It's time for a backup plan!

by Icanttypo

Summary:

Kokichi Ouma had the perfect plan to end the killing game. Sure, it was morally dubious at best, but it was foolproof. There was absolutely no way for it to backfire-

No... Who was he kidding?! That was a lie, wasn't it? A happy little lie. Of course, something had to go wrong! And by something... He actually meant everything.

After stumbling upon the corpse of the beloved Astronaut, Kaito Momota, Kokichi realizes that it's time for a backup plan. And, he'll stop at nothing to end the torturous game once and for all.

 

~A V3 Hypothetical where Chapter 5 played out differently.~

Notes:

I was talking to my best friend about how much better 3-5 could have been if things went a little differently, when this idea was born. Originally this fic started out as a "fix-it", but it soon became something a lot more personal. This is an AU, so there'll be quite a few things different than cannon.

Content warning: There's still death, as this is a killing game. Just be prepared. I'm not going to hold back.

I hope you enjoy!~

Chapter 1: See you, Space Cowboy

The plan was simple, Kokichi thought. Maki would come back with an antidote, and all he would have to do was pretend to drink it, and hand it off to Kaito. Obviously, Kaito would take it once he mentioned the fact that Maki would become the blackened unless he killed him instead. The two of them were close enough for that to work. Then, he’d explain the plan to take down the Mastermind to Kaito, and he’d have no choice but to agree. He’d love to play the hero, and he wouldn’t pass up an opportunity to save his friends.

But, Kokichi hadn’t planned for how long it’d take for Maki to come back with the antidote. ...At all. He looked back towards Kaito, and could see him shivering on the ground, pale and weak. He barely even noticed he was in the room with him. Poison and sickness didn’t mix, apparently. He just hoped Maki would get here before things got messy. If Kaito died mid-trial, then this whole plan would be ruined.

It had to be Kaito in the exisal. If it was himself, then he’d just be doing what the Mastermind had been planning. His script changed up the Masterminds' own.

He had found it in the Mastermind’s room. He was smart enough to realize that that room was important. If Rantaro had died because he had tried to get into it, and Shuichi and Kaede had this whole plan involving it, it couldn’t just be for show. There had to be something inside there.

So, his first test of Miu’s inventions was that room. He disabled the security, and broke inside. It was a strange room to say the least. He wouldn’t have expected the Mastermind to have such weird taste in interior design, but he took that as another crumb of evidence. Whoever the Mastermind was, had horrible, horrible taste.

He made sure he was quick about it, but he looked through everything he could.

That was when he found the script.

Everything that anyone he knew said or did up to this point was nothing more than an acted out play. A story. He and everyone he knew were fictional. ...Everything was a lie.

If it had been anyone else who had found it, they probably wouldn’t have taken it as easily as he had. Maybe they’d get an existential crisis, get angry at the Mastermind for forcing them to act things out, or start to question their free will, or even break down into tears. But, Kokichi was accustomed to lies. It wasn’t an easy thing to find out, but the moment he read the first few lines of the next “Chapter”, he was already coming up with plans to change it all.

Originally, he was supposed to get Shuichi to help him take down the Mastermind. He’d slowly grow to fully trust him, and as a result he’d share all of his plans with him. It would be successful, only because of one small strategic decision on Kokichi's end. He'd use Kaito's life as blackmail. If he didn’t cooperate, Kaito would die. And, somehow, Kaito would end up dead, despite Shuichi's help. There'd be an investigation, and trial, and.... That’s as far as he could get before he realized he needed to go and put the script back. He couldn't risk getting caught.

So, Kokichi decided to do none of that. Instead, he’d mess with that rock some more, and turn what was originally a prank into evidence against himself. He’d still kidnap Kaito, but for a completely different reason. He’d refuse to work with Shuichi- or even better... He'd make sure Shuichi refused to work with HIM! He’d play the role of the Mastermind; becoming the true villain in their eyes in order to create a new lie- a new life. He didn’t deserve to live after what he did to Gonta, but the others still had a chance with this plan.

The script he wrote was rushed, and not much of a script, he’d admit. It was more of a book of scattered If- Then prompts. Some tips on pretending to be him. Some things that Kaito wasn’t allowed to say, or mention, and miscellaneous details on the others just to ensure their success. He was probably putting too much faith into Kaito, but with how good he was at pretending to be fine while he was obviously dying, he knew he could handle some more acting.

But… Everything was going wrong. He didn’t think that Maki was going to barge in and start trying to kill him! He was smart, but he wasn’t psychic! He thought that the outside world had convinced them all not to just kill the first person they had an opportunity to.

"C'monnnnn! You can’t die yet!" Kokichi frowned, looking up from the script he was writing. He was getting worried.

Kaito seemed to cough up a lung before barely wheezing out, "I’m not gonna die. I still gotta… help…”

“Okay, okay, sure. Just… Just don’t waste your breath on telling me that!” Kokichi bit his thumb nervously, trying to come up with a way to keep him from dying so soon. He couldn’t let his plan fail. “..Seriously, Space Case. Don’t. You’re struggling to breathe enough already.”

Kaito broke into another coughing fit, blood splattering a bit on the floor. Kokichi cringed in disgust, as he got up from the floor. He was going to fix this. He could totally find something to help him. Water, maybe? Would that do anything? It’s not like he had a dehumidifier or cough drops lying around… but maybe just grabbing him some water and making him drink it would help with the coughing.

“I’ll be right back! Don’t go anywhere, okay?~” He skipped over to the door, and gave one last worried glance at Kaito before walking out of the room. He walked over to a small cooler he had brought, and grabbed a water bottle out of it as he heard a sound that made him freeze a bit.

The coughing had gotten louder, and more violent. He could hear it from the hanger. It made him shiver slightly, as he closed the cooler. He began to walk back to the door, as the coughs seemed to reverberate off of the walls. A horrific echo. He had to shake off his nerves, as he got to the door.

As he reached for the handle, suddenly, the coughing just stopped. A feeling of unease made its home in the pit of his stomach. He wasn’t sure if he wanted to go and see what was on the other side of the door. He shook off those feelings, deciding that he was just being dramatic, and opened the door.
Kaito had collapsed on the ground, blood all over his cheeks and chin, and his hand. He was just lying there. Didn’t even stir as he opened the door.

“Space Case?” Kokichi called hesitantly, eyes wide.

There was no response.

He shivered, and took a few more steps towards him. “… Uh, Helloooo? Space Cadet?”

The air was still. His vision darkened slightly, as his composure began to slip. This couldn’t happen. This plan had to be perfect. Kaito had to be the one to carry this out. That was the only way to completely blindside the Mastermind. He hurried to his side, and kneeled beside him, shaking his shoulder.

“C’mon. This isn’t funny, Kaito. Get up.” His voice shook in fear. He didn’t push his arm away. Or tell him to stop. Was he….

He grabbed Kaito’s wrist, and felt for a pulse. His hand was still warm but… there was no pulse. Only then could he see the reason Kaito wasn’t coughing. He wasn’t breathing. He was gone.

He let Kaito’s arm drop by his side, face turning in disgust as he quickly stood up. He just touched a corpse. He wiped his hands on his pants, trying to get rid of whatever germs that he had gotten on them from touching him. Gross.

Although the others would have guessed otherwise, he really didn’t hold any ill will towards Kaito. He just happened to be the easiest to convince out of the rest of the group, and was the closest to everyone. Not to say that he particularly liked him, because frankly, he got on his nerves. But… He wasn’t out to kill him.

He had tried to get Shuichi on his side, but after he just ignored his promise of a plan, he knew that was a lost cause. ...And, Kaito was going to die anyway. He didn’t want to see him dead… He didn’t want to see ANYONE dead.

He also didn’t want anyone to pop up at the window, but he was pretty sure the universe was against him at this point.

“Kaito!” Maki yelled, her voice panicked. She was holding something in her hands. It must have been the antidote. She looked around the room, and her eyes met with Kaito’s body. She looked over at Kokichi, eyes full of rage. In a voice, brimming with hatred, she seethed, “What did you do to him!?”

“I think the question is…. What did you do to him?” Kokichi glanced up at the window with an unreadable expression. He waited for Maki’s face to fall, letting her realize the weight of her actions before cracking up into hysterical giggles. It wasn’t his best acting, but he knew Maki wouldn’t be able to tell the difference. She couldn’t see how he fidgeted with his sleeve, or how his legs shook slightly from fear. This act was hard to keep up, but he needed to keep going. He broke into a wide grin, his voice far too cheerful for the situation at hand, and said, “Just kidding! He’s fine. He’s just taking a little nap. You took sooo long to get that antidote that he fell asleep! Speaking of which….. Yoink! I’ll be taking that!~”

He plucked the antidote from her grip, and took more than a few careful steps away from the window. He popped the lid off with his thumb, not breaking eye contact with her.

“N-No! That’s for Kaito! Don’t you DARE!”

“Hm? But, I don’t wanna wake him up…” Kokichi frowned, glancing over at Kaito’s corpse, and back at Maki. “He looks so peaceful, don’t you think? It’d be rude! Better go look for another for him, maybe he’ll be up by then. If he survives that long, that is!”

He put the antidote to his lips and drank it all as she watched in horror. He made sure to drag it out as long as he possibly could, before showing her it was empty. He tossed the bottle carelessly over towards Kaito and cocked his head to the side, “Aren’t you gonna get him another one, or are you just gonna let him die?”

Maki was at a loss for words. She looked at Kokichi in absolute horror, before she simply ran off. Either to get an antidote, another weapon, or the others. He wasn't sure which it'd be, but he didn’t have much time left either way.

It was time for a backup plan. Good thing he was good at those.

Chapter 2: Dancing senselessly on the shadows of the betrayed

Summary:

Kokichi learns the terrible truth that his decision making skills are sub-par at best.
~
CW/TW for this Chapter!: Blood, implied/referenced gore, Death, Self Deprecating thoughts, Curse Words

Notes:

So, if you read the first chapter before this update, you’ll probably notice I dropped the honorifics! That’s because I wasn’t really sure how they worked completely, and I didn’t want to make any mistakes and offend anyone, or forget about them! I fixed the previous chapter so they’re gone, but going forward there isn’t going to be any. Sorry if that causes any confusion!!!
~

Kaito was way heavier than Kokichi could have guessed. He was a lot taller than him, and literal dead weight, so that’d explain it. The searing pain in his right arm didn’t help either. His noodle arms had nothing to do with how difficult this was. Not in the slightest.

He knew he didn’t have much time to get this right. He could hear the sound of an Exisal tearing at the door, with every step he took. He knew if Maki knew that he had used an Electrobomb earlier, or she figured out that fact, he’d be as dead as Kaito. He kicked himself for trying to provoke her again, to get her to leave. He could have just dropped it after drinking the antidote but no. He had to keep messing with her. Stupid.

Now, he was stuck rushing his original plan, with no help from anyone whatsoever. It’s not that he couldn’t do it on his own, but… He had to admit that this would’ve been easier, and less excruciatingly boring with someone else. Part of him couldn’t help but wish Gonta was still around. It would’ve been a lot bet-

He shouldn’t have thought about him.

His grip on Kaito’s arms faltered as the guilt came rushing back. He closed his eyes tightly, and took in a deep breath, trying to push those feelings aside before they drowned him. He knew he deserved to feel this way, but…

He had to get himself to stop thinking about him, or Kaito, or what he was doing. Instead, he tried to focus on the mundane or unimportant aspects of this. How his sock kept slipping, or how shiny the floor was… the same floor had a streak of blood on it now. Blood that wasn’t supposed to spill. He was the one who was supposed to die. If this all failed and got everyone killed, it was going to be his fault. All of this was his fault. He should have just sacrificed himself when that first motive came around, he would’ve been more useful that way, rather than dragging a bunch of people into his plans and letting them all die too-

...This wasn’t going to work, was it? The one moment that he wanted to be distracted by something, his mind wouldn’t give him that bit of respite.

He tightened his grip on Kaito’s arms, and pulled with all his might, only to trip backwards and let go from the force. He fell onto his back, where an arrow had been previously lodged at. The pain shot through his body like electricity. He cried out in agony, paralized on the ground from the feeling.

This wasn’t working, and he knew it. He had put too much faith in himself, and this is what he got out of it. He shakily got up onto his feet after a few moments, and looked over at the monitor. He knew it was off, but he couldn’t help but glare at it. What kind of sick freak would watch a show like this?

Show…

Show. That was it!

 

He quickly brushed himself off, and bounded over to the Exisal waiting patiently in the corner. He gasped from a shot of pain that coursed through him, but didn’t slow his pace. He reached the Exisal, and the steps beside it, and climbed in. These things were good for more than just putting on a show.

He was glad he had learned how to pilot it prior, because at least now it’d be easier to avoid mistakes. He brought it over to Kaito’s body, and carefully picked him up with the mechanical arm. It took him a few moments to move it closer to the hydraulic press. He managed to set Kaito down onto the bottom, but he mismanuvered. The arm of the Exisal smacked up against the top of the top of the press, with a deafening clang.

He was just thankful the thing didn’t fall over. But, he knew that was going to leave a dent on the Exisal. ...And probably alert the others if they were around. He maneuvered the hand out of the press as carefully as he could this time, and moved it back to where he had left it.

He quickly hopped out of the Exisal, and scrambled back to the hydraulic press. He could see a dent at the top of it, which made him huff in annoyance. He hoped that they were all too stupid to notice those dents.

He readied himself before he looked over at Kaito. Just looking at him once was enough to give him nightmares for the rest of his life. He shivered a little as he moved his arm under the press and pushed him a little so he was positioned correctly. He then pulled the sleeve of the jacket down, so it was the only thing visible.

As he did so however, he realized how much his original plan had relied on Kaito. He wasn’t even sure if it’d work without him doing this. It was supposed to be the left sleeve, not the right. His breath caught in his throat as those thoughts nearly consumed him. How sure was he that Maki wouldn’t just admit it immediately? Or that the others wouldn’t figure it out?

No, he couldn’t think like that. If Maki got caught, so be it. This wasn’t about her. If this plan failed, he’d just come up with another. And another after that. This killing game was going to end at his hands, and there was nothing that could stop him from achieving that now. ...That didn’t ease his worry, though.

He sighed, giving one last glance to Kaito before walking over to the stairs. He slowly walked up the steps, and over to where he had planned to set up the camera. He placed it carefully on top of the controls. He looked through the camera to make sure he was positioned correctly in the video, and upon seeing that it looked correct, he steeled himself for what was to come. He couldn’t back down now. It wasn’t murder, he was just making this game more interesting!

“Sorry ‘bout this, Space Cadet! Butttt… I’m sure you’d want your ‘sidekick’ to be safe, or whatever…” Kokichi spoke to empty air, feeling like he had to say something before he squashed him, “Too bad she took forever with that antidote. Uhhh, bye-bye?”

He pressed the record button moments after saying that, figuring he wasted enough time with that pointless speech. Kaito wasn’t going to speak back, and that was probably enough to keep him from getting cursed.

