’t seem to have anything. Maybe his pillow…?

Hesitantly, I lift the pillow and my stomach drops as I see what lies underneath: a knife, the blade gleaming in the fluorescent light. I don’t get long to look at it though because I’m able to hear footsteps coming closer and- oh shit I need to hide this.

Rantaro: Hey, are you doing alright? You look a little-

Edgar: [stuffs hands in pockets] Yup!! Fine!! Just… need to use the bathroom!

I hastily paste a wide smile on my face as I dash out of his room and into mine, leaving Rantaro confused. It’s definitely a shitty excuse, but at least it gets me out of there!

I try not to dwell on the implications of Rantaro having this because between this and Monokuma’s new motive, I might just break down, and I really don’t want to know what that would mean while I’m holding onto this thing…

(Because the way things are going, murder might not be off the table.)

Pushing that morbid thought out of mind, I decide to distract myself by going to the game room. Maybe some board games will take my mind off of this? When I get there, there are already two people sitting down on the floor chatting with each other.

Daichi: Okay then, would you rather… have clown music play every time you speak or only ever be able to sing?

Minoru: [laughs nervously] Definitely the first one.

Daichi: That was quick!

Edgar: Are you guys playing “would you rather”?

Daichi: Yup! Would you rather join, or nah?

Edgar: …Yeah?

Daichi: Okay, I’ll admit that was not my best work. Um, would you rather never be able to run again or never be able to fly again?

Minoru: Well, I’ve never even been on a plane, so probably the second one.

Edgar: Ditto.

Daichi: Really? I kinda assumed you still had family in America or something. Wouldn’t you miss visiting them or whatever?

Edgar: Not really. I don’t really know where my grandparents are now, and my dad…

…

Edgar: …Well, that’s not important! Who’s next?

We start to settle into a routine after that, each of us managing to come up with a question that somehow feels even more absurd than the last. Between Daichi’s wide grins and Minoru’s quiet smiles, it feels like we’re all really enjoying this.

I guess it makes sense. Daichi doesn’t really seem to be that serious of a person anyways, and Minoru seems to be happy to go along with his plans, so it clicks they wouldn’t be too concerned about the motive right now.

Minoru: Okay, Daichi — would you rather lose all your money or never be able to make any more than you have now?

Edgar: …But he’s rich.

Daichi: I think it’s still a pretty valid question — budgeting is super hard for me. That being said, still totally taking the second option.

Minoru: Ah…

Edgar: How did you even make that much money anyways? I know Rantaro has his dad’s company and I think Kaoru made hers from scratch, but what about you?

Daichi: Oh, nothing really impressive, just family inheritance.

Minoru: Your parents must be really nice people if they gave you that much money then! Did they help you set up MiraiBrite too, or was that just you.

Daichi: Just me. Yeah, my parents are…

His voice trails off as he lowers his head, voice tinged with sadness as he struggles to finish his sentence. Eventually, he just gives up and shrugs, making me wince with guilt as I subtly inch closer to the door. I definitely fucked that up, but in my defense, how was I supposed to know his parents were dead??

Or at least, that’s what I’m assuming…

Either way, it gives me a bad taste in my stomach to be thinking about Daichi like this; after all, this probably feels super personal to him or something. My head stays downcast as I walk into the hallway and I don’t even realize I’ve bumped into Sora until it’s too late.

Edgar: Ouch— oh shit, sorry!

Sora: No worries, you’re just the person I wanted to do this with!

I feel his hand shake a little as he takes mine and drags me over to the other side of the hallway, a shaky smile pasted on his face as he explains.

Sora: Let’s race!

Well, that wasn’t exactly a request I was expecting, especially with how nervous he looks.

Edgar: O…kay? I’m not really the most athletic person though. Why didn’t you ask Tsuyoshi or something?

Sora: [shrugs] I just wanted to do it with you, I guess. Let’s do this!

Before I can even get into position to try and run, Sora’s already at least halfway down the hall. By the time I’ve taken a few steps forward, he’s already making his way back. If I had any doubts about his talent before — not that I did have any of those, of course — I sure as hell didn’t have them anymore.

Despite this obvious disparity in skill, he still encourages me to go for another round, which I for some reason end up doing — I obviously lose that one. He does it again, I lose again. I’m already drenched with sweat by our tenth run despite how Sora seems none the worse for wear, and despite my attempts to keep up with him, I eventually don’t have it in me to continue.

Edgar: [pants] Holy shit… can we take a break now?

Sora: We’re only on lap forty-two, we can keep going!

Edgar: Forty-two?! Are you listening to yourself, Sora — I can’t keep this up for that long, I barely. managed that forty-two as is!

Edgar: [sighs] Seriously, why are we even doing this?

Sora: Well, aren’t you worried about the motive? This is how we can let out some steam, right?

I guess the idea makes sense to me, but seeing how Sora’s struggling to keep that smile on his face, it’s painfully obvious how much he’s trying to project on me. Or well… for now I’m fine, but-

But this isn’t about me! This is about Sora, so I should probably try to lift his mood… somehow.

Edgar: Maybe, but there’s still a chance that nobody will… y’know, kill , right?

His smile cracks as I say that

Sora: What about that knife thief? We don’t even have a day to find them and they’re still out there.

Sora: I dunno, I just… [quieter] I just really want to be out of here already, you know?

His legs bounce nervously as he slumps against the wall, head downturned and more tired than I’d ever seen him before. Jeez, and I thought I was taking this badly… Sora really does seem worried about this.

(Maybe worried enough to kill.)

…

He wouldn’t do that, would he?

(Not if I get him first. )

… …

Edgar: [mutters] I’ll see you later, I guess.

I don’t spare him another glance as I head back to my room, immediately collapsing on my bed from the sheer tiredness I feel. The day hasn’t even ended yet and I already feel tempted to just shut my eyes and go to sleep; unfortunately, though I try to shut my eyes, my limbs still have a dull ache to them and my stomach feels just empty enough that trying to sleep feels like a futile task. I groan in annoyance, standing up from the bed to head over to the kitchen and grab something quick to eat.

Conveniently, I seem to make it there just in time to see Rantaro and Kaoru finish, Katsumi lazily surveying them from nearby.

Katsumi: Well, whaddya know? Two people already here and we didn’t even have to call anyone. Maybe we just shouldn’t at this rate.

Kaoru: Given how incompetent some among our number seem, I’d rather not risk it. [scoffs] Rantaro, get them.

Edgar: [rolls eyes] And you? If you guys have already done so much together, you can manage this too.

Kaoru: [scowls] If you’re so insistent on helping then, I’m sure you’d be glad to assist too.

Katsumi: Well, as the oldest person here, I think we should all listen to me-

Edgar: Wait, you’re the oldest?!

Rantaro: [nods] She’s nineteen. Apparently, so are Daichi and Naoki.

Katsumi: Yup. As our resident senior, everybody younger than me has to go out and get people. Chop chop, the tonkatsu’s getting cold.

I’m tempted to roll my eyes, but somehow Katsumi’s urging annoys Kaoru into cooperating as she follows us around, helping to gather the group into the kitchen. With how paranoid some of us seem — Sumire, for instance, takes almost five minutes to coax out of her room — it feels like it takes inordinately long to get everyone together today. It makes sense what with the motive and all, but it's still frustrating.

Eventually though, we somehow manage to get everyone to the kitchen. The tonkatsu's long since gone cold and the salad alongside it has a strange savory taste that wasn't there yesterday, off almost in the same way everything today had felt.

Hifumi: …

Hitomi: Hifumi, are you okay? You seem a little…

Hifumi tries to respond, but all that comes out are short and labored breaths, face flushed red as she struggles to get even a single word out.

Takashi: Hey, what the hell is going on?! Hifumi-sama, are you okay?!

Rantaro: I think… I think she’s having an allergic reaction!

My whole body stiffens at the exclamation. Don’t… don’t allergies kill people if they aren’t treated soon enough?! My mind immediately flashes back to what I told Sora only a few short moments ago and I almost regret trying to get his hopes up if something like this was going to happen. I can only watch as Hifumi convulses in front of me, frozen in fear as I belatedly realize I’m about to watch someone die right in front of me for the first time.

(No, that’s wrong…)

As we all watch in horror, a voice cuts through our silent panic:

Keisha: Does anyone have some sort of medication to help her?!

Her face is almost like steel, though the deep furrowing of her brows and wide eyes betray the calm image she’s trying to portray. However, it seemingly get someone’s gears turning, as I hear someone else gasp loudly at some sort of realization.

Hitomi: T-that’s right! She has EpiPens in her room!

Belatedly, I remember how she’d told me this yesterday and cringe at not coming to this conclusion sooner. Naoki wastes no time in using this information, picking up Hifumi like she weighs nothing as he dashes off with Hitomi and Keisha to Hifumi’s room.

And I just feel sick because all I can do is watch, can’t even say anything after I almost watched Hifumi die, can’t even say anything as I practically almost killed her by not saying anything-

Tsuyoshi: [cracks knuckles; darkly] All right then, which one of ya are gonna fess up to this?

Sumire: O-one of us i-is a c-c… criminal!

Daichi: But Hifumi isn’t dead, right? Like, those guys left and everything.

Katsumi: [mutters] You can’t be serious. [normal volume] Attempted murder is still a crime, dumbass.

Keisha sighs and silently gets up and I decide to follow her since this conversation is getting to be a bit… much. The two of us end up in front of Hifumi’s room, where Hitomi and Naoki are concernedly looking at Hifumi, who seems to be doing… better, I think?

Naoki: Hitomi, I really can’t thank you enough for what you’ve done today.

Hitomi: Ah, it’s alright! It really wasn’t hard to use, but…

Hifumi: [soft] …But that was the only EpiPen.

Hitomi: …

Naoki: That is true, but even so, I will do my best to protect you.

Hitomi: Yeah! Maybe now that this failed, whoever did this won’t try again!

A grim expression is set on Hifumi’s face as the other two try their best to comfort her, despite the fact that whoever’s behind this could strike again, could do the exact same thing and she’d die and we wouldn’t even know who did it and-

Keisha: Edgar, are you okay?

Edgar: …

Keisha: Maybe we should get some sleep. Just… promise me you won’t do anything rash.

I nod and head back to my room, though it feels like she’s still staring at me until I close the door. I lock the door behind me and double-check to make sure I’ve done it correctly.

Despite having a full stomach, sleep doesn’t come easier than it did before and I lay awake in bed for what feels like a long time. Counting sheep, controlled breathing, mantras — none of it works. The only thing I can do is stare at the ceiling and hope futilely that everything turns out fine.

And as a creaking noise shatters the silence of the night, I finally succumb to my tiredness and shut my eyes…

“Sorry, you got into what again?”

“███████████! Can you believe that?? They even contacted me personally to let me know!”

“Eddie, you know I don’t keep up with J-dramas anymore.”

“It’s not a J-drama, it’s so much more than that! Frieda, you’re going to see me on the big screen — Japan’s most popular TV show, and I’ll be the protagonist!”

“That big, huh…? All right then, I’ll support my little bro any day.”

“Exactly! Now let’s get you up to speed on this…”

The next morning, I wake up with a throbbing headache and the faint scent of iron nearby. I can’t remember what I was dreaming about, but it feels familiar. This isn’t even the first dream I’ve forgotten, isn’t it? Though unlike before, it hurts to even think of remembering this time, with every attempt sending pain like an icepick through the brain.

I stare at the mirror and try to shake off the feeling that something’s about to go horribly wrong. It won’t! Everything’s going to be fine!!

(It won’t.)

I give myself a wide smile in the mirror and try to hype myself up to open the door. It’s just a door. I’ve already burnt one bridge because of my paranoia, I shouldn’t risk burning any more. And if we’re going to beat this game, we need to trust each other to do it, right?

Eventually, I work up the nerve to open the door and I almost immediately regret it as that metallic stench grows stronger, almost making me double over. Distantly, I remember that blood is supposed to have a metallic smell to it and my stomach drops as I remember the rules, Monokuma, the motive-

I’m not sure why but I run into the kitchen, and the sight I see there is distressing: chairs knocked over alongside an off-kilter table and despite the lack of a body, small brown stains of dried blood dot the kitchen floor. Even worse is what I notice too late when I look up — there are only four knives in the knife rack.

There’s another knife missing.

Even with Rantaro missing his knife, even with the failed attempt last night, someone still fucking tried to commit murder .

(And from the looks of it, they got away with it too.)

Looking back at the hallway, I finally notice Rantaro and Kaoru in front of one of the doors and despite my better judgement, approach them. Both their faces are pale, and yet for some reason, something draws me closer. The stench of iron is stronger than ever and I can barely register Rantaro warning me to look away, but my entire body freezes at the sight ahead of me.

I should’ve expected this. Maybe I even did, maybe what I’m regretting is daring to hold onto hope in the first place, maybe then I wouldn’t feel so horrified and shocked and guilty at the sight of the boy— no, corpse , in front of me. There’s an expanse of blue, but my eyes are drawn to the ugly red leaking from his shirt, seeping into his suit and the blanket beneath.

And I can only do one thing faced with the sight of Naoki Yazawa’s corpse:

I scream.

Chapter Text

It’s said that when animals are faced with danger, when there’s barely seconds to make a decision and your life is on the line, that’s when your fight-or-flight response kicks in. Fight, flight, freeze — a simple solution for an impossible situation. Even after years of adventuring and knowing the full rules of this game, I didn’t think anything would be able to surprise me, but I still freeze at the sight in front of me.

Kaoru doesn’t move an inch either and when Edgar comes and sees the corpse lying front of us, an ear-piercing scream escapes his throat before he runs away. A familiar chime plays and I do a double take. I’m sure that’s the morning bell, but what reason would Monokuma have to play it again?

Monokuma: Ahem — attention everyone! A body has finally been discovered… upupu, how exciting, am I right?

Monokuma: Anyways, everybody please gather at Naoki’s room to begin the investigation!

…So this is really happening, huh? Not that I ever really doubted it, but I guess it really was too much to hope for that maybe this could be a dream.

I flinch at the sudden noise that erupts around me, a cavalcade of footsteps and a hallway that feels too crowded as an explosion of screams bursts around me.

Takashi: Hey, what’s going on?!

Sumire: [sniffling] S-someone’s… N-Naoki’s …!

Sumire’s barely able to stop herself from breaking out into tears, and I wince at the sorry sight. I want to comfort her, but it feels wrong to try and intrude on such a personal moment, not to even mention the fact that anyone — including her — could be the culprit. Even with all this crying, even though she reminds me so much of her … I need to keep an open mind.

Hitomi: This is… this is horrible !

Monokuma: [suddenly appears] That’s right — horribly boring !!

Rantaro: What do you think you’re doing here?

Monokuma: Can’t a host help his guests out? The real world’s just such a despairingly cruel place, I thought that maybe I’d be generous and lend a paw!

Kaoru: Unfortunately, your presence is unnecessary and unwanted. Don’t let the door hit you on your way out.

Her eyes narrow as she says that, trying to sound as cold as possible. Maybe it’s just because of how much time we’ve spent together so far, or maybe it’s just the obvious conclusion to draw, but she doesn’t seem quite as confident as she’s trying to be. I can hear a nervous twang to her voice that I’m sure was never there before.

It could be because of this situation, but part of me can’t help but wonder if she’s only trying to prevent us from finding any clues on purpose. Could Kaoru really be the culprit?

Katsumi: Hold on, let’s hear what it has to say first.

Tsuyoshi: Don’t forget she didn’t even flinch at either motive. [scoffs] Wouldn’t be surprised if she just did this for the kicks.

Daichi: Uh, weren’t you literally the person who almost broke Monokuma our first day here? Why are you suddenly on its side?

Monokuma: Hey now! Let’s wrap this discussion up and save it for the trial. I haven’t even got to show off my nifty gift yet…

Daichi: [mutters] All right then, go off, I guess…

Monokuma: Now that that’s taken care of, can everybody please take out their Monopαds?

I rummage through my pockets for a moment and take out the tablet, noticing some kind of notification when I turn it on. I tap on it and the display shifts, a list and several pictures of Naoki’s corpse filling my screen.

Aika: Hey, what is this?

Kokoro: Some kind of autopsy report, I think. The cause of death’s listed right here, see?

Aika leans in to see what Kokoro’s pointing at and nods. I quickly skim the text listed — cause of death, time of death, all of this has something to do with the murder.

Monokuma: Say hello to your “Monokuma Files”! Since I know most of you aren’t very experienced with crime-solving, your lovely host decided to compile some facts about the crime to throw you a bone. No need to say thank you! Now, get to work — you don’t want to run out of time~

Before anybody can retort, a panel in the floor slides open and Monokuma disappears into it, leaving the rest of us alone with our thoughts and suspicions.

Aika: So… what are we supposed to do now?

Minoru: Yeah, none of us know what we’re doing and the person who could lead the trials is dead now.

Daichi: H-hey, our odds aren’t that bad! Don’t worry, Minoru, I’m not letting you die today because some asshole couldn’t wait to go home.

Minoru: Thanks…

Daichi: Um, we can leave if this is getting to you.

Minoru just nods, that anxious furrow in their brows never leaving as he scurries out of the room with Daichi.

Some of the others are quick to follow, probably not wanting to be in the room with the corpse for any longer than they had to. Soon enough, it’s only me, Katsumi, Keisha, Tsuyoshi, Aika and Kokoro who remain in the room.

It’s almost dead silent when somebody finally speaks up.

Keisha: We need to start investigating.

An obvious statement, yet something about the way she says it is enough to snap everyone out of their despairing stupor, at least for long enough to respond.

Tsuyoshi: Yeah, and how the fuck are we supposed to do that?

Aika: Yeah, this is super overwhelming…

Katsumi: Open the file or something, I don’t care. She has a point though — we can’t afford to waste time when we’re on a time limit… again .

I look down at my own Monokuma File and decide to read it in-depth this time:

MONOKUMA FILE #01

The victim was Naoki Yazawa, the Ultimate Lawmaker, who was discovered in his dorm room.

The time of death is estimated to be around 11:10 PM, and the cause of death was exsanguination, resulting in a slow death. Additionally, the victim sustained lacerations to the hands and a dislocated shoulder.

The information, while helpful, definitely isn’t enough to find the culprit. I sigh deeply, feeling a mix of annoyance and alarm. Naoki got both cuts on his hands and a dislocated shoulder? What would even be the point of the latter if the culprit could just stab him? Given how unstable the group already is, I feel like it’d be best to save that discussion for later, but I still can’t help but scowl at this culprit’s cruelty.

「 TRUTH BULLET OBTAINED: Monokuma File #01 」

Keisha: If we’re going to finish this investigation in time, it might be best for us to split up and cover as much ground as possible.

Tsuyoshi: But we’re already here, why would we split up?

Katsumi: [rolls eyes] There could be evidence in other rooms.

Kokoro: Yeah, but shouldn’t we focus on finishing this one first? I mean, there’s a huge thing we haven’t even discussed yet.

She tucks her Monopad into her pocket as she points to the wall in front of us, thin red strokes painting a simple phrase on it in hiragana: “ごめん” — “Sorry”.

Rantaro: Definitely important… was the culprit trying to say something to us?

Tsuyoshi: Tch, apologizing for killing someone? Sounds pretty tasteless to do with your victim’s blood.

Katsumi: Killing’s a pretty tasteless thing to do anyways. At that rate, why not go all the way with it?

Tsuyoshi: [scowls] You can fuck off if you’re just gonna act like that.

Even despite Tsuyoshi’s words, I can’t help but wonder what it’s supposed to mean. Was this message really meant for us? Is the culprit apologizing for the murder or something else? In the end, the only thing I can really do is take note of it and move on.

「 TRUTH BULLET OBTAINED: Message in Blood 」

…Of course, the question is now “move on to where”? There really isn’t all that much in this room, besides some copies of Naoki’s clothes that hang on an adjacent wall as well as the door to his personal bathroom, pretty much the same thing in any other bedroom here.

I decide to check out the bathroom, Katsumi and Tsuyoshi trailing behind me as I do so. Inside, the bathroom is almost as pristine as I expected, though the smell of blood still lingers in the room for some reason. Could that possibly be the murder weapon? It wasn't in the bedroom, so I guess there's a possibility.

When I voice my theory out loud, Tsuyoshi nods and approaches the mirror, grasping it on its sides as he strains to do… something, I guess?

Rantaro: …What are you doing?

Tsuyoshi: Opening this damn mirror… ngh, if the culprit’s hiding something, it's probably in there!

Rantaro: Does it even open like that??

Tsuyoshi takes a second to check, before reddening as he realizes his mistake. Katsumi only smirks at the exchange.

Katsumi: Or maybe it's hiding in plain sight. Look down.

Tsuyoshi: Huh? [looks down] Oh. Oh! Why didn't ya point this out sooner?

Katsumi: Your idea was worth checking out. Too bad it didn't pan out, I guess.

Rantaro: Hold on there. If you found evidence, you need to share it with everyone.

In response, Katsumi yanks said evidence out from under Tsuyoshi and presents it to me: a white shower towel, still slightly damp and stained almost pink with blood, before dropping it unceremoniously in my hands. I cringe, wondering briefly how exactly this was used, before letting go of it and deciding that can wait for the trial.

「 TRUTH BULLET OBTAINED: Bloody Towel 」

Besides that, it doesn’t seem like there’s much evidence to be found there. We regroup in the bedroom and report what little findings we discovered to the others. Obviously, no one’s really all that happy about what little we’ve discovered.

Keisha: [sighs] We need to spread out.

Keisha: Aika and Kokoro, you two can investigate the game room. I’ll take the kitchen with Rantaro. Everybody else, investigate the dorms and make sure nobody’s hiding anything in there.

Almost everybody nods and I can’t help but stare at Keisha, wondering just how she was able to take charge so quickly. Come to think of it, she’s the one that suggested splitting up in the first place, wasn’t she? Why exactly are we letting her lead the investigation? And of all people, why did she choose to accompany me?

I don’t voice any of this out loud. She already got annoyed enough with my questions when we first met and, on the off-chance that she’s really the culprit, I don’t want her to know I’m catching onto her.

Either way, we end up walking to the kitchen together, where Daichi seems to be conducting his own investigation with Hitomi and Minoru… as much as gossiping about the murder can be considered “investigating”.

Hitomi: …And if we’re going with people who have a lot going on outside, I guess Kaoru could count too.

Daichi: Exactly! She was even here before too! It matches up — right, Minoru?

Minoru: Um, I guess, but… I dunno, something doesn’t feel right about it.

Hitomi: I think I get what you mean. I really don’t want to think one of us is capable of that, even with Monokuma’s words.

Minoru: Well, I didn’t exactly mean that… [rushed] Not that that isn’t also bad, of course it is, but I just don’t think Kaoru did it.

Daichi: It’s alright. I’m always on your side.

Daichi gives Minoru a wide smile and Minoru can’t help but smile back, however small it is. They sure trust each other a lot, huh… or at least, Daichi does. Despite it obviously being meant to be a comforting gesture, I just can’t understand why he’s being so trusting of Minoru.

Regardless, they do seem to be going somewhere with this conversation of theirs. The person who stands to gain the most from committing murder is someone whose life outside this place is important to them; of course, I’m sure all of us fit this somewhat, but they might be onto something with this line of thought.

「 TRUTH BULLET OBTAINED: Motive 」

「 TRUTH BULLET OBTAINED: Hitomi’s Theory 」

Anyways, that isn’t the only evidence in the room — obviously, there’s the state of it. Some of the chairs have been knocked over and the table’s misaligned, an observation I’d already made when I walked in here the first time with Kaoru. It was a clear sign that something was wrong, a clear sign that I’d already failed.

My head hangs low as I think of it, the image of Naoki’s corpse still fresh in my mind. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to forget it. Even with everything I’d seen during my travels, I don’t think I’ve ever had to see the dead body of someone I knew — someone I could, tentatively, call a friend.

And now we’re back at square zero. If it wasn’t made clear before, this murder has definitely proved that nobody here should be trusted completely. The thought itself was enough to make me angry, but I had to stay focused.

「 TRUTH BULLET OBTAINED: Kitchen in Disarray 」

Keisha: Are you okay? You look like you might need help.

Rantaro: [instantly] Nope. Really, I’m doing alright.

Keisha only raises an eyebrow, clearly not believing me. I want to shift the conversation back to the investigation, but before I can do so, she stands a little taller to reach my height as she lowers her voice.

Keisha: [whispers] You remember that the punishment is death, right? For “losing” the class trial.

I nod, not quite sure of where she’s trying to go with this.

Keisha: Rantaro… is there anybody out there who’s waiting for you?

Oh, so that’s what she’s thinking. I guess the distrust is mutual, despite how much sense it might make on both our ends. I narrow my eyes at her as I stare right at her to respond:

Rantaro: What about you then? Don’t you have family on the outside?

Keisha: …

Rantaro: Someone that might know your talent maybe?

Keisha: …Let’s focus on the investigation.

I thought as much.

Anyways, looking at the kitchen itself, there still isn’t much to take note of. A small spot of dried blood stains the floor where one of the chairs should be standing. I can't imagine why there's blood here when the crime scene is clearly his room — did the culprit have something to do here afterwards?

「 TRUTH BULLET OBTAINED: Dry Bloodstain 」

But of course, there's probably the most concerning thing about this place — or rather, what it's missing — another knife is missing from the rack. Briefly, my mind flashes back to a few days prior, to the chaos just one of these going missing had caused, and frown.

Rantaro: There’s another knife missing.

Daichi: Well yeah, how else were they supposed to kill Naoki?

Minoru: With the knife they took yesterday… um, unless that wasn’t them.

Keisha: In which case we’re dealing with two murderers. Fantastic.

What little levity there was before is utterly destroyed by the statement as Minoru eyes us all warily, Hitomi only shifting nervously as I awkwardly stay silent. It definitely wouldn’t be wise to admit I had taken the first one — in fact, a move like that would probably be a death sentence.

Still, if it comes down to that… best to have a bad reputation and stay alive rather than die innocent in their eyes.

「 TRUTH BULLET OBTAINED: Knife Rack 」

「 TRUTH BULLET OBTAINED: Rantaro’s Testimony 」

Either way, that seems to be all the evidence in the kitchen, so I leave as soon as I make note of everything. Unsure of where exactly to go next, I remember that Aika’s supposed to be in the game room with Kokoro and decide to head there to see if they’ve found anything.

It looks like a lot of the class has gathered here actually — Aika’s doing to best to comfort Sumire, Kokoro and Edgar are awkwardly avoiding each other for some reason, and Takashi tries to distract himself with some idle talking with Sora.

Rantaro: [taps on Aika’s shoulder] Hey, have you found anything yet?

Aika: Oh- huh?

Rantaro: The investigation. What did you find?

Aika: Uh, nothing… sorry! It’s just that everybody looked so stressed, I wanted to help them out somehow!

Kokoro: You don’t have to apologize, Ai-chan. There are so many people working on the investigation anyways, it’s alright to take a break.

I’m tempted to remind them that we could all end up dying if we don’t investigate enough, but given the state of some of the others here, that might not be the best thing to say. Instead, I decide to turn my attention to the others.

Rantaro: Are you guys doing okay?

Sumire: [shakes head] N-no, th-this is all t-too stressful.

She still shakes with anxiety and I’m reminded of my youngest sister Kasumi, the way she used to tremble at practically anything that didn’t come from their quaint little mansion, the way she disappeared at sea one day just like the rest of them -

Stop. Calm down. This isn’t about you, Rantaro.

Despite the reservations I still have, I take off my parka and wrap it around Sumire, staring straight at her as her breath stops hitching. The gesture seems to be enough to make her freeze up, though not in fear as she leans into the warmth of the coat.

Rantaro: Listen. I know this all looks uncertain right now, but…

I hesitate to say what I end up saying next. All the promises in the world won’t stop one of these people from trying to kill us if they feel desperate enough, but looking at her, I see pine-green eyes and choppy lime hair and I know I can’t let her down again.

Rantaro: I’ll protect you. [smiles slightly] All right?

Sumire nods, clinging onto the jacket and I can’t help but smile, though it quickly disappears as I remember that there is still an investigation I have to complete. And if we’re speaking about suspects, there’s definitely one here I should talk to…

Rantaro: Edgar, you got anything to say?

He doesn’t look quite as scared as he did when he discovered Naoki’s body, but he still gulps as he tries to put together the right thing to say.

Edgar: No, I’m not cut out for this- I can’t do shit!

Rantaro: Hey, calm down. Why don’t we just start with something simple — maybe you’ve heard something useful? Seen something related to the crime?