He pressed the button to lower the press, and watched as it crushed Kaito with a sickening splat. He shook off his immediate gut reaction to that, and turned off the video camera. He stuffed it back into his pocket, hoping he’d have a good opportunity to show it at some point. Maybe he’d give it to Monokuma, or something. He wasn’t sure, he’d play it by ear.

He continued with his plan. He used a pair of wire cutters, to make sure it was impossible for them to move the hydraulic press again. Then he threw them off to the side haphazardly, figuring whether they found it or not was unimportant.

Now… To fake his own death. He was glad that he was smart enough to bring an extra change of clothes. He had done the same for Kaito, because although he kidnapped him, he at least had the decency to break into his room and grab some.

He walked back over to the cooler where he had kept a bag of all his stuff. He pulled out another copy of his outfit and walked to the bathroom to get changed. He sighed, knowing these clothes were just going to get all bloody too, but didn’t have the time to grab another from his dorm.

As he walked however, he started to notice how dizzy he felt. He had thought it would’ve gone away by now with the antidote but..

Oh.

 

A pit made its way into Kokichi’s stomach as he shook slightly, realizing what it was. He quickly made his way back to the cooler, and the bag. He pulled out a cool water bottle, and Kaito’s clothes. He nearly tripped over the wires as he grabbed the wire cutters again. He didn’t waste any time before he went into the bathroom.

He sat down on the floor, next to the mirror. He set down everything that he picked up beside him, and took off his shirt.

~~~

“Okay Ko, remember this! You’ll never know when you might need this!”

“I don’t think I’m gonna ever do that again…”

“I know you, Ko. If it’s not from this, it’ll be from something else.”

“...”

“You need to be more careful. As much as I want to be, I’m not always going to be around to help you. ...That doesn’t mean I’m not going to try, but me and the rest of DICE…”

“I know. I know! ….. You’re all going to leave someday to do whatever, and I’m going to be all alone, so I better figure this all out myself, right?!”

“Wh-Huh? Where’d you get that from? We’re your family, Ko. We’re not gonna leave you.”

“That’s such a lie. ….You’re leaving us in a few days. Remember?”

“Haha, I know… But It’s only temporary, I promise. I’ll be back this summer. ...I just can’t pass up this opportunity, Ko. ….Let’s get you cleaned up…”

“First you apply pressure…” Kokichi checked his arm and back in the mirror. It wasn’t bleeding as much anymore but the blood was everywhere. He cut his scarf in half, putting his injured arm behind him and applying pressure to his back with it. With his other hand, he tried to do the same for his arm.

“Then you clean the wound, make sure there’s no nasties in there! Don’t want to trap cooties inside!” Time passed. It wasn’t bleeding anymore. He bit his bottom lip to keep himself from crying as he poured some water onto the cuts. The cold water burned, but he kept cleaning them.

“And try to find some bandages! But… if it’s really an emergency, and nobody has any, you can use something else to cover it. Just make sure you find something better to use later!” Kokichi sighed, and cut up Kaito’s spare dress shirt. He tied it around his body, making sure it was covered. Then he cut a bit of Kaito's sleeve, and tied it around his arm.

“And make sure you get a doctor to look at it! Don’t just try and walk it off, okay? And call me as soon as you can.” Kokichi stood up, and finished getting changed, pocketing the camera once again. He frowned, realizing he had to get rid of his new scarf in order for this to work.

He dropped his clean scarf, and dirty clothes into the toilet and flushed it. It clogged up and began to overflow, but he couldn’t really bring himself to try and get it down. He felt exhausted. He needed to make the evidence obvious, anyway. It’d be fine this way, right?

He didn’t let that thought finish as he walked out of the bathroom and closed the door. He yawned, and walked back to the bag, shoving what once was Kaito’s clothes, and his bloodied scarf, back in.

He didn’t know why he was so tired, and sluggish… but he figured it’d be alright to sleep for once in his life, now that it was all set up.

He slung the bag over his shoulder, and walked to the Exisal. He climbed up inside it, and set the bag over beside him, before closing the top, so he couldn’t be seen. He moved the bag a bit as he shifted around to get comfortable. There wasn’t much room to turn around as he liked, but it was good enough for now.

He let his heavy lids close as he curled up into the chair. His head hit the bag he had set down; and despite the situation, it felt like a pillow made out of clouds. He fell into a deep slumber, exhaustion making it easy for the first time in a long time.

~~~

Kokichi Theater

“Done so soon?”

“There’s only one person who could’ve done it.”

“Hold on! Just think through the evidence a little more-”

“There isn’t anything else to discuss that we haven’t already covered. There’s only one truth to this case.”

“Th-There has to be something I can say to convince you guys!”

“You can’t lie your way out of this one, Kokichi.”

“I couldn’t have done it. I was right there. You were right there!”

“Everyone knows what you did.”

“It was just a mistake! I slipped up, okay?! It’s not my fault that someone got killed!”

“You have blood on your hands.”

“I…. I wouldn’t have murdered ....”

“We all know that’s a lie.”

“I couldn’t have…”

“Gonta. Miu…. Kaito.”

“I… shouldn’t have…”

“Enough arguing already! It’s voting time!”

 

~~~

Kokichi always hated alarm clocks, but this one had to be the worst. As he heard the body discovery announcement, he could feel his whole being go into fight or flight mode. He flinched awake, smacking his head on one of the metal bars used to get out. He muttered a curse as he clutched his head, hearing the terrified and horrified voices of the remaining survivors.

 

He had to admit, he got a kick out of seeing how confused Maki looked. It was sick, and he knew it, but it meant that his plan had a chance. He made sure the Exisal was muted as he watched the four investigate.

He pulled out his sketchbook, making note of things they did or didn’t notice, and times when people acted odd. He felt a bit weird for watching them without them knowing, but it was better to try to figure out who the Mastermind was while he was hidden.

This got boring very quickly. There wasn’t much to do in the Exisal other than watch the four stumble through the investigation, which wasn’t as entertaining as one would think. Especially considering the sheer amount of evidence he had left them all. It was going to drive him insane. Nobody seemed out of the ordinary.

He was also getting a bit claustrophobic inside the Exisal, he really needed to get some fresh air. Or to just move. To do something.

He got his chance soon enough. Eventually, everyone had left to investigate other areas. Kiibo and Tsumugi were out in the hallway for some reason, and Himiko was too? While Maki did who knows what, probably sulking, or following Shuichi. And Shuichi investigated the school.

Despite the fact that part of him knew this was a terrible idea, he still found himself climbing out of the Exisal, and walking around. His body ached both from the position he had slept in, and from the goddamn arrows. He did his best to ignore it as he reached the cooler. He could really go for some Panta right about now. He opened up the lid, pulled out a can, and-

“Kokichi?”

He froze in his tracks when he heard the voice. He was fucked. He tried to come up with a way to get out of this, but had none. He sighed and turned around, forcing a grin on his face as he looked at whoever it was.

It was just the robot.

Thank god.

He was almost certain if it was anyone else, he’d be in trouble. He stuffed the Panta in his pocket, not letting the relief show on his face as he said, “Darn… You caught me. What’s up, Kiiboy!”

Their face scrunched up slightly at the nickname, and the overall casual attitude that he had over being caught. They must suspect him. Which… was fair, considering there was a lot to be suspecting him of at this point. They sighed before hesitating, “Uhm… Everyone has been looking for you.”

“Aww, they actually care about little ol’ me?” He broke into a fake smile, wiping away a non-existent stray tear. “That’s so sweet!”

Kiibo looked unsure of how to respond to that, torn between telling him that wasn’t the reason, and questioning him more. They seemed to decide on both as they frowned, “That… is not exactly the reason.” They averted their gaze before they continued, “...I thought that you said you were bored of the Killing Game, and that it was over? Why… Why did you… And where is your scarf?”

“I lied.” He shrugged, which only managed to make Kiibo appear even more sullen. They clenched their fist to ground themself, but Kokichi took that as a possible threat. He didn’t want to get punched by a robot. He quickly added, “Oh, I mean about the Mastermind part! Not the bored part. This game is soooo boring. So was that scarf! So lame.”

“What do you mean?” They looked at him, their head tilting slightly to the side in confusion, “You are a remnant of despair, and created this Killing Game to emulate your beloved Junko’s killing game, and to fill the last of the world with despair, correct..?” They seemed more and more unsure of their accusation with every word.

“Remnant of what now?” He raised an eyebrow at them, trying to process even a bit of what they had just said, “If you’re talking about my super duper top secret organization, then you’ve totally got that wrong. We didn’t try to spread despair… whatever that is…. Or… whatever you’re saying right now! And I didn’t create this Killing Game!”

“Then… Who did?” They asked, puzzled.

“How am I supposed to know!?” Kokichi felt like he was talking to a brick wall. A very confusing brick wall who seemed to know more than he did about things. Things that made no sense. It frustrated him, to say the least.

“So why did you lie about being the Mastermind...?” Kiibo didn’t understand why anyone would do something like that, “...Or is this another lie..?”

“Pfft, you think I’m actually gonna tell you?” He laughed harshly in response, “Nope! Man, for a robot, you’re kind of stupid.”

“...I should go and tell the others that you are back.” They didn’t take the bait, but flinched slightly at the insult. They began to walk away but Kokichi quickly rushed in front of them, a chorus of hushed ‘ow’s following as he did so.

“Nononononononono! No. No. No!” He held his hands out in front of himself as he shook his head adamantly. They crossed their arms as he quickly sputtered, “Hold your horses, will you! I need your help!”

“I do not have any horses, Kokichi.”

“It’s an expression.” He sighed, before getting back on track, “Anyways! Just, don’t leave yet! I have a proposition for you!”

“I do not like the sound of that…” They frowned. They were about to leave when they stopped, their eyes widening slightly. They seemed to think about it for a few moments, before they looked over at him again, “...What is it?”

“Yes!” He cheered, pumping his fist in the air a little in excitement. He quickly got back on track, “Welllll, you see, I can’t let the others know that I’m here. It’d ruin my fantastic plan that I’ve worked so hard on! The trial would be so boring…” he sighed sadly.

They didn’t look convinced by that, so he kept going, “And… If you don’t tell anyone you saw me, I’ll give you something in return.

“...What is it?” They didn’t really want whatever Kokichi could give them, but they were still curious. What they really wanted to do was to get out of there, because the place made them feel sick in more ways than one, and to tell the others, but their inner voice urged them to hear him out.

“I’m glad you asked, Kiiboy!” He broke out into a grin, and pulled the camera from his pocket, “You see this? This is such an important piece of evidence… but I guess I’ll give it to you!”

“A camera..? What is so important about that?” They had a horrible feeling about this, they just wanted to leave. Still, they stayed as Kokichi hopped over to their side, and held out the camera for them to see what was on it.

What was on it… Was something that would make them cry, or sick, if they could do either. They shook as he continued to hold the camera in front of them, looking at him in terror. “How...How could you…?” They couldn’t even finish their sentence, as he just shrugged.

“So, do you want it or not?” Kokichi tilted his head to the side, not even hesitating as he saw their expression. Part of him felt bad seeing this, but he pushed it away as fast as he could.

“Did...Did you kill Kaito…?” Their eyes were wide, but the light inside them dimmed. The blue hue was barely visible at this point.

“If I did, that’s proof against me that you can use during the trial.” Kokichi’s demeanor grew serious, as he shrugged. He held the camera in front of their face, tauntingly, before quickly moving it before they could grab it. “I’m not giving this to you unless you keep this little chit-chat a secret.”

“I… What..?” Kiibo looked at him in confusion, wary of him. They weren’t sure if this was some kind of trick. “I...I do not want to lie to them…”

“Hm? So you don’t want this piece of evidence?” He tilted his head to the side, and laughed darkly, “Wellll, that’s too bad… Guess I better get rid of it if you don’t want it! In 5… 4….3...2….” He raised the camera above his head, and slowly began to lift his fingers one by one, with a grin that felt as if it tore through his cheeks. Until he was only holding it by his thumb and pinky.

“W-Wait no! I…"

"Changed your mind?" Kokichi quickly regained his grip on the camera, and moved his arm back to his side.

"...Yes." They weren’t sure whether or not trusting Kokichi was a good plan, but… What other choice did they have? At least this evidence would get him caught.

"Yes! Glad to be working with you, Kiiboy!" Kokichi slapped their back, and immediately regretted it, hiding the wince of pain with a grin. They flinched away as he did so, looking at him with wide eyes. He handed them the camera. But, before he loosened his grip on the camera all the way, in a quieter voice he said, “You don’t even have to lie. You can say you found it during the investigation.”

“...Alright…” They nodded hesitantly.

“I promise if you keep this a secret, all of this will be worth it! It’ll make everything so much more interesting!” He added, taking a step towards Kiibo. They immediately took a step back, looking regretful (and more than a little terrified). He flicked their ahoge, and continued, “Just listen to that little ‘inner voice’ you always talk about, or whatever. It probably thinks this is a good idea too!”

Their eyes widened in response to the comment, and just as they were about to ask him what he meant by that, he had already walked off to the exisal, and was climbing in it.

Kokichi hopped inside, and closed the hatch. It was a good thing that he did it as soon as he did, because Tsumugi walked through the door only moments after. She looked around a bit, confused, as she made her way over to Kiibo.

 

“Who were you talking to?” Tsumugi asked, tilting her head.

“Uhm…” Kiibo glanced over at the Exisal where Kokichi was holding his breath and praying that they wouldn’t ruin this. They looked back at Tsumugi, nervously, “...No one..?”

“Huh? I was sure I heard another voice coming from here…” She tapped her chin, narrowing her eyes for just a split second at them before quickly laughing, “I must just be going plain crazy.”

 

“I… I think all of us are, at this point.” They mumbled, glancing back at the Exisal. Kokichi was nearly tearing his hair out at this point, but luckily, the others had come in before Kiibo could let it slip.

“Oh, good! Just like any good anime, the protagonist is back before the final act!” Tsumugi turned around with a smile, to face the two walking into the room, and the third who stood outside the door, “Did you find anything?”

“Ah, uh, yes.” Shuichi nodded, and rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly as he saw the newly gathered group turn to hear what he had to say. He looked at Maki momentarily, a twinge of worry on his face as he did so, and faced the group, “We were able to find out that there was some poison missing from the bottle with the same name as the one we found in the bathroom.” He looked like he was going to say more, but he held back.

"Who do you think did it?” Tsumugi looked curious.

“I’m not really sure… There’s too much about this case that’s confusing.” He sighed, exhaustion seeping into his voice, “I think we’ll figure it out soon enough, though.”

Kiibo looked torn as they looked between all of the people gathered. They couldn’t quite make out what their inner voice wanted them to do, so much of it scrambled and conflicting. They took a deep breath, before deciding to speak up, “I, uhm… Might have an idea.”

“Spit it out, then.” Maki said coldly, which got a worried frown from Shuichi.

“I…” They flinched at her tone, and frowned as they tried to decide what they should say. They didn’t want to lie to them, but they didn’t want to betray Kokichi by spilling the one thing that he asked them not to. ….Even though they were sure that he had killed Kaito. They decided to fulfill their end of the bargain, although it pained them to do so. They handed the camera to Shuichi, not wanting to hold something that had that kind of video on it.“I found this somewhere, and uhm… I believe it shows the moment that Kaito died.”

Shuichi’s eyes widened at this, and he was about to ask more, but the announcement for the start of the trial stopped him, and everyone else in their tracks. He gave them a nod, and placed it into one of his pockets.

“It’s… starting… So… That means Kokichi is going to be there… waiting for us... ” Himiko mumbled with a worried expression on her face.

“I’m sure that he will.” Kiibo sighed before catching themself. They tried to cover up their mistake, “Because uhm. He is the Mastermind, that is?”

“Yeah… But, we shouldn’t worry about him right now.” Shuichi didn’t seem to notice their slip up, or if he did, he didn’t mention it, “Let’s just focus on the trial.”

The others, aside from Maki, agreed with his suggestion. Slowly but surely, they all walked to the trial grounds at their own pace. Which frustrated Kokichi exponentially, but he kept waiting. Once Shuichi had finally left, after giving the room one last look around, he waited a couple minutes before piloting the Exisal out of the room, and out to the trial grounds.

He managed to pilot it out of the winding hallways without denting the Exisal again, which he was pretty proud of. Once he got close enough to the trial grounds, he stopped the Exisal, and turned on the voice modulation. He couldn’t let Monokuma figure out that it was him right off the bat, after all.

“Hey, uh, Monokuma? You out here?” He asked, in Kaito’s voice, which was extremely weird to hear.

Monokuma appeared almost instantaneously at the foot of the Exisal. Kokichi had to hold himself back from crushing him, as tempting as it was right now. In an annoyed voice, the bear huffed, “Cutting it real close, aren’t we?”

“Aha, yeah. Sorry, ‘bout that.” He moved the Existal a little, to make it seem like he was embarrassed. After a few moments, he switched off the voice modulation, and continued in his own voice, “You know me!~ It’s no good if it isn’t a surprise!”

“Ohoho! I see!” Monokuma seemed to glow at that switch, if that was even possible. He seemed to understand the appeal of letting whoever was in the Exisal stay inside it. But, he still hummed, “Does anyone know that you’re in there?”

“Know that who’s in here?” He said before he pressed the voice modulation button, “I fell asleep before I could talk to either of my sidekicks… Think that’s for the best though. They’d probably be worried if they saw me like this.”

“Hmm…” The robotic bear tapped his chin with his paw, as he thought it through.

“I promise I’ll make this boring trial unforgettable!~” Kokichi smirked as he turned off the modulation. This seemed to be more than enough to convince Monokuma.

“Alright, alright fine!” Monokuma caved. As he said that, the concrete path to the trial room seemed to sink. The path had become a ramp to a dark room underground. He continued, gesturing to the entrance with his paw. “Just don’t even think about pulling this again! I won’t be this nice next time! Just go in there and wait for your cue.”

“Alrighty!~” Kokichi held back a sigh of relief as he moved the Exisal inside that underground entrance. He got the Exisal situated as the light above him vanished, the earth having shifted back into place.

It was show time.

Notes:

Fun fact: Those directions are actually what you're supposed to do when dealing with a laceration! If you ever get a stab wound, or a puncture wound, here are some tips. (I am not a medical expert, but I have done research, and I feel it's important to share these things! Please do your own research as well on these things, if you think that's something that you want/need to know!)

1) If whatever was used to puncture or stab is still in there, keep it there. DON'T DO WHAT KOKICHI DID. (The mistake he made of taking out the arrow was the reason I realized I should mention this in the first place!) And don't let the person move the wounded area too much.
2) Call for help. Don't do this alone, and call an ambulance.
3) Make sure the laceration is above the heart of the injured person. This is to slow the bleeding.
4) Apply pressure. Make sure you do this for 15 minutes. If it's still bleeding by then, then it's crucial to get more medical attention. Continue to apply pressure.
5) If the bleeding stops, you can wash it out. Tap water is a safe option.
6)Try your best to bandage it. Butterfly bandages are your best bet, but they're difficult! Medical glue, or duct tape (if nothing else) will also work.
7) Please please please make sure the person gets to a doctor!

And here's some do not's:
-Don't apply a tourniquet, unless it's a last resort.
-Don't move whatever you're using to stop the bleeding up to check it. Instead, add more of whatever you're using to stop the bleeding.
-Don't pull out whatever the weapon is.

Stay safe out there! Have an amazing day, and thank you for reading!~

(Constructive criticism welcomed and appreciated!)

Chapter 3: Apathy is a tragedy, and boredom is a crime

Summary:

Kokichi finds out first hand that Kiibo is NOT a good liar.

By the time that Kokichi had gotten situated in the waiting room, the trial had started. But, he had realized early on that Monokuma’s little comment about a ‘cue’ wasn’t just a joke. He was stuck in there, just forced to listen to them stumble through the case until a bear told him he was allowed to participate. It was enough to make him want to scream from annoyance, but somehow he kept himself from doing anything like that by staying busy. Playing wonderful games like, ‘guess what this button does!’ or ‘guess who the Mastermind is based on their arguments’.

…It got stale quick.

To his surprise, the very first piece of evidence that was brought up was the video he gave Kiibo. None of the others had a chance to watch the video, and Monokuma hadn't known that it existed in the first place, so it was interesting to listen to their reactions.

And by interesting... he meant that it'd probably bother him for the rest of his life. He didn’t need to see them to guess how they felt or looked after watching it. Pure unbridled horror, and disgust. Anger. Fear. Sadness. He bet they were feeling all of the above.

The video itself seemed to be more than enough evidence for them that Kokichi was the culprit. They couldn't think of anyone else who would film something like that and give it to them, and for good reason. He didn't have the best reputation to begin with, and that was something he would, and did do. So, he couldn’t blame them for it. He still needed to find a way to change their minds, though.

When Monokuma told him it was time to come out of the room, he did exactly that. Even though he could name a billion other things he would rather spend his time doing than fulfilling the demands of a knock off Care Bear, he followed his directions to a T. There wasn't much else he could do at that point, really, except promise himself that that would be the last time he took an order from Monokuma. So, he took a deep breath and mentally prepared himself the best he could as he piloted the Exisal into the trial room.

The five looked at him in stunned silence, and he guessed that they were expecting him to talk. So, he made sure the voice modulator was on, and did the only thing he was sure he knew how to do at this point. Lie.