Whatever despair Edgar had fallen into seems to be broken briefly by that last question as he looks up to survey my expression, a mix of confusion and fear shining through his face. It’s clear that he knows something, although that had already been made painfully clear to me a while ago — the question now is whether or not he’s done what I think he’s done.

Edgar: …

Edgar: Last night… I think I heard someone open their door before I fell asleep. It was pretty late, and I don’t remember the time, but-

Takashi: Wait, what?! Who did it?

Edgar: [defensive] I don’t know!

Sora: Do you have any idea who it could’ve been though?

Takashi: Yeah, I won’t just let you endanger Keisha-sama and the others like that!

Aika: Um, it doesn’t sound like he’s doing it on purpose though. Shouldn’t we, like, try to believe in each other?

It’s a pretty optimistic outlook, but I suppose Aika isn’t exactly wrong here. There’s no reason to doubt Edgar’s testimony yet, suspicious it may be to me. I’ll just have to find out whatever he’s hiding during the trial then.

「 TRUTH BULLET OBTAINED: Edgar’s Testimony 」

As I leave the game room, I try to think of what else I can find before Monokuma calls off the investigation. I’ve already looked at the crime scene enough and while the kitchen seems to be involved in some way, it doesn’t look like there’s much else to find there either.

I guess I did get that testimony from Edgar, but who’s even left to try and get information from at this rate? I flick through the profiles in the Monopad to try and jog my memory and pause at the person listed after Naoki, wondering just how I could’ve overlooked somebody so important.

After all, she was the one who’d almost died yesterday.

I knock on Hifumi’s door and it doesn’t take long for her to respond, eyes set in bags almost as deep as Naoki’s.

Hifumi: [exasperated] What is it?

Rantaro: Sorry to bother you, I just wanted to ask some questions for the trial.

She only sighs as she steps out, leaning on the doorframe as she smooths out her rumpled skirt.

Rantaro: All right then. Do you remember anything that happened last night that could’ve been related to all this?

Hifumi: You mean besides my allergy almost killing me?

Rantaro: …

Hifumi: Well, not much. After Hitomi worked everything out, I couldn’t get a wink of sleep because I was just basically lying bedridden that entire night.

She spits the words out with contempt, more fired up than pretty much any other time I’d ever seen her. It does make sense though — I know I’d want to find out who did this to me if I were her.

Still, that definitely sounds important. I’m not sure how, but something tells me this will be important.

「 TRUTH BULLET OBTAINED: Hifumi’s Allergy 」

「 TRUTH BULLET OBTAINED: Hifumi’s Testimony 」

I want to ask her more questions, but a loud chime interrupts me and a familiar hateable voice echoes through the halls.

Monokuma: [over intercom] Ahem- attention, everyone! Your investigation is officially over!

Tsuyoshi: [from nearby] The hell?? We haven’t finished yet!

Hifumi: Shit, maybe we can stay a little longer here?

Monokuma: Upupu, while your despair is certainly entertaining, it’s already been so des bear fully long for me! Head on over the elevator so we can get this class trial underway!

Monokuma: And if you don’t… well, don’t say I didn’t warn you~

The click of the intercom turning off is followed by a deafening silence, Hifumi not responding in the slightest so I’m seemingly left alone with my thoughts. Do we really have enough evidence to condemn someone here? Should we even be going along with Monokuma’s demands?

Even as I go through all this in my head, I already know the answer: Monokuma would never let us rebel against it like that.

Rantaro: Hifumi, I don’t think we have a choice here.

Hifumi sighs, but eventually she nods resignedly and gets up to walk with me to the elevator. It takes a while for everybody to gather, but eventually they do. It almost reminds me of the first day we woke up here, when we all went into the garden together.

Everybody… including Naoki.

I can’t say I knew him all that well, but that doesn’t mean I can let his killer get away with this either. No matter who’s responsible for this. no matter what happened here, I need to uncover the truth.

(Even if it’s Sumire?)

…

(I’ve let enough people down anyways today.)

The doors to the elevator swing open, revealing a spacious interior dimly lit with only a lightbulb. Most of the others seem hesitant to get moving, whether it’s because of Monokuma’s words or the sudden situation we’ve all been thrust into or because one of them is a killer-

Well, there is one person in the elevator:

Katsumi: What are you guys waiting for? We don’t have all day.

She stares expectantly at us, black eyes boring into my own, and it looks like I’ll have to be the one to take charge again.

Rantaro: …Yeah, that’s right. C’mon guys, let’s get going.

I step into the elevator and hear footsteps behind me as the room quickly fills up, door quickly slamming shut as the last person walks in. The elevator groans before it finally begins to descend, the sudden movement almost causing Edgar to fall down. Edgar… he’d been such a loud personality these past few days, for better or the worse, but he’s barely said a word since finding Naoki’s body without being prompted. Just what was going on with him?

For that matter, what’s going through any of their heads? How can the culprit just be standing among us here, pretending that they haven’t taken a life and left Naoki to bleed? Do they even regret it at all?

In that moment, it occurs to me that the answers to these questions might just be more heartless, more despairful, than I might be able to handle.

…

Well, even if they are, it’s too late to go back.

All I can do now is move forward, no matter what that means.

My life for a life is about as fair as a life for fourteen — which is to say, not at all.

But to put it bluntly: that’s simply how the game works. I never wanted to play this, I’m sure none of us did, but I’m also sure of one other thing:

I will not lose this game. No matter what.

Chapter Text

When the elevator stops, it feels like an earthquake passes through it, turbulence almost knocking me off my feet as the doors finally creak open. The air is thick with anxiety, but somehow we manage to work up the courage to finally get out of the elevator and into the place we’ll have to condemn one of us.

Outside of it lies a vast space, pitch-black with red spotlights brightening the room and two imposing sets of metal double doors embedded into the walls.

Hitomi: What… is this place?

Katsumi: The courtroom, I’m guessing.

Tsuyoshi: How the fuck does this look anything like a courtroom?

Daichi: Well, if you squint a little-

Monokuma: [appears suddenly] A-hem! How about we cut the chit-chat and get in our seats, hm? What, don’t tell me you’re trying to avoid the trial.

Minoru: Take our seats… where? There’s no chairs.

Sora: Now that you mention it, this place is practically empty.

Monokuma: Oh right! I got so unbearably bored watching you all scramble to try and solve Yazawa’s murder, I forgot all about this place! Silly me~

Tsuyoshi: [sneers] Now who’s the lazy one?

As he says this, I hear a loud whirring noise as panels slide open from the floor away from us, lifting up a circle of podiums from some unknown place. Just outside the circle, a luxurious red throne rises and Monokuma promptly plops itself down on it.

Monokuma: Upupu, well it doesn’t take long to fix your mistakes with machines like mine! Ah, the wonders of technology…

Katsumi: [rolls eyes] I imagine investigating a lot easier when you have security cameras to record everything you’d need to know.

Monokuma: [sweats somehow] Well… um…

Sumire: S-s- security cameras?! H-has it really b-been watching this e-entire time??

Katsumi: [annoyed] How else would Monokuma know who the culprit is? Use your heads, people.

Keisha: There’s technically a possibility the culprit could also be the mastermind, but… that’s unlikely.

Monokuma: Well, let’s save the chit-chat for later and get to our spots. Discussion is what the trial’s for, after all!

Despite our misgivings, we make our way to the podiums. Edgar stands on my left, discomfort clear on his face, but the space next to me is empty. Here more than ever, I can feel just how much we’ve lost, just what I failed to protect. Sixteen isn’t that much more than fifteen, but with the pointed silence the latter brings, I’d do just about anything to get back to the former.

And to think it almost could’ve been fourteen because of somebody here, to think another person is only still alive in part because of Naoki…

…

I try not to dwell on that for too long. If I’m going to do this, I need a clear head and I definitely can’t afford to be weighed down by thoughts like that.

Monokuma: All right then — before we commence the trial, I prepared a super-special spiel so we could review the rules!

A staticky noise escapes its throat, but before I can wonder why it’s doing that, Monokuma seemingly goes back to normal, though its words do sound a little more garbled for some reason.

Monokuma: Ahem! Now then, let’s begin with a basic explanation of the class trial!

Monokuma: During the trial, you’ll present your arguments for who the culprit is and vote for “whodunnit”. Vote correctly, and only the blackened will be punished. But if you pick the wrong person, I’ll punish everyone besides the blackened, and that person will graduate from this academy!

Academy…? Isn’t this place supposed to be called the “MonoBunker”?

Not to mention, it certainly looks like a bunker too, or at least not a school. Something is definitely wrong here, but it’s still talking, so I guess I should keep listening.

Monokuma: [casually] Also, refusing to vote will result in your death, so you better vote for someone!

Monokuma: [normal voice] Okay, any questions?

Rantaro: Yeah… what’s this about an “academy”?

Aika: Also, what was up with your voice? You sounded like you caught some sort of computer virus!

Hifumi: Not to mention, you never actually explained what the punishment was. When do you plan on doing that?

Monokuma: Ah, questions, questions — those aren’t important! Although, speaking of important things…

Some hidden machinery whirs again as something rises from behind Naoki’s podium: a portrait of him on a stand almost as tall as he is… or, more accurately, was. The photo is rendered in black and white, the only color being a pink X, cruelly painted over his face in bold strokes.

Monokuma: Can’t believe I almost forgot about that! Wouldn't want Yazawa to miss out on something so exciting!

Kaoru: [unnerved] How… crude. Put that back from whence it came.

Monokuma: Hearing a lot of nonsense here. If this keeps up, I might just end the trial early~

Keisha: Let's get back on track then. Does anyone have an idea on how to handle this?

Rantaro: Well, I'm not an expert on this stuff, but how about we try eliminating some suspects? I mean, the less people we have to doubt, the better.

Keisha pauses for a moment, scrutinizing my face, but eventually nods. Does she still not trust me? It's certainly annoying, but I doubt I'm going to be able to change her mind, so maybe I should focus on the discussion at hand.

「 NON STOP DEBATE — BEGIN! 」

> Hifumi’s Testimony

> Monokuma File 01

Minoru: Um, how are we supposed to do this then? I mean, it basically happened in the middle of the night, right?

Hitomi: I guess if someone can back up somebody else’s account, then those two could have an alibi…

Tsuyoshi: Just one problem — this shit happened at night! Nobody has an alibi!

Katsumi: And if that’s the case, all we’re doing is wasting our time here.

Sumire: W-wasting time? Is that r-really true…?

Katsumi: Unless somebody here has evidence that says otherwise, we’ll just have to focus on somebody else.

Well, she sure seems keen on wrapping up this line of discussion, though I get her point a little. It does sound a little silly to think that anybody would have an alibi for what they were doing at a time most people would be sleeping… but then again, I have evidence.

All I need to do now is present it.

Rantaro: You’ve got that wrong!

BREAK!

Katsumi: [raises eyebrow] Really? The floor is yours then.

Rantaro: Thanks. Anyways, what I want to say is that there is actually one person here who seems to have an alibi — somebody who literally couldn’t commit the crime.

Minoru: Um, not to be pessimistic, but isn’t saying they “literally couldn’t commit the crime” going a bit too far? [notices Tsuyoshi glaring at him] N-not to say I want to doubt you guys, it’s just… unlikely.

Tsuyoshi: The hell’s that supposed to mean? At least hear him out first!

So he’s the one interested in this, huh? Given how strongly he reacted about what happened to Hifumi yesterday, I thought this would be the other way around.

Minoru: Alright, fine! What’s your proof?

Rantaro: Well, we all remembered what happened to Hifumi yesterday, right? Because of her allergic reaction, she said she was “basically bedridden”.

Everyone turns to Hifumi for confirmation and she weakly nods, looking a little uncomfortable with all the attention on her.

Hifumi: That’s right. I just felt so sick after the fact that I barely felt like I could move… I do feel better now though, so I guess that’s something.

Hitomi: [panicked] Oh, I’m so sorry, did I do it wrong?? Are you still feeling any pain, or-

Hifumi: [firmly] Seriously, it’s fine. Let’s just focus on the discussion.

Tsuyoshi: Yeah, if somebody else has an alibi, that’d be super useful.

Kokoro: An alibi… yeah, me and Ai-chan have one.

Wait, am I hearing this correctly? From the way Aika jolts at the sound of her nickname, it almost makes me think this is the first time she’s hearing it too. Maybe she wasn’t expecting Kokoro to say that during the trial, but even so, why would she sit on such important information…?

Keisha: Excuse me? This is the first I’m hearing of this.

Sumire: M-maybe she just f-forgot?

Daichi: True, she was one of the only people who actually got close to the body, right? Seeing stuff like that fucks you up.

Katsumi: That’s also assuming she isn’t lying though. And given the fact that she decided to tell literally none of us until now, I’m assuming she’s just lying.

Kokoro: What the- why would I lie? If we get this wrong because of me, I get punished too!

Katsumi: Denial? Desperation? [annoyed] I don’t know shit about you, how am I supposed to know your exact motives?

Minoru: We could always ask Aika.

Although it feels like an obvious conclusion, it feels like a lightbulb collectively went off for all of us as Minoru recommends that. To be fair, it does make sense. It’s a lot less likely for two people to be lying during this trial than one and even if one of them was the culprit, the other wouldn’t even have anything to gain.

…Then again, considering the fact that this lie would serve to protect both of them, why wouldn’t she go along with it? They seem to have history together, so what if they acted as accomplices or even both did it-

I grit my teeth as I try to stop spiraling down that line of thought. Paranoia won’t be useful to me. Even with how suspicious Kokoro might be at this moment, we technically also don’t have any evidence yet that contradicts her. Like she said, there’s no benefit to her lying if she isn’t the culprit. Maybe she’s telling the truth after all?

…Maybe.

Rantaro: All right then — Aika, what do you have to say about all this?

Aika: My alibi? Well, like, I was super out of it most of the time because it was really late, but…

Aika: I think me and Ko-chan were talking in my dorm?

Sora: Hey, what do you mean “you think”? Shouldn’t you be more sure about this?

Takashi: Weren’t you listening to Aika-sama? She said she was out of it, of course she doesn’t remember everything!

Kokoro: Yeah, we were talking there until about midnight.

Rantaro: If that’s the case, did you see anything related to the case? The culprit? If you went back to your room afterwards, you definitely should’ve at least been able to smell the blood.

Daichi: [eagerly] Yeah, you might be onto something there! Blood smells more when it’s fresh!

Minoru: Uh, Daichi? How exactly… do you know that?

Daichi: I heard it in a show once. Don’t worry bro, I’m not a murderer!

Tsuyoshi: [snorts] Yeah, that’s super convincing…

Keisha: The blood's smell was still pretty strong even while we were investigating, so it's almost definitely not something either of them should've been able to overlook had they gone outside.

Kaoru: So regardless of whether or not Kokoro’s lying, she's still dug herself into an impossible situation. Quite the interesting double-bind here…

Aika: Oh, that! We heard some pretty weird sounds outside and Ko-chan got pretty scared, so I told her to stay the night!

In comparison to the unabashedly confident way Aika says that, Kokoro blushes violently and stares down at the floor, unable to look any of us in the eye. I suppose that if anything were to prove their account, it’d be a reaction like that. I doubt Kokoro would be able to fake a reaction like that.

Either way, it looks like this account will come in handy.

「 TRUTH BULLET OBTAINED: Aika’s Testimony 」

Sora: …So are we just not going to acknowledge that, or-

Kokoro: [extremely embarrassed] Please don’t.

Keisha: I think we’ve gotten all we needed from them anyways, so let’s focus on something else to discuss. Why don’t we try to recap everything we know about the crime so far?

Sumire: B-but I thought we d-didn’t know anything yet…

Takashi: Let’s roll with it! If Keisha-sama’s suggesting it, she probably knows what we’re looking for!

Somehow, I feel a little less inclined to believe it when Takashi says it, but he’s probably right given the way Keisha was acting during the investigation. Not to mention, going over it like this could reveal something new…

「 NON STOP DEBATE — BEGIN! 」

> Dry Bloodstain

> Knife Rack

> Motive

Hifumi: Does anybody want to start summarizing for us then?

Daichi: Yeah, I think I got it…

Daichi: So, sometime between 10 PM and 12 AM, the culprit woke up and ambushed Naoki in his room.

Daichi: They shanked him with the knife they had, and that's how he died!

Edgar: …

Sora: How do we know the culprit killed him with a knife though? There are other weapons they could’ve used.

Katsumi: It’d be easier to go for a knife though. There really aren’t many proper weapons here.

Monokuma: Upupu, don’t worry your little heads about that! You’ll be getting a lot more options soon~

Minoru: What does that mean?!

Ignoring… whatever creepy statements Monokuma’s making, something here doesn’t feel right. Actually, I know it isn’t right. Katsumi’s brought up a good point, so all I need to do now is give a little more context to it.

Rantaro: I’ll show you the truth!

BREAK!

Rantaro: Sora, I don’t think that’s right.

Sora: Why? If the culprit didn’t use a knife as their weapon, they could totally get away with hiding it on them!

Tsuyoshi: He’s got a point there. If the culprit broke the mirror in their bathroom, they could totally use that to go and stab Naoki.

Kaoru: Of course a dévoyé like you would know about procuring weapons like that.

Tsuyoshi: Oh, why don’t you just-

Keisha: And this is the reason I told you guys to investigate the others’ dorms. Which you did… right?

Tsuyoshi: …

Katsumi: …

Rantaro: …

Damn it, I can’t believe it didn’t even occur to me to check other people’s dorms until now! Of course the culprit would be hiding evidence in their room. The disappointed look on Keisha’s face tells me none of the others remembered to do this either, but there’s only cold comfort to be taken in that.

Keisha: [sighs] Rantaro, what were you trying to say before?

Rantaro: What I was going to say is that when we checked the kitchen, there were only four knives on the knife rack. Somebody had to have taken one in between dinner last night and the time we discovered Naoki’s body.

Rantaro: So really, there’s no way that one of those missing knives isn’t the murder weapon.

Sora: [nods; smiles awkwardly] Ah, yeah… makes sense.

Aika: So, who took the first one then?

Edgar: …!

Katsumi: Why does that even matter? The first one’s been missing for days at this point, and there’s no way the culprit was planning something like this for days.

Sumire: S-so the k-killer had a different m-motive?

Katsumi: …Yeah. [shrugs] That sounds plausible enough to me.

Kaoru: “Plausible enough”?! What sense does that make? Monokuma announced the exact same motive to all of us only a day ago!

The exact same motive… she’s not wrong per se, but I think the issue is a little more complex than that. Actually, I don’t think I’m the only person who might think this either; after all, I’ve got a certain piece of evidence to support this.

Well, not just me.

Rantaro: Hitomi, do you remember what you were talking about in the kitchen during the investigation?

Hitomi: Yes, me and Daichi thought someone who had a lot to lose if they didn’t escape might’ve done it… someone like- wait, are you accusing Kaoru?!

Kaoru: Excuse me??

Rantaro: Not necessarily, but it’s something to keep in mind.

Takashi: And how do you know that? We all have families outside of this place, what if the culprit killed to see them again?!

Sumire: …W-would you?

Takashi: Hell no!

Katsumi: And that’s exactly the point. Killing someone’s a big deal, it’s a lot easier to justify it if you can convince yourself it was for a ‘greater cause’ or whatever.

Sora: I thought we were talking about a perfume company, not a cult!

Hifumi: Don’t forget the company in question literally makes million of yen every year. It’s been three years since Kaoru’s been involved with it, so who knows what could’ve happened to it?

Kaoru: That… that doesn’t explain anything at all! It’s mere conjecture at best!

Tsuyoshi: Then prove it ain’t!

Minoru: Um, it looks kinda clear she can’t… shouldn’t we just end this here?

Kaoru: [angered] Absolutely not!

She turns her gaze to me, violet eyes blazing with anger as she jabs her finger accusatorily at me.

Kaoru: Your argument reeks of fallacies!

The atmosphere in the courtroom grows tense as suddenly, it feels like there are only two of us here. Her eyes are still trained onto mine and it takes all the willpower I have to stare back. It makes me feel a little guilty to be accusing her like this, but I quickly quash that feeling as soon as it rears.

She could be a murderer. Any of them could be, for that matter.

I catch a glimpse of Naoki’s portrait from the corner of my eye, and it’s reinvigorating in a way. I can’t back down from this when we’ve come this far. Sorry Kaoru, but I have to follow this through to the end.

Rantaro: Okay then… prove it.

「 REBUTTAL SHOWDOWN — BEGIN! 」

> Kitchen in Disarray

> Knife Rack

> Monokuma File 01

Kaoru: Claiming that I killed Naoki just because of my company is simply an illogical claim.

Kaoru: Not only are you assuming I cared more about my company than someone’s life, you’re also placing a lot of trust in your classmates.

Kaoru: Who's to say somebody didn’t kill for their family? A life for many sounds like a far more reasonable claim.

Rantaro: I’m not doing it because I trust them, I’m doing it because I have evidence.

Rantaro: And frankly, you haven’t been using a lot to support your claim either.

Kaoru: What evidence? Didn’t we just establish the knife was taken at nighttime?

Kaoru: You just established that everybody except for Hifumi is a suspect in that regard.

Kaoru: Therefore, I had the same opportunity to take the murder weapon as everybody else! What do you have to say to that?!

If we were only dealing with one knife, that might be the case, but considering this … it just might end up being the final nail in the coffin.

Rantaro: Let me cut in!

CUT!

Rantaro: Maybe that line of reasoning doesn’t quite work for the second knife, but you know what it does work for?

Takashi: The first knife?

Rantaro: Exactly. Since she’s been helping me cook for some time now, she definitely had the chance to-

Kaoru: Are you listening to yourself? You’re contradicting yourself again!

What? I go over everything in my head, trying to find what doesn’t make sense, when someone else butts in.

Katsumi: Yeah, I agree with that. We were literally just established the second knife was the murder weapon — why are you going back on your word now?

Rantaro: Well- maybe I was wrong about that, okay?

Aika: But then why wouldn’t she just… y’know, do it immediately?

Keisha: Monokuma didn’t release the motive until yesterday, so there’s a chance Kaoru didn’t feel motivated enough until then.

Sumire: B-but why?

Keisha: Huh?

Sumire: [nervously] W-well-

Tsuyoshi: Can ya speak up? I’m right next to you, and I can barely make anything out!

Sumire’s posture locks up as her eyes flits between all of us almost in a panic, unable to force the words out. I want to help her out but… if she gives them the wrong idea, they could end up voting me and we could lose the trial. I need to get us in the right direction…

Rantaro: Hey Sumire, it’s okay if you can’t remember. This is a pretty stressful situation.

She nods meekly, sinking into the parka I’d given her. Katsumi scowls a little, clearly annoyed by the lack of new information, before sighing.

Katsumi: All right… well, what do we do now?

Tsuyoshi: We could go over the murder again-

Katsumi: [bluntly] No. Literally none of this evidence points towards a culprit, all we’ve done is establish some really convenient alibis for people here.

Kokoro: We’re telling the truth!

Katsumi didn’t even bother to respond to that, simply giving Kokoro a flat stare to indicate her disbelief. Aika put a hand on her shoulder, trying to reassure the advertiser, though it didn’t really seem to be working all that well. Unfortunately, Katsumi did seem to have a point, on both ends really.

I need to find some way to narrow down the suspect list more. Going over the evidence one more time in my head, I really can’t think of anything that makes any one person seem more suspicious. There has to be something else that could work, some contradiction, some slip-up, some-

…

… Wait.

My eyes widen at the realization and, as I go through everything I’ve heard so far, realize how much sense it makes. Because now that I think about it, even before the murder took place, there was one person who should’ve stood out to me. One person who was acting strange during the investigation, strange even now.

And you can’t slip up when you haven’t said a word.

Rantaro: …Edgar.

Edgar: [hesitant] What is it?

It’s the first time I’ve heard him speak this entire trial, voice unnaturally soft and eyes almost as panicked as Sumire's. I guess it makes sense though — I doubt any culprit would be able to keep their cool under pressure like this.

Rantaro: You’re the culprit, aren’t you?

Chapter Text

When Edgar hears my accusation, the first thing he does is blink uncomprehendingly. Confusion is the first thing to cross his expression and his blinking becomes even more rapid, as if he’s expecting to wake up from a dream. The murmurs my statement brings seems to be the thing that makes him snap out of it, expression contorting in horror as understanding dawns on him.

Edgar: You think- You think I’m the culprit?!

Sora: Hey, Rantaro, isn’t this going a little too far?

Kaoru: To tell the truth, I’m not inclined to believe whatever drivel’s spilling out his mouth now.

Minoru: I mean… he’s been mostly right so far though, right? I think we should hear him out.

Tsuyoshi: [sneers] Really? I’d get it if was, like, Kaoru or something, but Edgar definitely ain’t the kind of person capable of committing murder. [glances at Edgar] The dude barely seems like he can defend himself.

Katsumi: I wouldn’t be too sure of that. Let’s see where this takes us first, ‘kay?

Edgar: But I didn’t do anything!!

Katsumi: [smoothly] And if you didn’t murder Naoki, I’m sure we’ll prove that… somehow.

His expression holds a strange mix of fear and outrage when she says that, though it definitely seems more like the former at the moment. Katsumi only looks intrigued at the reaction and Sora, weirdly enough, seems equally as worried as Edgar. Are they really that close already? Either way, I doubt Sora would do anything as egregious as lie for Edgar, especially when I’ve already gotten his alibi.

…Wait a minute. He has an alibi.

Another alibi getting in the way of things.

I curse internally at the realization and look back up to see that people have already begun to argue about it. I can’t lead them onto the wrong path, but at the same time, I’m sure Edgar has to be involved in this somehow — especially given what he must’ve done yesterday.

Rantaro: [sighs; whispers to himself] It’s alright, I can work with this…

I hope.

> Aika’s Testimony

> Edgar’s Testimony

> Hifumi’s Testimony

Edgar: I- I didn’t do it, I swear!

Daichi: Yeah, we want to believe that, but we also kind of need evidence too??

Sora: Wait a minute… evidence? I got it!

Sora: Edgar, remember your alibi? You heard someone open their door — that must’ve been the culprit!

Edgar: Oh my God, that’s right! See?! I’m not the culprit!

Kokoro: Uh, not to rain on your parade, but can anyone actually back this up?

Keisha: …That might be unnecessary. Unless anybody can contradict it, we’ve taken everybody’s statement so far as fact, so-

Daichi: So we need to see if anyone can do that!

His exclamation echoes through the courtroom, bordering almost on excitement with the energetic way he says it. It’s… a little strange, in all honesty. The thing that sticks with me isn’t that, but rather the point he and Keisha are trying to convey.

She brought up a good point actually. If I can just find something to support it, we might be able to make a breakthrough here.

Rantaro: We’re on the right track!

Rantaro: Actually, I think there is somebody that might be able to contradict his account. Hifumi?

Hifumi: What do you- wait, you mean my account?

Kaoru: I suppose you are one of the only people we’ve confirmed is innocent so far. Now what exactly is this account of yours again?

Sora: Well, I don’t know if it’s that important though. Hifumi didn’t even hear anything big going out outside, so how does her testimony factor into all this?

Aika: Oh, I get it! It’s because that contradicts Edgar’s testimony, right?

Aika: …Wait, that’s bad.

Rantaro: [nods] Exactly. Edgar said he heard a door opening late at night, but Hifumi didn’t hear anything out of the ordinary. Since Naoki did his patrols the entire night, it’s not likely that was him either.

Hifumi: So you’re implying Edgar was lying then. I guess that makes sense…

Edgar: But I wasn’t! [turns to Aika] What the hell?!

Aika: Ah, sorry!!

Kokoro: [snaps] Don’t speak to Ai-chan like that!

Takashi: Yeah, bullying a girl? Not cool, Edgar!

Keisha: If we’re going to work this out, we need to explore every possibility. Even if… [voice falters] Even if we need to suspect you.

Hitomi: [interrupts] But we’ll hear you out! Because… it just wouldn’t be fair if we didn’t, you know?

Kaoru: Frankly, I’m not sure if we even should at this point. What else could we possibly discuss at this point?

Edgar: …

Edgar: …A-ah! I got it!!

Edgar: [rushed] That dying message! Who even wrote that?

Takashi: It could be Naoki, right? It’d make sense since his palms were super bloody and everything.

Katsumi: I doubt it. Like you said, there was a lot of blood on his palms, so the strokes would’ve been thicker if he really wrote it like that. Not to mention, there’s really no reason for him to write that in the first place.