"Uh... Sorry to disappoint, but... I think you guys kinda guessed wrong on this one." He stopped the Exisal on a pad that was near Kaito’s stand. He couldn't help himself from getting a little sidetracked when he noticed it, despite the poor timing. He just wasn't sure if it had always been there, and he just didn't notice it somehow, or if Monokuma had been prepared for this. He also wasn't sure which scared him more, the thought that he could have missed something as obvious as that, or the thought that Monokuma could have predicted his actions.

Kiibo looked at the Exisal in shock, hope flashing in their eyes for the shortest of moments before it was harshly crushed by their own realization. Their face fell as they shakily reached for the stand.

He hadn't thought that a robot could ever be capable of an expression like that, but he didn't let himself think about it too much. They were just the audience, they were probably just disappointed that the twist was revealed so soon. He just had to keep that in mind.

“Kaito..?” Maki’s voice wavered slightly, but she gave the Exisal a wary look.

“Hey, Maki-Roll!” Kokichi made sure he used that cringeworthy nickname as he greeted her, knowing that’d make it more convincing. He laughed a little before continuing, "Sorry, probably gave both of my sidekicks a scare, huh?”

"...Is that really you, Kaito?" Shuichi asked, his voice quiet and his expression pained. If Kokichi didn't know any better, he would be sure just by the look on his face that the Detective already knew the answer.

“Huh? Of course it is!” Kokichi replied, almost without thinking. It came out a bit more rushed than he wanted to, but he didn’t have time to think about it. “I just got hurt is all. Didn’t want to scare you all by passing out or something!”

“You… got hurt?” Shuichi repeated, confused. His eyes shone with worry as he looked up at the Exisal, "Are you okay?"

“Uh, yeah. It was just a lil arrow, nothing to worry about!" Kokichi continued the lie, "It's easier for me to stay inside this thing though. Don't want to go fainting on you all mid-trial, y'know?"

"An arrow? We found three while investigating..." Shuichi mumbled to himself with a thoughtful expression. He didn't look all too convinced that Kaito was in there, but he still proceeded to ask, "Did Kokichi attack you with the crossbow?"

"Huh?" Kokichi tried to think of the best route to take, wondering if stalling was on the table. He guessed that it'd be better to explain everything he knew about Kaito’s plan to sound a bit more convincing, so he decided to do that instead, "Uh yeah! Well, actually... I tried to attack him first. I wanted to escape, so I asked Himiko to grab me one of Maki-Roll's crossbows. I put it together the best I could, and when he came back in to check on me, I shot him in the arm."

"But.... How did he get it from you? Or did he have a crossbow of his own hidden?" Himiko asked.

"My Ultimate Lab only had two crossbows." Maki replied, "It'd be unlikely that he'd be able to get his hands on something like that."

"Yeah, exactly! I was getting to that part.." Kokichi put himself on mute to curse a little before he turned it back on, "Anyways, he got pissed off at me, cuz it hurt him, and I tried to get out of the bathroom. He was in the way, and lunged at me. We got in a fight after that. I think he pulled the arrow out of his pocket during that time. He shot me once in the arm, and tried to reload while I was reeling from it. But, I managed to wrestle it out of his grip again, and after he pushed me, I shot him in the back on accident. But, my head hit the ground a little too hard, and I was knocked out after that. Woke up in this thing for some reason."

"I guess that explains the two arrow holes we found in his clothes!" Tsumugi nodded.

"But why would...." Kiibo trailed off, and took a deep breath. They winced as they continued, "W-Why would Kokichi have arrows in his pockets, without anything to use them for? Your story does not make any sense."

"That's a good point... It does explain the arrows we found, but that is a problem..." Shuichi sighed, "Are you sure they were arrows in his hands?"

"Am I sure? Of course I'm sure! He shot me with one!" Kokichi wanted to give up. This was getting annoying. "He probably had some kinda weapon hidden? Or maybe he was just gonna stab someone with them, I dunno. It's not like he makes sense half the time anyways." Despite the fact that he was the one who had insulted himself, he still got upset by it. That was too in character. He crossed his arms in offense.

"But... Why would he..." Shuichi tried to think about it, putting a hand to his chin. He didn’t look like he believed that was possible.

"Again, I dunno. Maybe he stole them so nobody could attack him with them?" Kokichi suggested without thinking about what he was saying. By the time he realized how stupid that argument was, it was too late.

"But, why wouldn't he just take all the arrows if that was the case?" Shuichi blinked in confusion. He looked over at Himiko and asked, "How many crossbows were there when you went into her lab?"

"Uhm.. There were two! I'm sure of it!"

"So both of the crossbows were there... But two arrows were missing..."Shuichi tried to figure out how that was possible, "Did you check inside both of the cases?”

"No... I just checked the one I gave Kaito..." She sighed, pulling her hat over her head further in shame.

"It could be possible that he stole the parts and arrows from one of the cases and kept it somewhere?" Shuichi suggested.

"No." Maki replied immediately.

"H-Huh?"

"The only two people I showed how to put those crossbows together were you and Kaito. And besides that, I already told you. It's unlikely that he'd be able to get his hands on that in the first place. He was with Kaito the entire time." She gave the detective a look as she crossed her arms.

"So did the arrows come from an outside source then?" Tsumugi tapped her chin.

"He is the Mastermind... Couldn't he just tell Monokuma to grab him one?" Himiko tilted her head to the side.

"I would never let any of you boss me around like that!" Monokuma gasped in mock offense, before chirping, "Unless it was for a murder, of course!"

"Kokichi must have been planning on killing Kaito." Shuichi mumbled.

"That was what he told me last night." Kiibo spoke up, although their voice was quiet.

"He... What? When?" He looked over at them, perplexed.

"Last night. During the investigation, I told you about how I noticed Himiko after I talked to Kokichi and asked him to let Kaito go. He told me if I did not leave, he would kill him. I left, but..." Kiibo had a pained expression on their face, and they braced themself with the stand once again as they continued, "That is why... Why I think that Kokichi killed Kaito."

"Quit telling everyone I'm dead! I'm fine!" Kokichi huffed, unable to keep the annoyance out of his voice. "And I didn't kill Kokichi either. I dunno what happened to him after I passed out, but I didn't kill him."

The trial room was silent for a few beats, as everyone tried their best to figure out what had happened during that altercation. Did Kaito really try to shoot Kokichi with the crossbow? Did Kokichi really have some arrows in his pockets, like 'Kaito' said? Or was all of this a lie?

The first one to speak up after they processed all this new information was Shuichi. Figures it would've been him. "Well... I guess we have two possibilities. Either Kaito is inside there, and the video of him dying was fake... Or, Kokichi is in there and is just trying to confuse us."

"He wouldn't have faked a video of himself dying, if that's what you're implying.” Maki crossed her arms, “It has to be Kokichi in there."

"But why does it sound like Kaito?" Himiko tilted her head. None of them knew about the voice modulation, after all. "I don't think Kokichi would be good at impressions."

"Uhm, I'm... not sure." Shuichi sighed, "And, couldn't it have been faked by Kokichi or Monokuma? Both of them have always talked about making trials more interesting, so maybe this was the same sort of thing. It could've been planted to derail us."

"Hey, don't accuse me of filming something that poorly! I at least know a thing or two about lighting!" Monokuma quipped, "Besides, I didn't even know there was a camera in the first place until you had me show it!"

"You didn't know there was a camera?" Shuichi latched onto that piece of information, "How is that possible..."

"I mean, I totally knew there was a camera! There's cameras everywhere!" Monokuma tried to cover up his mistake with a nervous laugh.

"Does it really matter if Monokuma didn't know about a piece of evidence?" Maki questioned.

Shuichi frowned, staring off at the trial stand momentarily before giving a nod.

"I think it does." Shuichi had a serious expression on his face, "It's strange that Monokuma didn't know about a piece of evidence that major. Especially since it seems to show the moment that 'Kaito' died. Wouldn't the cameras have caught him using it?"

"No, I don't think they would have." Kiibo shook their head, "An Electrobomb was used, so that would have disabled everything electronic in the area, or at least affected it. That is why the safety function for the hydraulic press was not working, and why we can see Kaito getting crushed by it in the first place."

"But... How do we know that the Electrobomb had been used before the video was taken?" Shuichi questioned, "If it disables everything, then the camera would have been disabled as well, right? And, unless Kaito was sleeping... He wouldn't have had to use a bomb to crush Kaito under it. He could've killed him before he put him under it, and he wouldn't have to worry about the bomb."

"Well.... It is obvious that he was still alive when the video was taken."

"He was alive?" Shuichi repeated, confused.

"He... He didn't seem to have any injuries." Kiibo sounded a bit unsure. They looked away from everyone, staring off at the floor, "When I watched it, I was unable to notice anything like that."

"Ooo, what a twist! Let's watch this again, shall we?" Monokuma cheered as he hit a button with his paw. The monitors came down once more, and he played the video for the students.

The video showed just what they remembered. Kaito's face wasn't in view, but most of his body was. The angle didn't capture much, however. There weren't any arrows sticking out from Kaito, or blood that could be seen. It was strange.

"You were right... He didn't have any injuries." Shuichi mumbled as he thought it through. It didn't seem to make any sense to him, "But, Kaito did tell us that he got attacked. And... There's evidence to support that, considering the three bloody arrows we found. It would've shown it for sure. ...So it had to have been faked!"

Everyone was stunned by this turn of events. Including Monokuma, who looked like he was literally on the edge of his seat.

"Where did you get that video in the first place, Kiibo? We might be able to figure out at least how or why it was faked if we know that." Shuichi turned his attention to Kiibo.

"I, uhm... I got the video from-"

"Hey Kiibo! Has anyone ever told you that your eyes look kinda like UFOs? Cuz they're so out of this world." Kokichi knew this would shut them up before they spilled too much. There was no way that they could ruin this for him. He continued a bit more, just to make sure they didn't have a chance for a comeback. "Oops, heh. Sorry. Thinking out loud. Bad time to interrupt."

Kiibo flinched at Kokichi’s words, and was shocked into silence. They looked hurt, angry and sad all at once. Instead of responding to Shuichi’s question, their gaze fell to the ground in front of them.

"Is that even a compliment?" Tsumugi wondered out loud.

"Maybe it was supposed to be a pickup line?" Himiko shrugged.

"Asshole…" Maki muttered as she glared at the Exisal.

Shuichi sighed and tried to get things back on track again, "Uhm, so... Do you remember where you found it?"

Kiibo didn't seem to hear him, or even notice he said anything. He looked at them worriedly, but tried to continue with what they knew so far about the video.

"They must've gotten it from somewhere. And they were investigating the Hangar while we went into the school, and found it then, right?" Shuichi glanced over at them again, but they didn't reply.

"Um... What if Kaito gave it to them?" Himiko suggested hesitantly.

"Kaito?"

"Yeah! Like um... They saw him, and he told them not to tell us about it, for some reason!" Himiko nodded.

"Heh, damn. You guys are really good at these things... Should've known it'd be hard to keep a secret like that." Kokichi sighed for effect, but was thankful that something like this had come around. He took advantage of the moment, spinning a web of lies, "Himiko's right... After I woke up, think it was a bit before that body discovery, I crawled out of this Exisal. Of course, it was really confusing seeing what was waiting for me out there... But, I saw something weird sitting on the ground. It was the camera, but it had a note from Kokichi. Saying something like, 'Give this to one of the others, and make sure it's brought up as evidence during the trial. Don't let them mention that they saw you, though! It'd be boring to just leave this as evidence for them to find normally. If you don't, I'll execute them all! -Kokichi', or whatever. And, I didn't want any of you guys to get hurt, so I did what it said."

"You...." Kiibo stared at the Exisal, anger written plainly on their face.

"It really was planted then... It had to have been to derail us. Or to get us to vote wrong."

"I think any of us would've done the same if we saw that note." Tsumugi nodded.

"Figures he'd leave something like that." Maki spat.

"So.... neither of them are dead?" Himiko looked even more confused, "Then who's under the press thingy?"

"I'm not sure." Shuichi tapped his chin, "Could he have gotten a body from a previous case?"

"Aw, I'm getting Deja Vu!" Monokuma quipped, "But, unless he was the Mastermind, nobody could do something like that!"

"But, he is the Mastermind!" Himiko said.

"N-No. He may be the Mastermind, but I do not think that Kaito is alive." Kiibo finally managed to speak up once again, but they looked exhausted. They had an expression of pure anger on their face as they spoke, "None of what he has been saying is true. I got the video from Kokichi, not Kaito."

"H-Heh, uh... Kiibo..." Kokichi tried to get them to stop, "You don't have to lie for me anymore! They figured us out, and I don't think Monokuma or Kokichi is going to do anything!"

Kiibo went silent for a few moments after that, flinching at the voice. They shakily sighed as they continued, "That is what I am doing. I am not lying for you anymore, Kokichi."

"Kokichi?" Shuichi looked over at the Exisal, shocked.

"Yes. That is Kokichi in there, not Kaito. He has been lying this entire trial and... I have been doing the same. I am so sorry." They looked down, "He showed me the video, and told me that I could have it as long as I did not tell you all. I believed that it would have been important, and could have helped us find the truth. But... I realize now I should not have trusted him."

"Then, he was the one who killed Kaito. He must have given you the video knowing how sidetracked we'd get." Maki said coldly.

"I can't believe we almost fell for his tricks again..." Himiko mumbled.

"Well, he did say he was the mastermind." Tsumugi sighed, resting a hand on her chin, "I guess we should've seen that twist coming."

"Let's just vote to get this over with." Maki suggested, but it sounded more like a command than a suggestion. Her posture was rigid, and her expression had darkened.

"But... Can we really vote with all of these unanswered questions?" Shuichi asked, glancing over at Maki. He knew that there was more to this case, and that something was off.

"All of those 'unanswered questions' you think exist are either you overthinking something, or Kokichi trying to trick us at this point. Why else would he make a video like that, than to just taunt us? Or to make sure we got the wrong answer?" Maki glared at him, "Kokichi killed Kaito with the press, end of story."

"Voting so soon?" Monokuma tilted his head, "You were all doing so good! Are you really just going to trust something a stupid robot says immediately, instead of actually thinking about the case?!"

"I mean... They wouldn't lie about lying to us." Shuichi said, but he still looked like he wanted to discuss the case more.

"And there's nobody else who could've done it!" Himiko added.

"The culprit was obvious, but we just wasted time going over evidence and dancing around the facts. The more we discuss it, the more confused we'll get." Maki shook her head, "We're ending this, and the killing game. We're voting right now."

"Yeesh, fine. Impatient much?" Monokuma muttered to himself as his paws hit a series of buttons, "Ratings are going to plummet because of you stupid kids. You're ending the killing game for sure, nobody wants to watch shows without an ending."

The monitors on the stands blinked awake as the trial room's monitor came down to reveal the voting screen. Monokuma looked a bit nervous as it came down, but nobody other than Shuichi seemed to notice. Although everyone was expecting him to, he didn't announce that it was time to vote. Or press the button to start the timer. He just stared off, looking terrified.

"What's your problem? We're all ready to vote." Maki crossed her arms, glaring at Monokuma. She looked over at the others before asking, "Right?"

The others seemed to be all over the board when it came to voting. Shuichi and Kiibo both looked worried, and neither of them looked ready to vote. While Tsumugi and Himiko looked like they could go either way. However, none of them spoke up.

"Uh, are you sure you want to vote now...?" Monokuma asked again, "Cuz... If you get it wrong... all of you are getting executed! And..."

"We've all heard these rules before. We don't need to hear them again." Maki huffed impatiently.

"Yeah… I think we all know by now what happens if we vote wrong." Tsumugi nodded.

"...Well... You know when you don't know if something is true yourself... it's sorta wrong by default." Monokuma mumbled.

"We all know who did it. Quit stalling, and just let us vote already!" Maki slammed her hands on her stand.

Kokichi sighed in the Exisal, finally deciding to make a move. He had thought that Maki would've admitted that she did it, but now he could see how wrong he was. And, if Monokuma was just going to execute them because he didn't know the victim, instead of ending the Killing Game all together... It wasn't worth it. He flicked off the voice modulation quickly as he spoke, "Okay, Okay, fine! I'll tell you guys the stupid truth, but you can't vote yet!"

He opened up the hatch to the top of the Exisal just enough to peek his head out of it, and yelled, "Here look! You were right. I was the one in the Exisal! But I wasn't the one who killed Kaito!"

The five looked over at him in shock, Tsumugi looking the most surprised out of them. Maki quickly sprung to action, threateningly taking a few steps towards the Exisal. Kokichi yelped, and hopped back inside of the Exisal, closing the hatch and locking it.

"But... It had to have been you." Shuichi looked over at the Exisal.