Daichi: I mean, it’s pretty obvious that the culprit wrote that, but why would they even write that on the wall? Like, were they trying to say sorry for killing Naoki or something?

Tsuyoshi: Seems a little tasteless to do that with his blood. If the culprit were really sorry, we wouldn’t be talking in the first place.

Hifumi: Well, there is one other possibility, but…

Hifumi grimaces, leaving her thought unfinished as she shakes her head. Kaoru raises an eyebrow in intrigue and Aika leans closer next to her, as if to coax the answer out of her.

Aika: [comfortingly] I know we don’t want to think bad of anybody here, but it’s worth hearing out everybody’s ideas! If you have any ideas or clues or whatever, you shouldn’t hesitate to share them.

Katsumi: [casually] Also the fact we die if we get this wrong.

Hifumi: …What?

Rantaro: Yeah, we figured that out the first day we woke up here, right?

Daichi: Yeah, but that was just a theory! There’s no way Monokuma would actually do that… right?

Katsumi only stares at Daichi, looking almost astonished by the sheer wrongness of that statement. In fact, it looks like most of them have actually stopped to stare at him. Daichi wilts a little under their stares and doesn’t say anything else.

Katsumi: Are you serious? You think the same bear that forced us into a killing game, the same one that intends for only two of us to make it out of this — you think it wouldn’t hesitate to just massacre us?

Daichi: Yes? I don’t know, weren’t you the one who said Monokuma wants us to suffer slowly?? I don’t think mass execution really counts there!

Hifumi: “Execution”?! Where are you two coming up with these ideas??

Sora: Monokuma, say something! Are we actually going to get executed if we get this wrong?

Monokuma: Well, I didn’t want to have to say this now, but…

Monokuma: Yes! We at Hope’s Peak only use the most capital of punishments here — heart-stopping, death-defying, extreme executions!

A wave of panic washes over us, causing some like Minoru to yell, while others like Hifumi are only barely able to restrain their reaction. Although it's true we guessed something like this could happen, it's still disconcerting to hear it be directly confirmed.

Monokuma: So, unless you want your head in the chopping block, you gotta find every trick and scheme behind this dastardly murder. Now get to it!

Minoru: When you say it like that, it sounds like some kind of trap…

Tsuyoshi: What else are we supposed to do, fucking die?! HIfumi, whatever you're thinking, now definitely the time to say it.

Hifumi: [bluntly] Suicide.

Katsumi: That's… certainly an idea. How exactly did you work that out?

Despite her blunt declaration before, Hifumi seems to take a second to choose her words carefully, her expression darkening as shadows cloaked her one visible eye.

Hifumi: Well, it’s like you said earlier — it doesn’t really make sense for a killer to write that if they’re apologizing for killing Naoki. I think Tsuyoshi said earlier if this was true, the culprit would’ve confessed by now, right?

Tsuyoshi: [nods] Basically, yeah.

Hifumi: So following that logic, what if the reason they haven’t confessed by now… is because they can’t?

Hitomi: [softly] The motive was putting a lot of stress on us…

Daichi: [to himself] And Naoki would totally be the kind of person to pull some self-sacrificing move like that…

Tsuyoshi: Fuck! He should’ve talked to us- we could’ve worked something out!

Hifumi: …Could we…?

Minoru: So is that it then? Naoki tried to stop anyone from taking advantage of the motive by… killing himself.

Kokoro: [mutters] How’d he even know that would work though?

Aika: Hm?

Kokoro: It’s just that there isn’t actually anything in the rules about suicides. I mean, wouldn’t it be sort of dangerous to risk your life then if you didn’t even know it would work?

Katsumi: Hey, Monokuma? Do suicides count as murders then?

Monokuma: What an interesting question — of course they do! We’d be missing out on a lot of drama if they didn’t!

Katsumi: So you’re saying that is the case then.

Monokuma: Well, not exactly~

Rantaro: Then Naoki really was murdered?

Monokuma: Um… no! I mean, yes! I mean- go solve it yourself!!

Despite the fact I know Monokuma would never just give us a straight answer, I can’t help but be a little frustrated with how unnecessarily vague it’s being right now. Would it kill it to be straightforward for once? I sigh and try to think it through as a new discussion begins.

As much as I’d like it to be the case that no one else has to die, I’m getting a sinking feeling that it won’t be the case. I’ll just have to see where the evidence takes us…

> Kitchen in Disarray

> Message in Blood

> Monokuma File 01

Minoru: I’m confused now… what even is this??

Hifumi: Don’t be confused by Monokuma’s trickery — this is still a suicide.

Keisha: It would explain why Naoki was in his room. Didn’t he usually enforce that curfew?

Daichi: Yeah, it’d be pretty distressing to see a body first thing in the morning…

Kaoru: [rolls eyes] We did, you imbecile! Regardless, it does explain all the evidence at the crime scene.

Hitomi: Um, what about outside the crime scene?

Kaoru: Why would there be evidence outside the crime scene?

Daichi: I mean, I feel like you in particular really shouldn’t be asking this question. It was pretty obvious after all!

Kaoru: [defensively] You- cease your baseless taunts and just explain already if you’re such a genius!

Daichi only gives her a sly smirk in response that reminds me more of Monokuma than it probably should. Doesn’t he realize he’s just making this unnecessarily harder for us?? Well, either way, I at least remember what he’s talking about so we can tie up this tangent quick.

Rantaro: You’ve got that wrong!

Rantaro: [sighs] Daichi, stop messing around. You’re talking about the kitchen, aren’t you?

Daichi: Exactly! Even if it was almost midnight, I doubt any of us would be making that big of a mess trying to take out a knife, especially Naoki.

Keisha: He’s got a point, I suppose. Out of everybody here, Naoki would probably have adjusted best to that darkness.

Sumire: S-so what does that m-mean?

Edgar: It means there really is a murderer here…

Edgar: [nervously laughs] And then we’re gonna have to vote them out, and then they’re gonna die, and we’re all-

Hifumi: [yells] Stop that!

She looks almost as shaken as she did the evening before the murder, refusing to look Edgar in the eye as she trembles behind her podium. To be fair, Edgar looks almost as shaken as Hifumi, eyes swimming with fear as he only barely holds back more of his despairful ramblings.

He looks like he’s at the end of his rope. Honestly, we’re all probably getting there.

Hifumi: St- stay focused. Let’s… get this over with.

Katsumi: Yeah, looks like we need to get back to the drawing board. At least we aren’t flying completely blind with this one.

Sumire: D-didn’t we think Edgar c-could’ve been the culprit?

Tsuyoshi: You kiddin’? There’s no way that kid killed Naoki!

Minoru: [mutters] Technically, everybody here only remembers being a kid…

Katsumi: I mean, that doesn’t exactly prove he’s innocent though? Even Aika’s testimony doesn’t even do much to support him.

Aika: Hm, why not?

Katsumi: You guys said you heard noises, but I’d like to think if you heard anything like a door opening, you would’ve mentioned that by now.

Kaoru: And it’s too late to change your story! Don’t even attempt to revise it at this point.

Sumire: S-so… [looks warily at Edgar] H-he really did it?

Sora: Just because his testimony is a little shaky doesn’t mean he did it!

Edgar: Exactly! Why am I the one being blamed here then?

Rantaro: Because… now that I think about it, you did have an opportunity to take the murder weapon.

I need to be careful with how I word this. I really don’t want anybody to get the wrong idea here, and it could be game over if they don’t trust my word. That being said, how do I put this…?

Rantaro: After the motive was announced, Edgar said he wanted to talk to me about something. It wasn’t for long, but he was acting pretty strange after the fact…

Rantaro: Now that I think about it, that could’ve been the moment he took the murder weapon.

Kaoru: This would’ve been helpful to know before you accused me of stealing it!

Kaoru: [turns to Edgar] Anyways, what do you have to say for yourself? You lied to us about this too?!

Kokoro: And I doubt anybody felt like hanging out right after Monokuma announced the second motive either… it would’ve been the perfect opportunity to take it.

Tsuyoshi: Shit. I don’t wanna think you’re the culprit, but it’s really starting to look like that!

Keisha: Edgar, did you or did you not take the knife?

Edgar: I…

Edgar: I did, okay?! But I didn’t kill him, seriously!!

Rantaro: How are we supposed to believe that? You-

Edgar: Because I took that knife to stop you from using it!!

The room is dead silent now. Their eyes turn to me, most with distrust, and it’s almost exactly as I feared: they’re starting to doubt me.

Hitomi: Rantaro, what’s he talking about? You wouldn’t do something like that, right?

Rantaro: …

I can’t say I feel quite as close with Hitomi as I do with Sumire, but lying about this would make me feel bad all the same; besides, I’m sure denying this would only make me seem worse, even though I didn’t even plan to murder anybody. What do I even say to make them believe me at this point?

The answer, as is starting to become more and more frequent, is a half-truth.

Rantaro: …That’s right. I couldn’t have committed the murder if Edgar took the murder weapon.

Daichi: But you are saying you took it??

Edgar: I told you I wasn’t lying!

Kaoru: And on top of that, he’s still asserting the same contradiction from before. Have you really still not figured it out?

Kaoru: If the murder weapon really was the knife Edgar currently holds, then why would he take a second one at the time of the murder? I think we’d all benefit if we simply stopped listening to this tueur.

Katsumi: He has been pretty useful though…

Tsuyoshi: All we gotta do is use our heads, so let’s get to it!

Rantaro: Wait-

Daichi: Fine by me! Discussion — commence!!

And just like that, they’ve already started talking without me. I’m sure that even if I try to cut in, someone like Kaoru or Tsuyoshi will just brush it off or talk over me. Fear courses through my veins at the realization — the realization that nothing I say is going to matter, that my influence is practically all but gone. Despite that, they keep talking and it’s all I can do to keep listening.

> Dry Bloodstain

> Message in Blood

> Motive

Sumire: U-um, the culprit t-took a knife in the m-middle of the night… r-right?

Keisha: That’s what we decided. They probably made a big mess of it too, given the state of the kitchen.

Minoru: And then they went after Naoki for some reason…

Tsuyoshi: Somehow, they got Naoki in his room and stabbed him there.

Daichi: Don’t forget the dying message! The culprit probably added to throw us off their trail!

Kaoru: And that’s exactly how the case went down.

Kaoru: Are we right, Rantaro Amami?

All their eyes are on me, waiting for what I have to say… but it’s a foregone conclusion already, isn’t it? They’re going to vote for me either way, aren’t they? What do I-

Katsumi: Nah, you’re wrong.

I have to admit that of all the people to rebut this claim, I didn’t expect Katsumi to do so. Maybe I shouldn’t be as surprised about this — of everyone here, she is definitely most suited to play devil’s advocate. Still, I breathe a sigh of relief as she presents her evidence.

Katsumi: I gotta say, it does sound like we’re getting somewhere, but we can’t say we’ve solved this case until we have explanations for every last piece of evidence.

Katsumi: Case in point, that bloodstain in the kitchen.

Hifumi: [surprised] There was blood in the kitchen?

Daichi: Oh yeah, I remember that! I mean, it wasn’t that big or anything, but it definitely stood out.

Takashi: But why would there be blood in the kitchen unless the… [trails off; realizes] Unless the murder happened in the kitchen!

Hitomi: [gasps] That makes so much sense!

Hifumi: Um, are we sure about that? There’s a possibility that blood came from the culprit. Maybe they mishandled the knife and accidentally cut themself?

Takashi: Oh… that’s a good point, Hifumi-sama.

Tsuyoshi: Shut up, simp. It explains so much more if Naoki was killed there — the bloodstain, the cuts on his hand, the state of the kitchen- everything!

Hifumi: How so?

Tsuyoshi: Okay, picture this — you’re patrolling the halls and you see someone get out of bed to get a knife. What’s the first thing you’re gonna assume?

Edgar: …That they’re planning to murder someone.

Tsuyoshi: Exactly. And obviously nobody wants that, so how do you stop ‘em?

Edgar: By- by taking the murder weapon!

Sora: So that’s how the kitchen got messed up, they were fighting for the murder weapon! He probably got those cuts during the fight too!

Sumire: B-but how would he l-lose that fight?

Aika: Um, good point. He was a bit bigger than most of us, so it’s hard to believe he would lose if things got physical. Unless…

Her eyes drift towards Tsuyoshi as she trails off, making her suspicion feel extremely obvious to me at least.

Tsuyoshi: The hell’s that look for? Why would I even tell you this stuff if I were the culprit?

Kaoru: Well, we allowed Rantaro lead this trial, and look where that got us.

Hitomi: G-guys! Just because he got a few things wrong doesn’t mean he had bad intentions.

Hifumi: How do we know his intention wasn’t to deceive us though?

Her voice isn’t accusatory, returning to that tired and frank tone she’d taken on during the investigation. The bags under Hifumi’s eyes only pronounce her tiredness as she continues to explain.

Hifumi: Rantaro hid the fact that he stole the first knife, he hasn’t even explained why yet and he’s been messing up a lot in this trial. Like Kaoru said, we let him lead the discussion for a lot of this time. I know it sounds horrible, but…

Hifumi: It adds up, doesn’t it?

Sumire: R-Rantaro… y-you wouldn’t!

Kaoru: But he could, meaning it’s imperative we consider him.

Rantaro: …I know you won’t believe me, but please hear me out. I really never intended on hurting any of you, I just-

Rantaro: …

Rantaro: …just couldn’t fully trust you guys.

Takashi: Why not?! Like it or not, your actions are what caused all of this!

“It’s my fault.”

He doesn’t say it directly, but he doesn’t have to.

I already know that — why does everybody act like I don’t already realize these things?? I’ve always known I’m a fuck-up, but it feels worse than ever just from the fact we’re down here, from the portrait that stands on my left. I guess what makes it worse is the fact everyone knows now.

Minoru: Um, that’s not exactly true though. Because even if Rantaro’s the culprit, there’s still the person that tried to exploit Katsumi’s allergy, right?

Minoru: And it doesn’t make sense to try and murder two people…

Daichi: That sounds about right! I mean, even with the new rule, there’s literally no incentive to go and murder two people? [snarks] What, does that mean you get to “double-escape” or something?

Monokuma: Hey, isn’t insulting your gracious host going a bit too far?! Besides, “no incentive” or not, that sure didn’t stop one of you from cutting up one of your precious friends like shish kebab!

Monokuma: But if you want to take this opportunity to go and slander me instead of solving this murder, that’s okay. I mean, Naoki would definitely be doing his best to solve yours, but I’m sure he’d be fine with this too-

Minoru: Sh-shut up! Don’t make fun of Daichi just because he brought up a good point!!

Although the fear hasn’t quite disappeared from Minoru’s voice, he sounds more confident as he defends Daichi. The philanthropist in question raises a hand to his mouth, surprised by this sudden show of confidence.

Daichi: Bro…

Daichi: Hehe, thanks. Let’s get back to business now.

Keisha: We may be at a dead end regarding the culprit though. You have to remember that everybody but those who have an alibi are suspicious here — that still leaves us with eleven suspects to choose from.

Aika: Well, we can get rid of Rantaro, right? He didn’t have any killing intent when he took the first knife, so he probably didn’t do this either!

Kaoru: Based on his word alone? J'ai quelques doutes à ce sujet.

Tsuyoshi: In Japanese, please??

Sumire: S-so we have ten s-suspects. How do we d-decide who the c-culprit is?

Kokoro: I’m not really sure about that. Is there anything at the crime scene that could narrow it down?

Katsumi: No. I already said there isn’t any evidence like that which points at a culprit-

Sumire: B-but then this case is i-impossible!

Katsumi: I didn’t say that either. There’s no such thing as a perfect crime — we just need to retrace our steps and see if we can find any contradictions.

Keisha: You sound… awfully sure of yourself. Do you know who the culprit is then?

Katsumi: [casually] I’ll have to get back to you on that one.

Tsuyoshi: This ain’t the time for jokes!

The conversation diminishes into whispers and murmurs as everybody desperately tries to puzzle out who did this. It’s not often I feel like this, but I decide that maybe I’ll give Katsumi’s method a shot here. We just need to retrace our steps, right?

I lower my head and try to remember everything we discussed so far and rack my brain for any important details — everyone’s alibis, the dying message, the true scene of the crime… something here has to be false. I can’t make decisions based on my mistrust anymore — if I’m going to convict anyone, it has to be something substantial, something I can prove.

Did anybody say something strange? Something that doesn’t line up anymore, or maybe something I overlooked as I’ve done so many times already?

…

… …

… … …Wait.

My head snaps back up as I have my revelation, catching the culprit’s eye for just a second before I look away. Given everything everybody has said, I realize that someone’s claims aren’t quite as solid anymore.

Maybe it’s a stretch. I’m not completely convinced yet and my heart pangs at the thought of having to betray them like this.

(but it isn’t just your life on the line.)

I look at the culprit- no, my suspect , and they return my gaze this time. They aren’t panicking, not like Edgar. Do they just not realize it, or do I have the wrong person?

(say it.)

They purse their lips and sigh. Is it tiredness, resignation or something else?

The whispers and murmurs eventually peter out into silence and I realize this really might be a dead end. Keisha grits her teeth in frustration, Daichi’s smile grows more strained and Katsumi simply… stands there.

Nobody else is speaking up.

Nobody knows.

(it has to be you.)

(say it.)

(say it.)

(SAY IT.)

Chapter Text

Rantaro: …

Rantaro: …I could be wrong about this, but can I ask you something, Hifumi?

She freezes up, but still returns my gaze. Still there isn’t a hint of panic in her gaze. Is this right — would the real culprit really react this way? I breathe deeply to try and calm my nerves.

This is a group discussion and this group has already proven itself plenty smart. If I mess up again, someone will call me out… hopefully.

Kaoru: You’re telling me we’re suspecting Hifumi now? This is certainly suspicious, but I find it hard to believe that someone who was almost murdered themselves could be the culprit.

Keisha: It’s still dangerous to rule any possibility out without proof. [lower] Although I thought we already proved Hifumi innocent…

Hifumi: [ignores them; cautiously] What is it?

Rantaro: When I went to check on you before the trial started, you said you’d been up all night. We already know from Edgar and Aika’s testimonies that the culprit was definitely a bit noisy when they murdered Naoki.

Rantaro: And you didn’t mention anything like that.

Sora: Yeah, Aika and Kokoro didn’t leave because they were scared of what was going on outside, I think. And Edgar fell asleep just before the fact…

Sumire: H-hey, Hifumi, w-why didn’t you m-mention this?

Hifumi’s silent for just a moment and I worry that she doesn’t even have anything to say to her defense. Then again, would that even be a bad thing? Wouldn’t it mean we could finally end this class trial?

It turns out my worries are in vain as after what feels like far too long, she responds.

Hifumi: I… forgot to mention it. I’m not sure if Rantaro’s mentioned this yet, but Monokuma cut us off before he could get all his questions out of the way.

Kokoro: That sounds pretty suspicious. How can we even trust your word on that?

Daichi: Hey, Monokuma! Is Hifumi lying about this or not?

Monokuma: Hm, lying or not, lying or not? The answer will be revealed… right after this commercial break!

Katsumi: [rolls eyes] Wow, how hilarious. Glad to see our “gracious host” is so generous with his answers.

Tsuyoshi: Ugh, of course Monokuma didn’t give us a straight answer. Remind me why you thought that’d work, Daichi?

Daichi: Can’t a guy dream in this economy?!

Hifumi: Besides, can we really say that this is decisive evidence? I think we should be more hesitant to convict someone based on one piece of evidence alone.

Keisha: … [sighs] She has a point. We still don’t have the full picture yet, so there’s still a chance she could be telling the truth.

Aika: [nods] I get it — it’s like, “innocent until proven guilty”, or something like that.

Hifumi: Thank you for your understanding. Now, where do we go from here?

「 NON STOP DEBATE — BEGIN! 」

> Knife Rack

> Monokuma File 01

> Rantaro’s Testimony

Minoru: Is Hifumi really not the culprit? She could be manipulating us for all we know…

Hifumi: I’m not manipulating anyone. Everything I’ve said so far is based in facts and logic.

Katsumi: Cool, but can I hear these “facts and logic” that supposedly explain why you aren’t the culprit?

Hifumi: As we established earlier, Tsuyoshi is the only one here strong enough to carry Naoki’s body.

Hifumi: With this in mind, I couldn’t have carried him all the way to his room.

Tsuyoshi: Oh, come on! Just because I’m strong doesn’t mean I’m some kind of murderous brute!

Kaoru: [narrows eyes] …Perhaps-

Tsuyoshi: We are NOT doing this right now.

Hitomi: [nervously smiles] Let’s not antagonize each other right now, all right?

I can’t deny that Hifumi’s argument sounds like it makes sense. Even so, could it really be that easy? Could such a simple argument really cut down our suspect list to just one? I doubt it. The more I think about it, the more I’m sure there has to be something I can do to refute this.

Yes, I know it’s the case. The evidence itself sits in my jacket, waiting to be used.

Rantaro: You’ve got that wrong!

BREAK!

Rantaro: No, I don’t think Tsuyoshi’s the only person who could’ve done this.

Takashi: Huh?! But then who else could’ve done it? Don’t say Naoki walked himself to his room!

Keisha: If he went to his room to try and find something to stop the bleeding, he probably wouldn’t have just laid on the bed like that. Wouldn’t it make more sense to use the blanket as a bandage instead?

Takashi: Exactly, it makes no sense if Naoki went there himself! Tsuyoshi must’ve done it then!

Tsuyoshi: Why am I being ganged up on right now? There’s gotta be something that disproves that. Like… like-

Rantaro: Like the Monokuma File. More specifically, Naoki’s injuries.

Sumire: Y-yeah, he went through s-so much pain… h-his hands a-and his arm!

She looks like she’s about to burst into tears and I can’t blame her. Even Sumire’s words still bring to mind the horrifying sight of Naoki’s corpse, bedroom stained red and brown with blood. I can’t spend too long wrapped up in my head though — I still need to explain my point.

Rantaro: The point I’m trying to make here is that we’ve explained every injury Naoki has except for his dislocated arm.

Sora: …Okay, I’ll bite. How does this prove Hifumi could’ve done it?

Daichi: Limbs do dislocate when you put a lot of pressure on them. Hifumi could’ve just dragged him by the arm to get him to his room.

Takashi: [desperately] But that doesn’t prove Hifumi-sama did it! Anybody could’ve dragged the body!!

Tsuyoshi: Cut it out with the “-sama” shit already! Even if she ain’t the only one who could’ve dragged the body, she lied about her testimony and she was up at the time of the murder!

Kaoru: [shakes head] Il avoir un cœur d'artichaut. Such enrapturement is a bad idea, especially in a killing game like this.

Keisha: Don’t be rude to Takashi. But… [glances at Takashi; somewhat solemn] Maybe you do have a bit of a point.

Takashi: No! I’m so sorry, Kaoru-sama, but you’ve got this all wrong!

Tears well in Takashi’s eyes underneath his shades as he somehow works up the nerve to continue arguing, even against Keisha and Kaoru. To be honest, I’m not quite sure what’s motivating Takashi to argue on Hifumi’s behalf at this point. It almost certainly can’t be to look cool for the girls, given how almost half of them must disagree with him at this point, nor is it the most logical argument to be making.

Is it love then? Pity? Who even knows at this point — the only thing that matters at this point is making sure we can end this argument quicker.

「 NON STOP DEBATE — BEGIN! 」

> Bloody Towel

> Dry Bloodstain

> Kitchen in Disarray

Daichi: Takashi, buddy, you have to give it a rest at this point.

Takashi: I can’t! You’re still wrong about one thing!

Takashi: Hifumi couldn’t have done this because… because… she couldn’t have cleaned it up!

Hitomi: What does that mean?

Katsumi: Oh, he’s talking about the blood trail in the kitchen, isn’t he? Obviously, if she decided to move Naoki after stabbing him, she’d leave some kind of trail behind.

Tsuyoshi: Wait, he’s actually right?!

Hitomi: If Takashi really is right about this, then… is there a chance this really was a suicide?

Hitomi: That would be horrible, but then nobody else has to die, right?

Hifumi: …That remains to be seen.

…Well, that certainly wasn’t suspicious of her to say at all. Maybe the strangest part of all of this is how neutral Hifumi seems to be about all this. I mean, does she even realize her life hangs in the balance of this debate? And I’m…

…

I’m about to sentence her to death then, aren’t I? It’d be one thing for her to be stressed about it, but this — somehow, this feels even worse than what I was expecting. But I have to push on.

Rantaro: You know that isn’t right!

BREAK!

Rantaro: Takashi. Don’t play dumb with me — you didn’t hear anything about a bloody towel during the investigation?

Takashi: …!

Kaoru: Where exactly did this towel come from?

Tsuyoshi: It was in his bathroom when I found it with Rantaro and Katsumi. It was pretty wet, so it makes sense.

Minoru: So… how’d she dampen it then?

Daichi: Huh?

Minoru: Because, in the Monopad, one of the rules mentions running water being turned off during nighttime. She couldn’t use the sink, so…

Hifumi: It’s possible they could’ve prepared for this and dampened it ahead of time-

Katsumi: It would’ve dried by then, Hifumi. Are you even trying at this point?

Hifumi: [curt] I’m not trying to do anything but solve this case.

Daichi: Yeah, that’s bullshit. There’s gotta be something in that room that wouldn’t be affected by the rule.

A collective silence came over our group as we tried to find the answer to this hurdle. Admittedly, it wasn’t something I’d thought about until now; even as I’m thinking about it, the answer still eludes me. After all, where else could you get water to wet it? The shower? No, that wouldn’t be active either.

Just what did Hifumi do?

Hitomi: Well, I guess… someone could’ve used their jacket to clean up the blood trail. [perks up] So if Hifumi doesn’t have any blood in it, we still might be able to rule her out!

Hifumi: I’d… rather not take off my jacket right now. I doubt I could get away with cleaning the blood that way anyways. You all probably would’ve smelled the blood right now if I tried to do something like that.

Sumire: S-so are we o-out of options??

Keisha: I think there might be one other option in all our rooms. Given how… unsanitary it is though, I’m not quite sure if it’s the right answer though.

Aika: [tilts head] Well, what is it?

Daichi: Wait a minute… [eyes widen] Ew, don’t tell me she actually used that!!

Keisha: [mutters] Case in point…

Kaoru: In case the two of you haven’t realized yet, we don’t have any other psychics in the group. Mind verbalizing your thoughts for a change?

Keisha takes a moment to stare flatly at Kaoru for a moment before sighing and eventually explaining what she and Daichi had apparently realized.

Keisha: All right. Even if the water was turned off, there likely still would’ve been enough of it in the toilet for the culprit to dampen the towel. They could probably do this as many times as they needed to unless they actually, you know…

Her face heats up a little, but the important part is more than clear now. I still can’t help but cringe a little at the answer — did she really have to go that far to try and cover up her crime?

Takashi: Hey, Hifumi! You have to speak up!

Hifumi: Takashi, it’s okay. We’ll find out something that-

Takashi: It doesn’t look like that anymore! And if you don’t speak up…

Takashi: [tearfully] You’re going to DIE!!

His words echo throughout the courtroom and for a moment, almost everyone’s expressions seem to waver a bit. I guess for most of us, it hadn’t really sunk in until this moment that that’s what we’d be doing to Hifumi. Tsuyoshi’s face darkens, the concern on Hitomi’s face only grows and it almost seem as if they’re starting to regret their decision.

And Hifumi…

Hifumi: …

Hifumi: I… I’m not going to die.

Her voice warbles when she says that, as if she doesn’t fully believe what she’s saying despite Takashi’s nods of reassurance. She takes in a deep breath and pauses for a moment, closing her eyes as she strings together one final defense for herself.

But I can see it — underneath that facade of calmness she’s trying to present, there’s panic in her eyes.

This is the turning point, I’m sure of it. Hifumi’s already on her last legs here, so we might be able to vote for her with confidence if I can just shatter this last argument of hers. And after that… we can deal with whatever happens after the trial. Somehow.

(hopefully.)

「 NON STOP DEBATE — BEGIN! 」

> Hifumi’s Allergy

> Hifumi’s Testimony

> Rantaro’s Testimony

Tsuyoshi: All right then, mind tellin’ us just what you’re thinking?

Katsumi: [mutters] God, why doesn’t you guys ever make this easy… [normal volume] I think it’s pretty clear by now you’re the culprit.

Hifumi: And why is that?

Katsumi: Your behavior? The fact you’ve been subtly sabotaging us?

Hifumi: I admit, I haven’t… exactly been thinking clearly this entire time, but there’s one thing I think we’ve forgotten.

Hifumi: While it seems that we’ve mostly uncovered the logistics of the murder, it’s also true that it was committed in such a way that anybody could’ve done this.

Hifumi: [louder] So why are you going after me?! I have as much reason to kill as any of you!

Takashi: Guys, no fighting! Hifumi-sama’s innocent, we just have to find a way to prove it!

I can make out the way Takashi’s eyes nervously flick towards me for a second under the shades, but the light covers them before I can make any judgement, leaving only a painfully plastic grin on his face. If I look closely enough, I can see a bead of sweat trailing its way down his face.

I really don’t understand him now. He knows, he has to by now, that he’s going to die if Hifumi gets away with it. At this point, I doubt she even can.

(so why are these two so damn difficult about it?)

…

Never mind that. I won’t leave any room for doubt here.

Rantaro: I’m ending this!

BREAK!

Rantaro: That’s not right, Takashi. In fact, I think Hifumi has more motive than any of us to try and commit murder, and it all has to do with what happened before the murder.

Minoru: Before the murder? Um, we had dinner and someone… someone tried to kill Hifumi.

Her face pales merely at recollecting it and the expression feels like enough to seal my conviction. I recognize the cause of this fear, it’s something I’ve been grappling with almost this entire time I’ve been here in the MonoBunker — paranoia.

This similarity gives me pause again because… we really aren’t that different, are we? If the circumstances were different, much as I don’t want to think about it, this debate absolutely could’ve ended the other way around with me as the culprit.

Tsuyoshi: But how does that give her a motive?

Rantaro: That’s easy. She could’ve been preparing to try and kill whoever she thought was responsible, or…

…

Kaoru: “Or”?

Rantaro: [softer] Or she could’ve been scared.

Daichi: Scared of not, she kinda murdered Naoki though??

Daichi: Like, I could probably get it if she actually killed her attacker, but there’s no way any of you actually thought Naoki was a threat.

Katsumi: Anybody here can be a threat. Maybe not Naoki in particular, but I wouldn’t be so quick to claim stuff like that. [glares at Daichi] Of course, somebody who can excuse murder probably wouldn’t think straight like that.

Minoru: Isn’t he literally calling Hifumi out though?

Katsumi: Hello, did you miss that entire second part? Murder is unforgivable.

Kokoro: Yeah, I don’t think now’s exactly the time to discuss moral objectivity…

Katsumi: What, don’t tell me you’re going to defend her actions too? I’m just surprised Takashi hasn’t given up the ghost and just say he doesn’t think what Hifumi did was wrong too.

Kokoro: [snaps] Shut up, that’s not what I mean! Why are you even acting like this when you know what led up to this? The killing game, the motive, the murder attempt — even if she did that, I just feel sorry for her!

“Sorry”, huh? That sure is one way to describe how you feel. Even though it feels wrong to say that about a murderer, I can’t hold a grudge like that, especially not when Kokoro lays it out so plainly for the rest of us; even so, Katsumi stubbornly rolls her eyes at the explanation.

Aika: …Ko-chan’s right.

Aika: The only one at fault here is Monokuma! This wouldn’t even be happening if it weren’t for its stupid killing game!

Monokuma: [snoring noise (how??)] Hm, someone call for me? And for such a boring question too! I’m tempted to just yawn and ignore it!

Kokoro: Because she’s right.

Monokuma: Really, this is all my fault? I think our little lawmaker would disagree if someone hadn’t stabbed the daylights out of him. Or would it be “nightlights”? Hm…

Monokuma: Hey, Edgar — what do you think about this? [grins sadistically] Our wonderful protagonist has to have some kind of opinion on this, right~?

Edgar jolts when he hears his name called, clearly not expecting to hear that from Monokuma; honestly, I’m a little confused too. What exactly makes him of all people “our wonderful protagonist”?

Edgar: I… I…

Edgar: [cries out] I don’t know! Why the hell is any of this even happening?? I don’t care whose fault this is, just give it up already, Hifumi!!

Edgar can’t stop the tears from dripping down his face, voice raspy as he screams louder than he ever has before. Belatedly, I remember something that I hadn’t really pondered all that deeply before: he’s still sixteen, isn’t he? Still a child, somehow more so than the rest of us.

There’s that feeling of guilt again. I know he isn’t that much younger than me, that I really have no reason to care for him as much as I do (did) my sisters, but my heart still pangs at letting him down all the same.

And Hifumi…

Hifumi: No.

Hifumi: No no no, I didn’t do anything.

Her expression contorts a little and I’m unsure whether it’s anger or desperation that’s finally leaking into her words too. Either way, it seems that facade of the calm, logical statistician has finally worn down into something more frenzied.

Hifumi: [yelling] Just stop talking, damn it! I’m not going to die!!

Edgar: [angrily] Neither are we, so sucks to suck!

Takashi: If Hifumi-sama says she’s not the culprit, she isn’t!

I flinch at the sudden noise, only barely able to parse all their voices from each other. Even during our normal debates, I didn’t feel this overwhelmed. Then again, we didn’t have people talking over each other like this too…

I sigh and ready myself for what I hope can be the end to this tired discussion.

「 LAST DITCH DISPUTATION — BEGIN! 」

Their words all blur together into a whirlwind of malice and hatred, sounding the same yet still different in just how angry they are. I have a feeling this is going to be a problem after the trial wraps up, but we’ll have to deal with that later? Right now, I have to refute someone somehow, but…

…is there even any evidence that fits? I panic a little, because there has to be something, some detail I might’ve overlooked again, some words that don’t add up, some slip-up she made, there just has to be.

A moment passes, then another. I start to panic when I realize this might be it, but…

…

But it passes. But I know. The memory flashes in my mind, still fresh, and I realize exactly what I have to say.

____ ___ ____ ______

Rantaro: I got it!

BREAK!

I don’t give myself time to think any more than I have, time to feel any more guilt, I just say it as soon as I realize it.

Rantaro: Hifumi, take off your jacket.

It sounds more like a command than the request I meant it to be and Hifumi defiantly holds onto the sleeves, her posture curling up into something almost defensive.

Hifumi: And why should I do that?!

Rantaro: Even though you said Hitomi’s point earlier was wrong, you still didn’t want to take off your jacket. Even if she didn’t get it exactly right, her basic idea was still right, wasn’t it? You’re hiding something in there.

Hitomi: That’s not true, is it, Hifumi?

Kaoru: If she wants to prove it, there’s a very simple way to do so.

She glares accusingly at Hifumi, eyes freezing with hatred as she looks at the woman next to her.

Kaoru: I’ll help you out if you’re having trouble with it, but go on. Prove us wrong.

With trembling hands, Hifumi reluctantly unbuttons it, seeming resigned despite the desperate fear that still lies frozen in her face. Each button seems to take an agonizingly long time to come undone and when she finally finishes, the right side sags a little with the weight of something stuffed inside its velvet pockets.

Nobody has to ask for her to remove it — expecting the question, her hand already reaches for the object inside: another kitchen knife, the blade on this one mottled with dry blood. The murder weapon.

Sumire: N-no. Y-you really d-did it, d-didn’t you? [louder] W-why would you d-do t-this to him?!

Hifumi: Sumire, I-

Sumire: Y-you KILLED him, j-just like you a-almost killed us!

Despite the stuttering, Sumire sounds strangely assertive compared to any other time before this. Her voice continues to toe that fine line between anger and fear, with nobody daring to interject as she continues.

Sumire: [quieter] J-just… why d-did you do it? H-he didn’t do a-anything to us…

Hifumi: I didn’t MEAN to do it, okay?!

Despite the energy in that last shout, she just looks so tired now. Resigned. I think… I think she’s given up. She’s at least admitting to it, so whatever she’s saying now has to be the truth, right?

I nod silently and I think Hifumi picks up on it, sighing as she confesses just why this had to happen.

…

… …

… … …

It’s silent. Of course it is, people are already sleeping, but it still bothers me for reasons I can’t fully articulate… but thinking more on it, that’s just a lie, isn’t it?

My heartbeat roars in my ears, drowning everything else out as if it’s trying to make up for the way it almost failed me just a handful of hours ago. I almost died just a few hours ago and here I am, doing nothing. Here we are, doing nothing, trying to pretend everything is okay even as Monokuma’s deadline comes closer and closer. How much is it going to take for us to finally do something?

I don’t think I want to know the answer to that, but the idea of another attempt on my life makes my skin crawl. Before I even realize it, my hand is already on the knob. The door creaks a little, hopefully not loud enough to wake anyone up, and the walk to the kitchen feels almost automatic.

What… what am I even doing here? Every detail stands out to me, my eyes long since having adjusted to darkness like this after years of taking on absurd night shifts. What I choose to focus on is the knife rack, still missing one.

It… it’s just for protection. I only need to hold onto this until everything gets worked out, and then-

???: [whispers] Ms. Sunohara?

And- and someone’s there, and my breath hitches, and they’re going to try and kill me again, aren’t they?!

???: [slightly louder; sharply] Put that down!

I hear the steps behind me grow faster, louder, and there’s only one thing I can do in my fearful, sleep-deprived state — I strike. I hear something fall over and a faint metallic stench reaches my nostrils, but it doesn’t matter because the person in front of me, the person trying to kill me-

Hifumi: Naoki?! What- why are you doing this?

He speaks, expression fraught with pain as he holds onto the knife’s blade, but I can barely listen to his words because I’m still reeling at this betrayal, still processing how the hell this man I trusted could do something like this.

Chairs fall. The rise and fall of my chest only grows more ragged.

We continue to yank on the knife. The tug-of-war on my lifelines only continues.

And… and it stops. Why’d it stop, what happened?

(what did i do?)

Logically, I know what the answer is. One knife plus one unmoving body equals an obvious conclusion, but my eyes still widen when I look down and see bloody hands, red blood staining through blue fabric, a face even more pained than before. I barely bite back a distressed yelp and kneel down to help Naoki.

Hifumi: No no NO, NAOKI! Shit!!

I place my hands over the wound, desperately trying to stop the blood flow, but all I do is bloody my hands even more. The betrayal in his expression is evident as the light slowly fades from his eyes and one thing becomes exceedingly clear:

I had just killed an innocent man.

… … …

… …

…

Hifumi looks haunted. Not in the supernatural sense — even given our insane circumstances, I could never bring myself to believe that sort of thing — but in the emotional sense; her tangled hair, her empty eyes, she looks almost as anguished as she must’ve felt back then.

Looking around the room, she isn’t the only person like this. All around me, I can see regret and sympathy on everybody’s faces.

Takashi: Hifumi-sama… you…

Hifumi: [nods] I did. You really shouldn’t have wasted so much time defending me. I didn’t deserve it.

Hifumi: And for what it’s worth, I really am sorry for what I did. I wasn’t thinking clearly, but even considering that, what I did was inexcusable.

The way she speaks feels too formal, like how my dad’s subordinates would speak to him before being laid off, and I’m reminded of the first time I met her. She spoke like this back then too, didn’t she?

Katsumi: …That explains it then.

Edgar: Explains what?

Katsumi: The last loose ends of this case. I think we can wrap this up then.

Sora: Hey, isn’t this a little harsh? She didn’t mean to kill Naoki!

Minoru: Plus, she already confessed too. Isn’t this a little…

Daichi: Unnecessary?

Minoru: Painful.

Monokuma: Well, why not? A class trial isn’t complete without a closing argument! Take it away, Edgar!

Edgar: Me?!

Hifumi: No. I’ll just say it, you can vote for me and then…

Hifumi: …And then I’ll die.

…

Takashi: Hifumi, wait-

She doesn’t spare Takashi as much as a single glance as she speaks, laying out her crime for everyone to hear. It’s a death sentence for her, practically suicidal, and yet her voice barely wavers as she explains just why she deserves to die.

「 CLOSING ARGUMENT — BEGIN! 」

Hifumi: I already explained how Naoki was stabbed. I was stupid and paranoid and short-sighted… but that doesn’t change the facts. So forgive me for skipping over that.

Hifumi: It took me a while for everything to sink in for me, but when it finally did, I just felt too ashamed to admit it. If I remembered everybody would be executed, maybe I would’ve, but that’s besides the point.

Hifumi: I dragged his body by the arm to his room. I wrote that message with his blood to try and frame it as a suicide. And when I remembered the blood trail outside, I used the shower towel in his room and the toilet water to wash away as much blood as I could.

Hifumi: The only reason I kept the knife as long as I did was because I was scared whoever tried to kill me the first time would try again. But I guess that doesn’t matter — whoever did that is going to get away with it. And I…

Hifumi: I’m going to die.

Hifumi: Because the person who killed Naoki Yazawa… was the Ultimate Statistician, Hifumi Sunohara.

CLEAR!!

Monokuma: [sniffles] Wow, what a sad murder. I guess all mistakes aren’t happy little accidents…

Monokuma: [cheerfully] Anyways, I’ve just sent out the voting notification to your Monopαds, so vote for who you think is the killer! You’d better vote too — it’d be a real hassle if I had to execute more than one person just because somebody felt a little too sorry!

As soon as Monokuma announces that, all our Monopads buzz and I notice the notification Monokuma mentioned. In thin English lettering, the question “Who killed Naoki Yazawa?” is written on the top part of the screen, a gap underneath it for me to type in the answer.

I try not to feel too guilty as I type in Hifumi’s name and submit. She confessed already, she knew this was going to happen, but it still feels so wrong. The longest couple of minutes in my life pass in that moment as everybody makes their choice.

Monokuma: All right then! Did you make the right choice or the dreadfully wrong choice? Let us see…

Monokuma: With one vote for themself, the blackened is most definitely NOT… Takashi Akahono, the Ultimate Pyrotechnician! A bitter fighter to the end, huh? Although I’m sure nobody was surprised with this result.

Monokuma: And winning with an overwhelming majority of fourteen votes, the Ultimate Statistician is… GUILTY! [grins wider] You wanna guess your prize, Ms. Sunohara? Or maybe I should be calling you “Ms. Blackened”?

Hifumi: …

Monokuma: What, no more apologies? Some dramatic final words would be nice!

With that stubborn denial she’d utilized so much during the class trial, Hifumi denies Monokuma one last satisfaction. Despite the fear that still lingers in her expression, she refuses to give Monokuma the glee of hearing it out in the open. A moment passes, then another. The so-called “gracious host” pouts as it realizes this is how it’s going to go.

Monokuma: Well, fine, be that way! [mutters] Razza-frazzing kids can’t even despair properly these days…

Monokuma: Then again, maybe I can change that. After all, we still have a punishment to complete, don’t we?

Hitomi: What?!

Monokuma: One execution coming right up!

Takashi: NO!!

Monokuma: [yelling with glee] It’s PUNISHMENT TIME!!!

GAME OVER

HIFUMI SUNOHARA HAS BEEN FOUND GUILTY

TIME FOR THE PUNISHMENT!

The room explodes with voices, yelling from Takashi and some inaudible whispers from Aika, and in all the chaos, nobody notices the collar until it’s too late. The metal jangles as it drags Hifumi away by the neck, into the air and beyond one of those double-doors that have opened, an inky darkness beyond it.

We run towards it, but it’s already too late by the time we start moving and the doors slam back shut with a loud slam. Just too late, just too far away, just too useless to be able to save her — that is the final time I let Hifumi Sunohara down.

The sound of panels shuffling in the ceiling cue us to look up and a screen descends, activating and blazing with light as we see Hifumi fall into the darkness of the space just beyond our reach. Is this it? Is this how she dies? Instead of falling with a sickening crunch, she simply tumbles as the chain finally releases itself from her neck and the lights turn on.

Hifumi’s in some sort of office, it seems like, and a screen above her head activates with the numbers “2:00” written on it. Two minutes, but for what? The clock starts to count down.

「 Number Cruncher : Ultimate Statistician’s Execution 」

She stands up, stupefied by the sights in front of her. There’s no Monokuma, no guillotine or electric chair or firing squad, so just what is going on? She doesn’t need to wonder long as the sounds of machinery fill the room again…

…and as the walls begin to move closer.

Hifumi immediately leaps into action, reaching for the door in front of her and yanking it open and running down the halls to meet a similar sight. Just a few seconds later, the walls crashed against each other, a booming noise causing her to jolt. So that was the game Monokuma was playing, huh?

There was no rest for the wicked though, and the walls began to move once more. Again, she opened the door, although she only barely managed to avoid being crushed that time. Again, she runs only to find herself in another office. Again, she barely manages to escape death.

It’s painfully clear what’s going on here but Hifumi still desperately tries to navigate the labyrinth of cubicles and corridors, holding onto the hope there might be an escape. Each beep we hear is another second gone, another second closer to death. Two minutes becomes one minute, one becomes thirty seconds, thirty becomes twenty becomes ten, and then-

Hifumi runs into the last office, racked with heavy breaths as she walks in, legs collapsing from the effort. The door behind her slams shut and there’s nowhere to go but forward.

Nine. She stands up again, legs shaking.

Eight. She takes a step forward, then another.

Seven. Her hand brushes the knob, then wraps around it.

Six. She pulls. And the sight she sees… is what finally breaks her.

[ Error 404: Exit Not Found! If this error persists, please contact Team Danganronpa for help! (If you have the time ;) ]

She falls to her knees, as if begging to some higher power for mercy; time doesn’t stop for her, and neither do the walls. The clock counts down.

Five. Four. Three. Two. One.

I tear my eyes away at the last second, but that sickening sound still echoes in my ears. I don’t need to look to know what happened.

Hifumi… was crushed. And now.

She’s… Hifumi’s…

…

… …

… … …

…Holy shit. Holy fucking shit.

There’s no way I just witnessed that. Even with our situation, even with all the killing game’s rules and contrivances, there’s no way anybody could be that cruel, right? But the way Sumire cries and Keisha winces and Rantaro looks away, I know that this can’t be a lie. This is no nightmare — Hifumi, Naoki, both of them are dead now.

Flashes of half-remembered memories speed through my mind, but I push all of that away and storm right up to the elevator.

Monokuma: Hm? Where do you think you’re-

Edgar: [hisses] Shut up.

Edgar: You already killed Hifumi, where the hell do you get off trying to make the rest of us suffer too?!

Despite how venomously I spit out the words, an undercurrent of fear still hums through me. If I piss off Monokuma enough, if it feelss like it, I could be dragged into one of those sick executions. I’m scared, but goddamnit, I’m tired too.

Katsumi: The trial’s over, so there’s no reason for us to hang around here.

Tsuyoshi: Yeah, just open the damn elevator already!

Slowly, the rest of the class rallies around me, ignoring whatever Monokuma is tryinng to say and waiting for it to cave in. It’s our own rebellion, however petty it might be, just like how Hifumi refused to beg in her last moments.

(she still despaired, didn’t she?)

(…)

Monokuma rolls its eyes somehow and the doors to the elevator swing open, the rest of us piling in and waiting for it to ascend. When it reopens, we’re greeted with-

(a dead boy, room painted with blood.)

(a series of never-ending offices, with zero escape.)

No.

It’s just the first floor. Just a normal — as much as this place can be anyways — place with the kitchen and garden and all our rooms. As if on cue, my stomach rumbles, and I remember how we didn’t even have breakfast before we had to do the trial. Oh my God, is it actually still morning? With the lack of windows this place has, it’d be hard to tell.

Still, I don’t feel like eating.

I don’t feel like talking, barely feel like doing anything.

I’m barely able to drag myself to my room and when I do, I just collapse under the incredible pressure of everything. Two people… God, two of us are dead. It’s not like I really knew either of them that well, but to reduce their deaths to something like that, to brush them off like they were meaningless — that seems callous, like something Monokuma would say.

I didn’t even do anything. The best I was able to do was thrust the blame onto Rantaro, someone who hadn’t even ended up doing anything. And where does that leave me? A mess; still stuck in this horrifying bunker with two less classmates, a thief and an attempted murderer we still don’t know the identity of.

In the face of all this, I do something that feels long overdue:

I cry.

I cry my heart out and just pray and hope desperately that somehow, what happens tomorrow can make up for the despair that was today.

14 PLAYERS REMAIN

[ Item Obtained - Golden Garter ]

A sleeve garter made of pure gold, just the kind of accessory you’d need to establish your professionalism. It’s strong and uncompromising, much like its owner, though it’s a lot more durable than he was.

[ Item Obtained - Crumpled Jacket ]

A velvet jacket that’s… either blue or purple, not that you can tell. The jacket is soft to the touch and fashionable to boot, probably one of the few luxuries of its owner’s life. Now however, the jacket is crumpled and bloody both inside and out. Ew!

Chapter Text

The Queen is no stranger to late-nighters; oftentimes, she’ll subject herself to them to hit deadlines and polish her stories until they shine, sure to be adored once they hit the silver screen. It’s far past midnight at this point but that isn’t the reason she remains in the office now; instead of typing away at her computer, The Queen nervously toys with her skirt as she waits in front of a door.

It isn’t often the Queen feels nervous. Then again, it isn’t often the CEO of Team Danganronpa himself requests to see her.

The door swings open and the Queen can just barely see the cold grey eyes peeking out from behind his pitch-black hair, almost as dark as the suit he wears, the only hint of color being the company-mandated pin affixed to the suit. She doesn’t even need to read it to know what it says — “Shunsuke Okabe, CEO”.

There likely isn’t a single person in Japan who doesn’t know his name — of course people would know the man responsible for directing some of the biggest changes to their favorite show, possibly the most famous show in the country. In comparison to someone like him, she can’t help but feel a little plain. Really, who could hope to live up to genius like that?

Okabe’s eyes narrow as he looks down on the Queen. “You can come in now.”

The Queen nods and enters the office. It’s a rare occasion that he calls people here and she must admit, she has imagined on occasion what it might look like. Even so, she didn’t expect it to look so… full. Danganronpa paraphernalia covers the walls and the desk, with even the chair she sits on being painted half-black, half-white like the iconic mascot Monokuma himself.

“Um, if I might ask,” she begins tenuously, “Why exactly did you ask for me today?”

“Let me ask my own question in response then,” Obake says. “Shirogane, did you notice any discrepancies between the trial you wrote and the trial that aired this morning?”

The Queen doesn’t miss the way he’s dropped her honorific, but it doesn’t quite bother her as much these days given how she’s had to write this season. More importantly…

Her script. Of course she noticed the divergence, even if her audience almost definitely didn’t. Rantaro was never supposed to lose that knife. He was never supposed to lead that trial, hell, never meant to even make it there in the first place. The Queen wouldn’t lie, it was nonetheless interesting to see how it played out, but she couldn’t help but feel a bit worried.

She’d written all sixteen of those characters. The only ones who should’ve had the potential to throw her script so off-course were the mastermind and, arguably, the SHSL Survivor. So how exactly had Edgar done that? Was it fate, his subconscious, just luck?

It was intriguing, but the Queen notices how Okabe didn’t seem to share these feelings.

“You promised ratings, Shirogane. This episode barely did better than last season’s prologue,” Okabe hisses. “Have you seen the reception online about this?!”

He didn’t even give The Queen time to respond before he thrust a computer screen into her face. What she was supposed to be looking at however clearly wasn’t the 4.5 star rating the season had gotten on this forum, but rather the comments below.

MomoKa170: “wsa it jtus me or was that a totalyl underwhelmming murder??? bet i coudl do better than thta lmao” (65K likes)

NumberOneReimaStan: “How about you work on that grammar first? I’m breaking out in hives from those typos 💀” (30K likes)

ChibiChimaChan: “Was scared we were gonna get ANOTHER protagonist death like Season 50. Can't believe they actually killed off Naegi.” (58K likes)

User_4971504: “WAIT THEY KILLED MAKOTO???? I DIDN’T WATCH S50 YET 😭😭😭” (42K likes)

ConfusedNoob: “why are they calling everyone Ultimates this season??” (25K likes)

By all accounts, not exactly an unexpected thing to see for any given Danganronpa season, but Season 52 wasn’t exactly meant to be an “ordinary” season in the first place anyways. In more ways than one, she supposed that was truer than ever. That fact was dangerous.

With their viewerbase higher than ever with millions of yen being sunk into this endeavor, the stakes were higher than ever for Season 52 to succeed. By all accounts, it should've been easy for The King to rectify this mistake and keep the script back on track… so why didn't they?

“Your characters can’t go on like this,” Okabe says coldly, cutting through the Queen’s thoughts. “You got lucky that the script wasn’t as changed this time. At least that statistician had the decency to die the way she was supposed to…”

“Still,” he jabs a finger at her. “Get them under control before I have to make you act more… directly. I understand you are having some trouble finding suitable applicants for next season, correct?”

The Queen gulps. The implication in Okabe’s words were clear; although she had often fantasized about participating in one of her own killing games, the idea of it being the punishment didn’t make it quite as appealing. Everybody knew what had happened to the last person who’d let Okabe down that hard, or she supposes, most people know him better as the fifth blackened of Season 36 — BuzzFeed’s top pick for “Danganronpa’s Top 5 Most Painful Executions”. Now that had been a fun one to watch.

Experiencing something like that… would likely be less so.

“I understand,” the Queen replies, bowing a bit for good measure.

“Do you? Do you really?” he presses. “And just how do you plan to fix this?”

“…Well, there’s a certain plotline we haven’t used in a while now. If I added it, it might help things stay on track too.”

“That sounds-”

“Classic? Dramatic? Unexpected?” the Queen cuts Okabe off, throwing every buzzword she can think of to try and sway his mind. It’s true, this idea wasn’t exactly in the script either, but it could be just what she needed to stay in his good graces.

…Or maybe just throw more fuel onto the fire her script is starting to burn in. Preferably the former.

Okabe stares, scrutinizing her expression for a moment and pondering the idea for longer.

“…”

“…”

“…Fine. I trust you understand what you’re doing, Shirogane?”

“Of course. Mark my words, we’ll be seeing record numbers by the time Chapter Four rolls around,” she says. It’s a little risky, making such a definite claim when she has only a week or two at most to make it a reality, but big words like that are just what Okabe wants to hear. Cliche as it is, all she can really do is hope.

Some small payoff is received in the way the CEO nods afterward, a curt “You’re dismissed” being the Queen’s signal to leave. Now the question is: what exactly does she do now? Should she perfect the script? Contact the King and try to straighten things out on their end? Or perhaps… yes, now just might be the time to act on her previous idea.

The scene is already unfolding within her mind: in the dead of night, a single player lies awake, eyes snapping open with the arrival of something mysterious. Cut to door, zoom in on the floor, to the note that lies unmoving. A rather obvious bait, yet something she can see almost everyone falling for.

Yes, it’s all coming together! She grabs her laptop and immediately gets to work writing.

This is exactly the sort of hook the viewers will love…

…

…

…

(Another day passed, another day wasted. They sigh, cursing their own uselessness.)

(They know they’re better than this, some deep dormant feeling attests to this, and yet they cannot change a single thing.)

(It isn’t until they return to their dorm to sleep that they realize someone else has made their own change.)

(They pick up the note.)

(hindsight is 20/20)

Dear [BISHOP],

Let me make one thing clear before you discard this note: in choosing to sate your curiosity and read this, you’ve also decided to throw in your lot with me. You will not be allowed to back out at this stage of the game. Don’t even bother trying to tell the others — I have eyes everywhere and I have people willing to punish you if you step out of line. Unless you wish to end up like Hifumi, it’d be in your best interest to listen to me.

I’m a powerful person though. If you can accept working with me, I can keep you safe for a long time. Perhaps you can even make it to the final two? You’ve already seen how fickle some of your classmates can be — would you really rather risk your safety with them rather than secure it with me?

I suppose the answer matters little at this point. Like it or not, you are my traitor now, and you’ll do as I say. Just try not to let anyone else catch on.

As for my first order, it isn’t hard. You needn’t even go through with it yourself if you don’t want to! However, it’s of the utmost importance you get this done, okay?

Katsumi Kurosawa must die before the next class trial begins.

There will be consequences for letting me down. Remember, you don't have to die here.

Sincerely yours,

The Mastermind

Chapter Text

Hifumi: [disbelievingly] You’re joking, right? You have to be.

Something about this scene feels wrong to me, but I ignore those hazy feelings in favor of actually focusing on the conversation we’re having. Next to Hifumi, Sora quirks an eyebrow and a small smile blooms on his face, though he seems just as confused as Hifumi.

Edgar: …No? You can’t tell you guys actually believe this. I mean, [XXXXXXX]? That sounds crazy!

Hifumi: Haven’t you been reading the news? It’s literally all that anyone’s been talking about.