"That's where you're wrong. Your culprit is in another castle!~" Kokichi quipped, "Just give me three minutes to explain, and you can vote or whatever! That's all I need!"

"So..." Monokuma started, as he looked over to the five at the stands, "Still think it's a good idea to vote now?"

Chapter 4: I have nothing left to lose

Summary:

In which Kokichi realizes that the boy who cried wolf wasn't just fiction.

TW: Descriptions of injuries (Brief), Curse Words (Like always)

"Still think it's a good idea to vote now?”

The question was enough to shake the resolve of many of the teens gathered in the trial room. All except for the two who knew what really happened the night before.

“Yeah. We all do. Nothing's changed.” Maki was the first to speak up, leaving no room for a discussion. Something about her seemed nervous, however, “That just proves that Kokichi’s the culprit.”

"But.. Maybe we could get some answers from him if we hold off on voting for a bit?" Shuichi suggested, "...There's just some things that still don't add up."

"And you expect him to tell the truth?" Maki questioned, "The entire time we've known him, he's done nothing but lie to us. It's a waste of time, end of story."

"Well yeah but..." Shuichi frowned, trying to come up with a rebuttal, "I think that somehow we can find out the truth of this case if we listen to him. At least… The truth of what happened last night.”

"And the truth is simple. Kokichi killed Kaito. There you go."

"But... How did he kill him? We still haven't figured that out yet. Or the motive."

"Arrows, poison or the Hydraulic Press. There's three different equally likely murder weapons for you." Maki shrugged, "And the motive? He's the fucking Mastermind. Do you really expect the person behind this Killing Game to have a motive? He probably just got bored and decided to kill someone. Seems in character for him.”

"But why did he kidnap Kaito in the first place? If he just wanted to kill someone, or have another trial, he could've done it without kidnapping him." Shuichi pointed out, “Wait...Poison?”

“Yeah. Remember when we went into your Lab? There was some poison missing.” Maki raised an eyebrow at the Detective, “You were the one who thought to look for it in the first place. Didn’t think you’d forget something like that.”

“Ah, right… There was an antidote in the bathroom for a poison called ‘Strike-9’.” Shuichi nodded, and paused. He turned to the group and said, “Hold on… Isn’t that weird too?”

 

“What is weird about it?” Kiibo titled their head, “Humans use antidotes when they are poisoned, correct? And there was poison missing so… That must explain why it was there.”

“That’s what’s weird about it… It was empty.” Shuichi tapped his chin as his eyebrows knitted together. He seemed to have noticed something, “We didn’t find any of it spilled or thrown out either…”

“You’re thinking too much about this.” Maki grumbled, stopping his train of thought, “It also could’ve been planted. Just because it’s a possibility, doesn’t mean that it’s THE possibility. There’s more ways for him to kill Kaito than we thought of. We only found the evidence that he wanted us to, who knows what he could’ve hidden.”

"You know, there's this neat thing about lies!" Kokichi piped up, sick of staying quiet. He doubted they’d trust a word he said in the first place, but he needed to keep them from voting. He continued, "There's infinite possibilities for them, but there's only one truth. ...So, whaddya think the odds are that most of those are lies? Hey, Kiiboy! Do the math!"

"I am not a calculator!" They flinched at his voice, and shot back. When they got confused or disappointed looks from the others, they shrunk back slightly, "There are too many variables to even begin to figure that out, even if I could."

"Exactly." Kokichi's grin was practically audible as he spoke, "Do any of you really think you're going to find the truth if you're just swimming in lies? If you guys end up voting wrong because of a lie, you all know what’ll happen! So, if Kiiboy can’t even tell you the odds of you all surviving because there’s sooo many of them, I don’t think it looks good. But, it's up to you!~ Are you gonna trust in lies, or try to find the truth?”

There was a beat of silence, and everyone looked at Shuichi and Maki. Maki looked impatiently at the monitor, tapping her fingers on her arm. While Shuichi scrolled through the evidence on his Monopad. Suddenly, he spoke up, looking up at the Exisal with a calculating expression.

"How can we trust you?"

"You can't." Kokichi replied instantaneously, not even having to think about his answer. There wasn’t anything he could say to get them to trust him anymore, not that he cared about that. But, he still had an ounce of hope that they could get the culprit right despite that, "But, that's what evidence is for right? Contradictions are just a fancy way to say lies. If you think I'm lying, then just refute it with evidence and you'll find that truth you always worship or whatever. Easy peasy!"

Shuichi considered his words for a little, turning them over in his mind. Eventually, he settled on one decision. His expression steeled, and his voice grew serious. "...We need to hear him out."

"He's just manipulating you, you know that right?" Maki crossed her arms at Shuichi, who just shook his head in response.

"I don't think so. ...All we have to do is compare his testimony to the evidence we gathered already. And, if it really does end up being a waste of time, we only end up losing three minutes."

"I agree. It would be rash to vote this early... And it would be the best to hear what he has to say." Kiibo agreed.

"It better be three minutes cuz I'm tired..." Himiko yawned.

"Oooh! I can set a timer!" Monokuma chirped and pressed a few buttons with his paws. A timer similar to the one they saw when they voted popped onto the screen. "And starting..... Now!" Monokuma pressed the button immediately, which received a chorus of complaints.

"So, whaddya guys wanna know first?" Kokichi spared no time to start the conversation. He had no way of knowing if those three minutes really would be all he had, after all. He should've just said five minutes, or ten. Three was too short.

"Why did you do this?" Kiibo was the first to ask, speaking up as Shuichi was about to open up his mouth. There was an obvious twinge of sadness and anger in their voice as the robot looked up at the Exisal.

"Do what? You're gonna have to be wayyy more specific." Kokichi knew that they were talking about Kaito, but he figured it was better to play dumb.

"Why did you kill Kaito?" They had to look away as they said that. In response, Kokichi laughed bitterly, which made them tense up a bit and grip their stand.

"You guys keep saying I killed Kaito, but how sure are you that that isn't just another lie?"

"But... When you gave the video to me, you said that it could be evidence that you killed him." Kiibo reminded him, which garnered surprised looks from everyone.

"It *could*. Key word is could."

"A-And in the Hangar! You threatened to kill him if I did not leave as well."

"Again, how sure are you that that wasn't a lie?" Kokichi tilted his head to the side, and had the Exisal mirror it, "I mean, I could've killed him easily. I had the remote to the Exisals and everything. One of these would've done the trick. Or, I could've done what Kirumi did! There was a sink, after all. Or, I could've used my scarf and ch-"

"Please stop!" Kiibo cut him off, their eyes wide.

"What? I'm just saying that I had so many opportunities to kill him." Kokichi said nonchalantly, "So, why would I choose an overcomplicated method like a Hydraulic Press, or prepare some poison, or steal some arrows without a crossbow to use them with when I could just kill him like that."

"You always talk about wanting to make this game more interesting." Maki said, as she glared at the Exisal. "That must've been why."

"And a murder with a super duper obvious culprit would be interesting?"

"Some TV shows show the culprit right away, and it makes it even more satisfying to see them get caught and punished!" Tsumugi offered.

"And who would get executed in that scenario? Me. I don’t think I have to explain why I wouldn’t want that to happen.”

“Maybe you just wanted to follow in your ‘dearest Junko’s footsteps’.” Maki suggested, “She executed herself at the end of her own game too. This could all just be a part of your plan.”

“Junko? Why do you guys keep-” Kokichi paused, deciding there wasn’t enough time for that right now. He couldn’t help but wonder what the hell they were talking about though, though, “Whatever. Gimme another question!”

"What was the murder weapon?" Shuichi asked. The others turned to him surprised, but he didn’t flinch.

"Just think about it for a sec, okay? Soo, let's see. We have an empty antidote for a poison called Strike-9, or whatever. We have three bloody arrows, and a Hydraulic Press that can sense if something's alive or not!" Kokichi listed all of the possibilities before he asked, "So, which one do you think can actually kill someone?"

"Is this a trick question?" Kiibo frowned at the Exisal, "Because we have already discussed that all of them could have killed him."

"Mmm, I don't think so." Kokichi dismissed their claim, "Since Kaito isn't a hunk of scrap metal like you, the Hydraulic Presses' safety function would have….?"

"It would've stopped before it could kill him..." Shuichi mumbled. He opened his mouth to say something else, but was interrupted.

A loud jingle rang, and Monokuma's voice came soon after. "Time's up!" He tilted his head to the side. "So, what's the verdict? Are you all ready to vote?"

The group appeared to be torn right down the middle. Maki, Himiko and Tsumugi all vocalized that they were ready in their own ways, as Kiibo, Shuichi and Kokichi all disagreed. There wasn’t a chance that they were going to decide anytime soon. Monokuma grinned wide when he noticed that was the case, "Uh oh! Looks like we have a split opinion!~ You know what that means!~"

Monokuma pressed a button, and just as they had all gotten used to at this point, the trial stands began to float up. However there was one thing that nobody had been expecting this time around. Kokichi's Exisal was added to the mix. The launch pad that his Exisal had been situated on began floating up as well.

Kokichi hadn't known the true meaning of fear up until this moment.

~Debate Scrum- Vote or Continue?~

The Scrum Debate started just as it always did, except Kokichi had to put himself on mute in case the wobbly launch pad lurched a little and he screamed. It wasn't that the Scrum Debates usually scared him... It was not having anything to grab onto this time around, while being inside of a metal contraption without any safety features. He popped open his Panta, hoping that drinking it would serve as a good enough distraction for now.

"We still haven't figured out what the murder weapon was... I still don't think it's a good idea to vote, especially since Kokichi mentioned that the presses function would've triggered if that was the weapon." Shuichi was the first to speak up in the debate, like always, “That leaves only two concrete methods.”

"We've already talked about this earlier. He must’ve used the Electrobomb to disable it and crushed him then." Maki argued.

"That is true but... We do not know how he got Kaito on the Press in the first place either. It is obvious that something happened between them before Kaito died, but we do not know what that is. I believe we owe it to Kaito to at least find out what he had been trying to do last night." Kiibo's voice wavered slightly as they spoke.

 

"He was fighting Kokichi! That's what he was trying to do!" Himiko said exasperatedly, "And he knocked him out and got him on the press thingy!"

Kokichi unmuted himself before saying, "Yeah, but... How could I have gotten the upper hand against him in a fight? He's like a fucking tree!"

"Wasn't he sick though? He could've been weakened from it, and been a lot easier to beat!" Tsumugi pointed out, "Like the status effects in Pokemon!"

"That’s definitely a possibility... But I don't think that's the whole truth. Even if he was sick, I know Kaito wouldn't have given up that easily." Shuichi shook his head, "Not to mention he asked Himiko for the crossbow. It’d be a lot harder to fight someone with a weapon.”

"There’s still ways to fight someone and win, even if they’re armed.” Maki shrugged, “Not to mention, Kaito could’ve missed. He only had one arrow after all. So, once he was out of arrows, he’d be screwed.”

"Those were not the only arrows found on the scene, though.... We found two more which we still do not know who or what they came from.” Kiibo said, “There is a chance that he could have found more somehow, and that Kaito was the one who shot them?”

"Or they could've been planted." Maki suggested, "He could've used blood from the crime scene, and coated the tips in them, leaving them for us to find. The antidote could’ve been planted too."

"I don't think that's the case. We found Kokichi's clothes in the toilet, and they had two holes in them. The third must’ve shot Kaito.” Shuichi shook his head, “And… I’m not sure what to make of the antidote, but there’s a good chance it’s real too.”

"The clothes could've been faked too though." Tsumugi pointed out, “All he’d have to do would be to get some fake blood and something sharp around the size of the arrows!”

"Why would I ruin one of my own outfits?" Kokichi questioned, as he continued, "And by that logic, that leaves literally no murder weapon for me to have killed him with. If there’s no evidence of a fight, and you guys have no idea how I got him under the press, that’s not so good for your case. Not to mention, if I really planted the antidote, arrows and my clothes, that only leaves the press as a possibility. Which does it really make that much sense for me to have filmed my own murder?”

“I hate to say it… But there’s nothing that proves what happened for sure.” Shuichi said, “We can’t let it end like this! We can’t let Kaito’s death go unsolved.”

“Are you sure you really want to find out what happened to him? What if you find out that there was something you could’ve done to stop it, but you didn’t.” Maki’s voice shook slightly, “Could you really live with yourself knowing that?”

“We owe it to him to at least try to make sense of this case.” Shuichi sounded determined, “If there was something we could’ve done, I’d rather live knowing that, than die wondering what we could’ve done.”

“...Fine then. What about you two?” Maki looked over at Tsumugi and Himiko.

“Well… Leaving it all open ended like this is just plainly unfair to Kaito.”

“Yeah… I kinda wanna know what happened to him too…”

“...There’s no choice then. We’re continuing the trial.” Maki sighed.

~
Monokuma had noticed that both sides were done arguing, and that they had come to a conclusion. Monokuma pressed two buttons, one to lower all the teens to the ground, and another to shut down the voting screens.

The group was silent for a few beats as they tried to make sense of all the evidence, and all the contradictions. There were a lot of both, so it was growing difficult. With no leads to go off of… What could they do?

Kokichi spoke up before they could get the chance to think about it too much, for better or for worse, “So, where were we again?”

“Ah, um… The murder weapon.” Shuichi put his hand on his chin as he tried to think through it all, “I think the most important thing we need to figure out is when the press was used. If we can figure that out, we can figure out what killed him.”

“Didn't Kiibo say that Kaito as still alive when Kokichi pressed the button?" Tsumugi asked.

"Yes. I, um... I am not completely sure, but I think that if he had died before that, he would have had injuries in the video, correct?" Kiibo explained their reasoning the best they could, "And none of you saw any either. It is possible that it was out of frame but... that is why I believe that the Press likely was what was used to kill Kaito."

"Hmmm. I wonder if there's anything that could kill someone without causing any injuries!" Kokichi mused for effect, "I guess that's just a mystery that'll never be solved... Unless Shumai can think of something that could've done it."

Everyone looked at Shuichi expectantly, and he looked a bit uncomfortable at being put on the spot. Still, he thought of an explanation, "Um... Uh, yeah, I might have something. I think..."

"What is it?" Tsumugi asked.

"Kokichi... He could've poisoned Kaito. That could explain why we found some of the poison missing from my Ultimate room, and the antidote." Shuichi started to explain, "It also could explain why he didn't seem to be injured in the video."

"But... Why was the antidote empty?" Himiko asked, tilting her head, "Don't you drink it to make the poison go away?"

"...Kokichi may have used it as a threat... Or as some sort of leverage." Kiibo spoke up, "Maybe he wanted Kaito to do something for him, and he said no... And so he got rid of the only antidote?"

"Noooo! I would never do something THAT horrible!" Kokichi lied, wondering how in the hell they figured something like that out. That wasn't what he did, of course. But... He did plan on using that antidote as leverage. Stupid audience.

"We all know that is a lie." Kiibo sighed, "That is what you did with the video."

"Yeahhh, but the video wasn't that important! All it does is show the moment that Kaito got crushed." Kokichi shrugged it off, "If I smashed it, I doubt anything bad would've happened to you guys. But if I smashed the antidote? Both of us would've died."

"Both of us..?" Shuichi repeated, confused.

"Did it ever cross your mind that BOTH of us could've been poisoned?"

"But... That would mean..." Shuichi mumbled, trailing off. He quickly shook his head, almost looking disappointed that he even considered it, "No. That's not possible."

"Why not? I could've gotten poisoned, and drank the antidote, and then just left Kaito to die." Kokichi said nonchalantly, taking a sip from his soda, "That would still be a murder."

"It... It would, but it doesn't make any sense." Shuichi sighed, "I doubt you would've poisoned yourself... and I know Kaito wouldn't have had the poison on him."

"Uh huh?"

"So in order for that to be possible, you would've had to prepare it beforehand, or someone would've had to give it to you. Which... I don't think either of them are likely."

"But, they're both possible." Kokichi shrugged, "Not to mention there is one way that we both could've gotten poisoned easily. ...Remember the arrows?"

"The... Arrows?" Shuichi looked through the evidence on his Monopad, trying to figure out what he meant.

"Mhm. If two or three arrows were poisoned, what do you think would happen?" Kokichi asked, "If I shot him with one, and he attacked me and got me back we'd totally both get poisoned!"

"But we do not have any proof that either of you got hurt by those arrows in the first place." Kiibo pointed out, "Maki was right when she said that they could've been planted... Not to mention the video does not show Kaito with any injuries."

"Proof? You want proof?" Kokichi laughed bitterly. Before he could even think about what he was doing, he popped open the hatch of the Exisal and crawled out of it. He stood on top of a wrung, and moved his arm a bit. He did his best to roll up his sleeves, showing the bloodied shirt he had used as a bandage.