Edgar: Okay, in my defense, that ethics project was actually insane-

Hifumi: You cannot be serious. Ethics? It’s not even that hard.

Sora: But yeah, Hifumi definitely isn’t lying about this. Y’know, when me and Nao were heading on the train to his hometown-

‘Nao’? I open my mouth to comment on it, but stop at the last second. It’s probably not my place to comment on that; the last thing I want to do is sound like some possessive ex or something.

Sora: -and they had to stop at Nishinari because it just got utterly wrecked! Honestly, it was kinda scary… good thing his hometown didn’t get hit. I know he’s been pushing to get more bunkers and stuff installed, but I don’t know how far that’ll actually go…

Hifumi: Definitely not far. They’re barely getting anything done in big cities like Tokyo, I’d say that place is as good as gone at this rate.

Sora: [smiling nervously; teases] Not very hopeful of you, eh?

Gradually, less and less of their words sound understandable, everything blending together into some sort of white noise I can barely understand. This… this isn’t right. What’s going on?

Is this even real?

As soon as the words come to mind, I feel a piercing pain in my head that practically shatters the world around me. That haze from before becomes all too clear as memories grow painfully clear: blues stained red by blood, arguments moving too fast for me to handle, despair and so much death-

And it all fades to black.

TEAM DANGANRONPA PRESENTS…

Episode Two:

"Distrust Rondo, in the Key of Your Heart"

Waking up, the memory of the previous day is still fresh in my mind, every horrible thing still clear in my mind. Even so, time waits for no man and I’ve already spent enough time here that my morning routine is all but engraved in my head, although I doubt I could sleep through any of Monokuma’s announcements given their unbearable volume.

And since we’re apparently trying to get back into the swing of things…

Edgar: [looking into mirror; tries to smile] Good morning!

…This is so stupid.

I’m not even fooling myself like this, how the hell would other people possibly believe me? Is it even worth pretending any of us could bounce back from the absolute nightmare that yesterday was?

Hoping to distract myself from this train of thought, I actually step out of my room and into the kitchen, which feels strangely empty for this time of day. We don’t even have half our group here yet.

In the meantime, I start eating the breakfast set out in front of me, a pretty simple bowl of rice and tamagoyaki, not that I’m blaming anyone — cooking sixteen fourteen meals is already a lot to handle, and adding in the stress of yesterday… well, I’m surprised anyone had the motivation to do this much.

Although, now that I think about it, I don’t actually see Kaoru here? Did Rantaro do this by himself then?

…Yeah, I think I’ve lost a bit of my appetite. I stand up and decide to actually get everyone in the kitchen — it’s probably not healthy to skip breakfast anyways. Ten or so minutes of knocking relentlessly on peoples’ doors later, we finally have a full house in the kitchen. Satisfied, I walk back into the kitchen…

Kaoru: Are you all imbeciles?!

…and straight into an argument. Lucky me.

Rantaro: [winces] Listen, I get that this might seem suspicious, but I’m really trying to apologize here.

Kaoru: You could’ve killed someone. Am I supposed to forgive you just because of such a pitiful apology?

She does actually bring up a good point. As if scared of the previous few days repeating themselves again, my eyes wander towards the knife rack, where one is still missing for some reason. The one Hifumi had probably got destroyed in… that, so maybe it got replaced?

I’m about to ask Rantaro why his is missing before remembering that — oh, right! That’s the one I stole from him! I’m definitely going to have to put that back later, but right now, the last thing I want to do is draw any attention to myself.

Hitomi: Kaoru, do you really have to be so harsh?

Aika: I know what he did was wrong, but shouldn’t we give him another chance? That time limit was putting a lot of pressure on all of us!

Minoru: Um, technically he did that before the time limit…

Daichi: …

Minoru: [quickly] But I do get what you guys are trying to say! The killing game’s a really stressful thing in general, and-

Kaoru: And yet nobody else went as far as stealing a murder weapon. You really needn’t feel obligated to defend his actions.

Rantaro: Yeah.

I have to do a double-take at that, because is he actually agreeing with her?? Why?

Rantaro: I caused a lot of trouble at the trial, and I really don’t want to start any more. I guess I should just stay out of your ways…

Sumire: …

He’s still smiling even as he says that, awkward and sad as it is. Even I feel sort of guilty for doubting Rantaro — he seems so genuine right now, in a way I could probably never hope to be. I just wish I could be as honest as him right now.

One thing I am not though is enjoying this argument, so I take what remains of my breakfast and go back to my room to finish it. It feels a little strange after having grown despite the objectively small change this is to my daily routine, but it still feels… weird. I guess something about having people around really changed the mood, even when we were feeling down — it does feel a lot…

Emptier.

…

Wanting to push aside that depressing thought, I decide to head over to… the game room. Yeah, it’s been a while since I’ve been there! I can barely even remember the last time I was here. When I actually enter, the room is just as I remembered, though no less empty than my own bedroom.

I mean, I guess the board games and tennis table fill up the room a little, but nobody else is here? I suppose we don’t have any morning gamers among us then.

I search for a deck of cards and eventually find one, setting up a game of Solitaire as best as I remember. Playing for only a few seconds, I curse the unlucky hand I’ve dealt myself when-

Monokuma: [loudly] Wow! All alone on a Friday night, are we?

I yelp, accidentally scattering the cards all over as Monokuma appears from out of nowhere. How does it keep doing that???

Monokuma: [tilts head] Well, I guess that isn’t quite accurate in your case… then again, you don’t even know what day it is! How would you know?

Edgar: [higher pitch (no it isn’t!!!)] What are you even doing here?? Fuck off!!

Monokuma: Yeesh, talk about hostile! And I haven’t even gotten to the good stuff yet!

Edgar: If it’s another motive, I swear-

Monokuma: Oh please, a motive the very next morning? I’m a cruel bear, but I’m not that cruel! I would explain, but… do you have your Monopαd with you?

Rifling through my pockets, I eventually take it out, a little intrigued by Monokuma’s words. When I turn it on though, the normal home screen isn’t there, replaced by a completely blue screen filled with grainy white text.

Edgar: …Did you just brick it?

Monokuma: Quite the opposite actually — if you’d bothered to actually read the text, you’d already have realized this is an upgrade! After centuries of hard work, I’m proud to say we’re finally bringing the Monopads™ out of alpha!

Edgar: [rolls eyes] If you say so.

Somehow, I manage to locate a block of text that vaguely looks like the word YES and press it. The screen immediately shuts down and the tablet begins to heat up a little, which is a little concerning. Is it supposed to be doing that??

After a bit more time, the heat finally dies down and Monokuma’s jagged red eye appears on the screen, a white loading bar underneath it. It maxes out and a completely different home screen than the one I’m used to. All the buttons seem so much smaller, probably to make up for the fact there’s so much more stuff than there was before.

…Although giving it a closer look, it really isn’t anything too extraordinary; “Clock”, “Messages”, “Themes” — did we really need a whole software update to get this stuff installed? The only two that stand out to me is an app labeled Elevator and one without a name that’s just greyed out.

Edgar: …Elevator? What kind of tablet has an elevator app?

Monokuma: Whoops, looks like I forgot to mention something important! You see, after every class trial you guys complete, there’s a certain prize you all get — a new floor! I’m sure you must be feeling bored with all the bear essentials, eh?

Monokuma’s horrible pun aside, it does definitely have a point… plus, there could be something useful on this new floor! Maybe there’s some kind of clue or even an escape! Hopeful, I quickly get to messaging the others about this new development.

[ EDGAR: @EVERYONE Meet up by the elevator rn plz??? (9:24) ]

[ TSUYOSHI: what the fuck happende to my Monopad? (9:27) ]

[ DAICHI: @TSUYOSHI imagine capitalizing Monopad wwww (9:27) ]

[ MINORU: You just did that though... (9:28) ]

[ DAICHI: >:l Hater (9:28) ]

[ HITOMI: Guys!! No fighting!!! (9:30) ]

[ KAORU: Can we let the person who actually called us explain this one? (9:33) ]

[ KAORU: Do you mind explaining yourself, @EDGAR? (9:33) ]

She’s so formal, even over text! Scary…

[ EDGAR: Of course! Monokuma just unlocked a new floor and I was thinking we can exploer it as a group? (9:36)]

[ EDGAR: *explore (9:37)]

[ KATSUMI: i should've realized something was off. monokuma wasn't being enough of a fucking brat today (9:37)]

[ RANTARO: It's probably safer that way. Plus, the whole group gets to stay informed, right? (9:38)]

[ KEISHA: Can we wrap this up, @EVERYONE? I'm already at the elevator and I don't see anybody else here. (9:40)]

Oh yeah, that.

I turn off the Monopad and quickly run over to the elevator, where a small handful of people are already there. How am I, like, the fifth person to get here when I was the one telling everybody to get here in the first place??

Note to self: be more productive.

It doesn’t take long for everyone else to gather thanks to the magic of the Internet, although now that I think about it, going from door-to-door probably wouldn’t have been so slow anyways… well, either way, I activate the Elevator app and tap my way past the tutorial. How complicated can this be?

I’m almost immediately reaffirmed when I notice a giant red button labelled “OPEN”. Take that, Monokuma! The second floor is the only other one even available at this point, which only serves to make the process even more uncomplicated. It isn’t long before we’re met with the sight of a long hallway.

Aika: Wow.

Kaoru: This place is… beautiful.

I guess that’s one way to look at it. The pattern on the wallpaper is intricate, and the chandeliers that hang above us could almost be mistaken for gold with the way they’re painted. To me, though, it just looks gaudy. At least it’s warmer than the first floor.

Daichi: Okay guys! Operation Exploration is a go!

Hitomi: [giggles] This almost sounds like some sort of movie intro…

Keisha: So should we split up then, or go as a group?

Tsuyoshi: I mean, the worst that can happen is probably just Monokuma showing up. Let’s just split up!

Trusting in Tsuyoshi’s logic, some of us split up into the friend groups that had developed over the past few days. The rest of us just sort of grab whoever’s closest to us —in my case, I end with Sora, Rantaro and Katsumi.

Almost as soon as this is decided, Katsumi immediately starts walking towards one of the doors, yanking it open to reveal…

Nothing. A fake — really? Did they waste all their budget on the aesthetic?

My interest piqued, I also go to open a door and briefly take pause at the strange writing on it. “Αλεξάνδρεια”… that’s definitely not English, and I definitely know enough Japanese at this point to rule it out as an option. Briefly considering asking Kaoru if it’s French, I almost miss Rantaro coming up from behind me.

Rantaro: …I think it says… ‘Alexandria’?

Sora: Really? I didn’t know you spoke… Russian?

Rantaro: [shakes head] I’m pretty sure that’s Greek. I’m not exactly the best at the language, but I’d call my Greek passable.

Sora: Makes sense, I guess. Didn’t think you’d be that well-read though — I mean, I struggle enough just tryin’ to grasp just two, you know?

Edgar: That’s a pretty weird name for a room though. Like, doesn’t that sound more like a person?

Rantaro: Good question. I have some ideas, but we should probably just check it now, right?

Katsumi: Any day now.

With that last remark said, Rantaro finally opened the door, revealing a cozy-looking library. A fireplace crackled in the center of the room and mahogany shelves fully stocked with books occupied the walls. A second too late, something finally occurs to me.

Edgar: Oooh, I get it now! Alexandria, like the Library of Alexandria!

Edgar: …Actually, that’s not really that funny.

Katsumi: I mean, it’s a library. How useful is this going to be for literally anything?

Sora: I mean, they could have a guide on making homemade explosives!

Katsumi: [shakes head] Let’s not give any future blackeneds ideas…

Rantaro: Looks like a pretty standard place. Fiction, non-fiction — I don’t know if this place really has any clues.

Sora: Yeah… let’s check out someplace else.

We left the library and decided to check out the door at the end of the hall, which seemed a lot bigger than all the others; even more curiously, it was already open. Was somebody else already in there?

Eager for answers, I enter and I’m met with an absolutely massive ballroom. Like, this might be even more fancy than the hallway somehow. The tiled floor is polished to a shine, marble pillars support the ceiling and- is that a fucking disco ball up there???

Edgar: Oh my God… what even is this place?

Kokoro: I feel like it’s pretty obviously a ballroom. Pretty sweet place though.

Aika: It’s such an aesthetic place, isn’t it?

Oh, so that’s who found this place first. Aika and Kokoro are together unsurprisingly, but Kaoru and Tsuyoshi are also tagging along near them. Given the way those two go at each other sometimes, you’d think they’d be scrambling for any partner but each other… I guess they’re sort of similar in a way though.

Kaoru: Although I won’t deny the strange design of this bunker, the quality of this room speaks for itself.

Tsuyoshi: Y’know, you’re allowed to just say ya like the room without trying to be fancy about it.

Kaoru: [lightly punches Tsuyoshi; embarrassed] C’est suffisant…

Aika: [wistfully] Still, wouldn’t it be awesome for us to have some kind of romantic dance night? I just wish we had the clothes for it. Like, I can’t just wear a seifuku to something like this!

Sora: I dunno about that… I’m not really a fan of dancing. Or fancy clothes. Or romance.

Hitomi: Isn’t that everything she just said though?!

Sora: Oh yeah. Well, nobody said I had to be there!

Hearing that makes my heart lurch for some reason, but I choose not to focus on my disappointment — the investigation is more important than this! Sure, we haven’t found an exit yet, but we’re only three doors in and

(and you’re not going to find one.)

…

I leave the ballroom quietly, deciding to try my luck alone because there has to be something useful here other than useless libraries and ballrooms.

I try the knob on another door: fake.

Another door: another fake.

The third door I go for doesn’t even have a knob. Frustrated, I give it a good kick and ignore the way my leg hurts after the fact.

Hitomi: Oh, there you are! Did you find anything yet?

Oh, I guess everybody’s already finished checking out the ballroom then.

Edgar: Nah, not yet. Guess I’m just on an unlucky streak right now!

I laugh a bit and internally cringe at how awkward it sounds. Aside from Hitomi’s slight frown, nobody really seems to take notice, which is probably better than the alternative. This’ll probably be easier with more people, especially considering the sheer scope of this place — it’s so empty despite how big it is.

Somehow though, we manage to stumble into what seems like the last place available: an art gallery? Everyone else is already here, which I guess somewhat explains the hall’s emptiness.

Keisha: An art gallery, hm? Really makes you wonder what this stuff is doing here.

Minoru: It all looks pretty weird too… I can hardly even tell what some of these are supposed to be.

I take a look at some of the art around us — there’s a couple of sculptures, but most of it is paintings. All of them seem to be made in the same style, long simple strokes all bunched together to create the barest of silhouettes. Is that supposed to be an eye or a rock in one of them?

Katsumi: Wow, what happened to ‘artistic liberty’?

Kaoru: [huffs] No, I agree. Calling these ‘unremarkable’ is generous. Isn’t that so, Takashi?

Takashi: …

Takashi: [looks up] O-oh, yeah! Right on the money, Kaoru-sama!

Is he okay? He took an awfully long time to respond to that…

Daichi: I’m starting to feel sorry for the guy who made these now actually. Actually, who even made these?

Kaoru: I’d assume Monokuma. It’s only befitting of-

Sumire: It’s not.

Confused, Kaoru turns to look straight at Sumire, who’s inspecting the frame on one of the paintings. Somehow, she notices Kaoru’s gaze and flinches a little, tapping the frame as she explains.

Sumire: All these p-paintings have the same frame. I-I think the same person made them all. H-his name is Minato Iroiro.

Katsumi: …I’m sorry, who?

Hitomi: So that’s who the artists is? ‘Minato Iroiro’… does that ring any bells?

Silence.

Minutes pass and what breaks the silence isn't an answer, but the sound of Katsumi's footsteps as she leaves the gallery. I guess there isn't that much to check out here besides these paintings. Honestly, there isn’t much here at all… why is this floor so empty compared to the other one?

I’m probably not going to come up with any answers at this rate, so I just head back out to the hallway.

Minoru: Is that it then? That felt like a pretty short investigation…

Daichi: Maybe we missed something. Anybody find anywhere else to check out?

Edgar: Not much. Just a bunch of empty doors, and that one weird one-

Kaoru: “That one weird one”? And it didn’t occur to you to inform us of this?

Edgar: Well… [points to door] I don’t really know why, I just couldn’t get it there.

Hitomi: I guess she could try giving it another go?

Kaoru moves to inspect the door. Sure enough, it had no doorknob just like I’d remembered, but in my rut, I’d apparently failed to notice the keypad placed just a little higher than Kaoru’s head. Now that I think about it, that looks like a really inconvenient place to put that; maybe I could reach it if I stretched, but I can’t imagine many of us would be able to reach it easily.

Kaoru: It seems the passcode is four numbers long, but there’s no clues anywhere here… speak up. Don’t any of you know the passcode?

Daichi: [smirks confidently] 69420.

Minoru: T-that’s definitely not it! That’s not even five numbers!

Sumire: Um, sh-should we just ask Monokuma?

Kokoro: Already on it. Just give a second.

Sure enough, it doesn’t take long for our Monopads to buzz with the sound of a new message being sent. It takes even less time for Monokuma to respond, which isn’t encouraging to me.

[ KOKORO: What's the passcode? (10:14) ]

[ MONOKUMA: Passcode? What passcode?! I have no idea what you're talking about... ;D (10:14) ]

…And of course Monokuma wasn’t any help. That smiley emoticon just feels like the icing on this cake of disrespect. Should I even try pushing for an answer?

[ TSUYOSHI: stop fucking around (10:15) ]

[ TSUYOSHI: whats the damn code (10:15) ]

[ MONOKUMA: @TSUYOSHI, I'm sure one of you still remembers! Try asking around before begging me for help, okay~? (10:16)]

Oh.

Nervously, I look back at the group, who seem equally confused and apprehensive. There has to be a good reason one of us would know, right? The fact that Monokuma’s bringing it up might seem shifty, but its word can’t be all there is to it, right??

Because if we start distrusting each other again… well, we’ve already seen how that’ll pan out.

Rantaro: [sighs] So, nobody’s gonna speak up then?

…

Minoru: I mean, what if somebody tried to kill them-

Daichi: It’s literally been a day since the last trial. Monokuma hasn’t even given us a motive, so why would anybody even consider it?

… …

Katsumi: [shakes head] You guys realize we don’t need them to do this, right?

She pushes her way to the front of the group and stands on the tips of her toes to reach the keypad, punching in the number “0211”. It blinks red for a second, and resets.

Kaoru: [scoffs] Randomly guessing won’t do us much good, you know.

Katsumi: It’s not “randomly guessing”. The password’s probably an important date or whatever, I’m trying my best to guess at those.

Sumire: [confused] …W-what’s important about February 11?

Rantaro: It’s someone’s birthday, isn’t it? Probably someone “important”, if Katsumi’s thinking right here…

Daichi: I mean, I’d say I’m a pretty important guy, but I’m pretty sure that isn’t a good thing in this context. [nudges Keisha] What about you? When’s your birthday?

Keisha seems reluctant to respond, almost definitely not helped by Daichi’s statement. For some reason, though, she actually relents.

Keisha: April 4th.

Kaoru: …Interesting.

Katsumi types in “0404”, and the keypad lets out a digital trill as the door slides open. The fact that the person who can’t even remember their talent has their birthday unlock this probably important door… yeah, that sure is interesting to say the least.

I make a mental note to keep an eye on Keisha as I enter the room, which seems pretty innocuous at first sight: just a well-kept office. The walls all have maps of Japan, with pushpins of all colors stabbed into them. On the desk in the middle of the room, all sorts of papers are scattered across the top.

Edgar: What the hell? What’s all of this for?

Ignoring my question, Keisha marches towards the desk and sorts through some of the papers. Her expression grows stormier the more she stares at them, the confusion in her eyes giving way to something else.

Takashi: Um, Keisha-sama? Are you feeling alright?

Keisha: …

Keisha: Yeah. It’s just…

Keisha sighs as she puts the papers in a pocket in her suit’s inner lining, sliding it off her shoulders and buttoning it up. I think this might be the first time I’ve actually seen her wear it like that. Honestly, she looks a lot more like an Ultimate Philanthropist than Daichi does right now.

Sora: So, are we done standing around or what? This was the last room we had to check out, right?

Edgar: True. I guess if the rest of us aren’t checking this stuff out, then we might as well leave-

Monokuma: Hold on there, buddy!

For the second time today, Monokuma shows up from the middle of nowhere, blocking the way out as best it can, which is not that well given the fact it can’t be any taller than a foot. Before I can try stepping over it, it announces something shocking.

Monokuma: I mean, the investigation’s over already? No way — we haven’t even gotten to the best part yet! How are you guys just going to ignore the new motive?

Katsumi: …That’s bullshit. We just finished a trial and you’re already springing this on us?

Monokuma: Yup! I figured that since the last few weren’t exactly as effective as I’d hoped, if I just gave this motive some time to simmer, we could get something even more despairful!!

Daichi: Again??

Sumire: [frightened] D- “despairful”?!

Minoru: …“Simmer”?

Monokuma: Now, I just need a volunteer from the audience. [turns to the camera] Oh, not you guys, of course!

…?

Monokuma: Someone like… you! Can the lady with the glasses please open up her Monopad?

Hitomi: Wait- me?? What am I even supposed to do with this?!

Monokuma: Oh, just look for “Motive” on it, it’s impossible to miss!

Intrigued, I lean over to look at Hitomi’s screen and- wow, Monokuma really wasn’t lying about it being impossible to miss, huh? The icon that was greyed out just a couple hours ago is now literally blinking red, as if screaming “Press me!”. It’s the world’s most obvious bait — no wonder Monokuma had to force Hitomi to do this.

When she activates the app, it shows Hitomi a grid of all of us, even Naoki and Hifumi. I can feel my stomach lurch when I see Naoki; that awkward smile on his image looks almost exactly like the one on his portrait in the trial, though there’s no X blocking out any part of his face here.

…Would I look like that in the trial if I ended up dying?

That sick feeling only gets worse as I think that, but I try my best to ignore it. It’s all because I was so squeamish last time that I could barely help during the last trial — I couldn’t even uncover the real killer with my testimony and when Hifumi did come under suspicion, I cursed her out right before she died.

Monokuma: Anyways, this motive’s nowhere near as stressful as last time. In fact, you don’t need to use it at all if you don’t want to! I just thought it’d provide some nice bonding opportunities — after all, there’s still so much you need to learn about each other!

Kokoro: “Bonding opportunities”? What’s there to bond over when it’s just an app?

Monokuma: That’s for Hitomi to find out~

Tsuyoshi: Don’t feel like you gotta do anything, Hitomi! This is clearly suspicious as hell!

Takashi: Y-yeah, don’t feel like you have to do anything! I-

Hitomi: [shakes head] Ah, thanks for the support, but I’m not sure if it’s all that necessary. I just have to pick someone I’m interested in, right?

Sora: Wait a minute… is this some kind of dating app?!

Monokuma: [completely monotone] Yes, the killing game is canceled. Welcome to the bonus dating mode.

Sora: [serious] Can I opt out?

Aika: Can I leave with Ko-chan?

Monokuma: No!! Geez, just how gullible are you kids? It’s a miracle you all managed to win that trial…

Takashi flinches, but I almost miss the motion because I’m distracted by the way all our Monopads buzz at the same time. While some people take out their own tablets, I look back at Hitomi’s screen and see she made her decision: Katsumi’s picture is now on the top of the display. And on the bottom, her secret is…

「 Katsumi Kurosawa is responsible for the attempted murder of Hifumi Sunohara. It wouldn’t even be the seventh death she’s gotten away with. 」

We all turn to look at Katsumi, unified in our shared feelings of disbelief, outrage and a general sentiment of ‘what the fuck’.

Rantaro: [cautiously] Katsumi? Are you going to explain yourself?

Tsuyoshi: “Explain”? The hell’s there to explain?! [turns to Katsumi] You… you’re the one who basically poisoned her dish the night before the trial, didn’t you?!

Rantaro: I know it seems unlikely, but she could have her reasons for doing it. Maybe she felt like I did…

Tsuyoshi glares at her expectantly, as if daring her to come up with an explanation that could satisfy him. She doesn’t even try, choosing to address someone else.

Katsumi: Monokuma.

Monokuma: Yes?

Katsumi: “Seventh death”? I didn’t even do anything aside from the thing with Hifumi — what does that even mean?

Minoru: She’s not even denying it…

Monokuma: Already forgetting? That’s so unlike you, Katsumi! You remember.

Monokuma: …I made sure of that.

I feel just as confused as Katsumi looks right now, but Monokuma disappears with one last “Upu!”. My head feels like it’s swirling with the sheer craziness of all this… I’m tempted to go and ask Katsumi to explain herself, but I really don’t feel like getting on the bad side of a potential serial killer, and-

Actually, never mind that because she’s just walking out??

Tsuyoshi: What the- get back here!

Daichi: Aaand she’s already in the elevator. What happened to getting her to explain herself, Tsuyoshi?

Tsuyoshi: You sayin’ this is my fault?? You didn’t even try!

Hitomi: Guys, stop! Even Katsumi doesn’t even really understand her secret — how do we know Monokuma was even telling the truth about it?

Keisha: [pityingly] Hitomi… she all but confessed to what she did. I think it’s pretty clear that Monokuma didn’t lie here.

Daichi: I mean, if you aren’t convinced, there is a way to check whether or not it’s true…

His voice trails off, no explanation following, so it takes me a few seconds to realize what he means. If Katsumi’s gone, how else are we supposed to check whether the motive’s actually telling the truth? And then it hits me.

Edgar: [sputters] You want to check another person’s secret?!

Rantaro: Absolutely not. We shouldn’t be forcing anyone to reveal anything as personal as this!

Daichi: Okay, geez! It was just a suggestion, guys…

Minoru: A bad one.

Daichi: Wow. Et tu, Maeda?

Kaoru: [raises eyebrow] Do you even know what that means?

Daichi: …Maybe?

I don’t know how I still had it in me to laugh, but I somehow managed to let out a small giggle, although Kaoru didn’t look nearly as pleased. As the two of them bickered, Hitomi quietly slipped out of the room, still looking troubled… should I head after her?

A bit worried, I head down to the first floor to check on her, where she’s knocking on one of the doors.

Hitomi: Ah… she’s not responding.

Edgar: “She”? Do you mean Katsumi? I guess that makes sense — given everybody’s reactions, she probably doesn’t feel like dealing with all that.

Edgar: Maybe we’d be better off letting her cool down for now?

Hitomi: I guess… I was hoping to talk to her a bit though.

Edgar: …You really want to believe in her, huh?

She gives me a strange look, and only then it occurs to me that I did not say that in my head. Well— fuck. I end up tripping over my words a bit as I try to backtrack, but somehow I manage to spit out something vaguely coherent-sounding.

Edgar: [hurriedly] Not that it’s a bad thing or anything! It isn’t!! But given everything we’ve already found out about Katsumi, I’m not sure if that’s really a good idea. You know?

My words sit awkwardly in the air for a few minutes, that weird frown still remaining on Hitomi’s face, before she finally settles on something to say.

Hitomi: …I don’t think caring about somebody would ever be a bad idea.

Hitomi: Even if she’s really done all that, I don’t know if pushing her away is the right thing to do. Because I’ve been through that sort of thing… I’m sure of it. This isn’t going to help anyone.

Giving the door one last glance, as if maybe that speech would encourage Katsumi to leave her room, Hitomi sighed disappointedly when nothing happened. Even as I went back to my room and stared at the ceiling, her words were still on my mind.

What were we supposed to do about this? What could I do? I don’t think I was anywhere near qualified to decide what the right thing to do would be, but I couldn’t completely bring myself to trust Hitomi’s words.

Could we really completely trust a killer, someone who was definitely involved in at least one death here? Not to mention the rest of her secret… what would that even mean? No, it’d probably be better off for me if I just steered clear of her.

(But feeling like that, feeling alone and paranoid…)

(Isn’t that why Hifumi killed?)

Looking at my Monopad, those unbelievable words still lingered at the bottom of the screen. If this was what Katsumi was hiding, who knew what else the others were hiding? Maybe not something as dramatic as this, but… holy shit, I really don’t know anything about these people.

I’m not even really sure what my own secret could be. I don’t think anything in my life deserved so much scrutiny.

…Right?

Somewhere along the line, this whirlwind of thoughts calms down, dulling into an uneasy sleep. It’s okay if I rest for a bit now, right? Maybe there’s still the off-chance this is all some crazy nightmare.

(As if.)

Chapter Text

There’s a lot of noise when I finally reawaken, although with how my head is spinning, I’m barely able to parse any of it. It takes a good moment for me to realize several things, namely that:

1. Somebody’s knocking on my door, which might have to with the second point.
   
   
2. The morning announcement’s playing. I’m… pretty sure it wasn’t that late when I got down here?
   
   
3. Which must mean that apparently, that little “nap” I’d meant to take wasn’t so short after all. Actually, how long would that even be? Twelve… thirteen? Never mind.

I quickly make my way over to the door, hoping that everybody doesn’t think I’m dead or something, and end up finding Sora on the other side of the door. I hastily put up a smile, trying to match his energy and hoping everybody else isn’t too worried.

Sora: Oh, Edgar!! I was wondering where you were. I swear, I haven’t seen you in forever!

Edgar: Really…?

Okay, I’m not sure whether I should be surprised nobody checked my room sooner, or worried that everybody might just assume the worst. Either way, it’s probably time to leave now. I’m feeling pretty hungry anyways, so I head over to the kitchen with Sora and come across Rantaro cooking like nothing even happened yesterday. Seriously, he doesn’t even look fazed or anything.

Although it has been some time since Katsumi’s secret was revealed, something about the way it just escalated our situation still feels unreal — at least to me. Am I really in the minority here? Like, is this just something I’m supposed to live with now — the fact that one is us is a literal self-admitted killer??

Although, I guess Rantaro wouldn’t be the best person to compare myself to for something like this. He managed to hide his true feelings pretty well from us until the trial, and he managed to save enough face to lead us through it. Maybe I should get someone else’s opinion on this?

Edgar: Hey, Sora?

Sora: Yeah?

Edgar: What do you think of… you know, just everything that happened yesterday.

Sora: [smiles nervously] Oof, coming right out the gate with the hard questions, huh? To be honest… yeeah, I don’t think I trust her at all. I guess there’s the chance Monokuma could’ve been lying, but I’m not really sure if I wanna bet on that, you know?

He fiddles with his jersey as he continues to speak, looking a bit more rattled as he does.

Sora: [frowns] I mean, this place is already stressful enough, but knowing that she’s just… roaming around scot-free? It feels even worse than that last motive, you know?

Rantaro: …Just make you don’t do anything rash, okay? I know I’m probably the last person you want to hear that from, but we really shouldn’t give in to paranoia.

I want to argue that Sora would never give in like that, but before I can speak up, I remember the conversation Sora was talking about — the last thing he actually said to me.

Sora: I dunno, I just… [quieter] I just really want to be out of here already, you know?

…

He probably could kill one of us if it came to down to that, couldn’t he? I’m willing to bet the literal Ultimate Sprinter is fitter than me, and the knives are literally a walk away, and- oh God. God, I thought I was over this already — you’d think seeing two dead bodies back to back would desensitize you to thoughts like these, so why can’t I just keep it together?!

Rantaro: Edgar?

Keep it together, Edgar. Keep it together.

Edgar: [breathes out] ‘M fine, I’m fine. Just nervous.

Rantaro frowns, as if he doesn’t completely believe me, but thankfully doesn’t press. I guess that’ll have to do for now. Anyways, I’m sure he’s forgotten by the time everyone else starts to file in anyways, focusing more on speeding up his cooking to keep pace with the growing audience in the kitchen.

It’s times like these that make me grateful he’s still around. God knows he’s definitely more reliable than some people here — maybe even more so than me…

Ugh, now definitely isn’t the time to be thinking like that. Trying to distract myself, I look up and just try to focus on the sights around me; after a week, there’s not much noteworthy about it though. There isn’t a hair out of place here, except for… wait. Shit, I forgot to put the knife back yesterday! Honestly, I’m just thankful that the mess that happened yesterday has distracted everyone from noticing this.

And speaking of yesterday’s mess, it looks like Katsumi still isn’t here. I guess that’s understandable — if I suddenly became public enemy #1 in the middle of a killing game, I think I’d be hesitant to leave my room too.

Keisha: Hitomi, are you okay? You seem…

Her voice trails off, but her intention is obvious as soon as I look at Hitomi. She halfheartedly stabs at her plate while her gaze trails off to somewhere else on the table, a black and white tablet displaying a familiar app- oh no.

Edgar: Hey, what are you-

Before I can even finish my sentence, a familiar buzz echoes inside the kitchen. I’m not sure whether I should try to confront her about this or read whatever she revealed first. Before I can decide that for myself, someone ends up reading it out loud anyways. Well, I guess that’s one way to reach a decision.

Daichi: “The reason for Hitomi Maiako’s acceptance isn’t even because of her. She doesn’t deserve the talent of Ultimate Optometrist-”

Daichi: Yeesh, somebody was feeling vindictive writing that. What the hell?!

Hitomi: No, it’s… right.

Hitomi: I… didn’t actually make our client’s eyedrop contacts. I came up with the idea for it, but my family ended up contracting the work to someone else. [looks down; fiddles with coat] To be honest, I was never really involved in it. I don’t even know who really did make them…

Her face burns with shame as she refuses to look us in the eye, but… it really doesn’t sound all that bad to me??

Like, I get why she might feel embarrassed — especially with the way it’s phrased, as Daichi points out — but I don’t really get why it’s such a big deal. Am I missing something here, or did Katsumi’s secret just throw my sense of scope out of whack?

Minoru: Hitomi…

He gets out of his seat and pats Hitomi on the back. The slight grimace on Minoru’s face makes it clear this is definitely awkward for him, but in an attempt to be comforting, he continues as he talks.

Minoru: You shouldn’t have to feel guilty about any of that. It’s not like you wanted to have to lie about that. So… y-yeah.

Daichi: Yeah! And from what you’ve told me, you seem really dedicated to honing your talent too! If whoever wrote this didn’t want to factor that in when they came up with your secret, then they can go fuck themselves!

Hitomi’s cheeks turned pink, a slight and goofy sort of smile emerging on her face. She isn’t messing with her coat as much anymore, so it looks like Minoru and Daichi really were able to comfort her. It even makes me smile a little.

Unfortunately, somebody has to be obnoxious and ruin the moment as they walk in, their clapping ringing out in the resounding silence that came after Daichi’s words.

Katsumi: [halfheartedly] Yay, happy ending.

Tsuyoshi: Would it kill ya to not be a smartass every time your mouth opens?

Sora: Hey, you guys-

Katsumi: I’m just saying, depending on how bad the motive is for each of us, this might be the last one we get one of these happy resolutions. [points to Tsuyoshi] For example, do I even want to know what skeletons you’ve left to rot in the closet? There’s no way you don’t have a body count.

Tsuyoshi: [angrily] Try “zero”?? How the hell am I gonna get shit like this from the person who’s murdered seven people?! At least I’m not actively trying to endanger people’s lives here! For all we know, you could be planning another murder!

Katsumi: Anybody could be planning a murder, dumbass. What part of “killing game” are you not getting? Do you need to see another person get stabbed or crushed-

Despite trying my best not to think about it, I can’t not think about those two when Katsumi callously brings them up. Naoki splayed out on the bed on a puddle of red, Hifumi running through that maze and failing and that crunch-

Rantaro: [sternly] Guys.

He shoots the two of them a sharp glare, reminding me of the way he acted during the trial. Maybe that’s the reason the whole room goes quiet — just the way everyone did back then. Rantaro seems to notice the way he’s drawn everyone’s attention and sighs, more tiredly than angrily.

Rantaro: Just because somebody doesn’t want to share their secrets doesn’t mean we need to heckle them about it. That’s exactly what Monokuma wants us to do, and that’s why the best thing to do is simply to not interact with the motive at all.

Minoru: But what if somebody does?

A minute passes and it becomes clear Rantaro doesn’t really have an answer to that, nor does anyone else offer one. When Minoru recognizes this, he barely manages to stammer out a reply.

Minoru: U-uh… yeah- just… never mind that. [quickly] I should just leave.

Daichi: [following Minoru] Dude?? Wait up!

This seems to open the floodgates for everyone else to leave, excepting Rantaro, who’s taking care of the dishes. Before I forget to do it later, I discreetly slide the knife in my jacket into its slot on the rack, before hurrying to blend in with another group.

Well, let’s hope nobody else noticed that! Thankfully, between the three I’m with right now in the rec room — Sora, Aika and Kokoro — I think only one of them would actually notice, and she’s busy recounting some kind of story with Aika. As they talk, I snatch a glance at Sora, who’s entertaining himself with… whatever he’s thinking as he stares into the distance.

(”I dunno about that… I’m not really a fan of dancing. Or fancy clothes.

“Or romance.”)

Gah, why am I even still thinking about that?? I am not crushing on this guy in the middle of a goddamn killing game. I am-

…

…Not convincing myself in all honesty. This sucks. Fuck Monokuma.

I decide to leave the rec room — if I’m just going to spiral down that train of thought every time I’m (somewhat) alone with Sora, probably nothing good will come out of that. When I spot Rantaro coming towards me, I actually get an idea:

We could figure out something to do about the motive! Because like Minoru said, probably not everyone is going to end up following his advice, so a plan B is definitely needed!

Rantaro: Hey, Edgar. Can we talk?

And he wants to talk! Perfect!!

Rantaro gives me a curious glance as we walk to his room, one that hardens as soon as he locks the door behind him. Is he… no, he wouldn’t do that. Not after last time.

…So why is he looking at me like that?

Rantaro: [delicately] I don’t exactly want to assume the worst here, especially since you haven’t exactly done anything, but-

Oh shit, I think I know exactly where this is heading. Even so, I can’t help but wince when he finishes his sentence.

Rantaro: -what were you doing with the knife?

Edgar: Just putting it away. I kinda forgot I still had it anyways, so…

I trail off as I notice Rantaro staring at me. He doesn’t necessarily look distrusting, but it still sort of unnerves me. What reason does he have not to trust me? Shouldn’t he have noticed me putting the knife away anyways if he’s asking?

Edgar: [quickly] Anyways, um… I’ve just been worried about the motive, you know.

Edgar: [somehow faster] Not that you didn’t bring up some good points back there! Just… y’know, worried about what might happen if somebody does end up revealing a secret in the end.

Rantaro: I see… well, I guess it is a pretty reasonable thing to be concerned about.

He takes a moment to think, absentmindedly twirling one of the rings on his fingers.

Rantaro: Although for what it’s worth, I don’t think there’s necessarily much of a reason to kill here. I doubt Katsumi’s really going to go out of her way to make herself a target-

Edgar: [squints] Besides making fun of everyone all of the time?

Rantaro: …Well, she’s been staying in her room for a lot of the time so far, and I don’t think that’s going to change. I’m not sure if anyone wants to risk trying to break in either — that wouldn’t exactly be subtle, you know?

Rantaro: And since there isn’t much of a benefit to revealing anyone’s secrets or murdering because of it… well, there’s a pretty good chance of no murder happening, in my opinion at least.

I smile a little at that, letting the words sink in because… it all makes sense. Yeah, he’s right! It’s not like we really have that much of a reason to kill, even with the new motive! I breathe out a sigh of relief, comforted by this thought…

???: Well, excuuuse me!

And immediately regret that. I grit my teeth as Monokuma spawns in from wherever.

Monokuma: [angrily] I’ll have you two know I put a lot of effort into my motives, and I will not stand for this criticism!

Monokuma: …Unfortunately, all the hard workers behind this also strive to improve from our mistakes, so… I’ll be making a few tweaks to your motives now.

I squint at Monokuma, unsure of what to really make of its comment. “Hard workers behind this” — it sounds like another one of Monokuma’s nonsensical jokes, but for some reason, I can’t quite bring myself to dismiss it like usual. Something about it… makes me think of Hifumi’s execution for some reason?

I flinch at the mere thought of it, bringing back memories that make my skin crawl and heart beat a little faster and I need to stop thinking about this-

(but it’s important.)

I don’t know how and despite that fact, there’s something like an answer on the tip of my tongue, something I don’t really remember, something making my head hurt-

The sudden buzz of a Monopad brings me out of my thoughts, and the pain subsides as I ground myself in this scene.

Monokuma: There! How’s that for a bad motive?

I pull up the app again. The interface seems mostly unchanged, except for a new bar on the side explaining the “rules” for the motive… that wasn’t there before.

MOTIVE #3 || RULES

1. At least one secret must be revealed every day until a murder occurs. No weaseling your way out of this one!
2. The app will automatically un-download itself from your Monopads once a murder is committed. No need for a motive to overstay its welcome, am I right?

Oh… this is… certainly better for Monokuma, I guess.

Satisfied, it smiles smugly and disappears. I try not to think about it as I push my Monopad into my pocket, Rantaro mirroring the motion. There’s a familiar sort of panic in his eyes and I’m sure he doesn’t know what to do now anymore than I do.

(Was this how Naoki felt last time?)

So instead of thinking about that, I make… I think the word for it is “idle talk”?

Yeah. We chat about nothing in particular and I think I do a good enough job of lightening the mood. Rantaro even manages to smile a couple times. Hours slip away as I recount stories about my family and my old school, but it feels like the longer I talk, the less Rantaro is listening. Even now, he still has this far-off look in his eyes…

Edgar: Is… something wrong?

Rantaro: [quickly] No. It’s alright!

Edgar: Are you sure?

He’s silent for a moment, sighing as he finally manages to say what’s on his mind.

Rantaro: Do you think Sumire’s mad at me or something?

Rantaro: Ever since the trial, she won’t even look at me… I’m not sure what I should do.

Edgar: Well, for what it’s worth, I doubt Sumire’s the type to get mad at you or anything like that. She’s probably just scared.

Rantaro: [smiles sadly; sighs] Yeah, I can see. I was sort of hoping we’d be able to make up by now, but… how do I even go about fixing this?

This really must’ve been eating at him, huh? I’m starting to feel very under-qualified to be giving him advice. Even so, there’s no Ultimate Counselor in our class, so I guess it’s up to me??

Edgar: Well, I guess if I were handling this situation… I’d just have to swallow my fear and get it over with. I mean, you have to make sure Sumire’s actually up for it first — otherwise, you’re sort of missing the whole point of it.

Edgar: Either way, nothing’s gonna change if you guys don’t communicate.

Edgar: …Well, that’s just my take.

Rantaro: [nods] Yeah, I think I get what you mean.

Rantaro: Thanks, by the way. For listening to me talk about all this-

Edgar: It’s no big deal! That’s what friends do, right?

He nods again, and this feels enough like an end for me to leave his room. “That’s what friends do”… to be honest, I was sort of talking out of my ass when I said that earlier, but…

I think I’ve gotten to know Rantaro a little better.

Unsure of what to really do now, I decide to head to the kitchen for a quick snack… or maybe lunch? I’m not really sure what time it is now and take out my Monopad to confirm that it would indeed probably be closer to lunch… not that I’ve exactly been eating it on a regular basis here.

And by the looks of the kitchen, it doesn’t seem like most of anyone else seems to be either. I walk in just as Kaoru’s leaving the kitchen, while Daichi sits by himself eating a sad, reheated bowl of today’s breakfast. I fix up a quick snack for myself and decide to make another one for Daichi because why not?

My Monopad buzzes in my pocket as I slide a plate over to Daichi, but I don’t look at it just yet.

Edgar: Bon appetit.

Daichi: Oh? I wasn’t aware Kaoru had a secret younger brother.

Edgar: Hey, she doesn’t get a monopoly on the entire French language. At the very least, she hasn’t copyrighted it yet.

Daichi: [smiles slyly] Unrelated, but I just had the best idea.

He actually manages to get a giggle out of me with that one, and I almost don’t notice the way my Monopad vibrates in my pocket. Keyword: “almost”.

Daichi: You gonna take that?

Edgar: [dismissively] It’s probably not anything too important. Anyways, what are you doing all by yourself? I sorta expected you to be with someone like Minoru, or Hitomi.

Daichi: [expressionless] …

Daichi: [sighs] Well, obviously Minoru wouldn’t be here because… [waves at the air] you know. And Hitomi’s still trying to befriend Katsumi — I think they’re in that art gallery for some reason? Although I think we both know she’s not actually going to get anywhere with Katsumi.

Edgar: That… feels strangely pessimistic coming from you? Not that I don’t see where you’re coming from with that.

Edgar: But what’s this about Minoru?

Daichi: You didn’t notice? I know a lot of you guys don’t have lunch, like, ever, but Minoru doesn’t really eat a lot in general. I don’t think Rantaro’s really said anything about it, but it really pisses Kaoru off.

Daichi: It’s almost funny, but…

Daichi: … Yeah, it’s not really that funny. Sorry.

That feeling of inadequacy from earlier starts to creep up on me again. It’s obviously something really serious if it’s got Daichi down this much and probably Minoru too, but I barely even get what’s going on, much less how to fix it.

… And as if to add insult to injury, my Monopad is buzzing again.

Daichi: Uh, you gonna take that? Those things really need some sort of mute button…

Edgar: [huffs] Ugh, you said it… [beat] Wait, how come you aren’t having the same problem with your Monopad?

Daichi: Left it in my room. [shrugs] It’s not like there’s anything that incriminating on it.

Edgar: Aren’t you worried someone could steal it from you? What if somebody used it to find out your secret?

Daichi: Stealing Monopads to find out secrets… that doesn’t sound like a half-bad idea. [smirks] Except for the part where anyone can reveal anyone’s secret thanks to Monokuma’s app. C’mon, Edgar — that’s the whole reason Hitomi even pities Katsumi in the first place.

Daichi: Anyways, turn the stupid tablet on. I’ll help you mute it.

I hand over my Monopad to Daichi and he taps away at the screen for a while before giving it back to me. I’m not exactly sure what he did to be honest, but I hone in on what looks to be the most important thing onscreen right now — a familiar notification, stating that someone’s secret has been revealed.

If it’s anything like the secrets we’ve seen so far… what sort of thing could someone else be hiding? Eventually, I bring myself to finally click it and read…

「 Aika Yamazaki is in a relationship with Kokoro Miyamoto. 」

Oh.

Daichi: [looking over my side] What’s with that look on your face? Disappointed you didn’t get any juicy drama?

Edgar: [face reddens] What?! No!! I’m not that nosy!!

Daichi: Sure… although when you think about it, I guess this is probably better than the alternative. Like, does this even count as a secret?

Edgar: Daichi!! You can’t just-

Daichi: [flippantly] Yeah yeah, I know. Still, you’d think a social media star would have some more dirt about her — she and Kokoro are probably the only ones who even bother with honorifics here anymore.

Daichi: [shakes head] Although at this rate, I could totally see Hitomi trying something like that with Katsumi…

He sounds like some sort of disapproving parent, which was almost funny given how laid-back he normally was. Still, something sort of irked me about the way he was talking — not necessarily the way he talked about Katsumi. Something about the way he was talking about Hitomi…

It took me a moment, but the word I was thinking of finally came to mind.

Edgar: … Aren’t you a little overprotective of Hitomi?

Edgar: I mean, I get not trusting Katsumi, but would she really try anything like that so soon? Shouldn’t you have some more faith in your friends?

Daichi: [passive-aggressively] Hm, didn’t think you of all people would be saying that. Y’know, given what you did during the trial and everything.

It takes me a moment to remember what he’s talking about, but my face falls as soon as I recall it.

“And Hifumi… she made her choice, didn’t she? She knew what’d happen.”

“And if you keep deluding yourself, you’re going to die too!”

“So for the love of God, SHUT THE FUCK UP ALREADY!”

Daichi: So do you think you were wrong back then? You really weren’t, by the way — she kinda deserved what was coming to her.

Edgar: [dumbfounded] What?! Do you hear what you’re saying??

Edgar: I’m not trying to excuse her actions, but she didn’t excuse to get fucking tortured like that! Didn’t you see what happened to her?! That’s our classmate you’re talking about!

Daichi: [pedantically] Technically, we could be in different classes-

Edgar: Not. The point.

Daichi: Yeah, but what I’m trying to say is there wasn’t that much pressure to kill — it’s not like Monokuma was gonna kill us all or something, especially given what would’ve happened to us all if she actually won the trial. So like, excuuuse me for not having so much sympathy for the woman who murdered someone and probably traumatized my best friends for life!

I can only stare at him. The worst part about it all is that he really doesn’t feel any different — his voice lacks that insincere cadence Katsumi’s has whenever she’s mocking us, he isn’t playfully horrible in the same way as Monokuma, he sounds… normal. As if none of this even affects him.

Am I being too sensitive here? Maybe, but that definitely doesn’t excuse the way Daichi’s acting, at least to me.

Daichi: …Buddy? You good?

Edgar: It’s…

Edgar: It’s whatever. I gotta go. Stuff to know, y’know?

He nods, giving a small smile as he waves me goodbye. I can’t help but feel a little sick as I take out my Monopad to move up to the second floor. To be honest, I don’t really have any plans as to what to do now — I just need a distraction.

I walk idly and eventually end up in the library, deciding why not? There’s this cozy-ish spot in the back of the library, filled to the brim with action books and shounen manga and other books like that, that I make do with. The book I end up finishing is a short read, but a solid one nonetheless, bringing a smile to my face despite the… well, everything from before.

???: -n’t need it! I-it’s fine!!

???: Sumire, hold on!

I can hear a rain of footsteps as two people enter the library — based on the snippets of conversation I’ve heard, I can only assume it’s Rantaro and Sumire. It’d be easier to hear them if I were closer, but I get the feeling I shouldn’t intrude on whatever conversation they’re having.

I bury my nose into the book, pretending I’m still reading it. Plausible deniability — just in case.

Sumire: P-please, you d-don’t need to apologize. E-everything’s fine!

Sumire: [stepping back?] S-so, I should p-probably go now.

Rantaro: No, we have to talk. Really talk. [sadly] You aren’t even looking me in the eye.

There’s a pause in their conversation and the air feels thick with tension as Sumire struggles to respond.

Rantaro: I think… you feel betrayed, and that’s completely valid. I exploited everybody’s trust because I couldn’t bring myself to trust any of you. But I want to tell you that I really didn’t plan on hurting anyone — not you, not anyone else.

Sumire: …

Sumire: B-but… how am I s-supposed to know?

Sumire: W-what if somebody’s hiding something e-even worse, and you can’t t-trust them anymore? O-or what if s-somebody lies about me, and- and!!

Her voice warbles and I don’t even have to be there to picture the tears streaming down her face. Something about the raw emotion I’m hearing makes me intensely uncomfortable — I was not meant to hear this, what the hell am I even still doing here?

Unfortunately, I think coming out at this point would only end worse for me, os I resign myself to stay here and wait for it all to blow over.

Rantaro: …I guess you’re right.

Rantaro: I don’t really have any proof I can use right now to make you trust me, but…

Rantaro: I want you to be okay. Until we can finally end Monokuma’s game, I’ll protect you — with my life.

Something about the line sends shivers down my spine — promising to protect someone with your life in the middle of a death game… it’s a hefty promise. Even so, the hardy determination Rantaro says it with makes it sound like the truth.

Sumire doesn’t respond to that, or at least I can’t hear whatever she says next. I only hear hesitant footsteps, a bit of a sniffle followed by a long silence. What’s going on?

Sumire: …

Rantaro: …

Rantaro: Sumire… thank you.

As I sneak a peek above my book, I can see Rantaro and Sumire exiting the library, the latter wearing a familiar brown jacket.

Letting out a breath I didn’t know I was holding, I force my eyes to refocus on the page, kanji swimming in front of my eyes. Shit, where did I leave off again?

I stay like that for hours, still tucked between bookshelves as I go through book after book. It isn’t until my Monopad buzzes with a message from Rantaro telling everyone to get to the kitchen that I’m reminded, ‘oh yeah, I should probably go eat’.

Taking the elevator down, a loud groan pierces the air as the smell of udon with a strange, almost sweet tinge wafts through the air.

Tsuyoshi: For the last time, we are not doing that!!

Hitomi: Um, I think she has a bit of a point actually-

Minoru: [weakly] Are you sure you aren’t just saying that because your own secret got revealed…

Daichi: [elbows Minoru] Dude. Bit too soon, innit?

But it’s not too late to be disrespecting Hifumi? Ugh. If I keep thinking about that, I’ll probably just work myself up for no reason, so I just focus on the bowl that slides in front of me as Minoru smoothly pushes it across the table towards me.

I look up at Minoru to give him a thumbs-up and Daichi shoots me a weird, scrunched-up, sort of look on Minoru’s right. On their left, Sora’s chatting with Takashi across the table, who sounds a little more energetic than before.

Hm… looking at them and taking in everyone else’s places at the table, it sort of reminds me of where we stood in the trial. Realizing this only makes me even more aware of the absences at the table — the empty space between Rantaro and Keisha is stark, and next to Aika…

“So for the love of God, SHUT THE FUCK UP ALREADY!”

“So do you think you were wrong back then? You really weren’t, by the way — she kinda deserved what was coming to her.”

Kokoro: -bother him if he doesn’t want to respond. This is a dumb conversation anyways.

Edgar: Huh? What??

Sora: [nods knowingly] Caught up in your own head, huh? Don’t worry, happens to the best of us.

Kaoru: [rolls eyes] No, that sounds rather unique to the two of you.

Sora: Seriously?!

Kaoru only gives a tired sigh while Tsuyoshi continues to argue. Okay, seriously, what the hell is even going on?!

Aika: Okay, but they can’t all be that bad!! And wouldn’t it be better for us to all know if somebody’s hiding something dangerous?

Kaoru: You say, and yet Kokoro hasn’t shared her secret. Why’s that? [clears throat; quickly] Menteuse.

Daichi: Personally, I’m all for this, but what if it gets personal? [looks away briefly] Like, really personal. Hypothetically. In theory.

Keisha: [nods] I agree. Privacy laws exist for a reason after all — there’s no reason for any of us to go around exposing others unless they’re truly dangerous. We should focus on dealing with current threats right now before becoming paranoid.

Tsuyoshi: ‘Xactly. Let’s just focus on Katsumi for now.

Hitomi: Is that really necessary?!

Kaoru: I believe she implied she was talking about Monokuma. You remember, the bear keeping us hostage and forcing us to play a killing game?

Tsuyoshi: …Him too!

Katsumi: Ooh, brainstorming some secret plan to overthrow Monokuma? I’m all for it, even if it definitely isn’t ending the game.

This has to be at least the second time she’s just walked in on a conversation like that and made things awkward. At this point, I’m thinking it has to be intentional. If it’s not, that has to be some sort of talent.

Katsumi: Anyways, I need to borrow Hitomi for a bit.

Hitomi: [confused] H-huh?? I mean, alright? But… why?

Katsumi: Not important. Let’s go, partner.

As Hitomi gets up to follow Katsumi, Daichi grabs her by the wrist in an attempt to stop her. How did he get there so quickly?

Daichi: Hold on! You can’t follow her!!

Hitomi: [pulling on Daichi’s wrist; bewildered] What are you doing?! Let go!

Sora: Dude?? Shouldn’t you listen to her?!

Daichi: [lets go] Shit!! Sorry!! But you can’t just take her away like that — what if you kill her?!

Hitomi: Katsumi wouldn’t do that!!

Katsumi: Friend group of the year, everybody. Anyways, if I was going to kill Hitomi, why would I just announce that I want to be alone with her in front of you all. I’m subtler than that, so you guys clearly learned nothing from last time-

Keisha: [eyes narrow; interrogative] And what exactly is the point of all this?

Katsumi: Don’t worry, I’ll tell you later. [pointed] Hitomi.

Katsumi: Anyways, if you need us, just give me a holler outside of Keisha’s secret lair or whatever. Or maybe don’t, that’d be super annoying.

Just as quickly as she came, Katsumi leaves, moving fast enough that Hitomi has to speed-walk to catch up with her. Daichi lets out a single disappointed sigh before going back to chatting with Minoru like nothing even happened, the atmosphere slowly lulling back to its previous peace.

It’s sort of weird how easily everyone lets it go — maybe it’s Hitomi’s insistence, or maybe it’s just the way Daichi. Maybe we’re all just hoping for the best.

I guess Hitomi’s trust is probably worth something. She wouldn’t be so insistent if she had a good reason, right? In all honesty, it makes me a little conflicted — as much as I want to believe Hitomi, there’s just as much (probably more) reason to be suspicious of Katsumi. Maybe Daichi really isn’t in the wrong…?

… I’m still not really sure.

There’s a click over the intercom and I jolt up at the sound before eventually placing the voice.

Monokuma: Attention, everybody! Your lovely caretaker has decided to inform you it’s now 10 PM!

Monokuma: And you guys are still eating… yeesh.