They turned to the Exisal and looked up. Maki looked like she was ready to kill him the second she had a chance. But, the rest just looked shocked.

“Here’s your proof!” Kokichi grinned wildly, the corners of his mouth nearly cutting into his cheeks. He took in a sharp breath before he untied the makeshift bandage a bit. It had luckily stopped bleeding but… This was definitely going to make it worse. He didn’t care, though. He peeled the fabric off and looked at the group, showing off the wound. Dried blood had made branches on his arms. He could see a few of them wince or cringe at the wound and grinned wider. It was working.

“So… He really…”

“Yep!” Kokichi wrapped the wound again haphazardly, and tied it. He climbed up a couple more wrungs before he turned from the group so they could see his back. The blood from the other wound was still visible from his shirt. Once he was sure they got the message, he hopped back into the Exisal and closed it up, biting his lip as his body yelled in protest and pain. “Those are arrow wounds!”

“What does it matter that you got hurt?” Maki cast a look at the Exisal. There was a twinge of worry in her voice as she spoke, “For all we know those are fake. Or you gave them to yourself to trick us.”

“He could’ve used makeup!” Tsumugi suggested, “SFX makeup can look very realistic sometimes. But, it takes a lot of time...And a lot of skill!”

“Do you think that he used makeup then?” Kiibo looked over at Tsumugi, curiously.

“It’s possible! Although…. He did have his arm wrapped up… I’m sure the makeup would’ve been more smudged if it was SFX…” Tsumugi tapped her chin, “And it wouldn’t have bled through as much as it did! It’s plainly not possible.”

“So, he really did get shot…” Shuichi mumbled as he looked back at the group, “Then, I think we should figure out where the other two arrows came from.”

“I think Kokichi had the other two!” Himiko announced.

“But why would he take them without a crossbow?” Tsumugi questioned.

“Oh yeah…. Well… Maybe he knew that Kaito had one and decided to use his instead!”

“Is that really possible, though..?” Shuichi mumbled to himself.

“Someone could’ve told him.” Maki suggested, to which nearly everyone looked at her stunned. She didn’t seem all too phased as she continued, “Or he could’ve overheard Himiko and Kaito talking and decided to take matters into his own hands.”

“Yeah, right. Like I could just waltz out of there without the robot seeing me, and sneak back in just in time.” Kokichi rolled his eyes, “It’s not like the door has a barrier or anything.”

“You might not be able to, but others could.”

“Uh huh. Sure! That totally happened!” Kokichi said cheerfully, but it was laced with sarcasm.

“R-Really?” Himiko gasped.

“Nope! Can any of you even think for one second? Just one single second.” Kokichi pinched the bridge of his nose, “You were all talking about planning on taking me down! There’s literally NO way that any of you would grab a weapon for me.”

“You did threaten Kiibo.” Maki reminded him, “You could’ve forced them to take the arrows and the poison, saying that you’d kill him otherwise. Or that you’d kill all of us.”

“Nuh uh. That’s impossible. I talked to Kiibo way before Himiko came around!” Kokichi pointed out, “Not to mention I could’ve just told Monokuma to grab me both of those for a murder. No need for a middle man, or robot, or whatever.”

“There you have it.” Maki looked over to Shuichi with what looked like satisfaction, “Closest thing to a confession we’re going to get from this piece of shit.”

“W-Wait! Just because I COULD tell Monokuma to grab me something doesn’t mean I did.” Kokichi’s eyes widened as he quickly tried to correct his mistake. Was she planning on that from the beginning? Serves him right for trying to stick up for the walking camera. He should’ve just lied.

“Then it’s either you told him to grab you something, or you had one of us do it.” Maki shrugged, “And, you were right for once. I don’t think any of us would’ve done that.”

“Wouldn’t that break one of the rules though..?” Himiko asked.

“No… I don’t think so.” Shuichi shook his head, “Remember the last trial?

“Hey Shumai!” Kokichi wasn’t used to grasping at straws, but he was ready to start now. He couldn’t let it continue like this. Shuichi looked over at the Exisal confused, and so he immediately began, hoping that it’d work, “Didja ever notice anything weird about the Exisals?”

“The Exisals? What about them?” Shuichi frowned.

“There’s a few weird things about them, that I know with your amazing detective abilities there’s no way you’d miss them!~”

“Do you mean the ones that were guarding Monokuma?”

“Yep, and?”

“The one that we found with an open hatch…?”

“Uh huh!”

“...Why are you pointing them out now?”

“Do I REALLY have to spell it out for you?” Kokichi huffed, “C’mon! Think about it! If they were circling Monokuma what does that mean? And that Exisal?”

Shuichi went quiet as he tried to think about it. He turned on his Monopad once again and looked through his evidence, trying to piece it together. The air was tense before he spoke, “You can open up any of the Exisals with that button…. Right?”

“Yeppers! And I can control all of them too!”

“If that’s the case then…” Shuichi trailed off, his eyes widening slightly. Kokichi smirked in the Exisal, and put his hands behind his head. He was sure

“Did you notice something?” Tsumugi asked.

“One of us used the Exisals.” Shuichi glanced over at Maki for a brief moment, so brief that if one was not paying attention, they wouldn’t even notice.

“What..? Who?” Kiibo was taken aback by Shuichi's sudden statement.

“...I…” Shuichi paused, the words dying in his throat. His hands shook as he took a deep breath, “Maki… Where were you last night?”

“Why does that matter?” She shot back immediately, and Shuichi sighed.

“I… I just want to know.”

“Fine.” She looked away from Shuichi and ran a hand through her pigtail, “I went to talk to Kaito, and then I went to bed.”

“When did you talk to him..?”

“Now you’re suspecting me?” She shot a glare at him, “Some friend you are.”

“That’s not it I…” He sighed, “I... just need to know.”

Maki glanced at the floor and was quiet for a while. She seemed contemplative, but that didn’t last. Soon enough her resolve hardened once again, and she said, “Can we vote already? We know how he was killed now.”

“Maki please… Just tell us when you talked to him. You could’ve witnessed something-”

“Whatever...The only thing I 'witnessed' was Kaito being left to die." Maki muttered bitterly, "Happy now? That's all I saw. It doesn't matter."

"Why... Why didn't you say anything earlier?" Shuichi's mouth was agape as he blinked at her, "Y-You saw Kaito die? So... You saw the murder?"

"Isn't that what I said?" Maki spat, her voice shaking, "I didn't say anything because I thought it was obvious who killed him. None of us wanted this, except him."

"Can you tell us what really happened..?" Shuichi asked, to which Maki frowned. She was silent for a few seconds before she gave a nod.

"Fine. Only once. I'm not going to repeat myself." Maki crossed her arms, "Only if we vote after this. We let this fucking monster play his game for far too long."

"Alright. I.... am fine with that." Kiibo nodded, although they looked a bit torn.

"Me too! It's really late..." Himiko yawned, and fiddled with her hat.

"Okay! If everyone else is okay with voting!" Tsumugi smiled.

They looked over to Shuichi to see his response, and he looked hesitant. Soon enough, he caved. With a mumble, he said, "I-I guess."

"Aw, you don't want to hear my story?" Kokichi whined as worry crept through his mind.

"Well... You're just going to lie, right? It'd just be a waste of time." Tsumugi shook her head, and looked down at her Monopad.

"Nuh-uh! Why would I lie?" Kokichi gasped. This was bad. This was REALLY bad. Why did he think any of this was a good idea? His mind could only rush to wonder what Kaito would've done in this situation. He probably would've crashed and burned too. It was stupid.

"Because that's the only thing you're capable of?" Maki narrowed her eyes at the Exisal, before she glanced over at Shuichi, "Can I start now, or are we just going to stand here?"

"No, you can start." Shuichi nodded.

"Good." Maki sighed before she started her story. There was a slight glimpse of guilt in her eyes as she spoke, "Yeah. I saw him last night. I was just going to talk to him about our plan, when I saw it. The two of them had gotten into a fight in the bathroom. Obviously I was worried because I didn't know what was going on. Kaito had apparently shot Kokichi with one of the arrows and had the upper hand. But, I wasn't sure how long that would last. So, I went back to my room and grabbed one of the Electrohammers. I hit one of the Exisals, and climbed into it. I was sure I could get through the barrier with one, and I was right. I went inside the Hangar, and... I saw them. Kaito was on the ground, and... He... he was dying. He had an arrow in his arm, and Kokichi had two of his own. I rushed out of the Exisal and over to him to see what happened, and I crouched down beside him. He still had a pulse, but it was faint. He was unconscious. As I tried to help him, Kokichi told me what he did. How while I was gone he had Monokuma grab him some poison and some arrows, and an antidote... And that he had turned it into one sick game that only he could win. He drank the antidote right in front of me, and told me to go and find another. So, I rushed out of the Hangar with the Exisal as soon as I could. But, there was none left. He took the only antidote... And when I came back, I couldn't get through the doors no matter how much I tried. Eventually, I gave up and went to bed. And, you all know the rest."

Everyone looked at Maki, stunned. She looked away once she was done, and over at Monokuma. Seemingly waiting for him to start the vote. Himiko and Tsumugi looked like they were convinced by her lie. While Shuichi and Kiibo still looked a bit unsure. Kiibo more so. But Kokichi... He couldn't believe what she had just said.

"That's a lie!" Kokichi accused, his voice breaking slightly into a laugh. Even he could see the irony in him saying that. Every speck of him could tell that she was lying. It was agonizing as he saw every tell, clear as day, while the others took her words at face value. Even if he hadn't known what happened that day, even if he been in the others shoes, he could've seen it from a mile away. But none of the others seemed like they could. They just cast her confused and sympathetic glances. It made him sick.

"Well... Now we know it's true." Tsumugi laughed a little, and Kokichi huffed.

"Guys. I didn't kill him." Kokichi stated, trying to remain calm. Why couldn't they see she was lying?

"The... The evidence does point to you..." Shuichi said hesitantly, although he scanned his Monopad once more. "You're the only one who would've done it..."

"Shumai. She's literally lying to you all." Kokichi's voice shook in fear, "Why would she get out of the Exisal, and just let me live after finding out that I killed him?"

"You had the button for the Exisals. I knew you could just use it against me." Maki explained with ease, but she glanced over at the faces of her friends.

"But that DIDN'T happen!" Kokichi sputtered. He panicked. For the first time in his life, he told the complete truth. It spilled from his mouth like a waterfall as he tried to remember every detail. "You were the one who poisoned the arrows! You were trying to kill me and fucking missed! That's why she was in the Hangar! Kaito and I only fought for a minute before she fucking almost killed us both! Kaito tried to protect me for some reason and got hit! A-And she got the antidote too! I stole it from her because Kaito was dead!"

"He's just lying again!" Himiko frowned, "We should just get this over with... His voice is getting really annoying..."

"I agree." Maki nodded, "What are you waiting for? Start the vote."

"Yeesh, fine." Monokuma muttered, "I'm not gonna let you guys debate it this time! The timer is starting... Now!"

"I'M NOT FUCKING LYING THIS TIME!" Kokichi's voice cracked as he screamed. The monitors blinked awake with the voting screen, but he did what he could to salvage this trial. He had no idea if this would work, or if anyone would listen, but he screamed, "SHE'S TRYING TO KILL ALL OF US! I DON'T FUCKING CARE IF YOU TRUST ME OR NOT, BUT IF YOU VOTE FOR ME, ALL OF YOU ARE GOING TO REGRET IT! WE'RE ALL GOING TO DIE!"

His voice fell on deaf ears. He glanced down at the screen in the Exisal, to see that he needed to vote too. Something wet fell onto his hand as he pressed on Maki's picture, but he couldn't quite process what it was in the moment. He voted for her, and hoped with everything that he had that they'd believe him just this once.

The minute was the longest he had ever known in his life. The alarm went off. The votes were counted. He closed his eyes tight. The only thing that he could hear was gasps, and Monokuma's voice echoing through the trial room. The normally cheery voice was full of uncertainty and surprise as it chuckled darkly and spoke.

"Huh... Well, this was unexpected!"

Notes:

Wooo! Finally the trial is over. Thought I was gonna go insane man. Plot's gonna catch up from here quickly!

If you're curious, previous drafts had Shuichi getting pinned as the murderer, Kiibo getting pinned, or Himiko getting pinned before they were revealed not to be. But... I decided to cut them out since it just didn't flow right.

Chapter 5: Left in the dark pondering my mistakes

Summary:

In which Kokichi's name becomes foreshadowing.

Tw: Blood, implied death

Notes:

I just want to say before you read further, thank you guys so much for reading!!! Y'all have no idea how much joy you guys have brought me, I swear. You guys are amazing. /gen

 

Anyways, I hope you enjoy this chapter, and I hope you have an amazing day!

Unexpected?

The moment those words hit Kokichi’s ears, his breath caught in his throat. Monokuma hadn’t expected the result. How could that be possible? If they all voted for him, then obviously, everyone was going to die. If they all voted for Maki, then only she’d die. Those were the rules that he set out since the beginning- So what did he mean?

Monokuma couldn't know the results so... was that it? Did he manage to actually succeed?

Hope got the better of him as he stole a glance at the monitor. There, he was met with a strange sight. One that he wasn't sure what to make of.

The slot machine imagery was different this time, as well as the music. It spun a few times, before it sputtered and stopped. The slot machine smoked, and the animation stopped at three pictures. One of his face, one of Maki’s, and a question mark sandwiched between the two. ‘Error’ read on the screens. It turned to the voting results.

"Well... Uh... Can't say this has ever happened before!" Monokuma glanced up at the screen, "It looks like it was a tie!"

"… A tie?" Shuichi repeated.

"Can’t you count? Jeez." Monokuma muttered, and pointed a paw towards the screen. There were three votes for Kokichi, and three votes for Maki. "Three is the same as three! You kids split right down the middle on this one!"

“No, I can see them. But… Why?” Shuichi asked weakly, “I… I thought we all agreed that it was..”

"How am I supposed to know why you kids voted the way you did!" Monokuma huffed, "Even I'm confused right now! This shouldn't've been possible!"

“Besides, after a sorry little story like that?” Kokichi scoffed, “It's a wonder she got any of you fooled. I could tell a better lie in my sleep!”

Shuichi opened his mouth to say something in response, but Kiibo spoke up before he could. Their eyes were wide in fear as they looked up at Monokuma and his podum. “Wait! If there is a tie, then what does that mean for us, and for them? Are any of us safe?”

“Great question!” Monokuma chirped, “I haven’t decided yet!”

A harsh silence filled the air. Despair was ever present on their faces.

Kokichi was the only one who wasn't scared, other than Maki. A chuckle escaped his lips, as he asked with a grin, "You're not going to execute anyone, are you?"

"Huh? Why do you think that?" The bear tilted his head curiously, a matching grin on his own face. Kokichi knew that was supposed to make him uneasy, or break his stride, but he didn't let it. He had planned for this. He couldn't back down now.

"You don't know who the culprit is." Kokichi smirked. He looked over to Kiibo to gauge their reaction to this- If the audience got upset, he'd be set- before he continued. "The Electrobomb made that impossible, remember? None of your dumb cameras worked! Not to mention the Exisals were totally watching you the entire time. So there was no way you could know which one of us did it."

"Is that true?" Kiibo tilted their head.

"Yep, yep! Annnnd if he executes the wrong blackened, what do you think would happen then?" Kokichi asked. He paused for a moment before he answered his own question. "He'd be breaking his own rules!~ And if he executes EVERYONE, what fun would this game be? He can't do anything!"

"I can’t? Hmmm…” Monokuma tapped his paw to his chin in mock reflection. The bear paused momentarily, letting the kids hope to build up to shatter it. Chimes filled the trial room as the bear broke out into laughter, “Actually, I can! Ysee, if you’d just check your Monopads, there’s a new rule that I think you’ll find interesting!~”

“If a tie occurs, and the blackened is among the two of them… Both of them will be executed?” Tsumugi read the rule aloud, with a gasp.

“W-What? No. No!” Kokichi’s heart leaped into his throat, “Y-You don’t know WHO did it! You’re still breaking your own rule!”

“The odds that one of you two did it are high! Besides, you can’t blame me. You kids made some good points. Either one of you could’ve done it, so it’s safer to kill you both off!”

“What about the others? Are they going to get executed too?” Maki raised an eyebrow at the bear, “The rules weren’t clear.”

“Nope! They all got lucky this time!”

“That’s better than what I expected from you.”

“Yeah, no kidding.” Kokichi mumbled. He didn’t quite believe it. He knew he was still going to die, but at this point he didn’t care about that part. He had planned to die anyway. Whatever execution Monokuma had planned wasn’t going to be as painful as that poison was, or the arrows were. It was fine.

...So why was he so scared?

He shook off those thoughts, ignoring how much the walls of the Exisal began to feel like they were hugging him. He fumbled for his backpack, and looked through it. Good. It was still there. He needed to get it to someone before he was dead. Or leave it for them to find- or whatever.

He slung the bag over his back, and reached up for the hatch. As his hands gripped the handle, he said, “Okie dokie! I’m just gonna stretch my legs a bit before you kill me! It’s so cramped in here.”

"I'll have you stay in there! Less to clean up, that way!” Monokuma grinned maliciously.

Kokichi froze. No. He was getting out of there. He had to. He wasn’t going to listen to what that stupid bear said. He yanked on the hatch as he heard a metallic click. But… It didn’t budge. The hatch wasn’t opening. Why wasn’t it opening? He tried the lock, but it was stuck.