Monokuma: Well, you guys can stay up a bit longer thanks to my generosity, but it’ll be lights out soon! Good night, don’t let the cannibals bite~

Takashi: … The fuck?

Rantaro: Don’t worry, guys. I can take care of it from here.

Sumire: Ah… th-thanks.

He flashes Sumire a genuine smile and she nods before walking lightly towards her own bedroom. Eventually, everybody else decides to follow suit… well, technically not everyone else. Despite all the awkwardness that resulted from the last conversation I ended up (unintentionally) eavesdropping, I still can’t help but wonder what they’re talking about now?

Could that be the reason Hitomi trust Katsumi so much despite everything? It’s hard to imagine what could paint someone like her in such a positive light given what she’s readily admitted about herself.

Questions, questions… well, tomorrow’s a new day with new opportunities. Maybe I’ll get some answers too.

Chapter Text

M????????? THEATER

It’s a terrible thing to wish death on somebody.

Therefore, you aren’t really in the wrong here, are you?

What sympathy does someone like them deserve in the first place? Actually, a character needs no sympathy, especially someone like them.

(You’ve got that wrong, but you of course don’t linger on that)

Your eyes burn from staring at the light of your monitor for so long — everybody’s long since returned to their rooms at this point and only a small number of them are actually awake, although there isn’t a hint of murderous intent to be found.

You’re not Shirogane, but you think that both you would agree on this:

Things cannot continue like this.

Inspiration sparks in your head and you quickly jot down ideas, something to take things even further. Yeah, it makes things less authentic, maybe takes away from the “reality” aspect of the whole “reality television murder show” thing, but that’s not important.

What’s important is putting on a show. Not getting caught is secondary, even if it should be easy enough to accomplish.

You take one final glance at the cameras displaying the sleeping shadows of your friends and at long last allow your eyes to finally fall shut, sleep slowly following…

…

…

…

Monokuma: [ear-piercingly loud] Ahem, attention everyone! Now that it’s 8 a.m., it’s time to seize the day and shed some blood!

Monokuma: By the way, don’t forget about the motive rules… is what I would be saying if you kids weren’t so damn proactive!

Monokuma: [dejected] At least give it some time until you start spilling all your secrets. Geez…

Monokuma: Oh well! At least that means whatever’s remaining is probably super juicy! Just remember — there’s an easy way to make all this go away. Upupu.

… Wait, what?

Didn’t “daytime” basically just start? Who would even do that first thing in the morning?

I immediately start to root around for my Monopad and immediately turn it on, wondering just what the hell Monokuma was talking about. Maybe it’s inadvisable to be basking in blue light first thing in the morning, but I honestly can’t care so early. I feel like being stuck here’s doing a lot more to my overall health than this-

Wait, what was I doing? Secrets, right!

I check the motive app and feel my jaw drop as it turns out not just one, not two, but three secrets have already been revealed?! Holy shit, people really are taking Aika’s words to heart. Although as I pay more attention… well, some of these I might’ve expected, but one certainly stands out to me.

「 Kokoro Miyamoto committed perjury in the class trial to defend Aika Yamazaki. 」

「 Takashi Akahono is half-blind in his left eye, and refuses to treat it. 」

「 Daichi Hideyoshi wasted ¥100,000 in a designer clothes scam. 」

I can get why Kokoro and Takashi might’ve listened to Aika, but why would Daichi of all people follow through with it as well? Did he know his secret would be this… stupid? Honestly, I would’ve expected the head of some famous company to have more skeletons in his closet given what he was yapping about yesterday — I guess he’s really just that altruistic or whatever… as long as your name isn’t “Hifumi Sunohara”.

Briefly, my hand hovers over my own icon and I wonder if I should just get it over with already. I haven’t done anything that bad in my life and I don’t really think I’ve done anything that would ruin my reputation, but…

… I’m still sort of scared to find out.

Edgar: … Well, I guess I might as well get ready now.

One shower and change of clothes later, I’m officially ready for breakfast. I head for the door and notice how strangely quiet it’s become. Did something happen outside of here?

Actually, thinking of how early everyone else seems to get up, it was probably just another argument. It was almost definitely about the secrets if the past few days have been anything to go by. Honestly, I’m just impressed I’ve managed to tune that out.

Despite that, when I reach for the door and make my way to the kitchen, it looks almost as normal as any other day. I have to pay more attention to notice what they’re hiding — there’s a frustrated look in Aika’s eyes despite her wide-as-ever smile, Keisha looks at us all a lot more intently than usual and a couple of people just won’t stop glaring at Kokoro for some reason…

Oh, right. The perjury thing. No wonder they don’t trust Kokoro.

Aika: [glaring] And just what are you talking about~?

Holy shit, she’s staring straight at me. What did I do??

Kaoru: I mean, are you arguing what Edgar said is wrong? Because for once, it really isn’t.

Sora: Not to start any drama here, but… he’s technically right, right? Lying in the trial does sound like a really bad idea.

Aika: Well, she didn’t have bad intentions! Besides, wasn’t Rantaro’s lie worse anyways?

Rantaro: [winces; sighs] That’s-

Sumire: He- he wasn’t going to h-hurt us though! B-but with Kokoro… wasn’t lying a little r-risky? We could’ve…

Her voice trails off, but the implication she can’t bring herself to say is all too clear.

And despite that… I can’t find it in me to agree with them. Like, I know what I said about Kokoro sounded bad, but neither she nor Aika were the culprit in the end. Plus, I can’t say I have a lot of experience in relationships, but I sure as hell wouldn’t let my boyfriend get accused of murder.

… Given that’s what I think about all this, I actually feel bad for Kokoro now. Shit.

Edgar: Guys, do we really have to be arguing about this?

Aika: This is literally your fault!

Kokoro: Ai-chan, it’s not really a big deal. This is…

Kokoro: [laughs humorlessly] This is definitely a new experience for me, but we don’t have anything to worry about.

They look each other dead in the eye and I get the impression there’s some sort of unspoken conversation I’m missing out on here. Kokoro’s the first to tear her eyes away, gently squeezing Aika’s hand before she leaves the kitchen.

Practically as soon as Kokoro’s gone, Aika’s expression falls.

Aika: Great, are you all happy? We didn’t have to do that…

Keisha: I agree. What’s really important now is-

Hitomi: Takashi, right?

Takashi jolts, having been staring absent-mindedly at the air before Hitomi called him. His shades slip a little, just enough that I can see that scar on his eye before he pushes them back up.

Hitomi: I know it probably doesn’t hurt or anything like that, but… are you okay? You know none of us would think any less of you either way.

Takashi: That’s nice, Hitomi-sama, but you really don’t have to.

To prove his point, he takes off his shades and delicately sets them down on the table. The skin around his left eye is mottled, a little pink compared to the rest of his face. Thank God he isn’t actually missing an eye or anything like that — it’s still there, just a bit gray and blurry-looking.

Takashi tries to smile casually as he explains, although it looks a little strained.

Takashi: It’s been like this for a couple years now. I don’t even know if it’s even possible to heal at this point.

Takashi: … On the bright side, I haven’t had any more accidents like that since my first show, so I think my other eye’s still safe!

Hitomi: Maybe, but… I’m not sure if we could do anything without the right equipment, but I can start looking into it! When we get out of here, I swear the first thing I’ll do is help you with that!

Tsuyoshi: This happened during your first light show? Did it get cancelled?

Takashi: [shakes head] Went off without a hitch! … You know, besides this.

Tsuyoshi: [nods] Pretty cool, not gonna lie.

Takashi: [eyes widen; blushes slightly] Th-thanks…

Katsumi: Also incredibly dangerous. What kind of dumbass lets a kid work with fireworks after they almost blow their eye out?

Keisha narrows her eyes at Katsumi’s sudden interjection, but doesn’t say anything.

Daichi: True. Do we need to kill someone on your behalf?

Takashi: [deadpan] I’d rather not be an orphan, so no.

It feels like the same sort of lighthearted ribbing the two always do, but Takashi’s expression darkens for a second before settling into a weird, tired sort of melancholy as he makes his leave.

… He looked a little like Hifumi.

Something about that doesn’t sit right with me, and I feel the urge to go look for him. For some reason, he’s not in his room and he isn’t in the game room, so I figure he must be on the second floor. It isn’t like there’s an abundance of hiding spaces in the first floor.

By sheer happenstance, I manage to find him in the first place I check: that weird art gallery. I guess Ultimate-level luck is good for something after all. He sits on a plain bench I didn’t even realize we had, staring blankly at a canvas painted over in blues, blacks and purples. I join him on the bench.

Edgar: So… finally a fan of abstract art, huh?

Takashi: Heh, I guess.

Takashi: [suddenly] Hey, you think the guy who painted these is dead?

I narrow my eyes at him, flabbergasted. Thankfully, I still have enough of a filter to say something a little more eloquent than “what the fuck???”

Edgar: That’s… certainly a thing to wonder about! I guess not?

Takashi: Why?

Edgar: I feel like I should be asking you that question, to be honest. Although if I had to explain, I guess there’s no reason the artist shouldn’t be dead? Like, it could go either way, couldn’t it?

Takashi: [nods] I got it. So what you’re saying is — you’re a contrarian.

Edgar: Takashi…

Edgar: [somewhat irritated] Can you stop fucking around?

Takashi: Huh?!

A bead of sweat trails down his chin as his eyes remain locked on the painting. There’s no way he doesn’t know what I’m trying to say. He’s just avoiding it.

Edgar: Takashi, there’s no way you just decided to reveal your biggest secret on a whim. You even took off your shades too… if it wasn’t a big deal to you, why is this only coming up now?

Edgar: And then you just run away before anyone can process it? People are going to get worried.

Takashi: What people? It hasn’t even been twenty minutes.

Edgar: I dunno, Hitomi? Me?

Takashi: Why would you be concerned? It’s not like we’re friends or anything.

Edgar: … I think that’s pretty concerning, actually. Just because we’re not exactly friends doesn’t mean I don’t care what happens to you.

Takashi’s silent for a minute, but never looks away from the painting. I also decide to look, wondering just what about it has apparently enraptured him.

The strokes seem as unimpressive as ever to me, drawn mostly straight in the center of the canvas, surrounded by darkness on either side. Like a line drawn taut, or… or like it’s being pressed together.

Like walls closing in on a statistician.

Edgar: [quietly] Do you still miss Hifumi?

Takashi: …

Takashi: [voice trembling] … Yeah. A lot.

Takashi: [turns to face me; with a small smile] But it’s okay. I’m not letting myself get bogged down by that — Keisha still needs me, so I have to stay focused on that.

Edgar: I see.

Edgar: But… just, talk to me if you have a problem, okay? Whatever it is, I’ll try to be there and listen.

Takashi smiles wider and I get the feeling that it’s realer than before.

His steps aren’t as hurried as he leaves the art gallery, even seeming somewhat energetic. Still, something about him leaves me feeling this lingering feeling of something wrong. It’s not necessarily anything about him now, but more of our entire conversation…

It’s almost funny. I came here because he was reminding me of Hifumi, but it feels like he’s trying to forget her.

I look at the painting again. It really doesn’t look anything like Hifumi, not that I expected it too — would this “Minato Iroiro” even have ever known her? It’s not like they’d get a chance to now, considering she’s… dead.

I want to say I miss her, but I don’t even know if I can. Every time I think about her, all I can think about is that damn class trial — the only time I ever really got to know her, and she was fighting for her life to put us all to death. Just thinking about it makes my heart swell with regret.

Did I ever even try to understand her?

No, I don’t think that’s even a question. In her last moments, I was cursing her out as Takashi was trying to defend her; he barely even knew her and still cared about her that much. Am I really that bad of a person compared to him?

Shaking my head, I do my best to ignore those thoughts. It doesn’t even matter — I’m getting to know my classmates better; Rantaro, Daichi, and even Takashi!

(does that mean they’re going to die?)

I get up and move to a deeper section of the gallery, trying to make sense of the paintings I come across. It takes a bit of time and a lot of creative liberties, but I think I’m starting to grasp what Iroiro was aiming for. Curved silver strokes like a crescent moon, blurs of color like crowds or people, an expanse of blue and white like a clear sky…

Like the design on Sora’s jersey…

… Oh my god, I can feel my face going red. How am I getting this flustered over him?? Not that I’m ashamed of it or anything, but…

He’s not going to reciprocate, will he? I don’t need him to spell it out to see the writing on the wall. Even so-

…

I think I feel a little hungry. Casually, I head for the elevator and make my way back down to the first floor. As I make my way towards the kitchen again, I notice a voice that catches my attention:

Monokuma: Okay then — here it is! Although, I did have to make a few changes here and there…

I freeze.

Who… who’s Monokuma talking to? Why would anyone request something from Monokuma of all people? Unless they were…

Aika: Monokuma… this is absolutely not it.

Yeah, I definitely wouldn’t expect Aika of all people to be casually chatting with Monokuma. But… I don’t really know if I can bring myself to believe she’s the mastermind.

For some reason, my mind jumps to Kokoro. Because if my suspicion really is right, how would I even go about telling her something like that?

Kokoro: I mean, this is Monokuma we’re talking about. I’m not surprised it messed up.

… Okay, I’m confused now.

I work up the nerve to open the door and see what exactly’s going on, and the sight I see feels so ridiculously mundane I almost wonder how I got so worried in the first place: Monokuma holds a bundle of clothes in its hands (paws?) and Kokoro looks at Aika with an appraising expression, who seems to be wearing a new outfit.

Her simple seifuku’s been switched out for a simple light blue shirt, with a fluffy pink cardigan and bright magenta bowtie to along with it. Her skirt’s changed to one with a cloudy moon pattern that fades from purple to pink, and even her socks have changed to something much more loose that makes Aika look a bit more like a gyaru.

Edgar: What… is this?

Kokoro: What does it look like?

Monokuma: Well, I’ll tell you what it is — out of my budget! So excuse me for not instantly having fancy-dancy clothes on-hand!

Aika: [in disbelief] This bunker looks like a mansion and you couldn’t afford ballgowns?? We literally have a ballroom and an art gallery!

Monokuma: …

Aika: Cheapskate.

Edgar: Um, why do you guys need ballgowns in the first place? Sounds a little over-the-top, in my opinion…

Aika: [cheekily] It’s a secret~

Kokoro: Some kind of party or dance event, I think.

Aika: [shocked] Gh- huh?! How’d you figure that out, Ko-chan? It was supposed to be a surprise…

Kokoro: Well, I just figured there’s only so many reasons you’d need clothes like that. Plus, you did mention the ballroom, so that was a pretty big hint.

Kokoro: But now that Edgar’s brought it up… I am pretty curious what brought this on.

Aika: I mean… isn’t it obvious?

She gives Kokoro a warm smile and Kokoro’s expression freezes, a blush slowly starting to creep up on her cheeks. I start to wonder why, but it isn’t long until Aika verbalizes the conclusion Kokoro’s already drawn.

Aika: It was for you, obviously.

Aika: I mean, you’ve done so much for me this whole week. You’ve listened to me, revealed your secret, defended me in trial — seriously, you’ve made this stupid killing game so much more bearable just by being here.

Aika: … And people are giving you flack for that.

Aika doesn’t look at me, but her words are pointed enough that I can feel her intent.

Aika: So I wanted to pay you back! To give you an experience so incredible that we could forget about all this for a while.

Kokoro: [eyes widen] Ai-chan… that’s so thoughtful.

Aika: [grins] Nothing but the best for my girlfriend!

Monokuma: And that includes these clothes, doesn’t it?

Both their smiles drop as Monokuma makes its presence known again, holding up Kokoro’s new outfit. Admittedly, it doesn’t look like much changed here — a couple more patches, a duller palette underneath the jacket, but the highlighter-yellow core remains the same.

Kokoro: [sighs] I guess so. Can you guys leave then?

Monokuma: Of course! See you at the ball~!

Aika: [smiling aggressively] I hope we don’t~!!

Not wanting to draw attention to myself, I slip out of the bedroom. So I guess the party is a thing now… I kind of want to do something for it, but I’m not sure what. As I come across the kitchen, I have an idea.

Don’t parties usually do catering or whatever? I could probably do that.

The only question was, what to make? … Some kind of dessert. I think I’m the best at making those, so that’d probably go best.

Heading to the kitchen, I go into the pantry to try and take stock, seeing what’s there. Right away, I can already see some eggs and canned flour (this really shouldn’t be surprising, but every day I find myself more impressed by how much food people manage to can) — maybe I should try to make some kind of cake. I hunt down the rest of the ingredients and carry them all precariously in my hands, spreading them all on the kitchen table.

Edgar: Okay, I should probably put these all in the cake pan…

Edgar: Wait- shit, I still need to get that stuff too.

I check the cupboards and quickly begin to realize… I have no idea how everything is organized. I could probably ask Rantaro or Kaoru for help, but they’re always cooking stuff like this — I don’t want to make them do more work like this. Besides, I can do this.

There are some bowls here which… vaguely look like what I need, which is better than nothing! Like, how bad can it possibly turn out?

Edgar: Okay then, let’s try thi- holy shit, these are heavy!!!

My arms almost give out under the weight, but I prevail. How do those two put up with this??

Well, the next step is thankfully much easier: it’s really just a bunch of mixing. Eggs, milk… no baking powder?? I swear I searched that pantry up and down — they really don’t have any? Maybe the cake will turn out good without it… yeah, sure.

One arduous mixing session later, I’m finally able to put it in the oven. As I wait for the cake to finish baking, I hear someone run into the kitchen, someone else quickly following behind them.

Minoru: [far] Sora, you can’t just randomly run off like this!

Sora: Not now, Minoru — something’s cooking!!

I can’t tell if this is a sign from God, or if He’s just mocking me.

Sora: Oh, Edgar! You’re making this?

Edgar: Yeah! Just whipping something up for Aika’s party.

Both he and Minoru look confused, and it occurs to me that I’m probably the only one besides Aika and Kokoro who’s even aware it’s happening. I quickly explain it to the two of them. As if on cue, the oven dings just as I wrap up my explanation.

I am not quite sure it was such a quick explanation after all, but…

Edgar: [looking at cake] …

Sora: Is something wrong? Your face fell as soon as you opened the oven.

Edgar: … This looks like shit.

Sora: No way!

He comes over to check, sticking his hand in to grab the cake pin and-

Edgar: Dude!!!

My hand reaches out in a flash to prevent Sora from touching the hot pan, and…

… Wow, he’s really warm, and I’m pretty sure that’s not just the oven. It feels like an electric current just passed down my spine, and I’m not even the one who almost burned their hand. The air is still and the two of us just stay there, staring into each others’ eyes, and I should probably say something!!

Edgar: I-

Minoru: Um, can you guys move away from the oven. [raises oven mitts] I found these, so I can take the cake out.

Edgar: [stammering] O-oh, yeah. Just- yeah, go ahead.

I have to wince a little as whatever mood from before is broken, but do end up moving aside. The pan loudly scrapes against the back of the oven as Minoru takes it out, and clangs unceremoniously against the kitchen table as all of us gather around to see the overly flat monstrosity I’ve created.

Edgar: [sighs] Yeah, I think I should probably remake it.

Sora: What, no! It’s not bad or anything, it looks fine! Look, I’ll prove it.

He gets a fork and cuts a small slice of the cake, the inside runny with more batter than it should be. Despite that, he eagerly bites into it and smiles.

Sora: Seriously, it tastes fine!

Minoru: [nods] Yeah, you don’t need to be so hard on yourself, you know. It seems a little flat, but we can fix that!

Edgar: Checked for baking powder. Don’t think we have any.

Minoru: There’s other ways to handle that, I can show you. Sora, can you get a proper cake pan while we’re at it.

Sora: [winks] On it, boss!

Minoru: Th-that’s… thanks!

He gathers the cans left strewn on the table as Sora gets the actual cake pan, which is a lot shorter and more rectangular than I expected.

Edgar: [to Minoru] You know, you seem a lot more confident now than I expected.

Minoru: [confused] I do?

Edgar: Well, yeah. You’re normally a lot meeker when speaking with others.

Minoru: Huh… I guess it’s just because I’m used to it? Back home, I cooked a lot with my older brother Kazuya since my parents were away a lot. I don’t really think I’m as good as him, but he definitely taught me a lot.

Edgar: I see… Did something happen to him?

Minoru: No? He just left for university a while ago. I think he’s studying architecture in Kanagawa.

Minoru: Wait a minute, why are we talking about him? We still need to remake this cake.

He coaches me through his process, beating the egg whites to add volume and adding less milk so the cake can set properly. While I’m doing that, Minoru’s also making ganache to go alongside the cake and Sora watches with intrigue.

When we finally finish our second attempt at cake-baking, the result actually comes out looking a lot better than the first one.

Sora: [whistles] Looks good, doesn’t it? We really ate that up!

Minoru: Aren’t we saving this for tomorrow…?

Sora: It’s- you know what, never mind. I’m just going to put this in the fridge.

Edgar: We have a fridge?

Minoru: What kind of kitchen doesn’t?

He handily points towards it, which is a lot smaller than I’d expect. It blends well into the wall with its slate-blue color, but Sora’s easily able to find it and store the cake. I think I can see some of Minoru’s muffins from the first day too?

I decide to send out a text to tell everyone not to eat it.

[ EDGAR: Guys don't eat the cake in the fridge!! (18:24) ]

[ TAKASHI: ???? (18:26) ]

[ TAKASHI: HELLO??? WHAT DOE STHIS MEAN??? (18:26) ]

[ KATSUMI: which one of you guys poisoned it? (18:27) ]

[ KATSUMI: probly should've asked this first, but nobody's dying, right? (18:29) ]

[ TSUYOSHI: of cuorse YOU'D think that murderr (18:30) ]

[ KATSUMI: @TSUYOSHI *murderer (18:32) ]

[ TSUYOSHI: STFU!!! (18:32) ]

[ DAICHI: Calling it now, totally @SORA (18:33) ]

[ EDGAR: Nobody's dead, we just made a cake for the party tomorrow and I'm making sure nobody eats it all before it starts (18:34) ]

[ EDGAR: @DAICHI (18:34) ]

Satisfied, I put my Monopad back in my pocket.

Sora: [points at failed cake] So… what’re we gonna do with number one?

Edgar: I guess we can just eat it. Minoru, what do you think?

Minoru: It’s okay, I’m not really that hungry.

His stomach growls. I fail to stifle a giggle.

Edgar: [smiling behind hand] Well, someone sure begs to differ. Seriously, it’s fine. This thing’s definitely big enough for the three of us.

Minoru: No, I… I gotta see Daichi! Yeah! I’ll see you guys at dinner.

He quickly disappears into the hall and I wonder what that was all about.

Sora: [silently holds up fork] …

Sora: Chow time?

Edgar: … I guess. Cheers.

We clink our forks against each other before we cut into my cake. It’s definitely silly, but something about it brings a smile to my face. In the end, the cake doesn’t really taste that bad. Maybe food tastes better with a friend around.

…

… Yeah. Just a friend.

After we finish it, we end up going to his room and talking a bit more. He talks for a long while about the races he’s competed in, and it’s only now that it’s starting to really sink in that he really cares about sprinting. Like, I guess he isn’t the Ultimate Sprinter for nothing, but… he really is passionate about it.

We don’t even realize how much time has passed until Monokuma’s voice rings out over the intercom.

Sora: It’s seriously 10 already? Man, I didn’t even realize it was this late.

Edgar: Yeah… see you tomorrow?

He doesn’t say anything, but the smile he gives is answer enough, shining brighter than the fluorescent lighting of the room. It’s enough to make me smile too, as I leave his room.

The hallway, by contrast, feels as dark as ink. Maybe my night vision is just bad, but I wonder how anyone’s supposed to move like this? Then again, I guess we’re all supposed to be asleep now, so it doesn’t matter that much…

There’s still enough ambient light from Sora’s open door for me to navigate back to my room. But when I look further down the hall… who’s walking there?

Edgar: …

Edgar: Katsu-

Katsumi: Shut up.

She unceremoniously enters the closest room, slamming the door as she does so.

… What was that??

Curious, I walk over to the door, sitting just a little to the left so I don’t get hit by the door if somebody opens it. From this distance, it’s thankfully easy to hear Katsumi’s voice.

Hitomi: Oh, Katsumi? What are you doing here…?

So she wanted to talk with Hitomi? It doesn’t sound like Hitomi was expecting this though… I don’t think I like where this is going.

Katsumi: [sighs] Can I really not talk you out of this?

Hitomi: Wait, is this about the ball again? Katsumi, I don’t get why you think we shouldn’t go. Even Aika and Kokoro said it’d be fine.

When did everyone find out about this? I thought it was just me, Aika and Kokoro who knew.

… Wait, no, I literally texted everyone about this hours ago.

I guess what I’m really wondering is, why are they arguing about this??

Katsumi: …

Hitomi: Katsumi? Can’t you just-

Katsumi: [quickly] You trust me, don’t you?

Katsumi: So seriously, just trust me about this!

Hitomi: But- but why?!

Hitomi: Katsumi, I really want to, but you can’t just say stuff like this and never explain! If relationships are supposed to be about trust, why can’t you just trust me?

Katsumi: [sharply] Somebody is going to fucking die tomorrow!

Nobody dares to say anything.

I don’t want to believe Katsumi, but she says it with so much conviction that I’m tempted to believe it.

Hitomi: Katsumi… how do you know that?

Katsumi: …

Hitomi: You’re not… I’m sorry for saying this, but you’re not planning-

Katsumi: Of course not. Do you think I could even get away with something like that after everything that happened last time?

Katsumi: Besides, just think about it. Monokuma’s new motive has already been out for days, there’s at least two people out there whose secrets put a target on their back, and now something like this is happening — there’s no way we’re all going to survive tomorrow.

Hitomi: B-but nobody’s killed yet! How do you know someone will tomorrow?

Katsumi: [confidently] It’s going to happen. It always happens.

Katsumi: Besides, if there’s one thing people are going to take away from Hifumi’s case, it’s that you can’t expect to do some half-assed cover-up and win the trial. Which means if somebody is planning to kill, they’ve got a plan that they’ve probably been sitting on for days at this point.

Katsumi: We are not going to get wrapped up in that shit. As far as I’m concerned, we should bunker down for the rest of the day and hope they choose to go for someone else if they wanna leave that bad.

Hitomi: Katsumi, don’t you think you’re sort of reading everyone’s actions in bad faith?

Katsumi: Huh?

Hitomi: Almost everyone doesn’t really have that bad of a secret. If we’re following your logic, doesn’t that mean that they don’t really have a motive to kill?

Hitomi: You say you know someone’s going to kill, but there’s only been one murder! Hifumi didn’t even want to kill, she was just…

Her voice tapers off, but the intention is clear.

‘She only felt that desperate because of you.’

Hitomi: A-and even you! Everyone’s probably convinced you’re just this heartless serial killer, but I know you’re not! Maybe you think it’s stupid, but I don’t think you would’ve been so ready to open up about it if that was the case. None of us really know the whole story after all…

Hitomi: So, what I’m trying to say is — I think you should have a bit more faith in everyone. I think they’d all trust you more if you could be more open with them.

Hitomi: People are better than you think, Katsumi.

For once, Katsumi doesn’t have any sort of pessimistic retort to refute Hitomi with. Is she actually starting to believe Hitomi? Maybe-

Edgar: Achoo!

SHIT.

Katsumi: Oh, goddamnit. [yelling] Who’s there?!

She opens the door and I’m barely able to get to my feet before Katsumi and Hitomi are already standing face-to-face with me.

Hitomi: [blushing] E-Edgar?? How much of that did you hear?!

Katsumi: I would’ve expected Kaoru or something, but you? Seriously??

Edgar: I- I wasn’t planning to eavesdrop on you!

… At first. Which means I’m technically not lying here!!

HItomi: Why were you even eavesdropping in the first place?

Edgar: I don’t know! It just really sounded like she was gonna kill you at one point, so-

Hitomi: What?? They would never!

Katsumi: Yeah, didn’t you just hear me explain why I couldn’t even do that?

She- they, I guess, glare at me with the force of a thousand suns, and I am seriously wondering why I thought this would be a good idea in the first place. Barely managing to stammer an apology, I retreat to my room and fall on top of the bed.

Although I’d normally want nothing more than to go to sleep, the thought of tomorrow fills me with dread for some reason.

Katsumi… they can’t actually be right about someone dying tomorrow, can they? They seemed so confident, but a prediction’s just a prediction in the end.

I want to believe in Hitomi. Living like this isn’t exactly ideal, but it’s definitely better than having to see another dead body, going through another trial.