“Nishshishi!~ C’mon. You can’t execute me in this thing! That’s so lame!” Kokichi tried to keep his voice from shaking as he pulled on the hatch again. Again, nothing happened. He frowned, taking a deep breath to calm down. His eyes scanned the interior of the Exisal. How did it lock in the first place? The lock was on the inside, not the outside. This wasn't planned since the beginning, was it?

“Well, ysee, with this whole thing teetering off script, we’ll have to make do with what we have!” Monokuma explained, "Too much work to make up two new executions."

Kokichi gulped, a sense of unease snaking its way through his mind when Monokuma said that. His thoughts spiraled as he tried to find something hidden in the Exisal that could be used to kill him. He abandoned the hatch for now. He knew he couldn’t get rid of it, but if he could see it… Maybe there’d be a chance he could use it to escape. He reached over to the monitor, and muted himself, in case that could keep Monokuma from hearing him. As he did so, his shaking hand brushed against the Panta he had left on the controls and… Shit.

“Hey, Shuichi.” Maki spoke up, and looked over to Shuichi. Although to Kokichi, it looked like a crappy silent movie. He must've busted the audio.

“Huh?”

“When all this is over, make sure Kokichi doesn’t find a way to weasel out of this." She continued with a determined look on her face. She didn't look like she was going to take any arguments from him. "Whatever the hell happens when I'm gone, make sure this game ends."

“W-Wait! I-I can’t do that!”

“Kaito believed in you for a reason, so I believe in you too. It’s about time that you believe in yourself.” She gave him the closest thing to a smile she was capable of, "You promised Kaede you'd help everyone escape, so promise me you'll do the same."

"I..."

“Let’s give it EVERYTHING we got!" Monokuma started his speech, not waiting a moment longer for anyone to say their goodbyes.

Shuichi looked down at his stand. He took a deep breath, before he nodded. "I... I will."

"Good."

Maki turned away from her stand, and took a few steps from it. She looked over to Monokuma, and crossed her arms. Monokuma swung his mallet as he continued, "It’s punishment time!~"

 

 

Game Over
Maki Harukawa and Kokichi Ouma have been found guilty.
Time for punishment.

----------------------------------

The Creed of an Assassin

Maki Harukawa and Kokichi Ouma's Execution: Executed

Music filled the trial room as the monitors depicted the two being dragged off by Monokuma. Although, neither of them shared that fate in reality.

In fact, everything seemed normal. Too normal. For all except Kokichi, that is.

Inside the Exisal, things were already starting to look bad. The controls sparked, covered in a puddle of purple soda. Kokichi cursed as he scrambled, tearing through his bag to find anything. If he used his scarf, or Kaito’s jacket as a towel, would that do any good? No. He could end up pressing a random button, and who knows what would happen if he did that. He should've been focusing on escaping, not this.

He shoved everything back in his bag, and slung it over his shoulder once again, not bothering to zip it up. He scanned the interior of the Exisal. His eyes met with a button that read, ‘emergency escape’. He didn't think about how suspicious that was until he had already pressed it.

A button flashed off to his side, and he looked to see what it was. 'Drone mode: On' It read. That couldn't be good.

He pressed the faux emergency button once more, but it did nothing to stop whatever this 'drone mode' was. Instead, the Exisal began to move. It had already begun to glitch, but he could see clearly what was happening.

It was going towards Maki.

Kokichi felt sick. The others began to disperse, but Maki stayed put. She had been shouting something, but Kokichi couldn’t quite make out what it was. He hadn’t been able to hear anything but static since the Panta spilled, anyways.

He hopped into the seat, and put his sleeves over his hands. He took a quick breath, and put his hands back onto the controls. It hurt. But there had been enough deaths at this point already. He didn’t need to contribute a fourth.

He moved the Exisal to the side, and it wobbled a bit. A robotic leg was held in the air, moving back and forth. It was a struggle to keep the Exisal from falling, but he did his best. Something else- or someone else was controlling it, somehow. He wasn’t sure how that was possible, but didn’t have time to think about it. If he survived, he’d figure it out.

Sparks hit his hands, jolts ran through his body. Maki STILL wasn’t moving. Did she want to die? Had she already accepted it? He screamed at the screen, but it did nothing. He shouldn’t have muted himself.

The controls became more erratic, and difficult. Like a videogame designed to be lost from the beginning. He could barely do more than watch as the Exisal tripped over its own feet, and landed right onto her. The last thing the monitor displayed, as he was thrown into it, was her staring at the camera. Everything inside the Exisal went dark for a moment, before the smoke and sparks turned to flame.

His head was ringing. Something wet, and hot was trailing his head. The room spun. All he could smell was burning. But, somehow, he was still alive. His backpack was still closed. Everything was inside. He needed.. He needed to get out.

His body felt like lead, but he stood up the best he could. He gripped the chair like a lifeline, as he looked around the room. Everything was upside down.

The hatch was to his side. He tried one last time. He needed to get out. He couldn’t let Monokuma win. He couldn’t let himself, or anyone else lose this goddamn game because of him.

He pulled and pushed with all his might. Nothing came of it. So, he kicked it. He kicked it as hard as he could muster. Just as it all had started, a loud metallic click became his savoir. He slammed himself into the hatch, and it opened, finally.

He had forgotten what fresh air felt like. As soon as it entered his lungs, he coughed. He crawled his way out of the wreckage, onto the floor. Since when was he bleeding? Since when was his sleeve…

He only managed to get a few feet away from the Exisal, but it was enough. He broke into a laughing fit, that was more coughs than laughs at this point. His vision blurred, but he could make out the mechanical eyes of Monokuma amongst the scenery.

He broke out into a grin, wide with every emotion imaginable. It was a fight to keep his head up, but he managed to say one last thing, "H-Heh… Looks… like you failed Monokuma. I… I win…"

His body shook a little, the last remaining strength leaving. His head hit the ground and his vision darkened, but he wasn't scared. He had won. He could do anything now…. Except stay awake.

His bag slumped to his side. And, the music that had played during executions cut off abruptly. A few words flashed on the monitor's screen.

 

Kokichi Ouma Execution: Failed

~
The remaining students stared at the wreckage of the impromptu execution in horror. Usually they were at least separated enough from the gruesome murders for them to just look away... but they couldn't escape this. The smell of iron and smoke solidified the reality of it all. Maki, or what used to be Maki was still pinned under the Exisal, while Kokichi lay unconscious a few feet away from the machine. A self satisfied smile was still on his face, despite the many injuries he had acquired within those moments.

Monokuma didn't seem too surprised, nor did he have any comments. He just blinked as the Execution failed in front of his eyes, and disappeared the moment it was over. Leaving them all to suffer with the aftermath alone.

It was hard for anyone to think of what to say or do. Shuichi had tried to stop Maki, but now stood frozen in place like a statue. The only thing making it obvious that he wasn't one were the stream of tears cascading down his face.

Kiibo, somehow found the strength to speak up. They looked exhausted, but they moved from the elevator and towards Shuichi.

They were quiet for a few moments, trying hard to think of something to say. There was only one thing that truly came to mind. It was difficult to get out the words, but they managed, "I… believe that we should check to see if Kokichi is alright."

"Uh… I don't think someone could survive something like that. This isn't a shonen anime!"

"Maybe not, but… Is it not a good idea to check anyways? There could be a chance that we could help him."

"What's the point?" Shuichi didn't look over at Kiibo as he asked, his eyes trained on the Exisal.

"The point? What do you mean?"

"If he's dead, then the killing game is over, right?" Shuichi’s voice wavered, “That’s what Maki said. So if we just leave him be, then...”

"I understand that you are angry at him. I am as well. But, I do not think it is the best course of action to leave him like this." Kiibo looked down at the ground with a pained expression on their face. "If he is the Mastermind, like he has claimed, he could tell us how to end all of this once and for all. But, if we do nothing, we run the risk of never finding out how to end it. We do not know if the game will truly end if the Mastermind is gone, and relying on that hunch is… dangerous. Not to mention… I do not think it is right to just leave him here.”

"You're just saying that because he's probably making you! With robot magic!" Himiko accused, "Without him the killing game would end anyways!"

"I..I am not saying this because anyone is making me." They winced a little at the dig, and sighed shakily, "I just do not think we should let any more murders happen. If we leave him to die, or do not bother to check if he is okay or not, whatever happens to him will be on us. ...As well as anything that he may try as a result of us doing nothing if he survives on his own.”

There were no arguments that anyone else could muster at this point. The closest thing to one was from Shuichi, but it was only a sigh. He left the trial room without another word, and went into the elevator. As the elevator doors closed, Kiibo winced and looked at the others, wondering if they had said something wrong.

“Well, I guess it’s up to us then…” Tsumugi hummed, “I think you're right though! It's probably safer for us to check anyways!"

“But… What if he tries to kill us when we check?” Himiko asked.

“I do not think he’s capable of that right now.” They shook their head. They hesitantly walked over to Kokichi, and knelt down. They hated doing this. But since their mind had been screaming at them to leave like Shuichi, and to forget about Kokichi despite his injuries... They knew it was what they needed to do.

Kokichi looked terrible, to put it lightly. His skin was as pale as his shirt. His breaths were so shallow that they were almost unnoticeable. He seemed to have gotten cut, and burned somehow, which Kiibo couldn't quite figure out how. His sleeves were charred. And his hands were covered in blood.

They flinched, and winced as they realized what they had to do. Humans had pulses, and there were a few ways to check them. The wrist, and somewhere else. They weren’t sure how they knew that, but it seemed right.

So, they readied themself before they checked his pulse. It took a few moments for them to get it right, but they were luckily able to find his pulse. He was still alive. They moved their hands back, not wanting to touch him any more than they had to.

"It... It looks like his injuries were real." They looked back over to the others, and shifted away from Kokichi a bit, "But he is alive."

"Dang it..." Himiko mumbled.

"I knew it was too good to be SFX!"

"Uhm…” They looked back down at Kokichi with a frown. They didn’t think they could pick him up, but they didn’t want to leave him here. That was too dangerous- for both him, and for everyone else. “I believe we should take him with us. But… I do not think I could carry him if I tried. Could one of you help me, or... Should I go find something to carry him with?”

“I’m all out of mana… So I can’t levitate him out of here.” Himiko sighed, “And… I wouldn’t waste it on him anyways…”

“I guess that plainly leaves me.” Tsumugi sighed. There were a few beats of silence before she looked over at Kiibo curiously. “Are you really sure that it’s a good idea to help him, though? He’s the Mastermind! I don’t think ‘the power of friendship’ will make him any less crazy.”

“I… I do not wish to be friends with him, but I do think that it is best if we help him.” Kiibo stood their ground, “If we do not help him… We may never find out how to end this game, or why it is happening in the first place. Or… What happened last night during their fight.”

“There are a lot of loose threads without him around.” Tsumugi nodded with a thoughtful expression. She seemed to get lost in thought for a few moments, before she smiled at them, “I’ll help you then! If you think it’s a good idea, then so do I!”

“I-I do too! But… I don’t wanna have’ta be around him…”

“Well, someone should watch him tonight. I plainly don’t think he could be trusted on his own. ” Tsumugi said as she walked past Kiibo. She knelt down to pick up Kokichi, when she noticed the bag by his side. Something was falling out of it. She reached in and pulled it out.

“What is it? A secret spell book?” Himiko peered over Tsumugi’s shoulder with wide eyes. Tsumugi flipped through it, before shutting it and putting it back into the bag.

"It was just an empty book for some reason." She shrugged and smiled over at Himiko, "I'm sure it wasn't important!"

"O-Okay... if you say so." Himiko mumbled, but she looked unsure. Tsumugi handed the bag off to Kiibo, and they took it confused.

"We can look through his stuff later!" Tsumugi suggested, and the two nodded. She paused for a few seconds, before she went to pick up Kokichi. She grimaced. He was still bleeding. It was going to get on her shirt. She looked as if she was considering dropping him for a split second before she looked between the two, "But... Hm. Where should we put him anyways? It's not like there's an old building that we can tie him up in and leave him in."

"I... I am not sure if we should leave him somewhere alone." Kiibo winced, their mind not agreeing.

“I have to recharge my MP, so I’m not gonna babysit him!”

“And… I don’t want to watch him either.” Tsumugi sighed. Her eyes lit up just a bit as she tilted her head over at Kiibo. “What if you watch him Kiibo? You were the one who suggested it in the first place!”

“H-Huh? But… I…” They tried to protest, but couldn’t come up with a good enough one. They sighed, and hung their head. “A-Alright. I guess if nobody else is, I will do it.”

“Great! I think we have everything settled then!” Tsumugi smiled, and started walking to the elevator. Himiko followed closely behind. Kiibo looked around the trial room one last time, before they did the same and joined them in the elevator. When they got in, and the door closed, Tsumugi continued, "Wait. Monokuma's probably going to make us explore the school tomorrow... What should we do with him then?"

"Uhm..." Kiibo thought, or did their best to. "Well... We could take turns watching him? Or, we could take him with us on the investigation, but keep an eye on him."

"Which one do you think would be better?"

"Um... I am not sure... But, I do not think that it'd be easy to convince him to stay behind. And... I do not think that it'd be safe to leave him alone with anyone for very long considering... Kaito." They mumbled, "So, if he does wake up, maybe we should let him come with?"

"I don't wanna take him... but I don't want anyone else to die..." Himiko yawned, and stretched as the elevator ascended. "So I guess he can come with. Hopefully he'll be asleep still..."

"Yeah, I hope so too." Tsumugi sighed.

"I think we all do." Kiibo nodded, and looked out at the doors. There was a beat of silence, before they spoke up once again, "Uhm... What do you all think he meant when he told Monokuma he won?"

"I dunno... Maybe they made a bet or something?"

"He's probably just plain crazy." Tsumugi shrugged, "Or he was saying something to confuse us! Either way, I don't think it's something we have to worry about."

"Alright..." Kiibo nodded, but they didn't seem too sure. They glanced over at Kokichi, almost waiting for him to wake up and say that it was a lie. But, he didn't.

As the Elevator doors opened, they decided that they'd ask him about it later. There was something else to all this that they weren't getting, and they were going to get to the bottom of it. They had to. For everyone's sake.

Notes:

Nobody:
Kokichi: https://youtu.be/Sd9BBto5NTI /j

Man that formatted weird, sorry about that.

Ps- The Execution title is a reference to a line in a video game. Whoever guesses it gets a virtual high five! ;)

Chapter 6: I broke my own rule

Summary:

In which Kokichi has a nightmare, and Kiibo temporarily regrets having empathy.

Notes:

Heyo! I'm sorry for the late chapter!!! I won't make a habit of that, I promise. I just had to take a week off for my mental health, because I hit a rough patch with it. I'm doing good now, but just wanted to explain why I disappeared immediately after making a schedule! To make up for it, the next chapter is actually going to be posted on Wednesday (yes, this Wednesday) for real this time! It's also going to be longer than usual, I think!

As always, I hope you enjoy, and have an amazing day.

Kokichi and Kaito sat alone in the Hangar. The nighttime announcement had already come and gone, but neither boy was sleeping. The fault of that matter was Kokichi, since he had decided to tell Kaito his plan.

“So, that’s the plan. I die, and you're the blackened, and I win this game once and for all.” He tossed a sketchbook to Kaito, and the other boy barely caught it. He hesitantly skimmed the pages, but decided a few seconds later that it wasn’t worth it with a slam of the cover.

“Yeah, uh. Not gonna happen.”

“What?”

“I’m not gonna kill you!” Kaito shook his head profusely. There was a genuine look of shock and disgust on his face at the very mention of crushing him under the hydraulic press. “What kinda plan is that?! I thought you said that the killing game was over!”

“It will be if you just cooperate for once!”

“If I cooperate? I’m not the one kidnapping people to force them to be a part of their crazy suicide schemes! That isn’t cooperation, Kokichi! That’s coercion!” Kaito fought back, insistent at this point, “I want to end this too, but not if it means that I’m gonna have to kill someone to do that. Heroes save everyone, they don’t just pick and choose who survives!”

“That’s the thing, I’m picking and choosing, not you!” Kokichi could feel something digging into his arm. He put a hand to it, and pulled out an arrow. He looked around the room to figure out what had shot him, but he didn’t think it mattered as much as this conversation did. "Whatever, at this point, it's either her or you! Now you can be a hero!"

"Now you’re threatening me with the life of my friend?! Jesus, dude. There’s seriously something wrong with you if you think that’s the right thing to do…”

“It’s better to do something bad for a good reason, than let something shitty continue so you can avoid getting your hands dirty!”