Everyone else knows that too. Nobody would risk something like that after what happened to Hifumi… right?

…

I hope not.

Chapter Text

Monokuma: Ahem, attention everyone! Now that it’s 8 a.m., it’s time to seize the day and shed some blood!

Monokuma: … And would you look at that — you guys aren’t trying to game the motive first thing in the morning!

Monokuma: Not that I blame any of the last hasty folks. Some of you have some pretty juicy secrets you’re hiding… yeah, you! You know who you are~

Monokuma: Take your time — just don’t take too long, upupu!

… Great. Just the news I needed to start off the day.

Katsumi’s words ring in my ears, and I wonder if this is a sign that they’re going to be right. I don’t want to think that anyone will kill, but the way Monokuma’s talking now… God, it’s like the stars are aligning in the worst way possible.

Who’s even left? Well, I haven’t revealed my secret yet, but I imagine it can’t be that bad. Rantaro and Sumire have been getting pretty buddy-buddy now, but again, there’s probably not much going on with them. Minoru hasn’t seemed any more jumpy than normal, so I doubt he’s hiding much either.

Tsuyoshi and Kaoru… I don’t think I’ve talked enough with either of them to make any judgements about that.

Does Keisha even remember her secret? She doesn’t remember her talent, so it’s a valid question. I think.

I guess there’s only one way to find out. Not exactly that I’m eager to start spilling secrets like that, but what’s the alternative supposed to be — rotting in bed? With a bit of reluctance, I manage to push myself out of bed and get to the kitchen.

Don’t even worry. Things’ll be fine. Definitely.

… Yeah, sure they will.

As I halfheartedly chew some melonpan, I notice Katsumi’s not here. Guess they’re really committed to this whole ‘bunkering down’ business. You’d think just being in a bunker like this, they’d be safe enough, but I guess not. Although, I guess that even I forget this place is a bunker at times…

Looking at the innocuous scene before me, I can see Daichi staring at me. Intently.

Well, that’s not creepy at all!!

Daichi: [audibly humming] Hmmm…

… Okay, maybe it is a little too creepy to handle.

Edgar: Whyyy are you staring? Did I do something?

Minoru: [confused] … I’m not??

Edgar: W- Not you! Daichi!!

Daichi: Whaaat? Me?

And he has the audacity to bat his eyelashes innocently at me like he doesn’t know what I’m talking about! I frown at him, and he actually starts to backtrack.

Daichi: All right, all right, just… if I tell you, promise you won’t get too mad?

Edgar: Sure?

Daichi: [claps hands] Cool! Just trying to figure out how bad your secret is.

…

Is this karma for what I was thinking earlier? Is that a thing?

Keisha: [frowns] Daichi, this is not a good idea-

Minoru: To be fair, it is mandatory now, so we can’t exactly ignore it now. You haven’t revealed your secret, right? So-

Takashi: [scowls] Why do you always feel the need to be a contrarian? Can’t you see this is just gonna lead to another fight?!

Minoru: I-I’m just saying, it’s not like Daichi’s forcing anyone to do anything! Didn’t Aika try something like this a few days ago?

Aika: H-hey? What’d I do??

Kokoro: She hasn’t even said anything yet, don’t drag her into this!

Rantaro: Minoru, are you feeling okay?

Yeah, it’s not hard to see why he’s asking. This feels weirdly aggressive, especially for Minoru of all people — even if it’s in that same evasive and roundabout way of his.

Daichi: Well, he has a point! Besides, are we really supposed to trust advice from Mr. Almost-Stabbed-Somebody?

Sumire: H-he didn’t s-stab anyone though!

Daichi: Do I really have to spell out that almost murdering someone is not that much better than, I dunno, not killing a whole human being??

Tsuyoshi: [rolls eyes] And yet you ain’t saying anything about Katsumi…

Kaoru: [to Daichi] To be fair, you do absolutely seem airheaded enough to not mind. Even Tsuyoshi has better sense than you.

Daichi: Can’t exactly yell at somebody who isn’t here. Also, they’d probably try to argue with me and just be super annoying.

Hitomi: [mutters] Well, maybe they’d be nicer if people tried to be more understanding with them…

Sora: [loud] Geez, can you guys calm down? [shaking head] I can’t even think like this…

Daichi: …Are you volunteering then?

And instead of just saying ‘no’, Sora’s eyes actually flicker between Daichi and his own pockets. Why would he even be considering this? He…

… Wait a minute.

He hasn’t revealed his secret yet. Well, duh, why else would he even be considering this?

Indignance wells up inside me as I realize why — he wouldn’t be doing this if it weren’t for Daichi.

“She kinda deserved what was coming to her.”

God, what is up with him? How the hell can he just switch from laid-back to shit-stirrer so easily, and then just smile on like he isn’t doing anything?!

Edgar: Put that away, Sora.

Sora: [tilts head] Something wrong?

Edgar: Yes, there’s a problem! You’re really just gonna cave into this because Daichi told you to?

Sora: … Okay, I guess it does sound sorta dumb when you put it like that.

Keisha: Do we really need to be having this argument now though?

Keisha: The rules don’t actually say it has to be done this early — only that it happens before the day ends. If we can’t settle this peacefully now… we can try again later.

A long silence follows her ultimatum, and while nobody says it out loud, I get the impression we’re all on the same page here. Satisfied, she makes her leave, and it’s not long until everyone else starts to follow her example.

I notice Minoru slinking away and feel compelled to follow him. Maybe if I press him hard enough, he’ll explain what was up with his behavior.

Following him through the halls of the first floor at a distance, I feel a little… off. Something about this place just gives me a bad feeling, and I can’t pinpoint why until I finally notice the text written on the plaque in front of me.

Ah, the garden. I’d almost forgotten this was here, but just seeing it makes me flash back to that day — the first day I’d woken up in this place. Wasn’t it literally in that room where Monokuma showed up for the first place and explained everything?

Not like it was exactly much of a surprise given… given Naoki had already found his Monopad.

It feels so much colder now.

Why would Minoru want to come back to a place like this? It’s not exactly like we’ve made any good memories here, and there’s not even anything all that interesting either. I think most of us would rather avoid that place for the rest of our time here.

… Maybe he wants to be alone.

I’m starting to wonder whether or not I should actually enter when my hand slips, the door creaking open and greeting me with a bunch of stringy red plants, ones I instantly recognize. I’ve seen them before after all — red spider lilies.

…

It feels like a bad omen.

Minoru: Is someone there…?

Well, I’m already here, so I might as well commit.

Edgar: [walks up to Minoru] Only yours truly.

As soon as I say that, he immediately looks away to start staring at the ground, mouth set in a tight line in a (failed) attempt to disguise his feelings.

It is a far cry from the Minoru I was dealing with only minutes ago, and it just makes me all the more curious. And if he isn’t planning to talk about it… fuck it, I’ll just say it now.

Edgar: So what was up with-

Daichi: Hey, Minoru! What’s going on here?

Minoru: Daichi??

Edgar: How did you get here?!

Daichi: I… walked???

My eye twitches. I swear I did not see him when I walked in. Was he really just that quiet?

Edgar: Okay, whatever. Do you feel like explaining what the hell was up back there?

Daichi: Back there? It was nothing big, found a couple of magnolias, some-

Edgar: You know that’s not what I mean.

Edgar: … [sighs] Just… be straight with me here.

Daichi: Well, we aren’t exactly-

Minoru: [curtly; still looking down] It didn’t work anyways.

I can’t quite see his face at this angle, but he looks… conflicted, I think. Almost guilty, which feels laughably ironic.

Gears start to turn in my head and I mutter the conclusion before I even fully realize it.

Edgar: That whole thing was staged?

Minoru: Um, not really…

Minoru: I was sort of hoping that if I pressured someone enough, I might be able to get them to reveal their secret before I had to, but…

Minoru: [pauses] Shit. Why did I think that was a good idea? I should’ve just gotten it over with-

Daichi: [sharply] Hey. Listen to me — that wasn’t even your fault at all! Just because some hardass-

Edgar: Hey!!

Daichi: [ignoring Edgar (rude!!)] -won’t let it go doesn’t mean it was necessarily bad. Besides, everyone’s probably just going to forget about this by tomorrow anyways.

Daichi: [turns to Edgar] It was my idea in the first place anyways, so if you’re that desperate for a scapegoat, you can just talk to me.

Edgar: Geez, don’t make me out to be the bad guy here! I was just worried… that sorta thing isn’t like Minoru. [shakes head] I guess in retrospect, it makes you would’ve come up with that plan.

Minoru: You’re saying that like he’s a bad person… but you know Daichi isn’t, right?

Minoru: [to Daichi] If anything, I sort of admire how honest you are. Even when the truth is uncomfortable or when people might hate you, you always say what’s on your mind.

Daichi: Aw, Minoru! You don’t need to make my head any bigger, you know!

His smile is as wide as always, maybe even more so, cheeks flushed red from glee.

Something about Minoru’s words… they remind me of Hitomi. Like, a lot.

For him to start talking like that… these guys really are starting to rub off on each other, huh?

Daichi: Anyways, while we’re here, anyone wanna set up a bouquet?

Edgar: A bouquet? What would we need that for?

Daichi: I mean, we don’t really need it, but it’ll make that dance a lot more aesthetic. Just think about it — that ballroom already looks opulent enough, so won’t the right sort of flowers just add to the mood?

Edgar: [nods] That’s a very cinematic way to look at it.

Minoru: True. But… this isn’t exactly a wedding, you know. I don’t think flowers are really too popular for this sort of thing.

Minoru: [quickly] E-even so, I think it’s a nice idea! It’s thoughtful!!

And there’s the Minoru I know.

Either way, we all seem to be on the same page, so we spend a while picking out flowers and wrap them up with some cellophane Daichi conveniently found lying around.

It takes a lot longer than I think to actually do that, though I wonder if part of that is just because of the flowers I ended up choosing:

Red roses. I’m not big on hanakotoba, but everyone knows what roses are supposed to represent — they symbolize love.

It feels a little funny given what Minoru said, but I still think it fits. After all, this whole thing was thought up by Aika so she could show Kokoro how much she loved her. It feels cheesy, sure, but it feels like what she’d do.

… Kind of wishing I’d chosen a less thorny flower though. God, my hands hurt.

As I look upon my completed work, I let my thoughts wander a little. Wonder what I’d do if I got the chance to give something like this to someone — to Sora. Let myself imagine his response would be anything other than the easygoing no I know he’d give, that we could be dancing in that room too, that-

Daichi: Oh, cool! You’re done too — can you hold these?

He unceremoniously piles two more bouquets in my hands — one filled with purple irises, the other with small pink flowers I don’t recognize.

Edgar: Guess I’ll go and hang these up. See you!

Minoru: See ya!

Daichi simply waves and before I go, I notice him putting something into Minoru’s hair: a white rose.

It’s a little hard for me to work the Elevator app while I’m holding all these bouquets, but somehow I manage to do it and ride the elevator up to the second floor. Now that I’m paying attention to it again, this place feels so out of place for a bunker.

It’d be one thing if it were just this floor, but even the first floor is like this too. What reason would anyone have to renovate like this? Is the mastermind a fan of Victorian architecture as well as murder?

Either way, I guess it works out.

When I finally walk into the ballroom, I crane my head upwards and realize that I might’ve made a mistake offering to hang these. The ceiling is high up… like, really high. I’m not sure if any of us could actually reach that high.

… Although, I guess there is technically one person that could help. Well, not exactly “person”, but still.

Reluctantly, I dig out my Monopad again and start texting Monokuma.

[ EDGAR: @MONOKUMA (12:38) ]

[ EDGAR: @MONOKUMA (12:39) ]

[ EDGAR: @MONOKUMA (12:40) ]

[ EDGAR: @MONOKUMA why the hell is it taking you so long to respond??? (12:41) ]

[ MONOKUMA: Well, maybe some of us have more important things to do than waste time @'ing me! (12:42) ]

[ EDGAR: So what you're saying is… you're free now? (12:43) ]

[ MONOKUMA: …Touche. (12:43) ]

[ MONOKUMA: So what do you need? (12:44) ]

[ EDGAR: Shouldn't you alreadry know? (12:44) ]

[ EDGAR: *already (12:45) ]

[ MONOKUMA: That is also true! I'll be there shortly~ (12:45) ]

Monokuma: Alright then! You can just hand those flowers over here!

I barely manage to hide my sudden flinch. I’m not sure I’ll ever get used to the way Monokuma can just appear out of thin air like that.

Maybe if I knew how it did that, I could get used to it… as it stands, my best guess right now is that Monokuma’s a wizard.

I hand the flowers over to it, though not before wondering how a robot that’s barely taller than my knees is supposed to help me hang these up. The answer becomes clear as Monokuma stretches its legs with a loud whirring noise, revealing the flexible metal beneath its shell.

That’s… definitely not what I expected.

Still, I guess it does a good enough job of what I was supposed to do. While Monokuma continues to work, I take the opportunity to slip out and find something else to do.

I don’t have a destination in mind at first, but seeing Takashi around, I decide to simply follow him and see how that works out. He punches in the passcode for that locked door at the end of the hall, and the door swings open to reveal Keisha already inside.

Takashi: I got your message, Keisha-sama!

Keisha: Thanks, although… seriously, you know you don’t have to call me that, right?

Keisha: You two can come in.

Takashi: … Two? [turns around] What the- she called you too?!

Edgar: Um, no. Are you sure it’s okay for me to stay, Keisha? I can go if that’s all right.

Keisha: …

Keisha: No, it’s all right. I trust you, but… I don’t want either of you to tell anyone else what I’m about to tell you, alright?

I look down at Takashi. He seems confused, but determined too — glad to see we’re on the same page about this.

Both of us step into the room and Keisha moves behind us to lock the door. She doesn’t say anything after that though, simply picking up stray papers and fixing up the room so it looks a little cleaner.

Edgar: … Should we be helping out?

Keisha: [shakes head] No. This place isn’t even that dirty anyways, but I can tell somebody was in here and moving stuff around.

Keisha: [sighs] It doesn’t look anything like how it’s supposed to. It sort of irks me, you know?

Takashi: I think I get it, but… how would you know what this place is supposed to look like?

Keisha freezes, accidentally dropping something as she closes her eyes. She looks almost like she’s expecting something as Takashi thinks for a moment, eyes widening as he realizes something.

Takashi: Oh, I think I got it!

Takashi: You have a photographic memory, don’t you? Is that what you wanted to tell me?

Keisha: [blinks] …

Keisha: No, it’s… worse, I think. I haven’t actually done anything, but given the way some of us keep jumping to conclusions, you might get why I don’t think telling the whole class is a good idea.

Edgar: So that’s why you didn’t go with Minoru’s suggestion at breakfast.

Edgar: I think I get it, but… if you’re willing to tell us about it, it can’t be that bad, right?

And yet… she looks almost guilty.

Keisha: I… remembered something recently.

Keisha: It didn’t make much sense, but combined with some of these notes here…

Keisha: They look like they’re written in my handwriting. I remember how this room is supposed to be even though this killing game is the first time I’ve ever been in this bunker.

Keisha: …I think I made this place.

I just stare unbelievingly. Sure, it definitely sounds bad enough that I’d understand why she’d be hesitant to tell anyone, but something as unbelievable as making a whole-ass building??

The more I think about the sort of people we have here though, the more I can bring myself to believe it. After all, Rantaro’s travelled across the world, Kaoru’s made a multi-million yen business and Katsumi… well, we all already know enough about them.

Takashi: That’s… shit, I definitely get why you didn’t want to admit that.

Takashi: … You don’t know anything else about the killing game though, right?

Takashi: [quickly] I’m not suspicious of you or anything, but it’d definitely help a lot if you remembered some useful info!!

Keisha: …

Keisha: [flatly] No. Nothing at all.

Edgar: Ah… Still, thanks for trusting us enough to say this.

Keisha: You’re welcome. I just hope things can still turn out okay.

I nod, even though I don’t even know if I can imagine things going well here. Obviously I don’t voice that aloud.

Edgar: Yeah. I hope so too.

Edgar: Anyways, I think I gotta bounce. See you guys later!

When I leave the room, I notice she looks a bit more relieved than before.

I smile a little, thankful we could make her feel a little better.

With nothing else to do here, I decide to go back down to the first floor. I can smell the scent of food wafting through the air and head over to the kitchen, seeing Rantaro standing over a large tray of food.

Edgar: Isn’t it a bit too early for dinner?

Rantaro: [shrugs] Could be lunch.

Edgar: I doubt you’re planning to eat all that by yourself though, unless… this is also for the party?

Rantaro: Got it in one.

Rantaro: Although… I’m a bit worried that this won’t exactly fit the mood. You’d think I’d be better at this given how many galas I’ve been dragged to.

???: Hm, well, that certainly wasn’t an unfounded fear… looks like you might need some help.

I don’t even realize Kaoru’s here until she’s already walked past me and up to Rantaro.

Edgar: I think you probably could’ve worded that a bit nicer…

Kaoru: [rolls eyes] Oh, spare me the details. It’s not as if I’m saying he’s bad at it — it’s simply clear he doesn’t know much about exclusive catering. Not that most of you would have any reason to.

Rantaro: How did you get so good at it anyways?

Kaoru: Well, I wouldn’t say I’ve done a lot of it myself… this is just something you pick up when you’ve been to that sort of event enough times.

Kaoru: [to Rantaro] … Although for what it’s worth, I suppose you’re admirable enough even without this in your skillset.

Huh.

I thought she’d be a little more apprehensive about him considering everything, but I guess she’s starting to warm up to Rantaro more. She was even willing to compliment Tsuyoshi earlier, although I guess she was putting Daichi down too.

Even while the two of them are cooking, she still banters with Rantaro, even getting him to laugh a couple of times.

… Maybe I was a little too quick in writing her off.

Eventually, some of the others start to come in too. First Sumire, then Takashi and Keisha, until a good number of us are gathered in the kitchen.

Edgar: Is this it? I’m kinda surprised that not everyone decided to come here.

Aika: Maybe, but for so many of you to show up and help like this…

Aika: [smiles] I’m really grateful. I didn’t think so many of you cared about Ko-chan that much.

Aika: … Where is she anyways?

I do a quick scan of the table. Sure enough, she isn’t here.

Keisha: Let’s just give them a moment to come over. Although if anyone’s not here by the time we finish having dinner… we might want to do a quick scan of the bunker. Just to be safe.

I wince. It’s a reasonable concern, though I was hoping would turn out to be unfounded.

Despite this hope, every passing second just gives me a little more dread. The number of people at the table stays solidly at eight — only one more than half of our class.

So when I hear a door creak open and the sound of approaching footsteps, I feel a bit of relief.

???: Sorry I’m late. It was taking a while to cut through the fabric on this thing… it’s so strong for some reason.

Aika: [gasps] Ko-chan!! You changed your look again!

She nods, an awkward smile starting to bloom on her face. Instead of the dark teal shorts Monokuma gave her, she wears a long purple skirt with a familiar floral pattern…

Takashi: Kaoru-sama, did you loan her one of your dresses?

Kaoru: [nods] I thought it’d help her fit the theme a bit more. Although… the jacket does clash with it. A lot, actually.

Aika: Maybe, but the jacket’s very… you, if that makes any sense? It suits you.

Kokoro: Are you sure I don’t just look like some kind of delinquent? I’ve even got the bleached hair and everything.

Aika: Of course not — you’re, like, the sweetest person I know! Besides, Tsuyoshi has a similar look.

Edgar: [mutters] Not sure if he’s really the best example…

… You know, that feels like a moment where Tsuyoshi should’ve spoken up.

He must have decided not to come. I guess an event like this wouldn’t be his style, so it wouldn’t be unexpected for him to skip.

It makes sense, but despite that, I can’t help but feel more apprehensive the longer dinner drags on. Nobody else walks in the middle of it like Kokoro does after she arrives. It shouldn’t be bothering me this much, and yet… something feels wrong.

( someone is dead. )

…

Edgar: I’m going to go and check on everyone.

I do one final scan of the room. There are five people not here: Katsumi, Daichi, Tsuyoshi, Hitomi and Minoru.

Guess I’ll start with the easiest — they did say they wouldn’t leave their room, after all.

I knock on Katsumi’s door.

Edgar: Hey, Katsumi? Are you there?

No response. I knock louder.

Edgar: Katsumi??

Silence.

I’m starting to worry when the door is suddenly yanked open, and I’m face-to-face with them.

Katsumi: What the hell is it?

Katsumi: [eyes widen] Don’t tell me… you guys found a body?

Edgar: N-no!

( not yet. )

Edgar: I’m just checking to make sure everyone’s safe. A lot of you guys didn’t show up to dinner.

Katsumi: …

Katsumi: [seriously] I need you to go to the second floor and check that locked room on the second floor. Now.

I nod, body moving on autopilot as I move up a floor for the second time today.

Aika and Kokoro walk in from behind me, the smiles on their faces contrasting the dread starting to grow inside me.

This isn’t going to end well. I want to hold onto hope, want to believe things will be okay, but Katsumi’s command just feels like the last nail in the coffin.

They know something I don’t.

( how? )

But… do I even want to know what that something is?

I stare at the keypad, conflicted as I hear Aika and Kokoro walking away to enjoy what remains of the night.

… It smells like iron.

Like blood.

…

Edgar: [as he types] Zero. Four. Zero. Four.

Edgar: Please don’t be dead, please don’t be dead, please-

The door slides open and I see…

Small puddles of blood. A book flat against the ground.

But no dead body.

Edgar: [exhales] Oh, thank g-

???: Aaaaaaaaaaah!!!!

That… that was close. That has to be one of the girls.

I don’t want to go. I don’t want to have to see it, don’t want to see something that gruesome again, don’t want to see more blood and another body.

Monokuma: Ahem — attention everyone! A body has been discovered!

But I don’t want to be useless again either.

Monokuma: Anyways, everybody please gather in the ballroom to begin the investigation!

I take a deep breath, then exhale. I focus on that as I walk towards the ballroom.

Focus on the rhythm of my steps.

Focus on the rhythm of my breath.

Focus on anything but what I know I’ll see.

…

… …

… … …

But it’s impossible to ignore the truth in front of me.

The cold, horrible truth dangling before my very eyes.

The truth that Hitomi Maiako was dead.

Chapter Text

Chapter Text

Chapter Text

Katsumi: …

They’re not responding, even as Daichi glares hatefully at him, wordlessly demanding an answer from them.

It’s strange. They’re usually more confrontational than that — hell, it was only less than fifteen minutes that they’d piped up about the note…

… With a theory that had ultimately been wrong, by the looks of things.

It’s true that they hadn’t gotten to see the note, so it could just be attributed to that… but could I really bring myself to believe something like that? That someone like Katsumi, who had almost killed and managed to keep a straight face about it this whole time, really had no part in this?

Minoru: Katsumi? Aren’t you going to say something?

No.

Their silence continues, and it only cements my belief in their guilt.

Sumire: I-is that supposed to be a c-confession?

Edgar: They didn’t say anything, but…

Rantaro: [firmly] Then for the time being, we’ll just have to treat them as our main suspect. Maybe we can find something new like that.

Katsumi: … Shut up.

They look up at me, gritting their teeth.

Katsumi: I didn’t kill her.

Keisha: Words alone aren’t going to be enough. You need to prove it.

Katsumi: You mean my words aren’t going to be enough. As if you all haven’t just been riding off of the assumptions of other people this whole time.

Kaoru: Can you blame them? You’re-

Katsumi: I know. How about you try to prove why I’m so untrustworthy with real evidence first before you try and vote me out.

Now this is more like the Katsumi I’m familiar with.

They raise a good point, but it doesn’t get rid of their suspicion. I’m sure we’ll be able to get somewhere once I can finally reveal that.

「 NONSTOP DEBATE — BEGIN! 」

[ | Hitomi and Katsumi | )

[ | Locked Room Passcode | )

[ | Secrets Motive | )

Sora: So if you’re really not the killer, can you explain why nobody’s seen you today?

Katsumi: Because I obviously couldn’t trust you all to not try something today?? And by the looks of it, I was clearly onto something!

Edgar: Katsumi was planning to stay in their bedroom the entire day… but because of that, nobody can verify where they were.

Kaoru: So, they were most likely off doing something suspicious again.

Katsumi: And where exactly were you? You’re making a big fuss about me, but you all seem perfectly content to assume everyone else was supposedly at dinner.

Katsumi: Somebody could be lying about being there, you know!

Keisha: That is true, but it’s not like we have any proof about that yet.

Keisha: If we have to weigh that unfounded possibility against your definite suspicion, there’s a clear winner there.

Katsumi: So where do the facts fit in there? You don’t even know if I could’ve committed the damn murder!

Their ability to commit the murder… is this really as exclusive as Katsumi is making it out to be?

We might have to discuss that later, but there’s a more pressing issue at hand.

And by the looks of it, someone seems to be thinking the same thing as me.

RANTARO: Sounds right to me!

BREAK!

Rantaro: Keisha has a point, doesn’t she?

Rantaro: One of the main reasons we were suspecting Minoru is because Hitomi most likely wouldn’t have doubted a note from him — they were friends, after all.

Rantaro: And when it comes to Katsumi, Hitomi was desperate to believe the best about them. It’s not hard to believe she wouldn’t have felt the need to tell anyone if the note was theirs.

Katsumi: We’ve already gone through this argument. The note’s wording doesn’t-

Kokoro: Doesn’t line up with Daichi and Minoru. Those two had always been on good terms with her — your relationship with her was a lot shakier.

Aika: Oh, that’s right! If she thought you wanted to make up, she might’ve believed that!

Edgar: But they weren’t on bad terms though. I’ve seen the two of them talk — Katsumi might not be a buddy-buddy kind of person, but they were still kinda close with Hitomi.

Kokoro: But that wasn’t all. They said they found something important out too, didn’t they?

Kaoru: And by saying that, Katsumi only would’ve given her more of an incentive to listen… almost like an additional motive.

Takashi: Haven’t we had enough of those?

Monokuma: Nope! I have to say, that was a stroke of genius on the blackened’s part — props to you, my good guest! Even if your motives could never compare to what’s coming up…

Takashi: Did you have to say that?!

Tsuyoshi: So it really was Katsumi, eh?

Minoru: Is that really it? I-

Daichi: You’ve investigated that room with Hitomi in the past, right? I don’t think she really paid that much attention to the papers in there… you totally could’ve lied about what you read.

Katsumi: What the- No!

Rantaro: You’re not denying it though?

Katsumi: That’s not the point! I didn’t fucking kill her!!

Takashi: You can back that up… right?

They look conflicted for a minute before they sigh, rifling through their pockets for something.

Sumire: [apprehensively] W-what are you doing…?

Katsumi: I was hoping it wouldn’t have to come to this, but…

All the lights in the room shine on them, soft blue becoming a harsh red as they finally retract their hand, revealing something to the rest of us. Or, as they call it:

Katsumi: There you go. Undeniable proof I’m not the killer.

Tsuyoshi: Th- that’s-!!

Keisha: Is that the other piece of the note?! Where did you find that?!

Katsumi: Oh, it’ll be a lot clearer if I just read the message in full out to you.

Despite the disdain shining in their eyes, Katsumi still smirks as they clear their throat.

Katsumi: “Can we meet in that weird map room tonight? I think I’ve figured out something important involving you. I’m sorry for writing you off as guilty all this time, but we really need to talk about this soon. I’ll be there around 9:30.”

Katsumi: “I really hope you don’t hold anything against me. I hope you of all people would understand why I didn’t trust you at first, Katsumi.”

Everyone freezes.

Takashi: You’ve gotta be kidding me… this was meant for them the whole time??

Daichi: And Hitomi still ended up dead? How is that fair?!

Katsumi: What part of any of this reads as “fair”? Killing games have never been fair — the only reason you care now is because you care about the person that died this time. [waves paper] Now just let me read the rest of this.

Katsumi: “I think I can trust you to do the right thing. Don’t tell anyone — I don’t want the mastermind to catch wind of this.”

Katsumi: The note’s unsigned, in case you were wondering.

[ | “Note to Katsumi” Updated! | )

Aika: H-hold on!! You can’t just drop a bombshell like that on us — I have so many questions!!

Aika: When did you even get that? Why did you hide that from us? Why did Hitomi die if the note was sent to you?

Minoru: …

Minoru’s eyes widen as he comes to a silent realization, staring at Katsumi with something almost like pity.

Minoru: She went for you, didn’t she?

Minoru: Somehow… she found out about the note, and decided to go in Katsumi’s place.

Rantaro: If that’s the case, then-