“Is it really?” Kaito now had a bottle in his hands. It was the antidote. He simply drank it, and dropped the bottle to the floor. It hit the tiles, and shattered into a million pieces. He looked back over at Kokichi, “Well then. I just did something bad, for a good reason. So, does that make any of this right, Kokichi?”

“Why… Why did you do that? That was the only antidote...” Kokichi fell to his knees in shock, and could feel the shards cutting through his clothes. Each one reflected his own face back at him. A million versions of himself sprawled out on the ground, each ready to tear him up.

“I dunno. It was what you wanted though, right?” Kaito shrugged, and walked over to him, “Yknow, I was wondering. Can I really say that I’m doing the right thing when someone else is in pain?”

He couldn’t find the words to answer Kaito’s question. The astronaut just blinked at him, waiting for a response that he’d never receive. Soon enough, he seemed to realize that.

“Obviously. As long as it’s for a good reason, whatever happens as a result of that isn’t your fault!”

“Huh. That’s what I thought you’d say.”

“But… I didn’t say anything? That wasn’t me who said that.” Kokichi looked around to figure out where that voice came from. It sounded like his voice, but it wasn’t him.

“Of course it was. That’s exactly what you were thinking, right?” The voice taunted. He could tell where it was coming from now. Right below him.
It was the glass shards. The hundreds of thousands of reflections of himself were speaking to him. He rubbed his eyes to make sure he was seeing it right, but his eyes closed for a moment too long. When they opened, he could only see one doppelganger left. Directly above him in a silvery hue. It smiled at him, a terrifying grin befitting a monster. He could feel cold metal on his back. Confusion set in, until he could finally place where he was. The hydraulic press.

“Yeppers! And it’s going righttttttt now!” His own voice cheerfully echoed throughout the room, reading his own mind. He hated it. He tried to roll away, crawl, to do anything to escape, but he couldn’t move anymore. He was paralized. Forced to stare up at the terrifying reflection.

It came closer and closer before the metal touched his own skin. Enveloping his body in pain.

~Kokichi Theater, End~

“Gah!” Kokichi shot up in a cold sweat. Pain enveloped him as he moved into a sitting position. His heart raced, and he gripped the pillow next to him in an attempt to tether himself back to reality. What a terrible dream.

...That was a couch cushion. Not a pillow.

How did he get on a couch? He looked around the room a little too fast, and the world spun around him. He clutched the cushion tighter.

He could tell that he was in the AV room, judging by the TV and the over the top movie collections… but that brought along its own questions. He wouldn't just pass out in the open like this, no matter how tired he was. He knew the dangers of doing something like that better than anyone. And, the last thing he could remember was… getting executed.

He had gotten executed. Why was he in here? Was this his execution? No. That was insane. He had survived it. Monokuma never said anything about repeated executions… So, he must’ve gotten off with a double jeopardy. But… He couldn’t be sure of it, could he?

As he tried to figure out what had happened, while blocking the annoyingly overbearing iridescent light from his eyes, he heard a noise behind him. Apparently he had somehow missed that he wasn't alone. He moved his head towards the noise, and saw the robot sitting down near the door, reading a book.

He hopped to his feet, and looked to the exits. The exit to his left was jammed, but the one Kiibo was in front of wasn't. If he could sneak to the door without them noticing, he could run out to his room. That'd leave him with enough time to safely figure out why in the world he was in the AV room.

He took a step, and immediately gasped. It felt like his body had gotten crushed. Just like that dream. God dammit. So much for not being heard.

“Oh, you are awake now.” The robot looked up at him, their tone as unenthusiastic as he expected. But, it was quickly laced with concern when they saw the look on his face. “...Are you alright?”

His blood ran cold, and he said nothing to them. They were blocking the exit for a reason. He could now see what they were reading now- it was some sort of medical book that he couldn’t make out the title of. He felt sick. Although it wasn’t logical, and he knew it wasn’t, he was certain of one thing.

They were going to kill him.

That had to be the reason they were blocking the only exit, and reading a book like that. His mind swam, and he took a few careful steps back. He tripped over to the jammed door, praying that it'd open with a hard enough yank. Of course that wasn't the case.

His head pounded. Why were the lights so bright? He squinted, trying to block some of the light, as he scanned the room again. The robot was still sitting down, but he knew they were plotting something. He could see them start to stand up out of the corner of his eyes.

In the corner of the room, he spotted a bag. It was his. There had to be something in there that he could use to open the door. Or, maybe he could throw something from it at them as a distraction, and run past them. He needed it.

He made a beeline to the bag, picking it up with his injured arm in his panic. He promptly dropped it out of pain and surprise, so the contents spilled out on the ground like a mosaic of bad decisions.

He couldn’t let them see it. Pain be damned. He scooped up the contents one by one, and shoved them back in the bag as fast as he could. That was when he noticed a strange new accessory on his arm. He froze, and his eyes trailed down his sleeve. It had been wrapped in gauze, and fastened with some tape. That wasn’t his own doing.

Footsteps plodded behind him. He cursed himself for getting distracted, and looked up. His arms went up to defend himself against whatever super lame robot attack they were going to give but… Instead they spoke.

“Kokichi it is okay, the execution failed.” Their voice was strained, yet reassuring, “Monokuma will not try again!”

“H-Huh?” Kokichi was confused. Here he was expecting the robot to be out for revenge, or more than likely to have been told to kill him by Monokuma as some sort of plot twist… But they weren’t. They just stood several feet away from him, and gave him a pained smile that was so obviously forced that if it were any other situation, he would’ve cringed.

“I am guessing you are very confused right now… But, you are safe! Monokuma is gone.”

“Why the hell am I in the AV room?”

“Uhm… You were injured by the execution, so Tsumugi helped me take you into here so you could rest!” They explained, “The three- Uh. I mean all of us decided that it was the best choice?”

“I’m not buying it.” Kokichi scurried to his feet, attempting to take advantage of this situation. He just needed an opening, and he could run past them. He spoke again, "You're probably tired of keeping an eye on me, right? So, I'll just get out of your hair!"

"No." Kiibo didn't look Kokichi in the eyes when they said that, but their voice was steady.

"..Excuse me?"

"I..." They paused for a few moments, wincing a little as they fought against their urge to remain polite, "I wanted to ask you a few questions about what happened last night, and about this game. I cannot let you leave on your own either. I promised the others that I would keep an eye on you.”

"Uh huh." Kokichi frowned at them. That didn't work quite like he hoped, but it was fine. He just needed a backup plan. “Okie dokie, what about this? I'll answer whatever dumb questions you have, and once we're done you let me leave!"

"...It is not going to be that easy to convince me, Kokichi."

"What if I throw in two bonus gifts?"

“No.”

“Or… What if I make you breakfast every morning for a year! I could heat up some motor oil, and make a salad with nuts and bolts.”

They decided to ignore the blatant robophobia, but they still tensed up a bit before they said, "Okay, here is my deal. If you answer my questions, I will leave you alone."

"Deal!" Kokichi cheered, sticking his hand out for them to shake. They flinched at his sudden movement, and looked at his hand with disgust plain on their face. Kokichi held it out for a few more moments, before he looked at his hand himself.

There was still blood on his hands. Gross. He swiftly moved his hand back, and brushed it off on his side, trying to hide it, "...Anywho, what's your first question, Kiiboy?"

"Oh, uhm, I did not think you would agree that easily!" Kiibo blinked in surprise. They tapped their chin, trying to think of where to start. Suddenly, they spoke up, "I want to know what happened last night…. Who killed Kaito?”

"Like you're going to believe me on that one.”

“I am not asking you these questions for fun, Kokichi. I want to hear what you have to say as well.”

That stunned Kokichi more than anything had in a while. He laughed out of surprise, “You know, if you were actually listening during the trial, you’d know the answer to that question already.”

They tapped their chin, and thought it over, “...You said that Maki did it. Is that true?”

“Yep!”

“But… How? And why?”

“I said that already too, but fine.” Kokichi huffed, “She was trying to kill me because I couldn’t answer her stupid questions, but missed and hit Kaito instead. Since he dove in front of the crossbow. It was stupid, and totally his fault that it ended like this.”

“He saved your life..?” Kiibo said, their eyes growing wide. They frowned, “How can you say that is his fault after he did something like that?”

“Because it literally was? If he hadn’t tried to play hero, he’d still be here right now. I didn’t tell him to jump in front of a crossbow, that was his own choice.” Kokichi crossed his arms defensively, and glared down at his bag.

Kiibo seemed to flinch a bit at his explanation. It was clear that they weren't expecting it, and suspicion was written on their face. Still, they said nothing to suggest that they didn't believe him. They asked their next question, a slight edge in their tone, “If you did not kill Kaito, then why did you crush him with the press? It would be unnecessary... not to mention it was cruel.”

"Unnecessary?" Kokichi scoffed, "I didn't do it because I thought it'd be fun. I did it because I had to.”

“You had to?”

“...It wasn’t supposed to end like this. That’s all I’m going to say.” Kokichi sighed, and looked back down at his arm, to avoid having to explain any more. He tried to change the topic, “Why’d you guys take me in here anyways? And where are they? I’m sure you’re not the only one with questions.”

They seemed a bit put off by the sudden topic change, but they obliged. Although, they did sound a bit annoyed, "We, uhm, wanted to ask you some questions. ...We also did not think that it was okay to just leave you there to die."

"...Why..?" He murmured under his breath as it hitched. He couldn't even look at them. His eyes glared at his arm as a suffocating, heavy feeling nearly enveloped him. It just didn't make sense. Everyone wanted him dead. He was sure of it. He was the villian. He was the 'Mastermind', the liar, and the one who got their friends killed. So why in the hell were they acting like they didn't want him dead too.

"Uhm.... Are you alright..?" They asked tentatively. Kokichi snapped his gaze back at them, and scowled.

"That was stupid."

"...And that was rude."

"That's my point!" Kokichi's voice cracked slightly, his mask slipping just for a moment. He stole a breath to steady himself, as he continued as calmly as he could. "You already know that I’m a liar, but you decided to take the risk anyway in case I decided to tell the truth? And I'm sure you all still think I'm the Mastermind, so what? You decided to just spare the person you think was behind everything, just because? What if leaving me there ended the Killing Game? What if I just decided to kill you all? It was an idiotic risk."

"I do not understand why you are angry about this." They took a step back out of fear, but their fist was balled in frustration, "It was the right thing to do, so that is why we did it."

"Oh. I-I get it." He laughed harshly. His expression had darkened, but his grin was present. It was as desperate and strained as his voice, "The audience still wanted me around, huh? That’s the only reason why I’m still alive. Because I was 'interesting', right?”

There was a flicker of fear in his eyes before it disappeared without a trace. There was still a rigidness to his posture, but he hid that by draping himself over the back of the couch. "Oh well! Well, as nice as this conversation was, I should totally be going. I think I have something that could answer all your questions better than I could. I'll just give it to you and go!"

Kokichi bent down and reached into his bag, pulling out a sketchbook. He hopped back up, and held it out for them to take. But, they just stared at his hand with a frown.

"I know you are trying to trick me.." They sighed, and Kokichi raised an eyebrow at them, "I know that it is empty."

"What are you talking about? You haven't even SEEN it."

"That is right, I haven't... but Tsumugi has." They explained, "And she told us that it was empty."

"She what?" His eyebrows furrowed in confusion. He knew he never showed her it, so it must’ve happened while he was passed out. He couldn’t think about it now. "Whatever. If you don't believe me, just see for yourself."

Kiibo looked at him suspiciously but they took the book. They stalled for a few seconds, before they looked through it themself. "Huh..? But Tsumugi had said.."

"Yeah, uh no. She totally lied to you!" Kokichi laughed, "So, do you want it or not?”

They eyed him suspiciously for a few moments, visibly unsure whether or not he was really going to give them that. But, they agreed and took the sketchbook. “Okay… I will leave you alone for now, then.”

They hesitated, but began walking back towards the door, which confused Kokichi. He followed them, wanting to leave as well. But, they looked back at him and stopped, “Uhm, what are you doing?”

“Leaving?”

“Uh… I said that I would leave you alone, not that… uhm. You could leave? Remember?” They seemed to struggle with it a bit.

Kokichi narrowed his eyes at the robot, and they darted back at the door. Although he was sure he could outrun them… They could still kill him. He dropped it. He’d just find another way to escape. “..Yep! I was just messing with you!” He grinned, putting his hands behind his head and fighting against a wince, “See ya later!”

“Uhm, goodbye.” They looked confused, and they quickly left the room.

Kokichi spent the next few hours trying to figure out how to escape the room, which proved to be difficult. They were sitting outside the door, because of course they’d thought of that, and no matter what he did, the door was jammed.

So, he defeatedly sat back down on the couch, and put on something on the TV. Exhaustion hit him at once, and he soon enough found himself falling back asleep on the couch. A dreamless sleep, for once. The sound of the TV reminding him of an easier time, where death was not always a thing on his mind.

-
They closed the sketchbook, and stared at it for a few moments. It was the weirdest thing that they had ever read, but they had their answer.

They looked back at the door, and considered opening it, but they decided against it. There was one more thing that they could do in the meantime.

They left the school, trusting that he would not escape while they were away. The soft rising sun painted everything in the courtyard in a soft glow. Stars still littered the sky, dimly decorating the glass above. They stared up at it for a few moments, taking it all in, before moving on.

Their hand reached the door to the lab. For a moment, they considered going back. They felt like it was the right thing to do. They couldn’t go in there. They fought against those thoughts and walked through the door.

Everything was still as it was when she was there. Half finished inventions still lay on tables, tools still strewn about. It was almost as if she had just left it for the night. ...But that was just a wish that wouldn’t come true.

They couldn’t help but feel a sense of loss as they looked at it. They sighed, and walked over to one of her tables. On it lay a tool. It would work.

They picked it up, fighting against every urge to set it back down and leave the room. They steadied themself as they brought it towards their head. Doubt filled their mind. Were they really going to trust Kokichi on this one? Their inner voice was screaming at them not to. ...That was the answer that they needed to hear.

Their hands shook as they squeezed the handles around their hair. They winced as the antenna fell down with a loud clack… but were faced with a silence they hadn’t been expecting.

Kokichi hadn’t lied.

Notes:

Page 56/200
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PS. Pay attention to Kiiboy's reactions through out the trial and investigation. They're the key to this plans' success. If Momokuma tries to pull anything as a result of this plan, and they're mad- The audience should be as well. They're the camera, after all. Or they're the transmitter? I dunno, it's probably in their hair. That's what the pictures showed, anyways. Rile them up a bit. I've supplied you with a bunch of jokes I never got the chance to use against them, so use them wisely.

Page 102/200
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PS. What do you call with a fish with no eyes? ...A fsh!

Why are ghosts so good at telling jokes? ...Because they know how to lighten someone's spirits!

(This is unrelated to the rest of the trial, I was just assuming that someone needed to lighten the mood. Cuz, yikes. If Shumai's already figured it out by now, you definitely need a laugh.)

Page 169/200
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-if not, just give up. It's not worth sacrificing EVERYONE to get a one up on the Mastermind. He's going to figure it out.

Page 200/200
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PS. Good luck. If you fail, take this with you while you're getting executed. Nobody but you needs to know the plan. And.... Sorry? I mean, I'm already dead by now, but still, sucks for you.

-Taken directly from the sketchbook of Kokichi Ouma

Chapter 7: Rehearsing what to say when the truth comes out

Summary:

Kokichi tries to prove he isn't the Mastermind, and has an one-sided conversation with an old friend.

Kokichi was half asleep, watching some cartoon on the couch that he couldn’t remember the name of when he heard a soft knock on the door. Although he wanted to just ignore it, it startled him too much to do that. He sat up quickly, putting a hand to his back as he shifted. The knocking stopped. Who was there?

 

“Uh, Kiiboy?” Kokichi called, cocking his head towards the door.

“...May I come in?”

Just as he thought, it was them. He wasn’t sure what they wanted, but figured they had more questions. Answering them honestly was getting boring. At least he could still mess with them. Grinning, he simply said, “No.”

“Oh uhm… Alright.”

“I’m kidding!” He quickly added, already hearing the sound of footsteps trail off. A few moments later, the door opened. The robot peaked their head in, before carefully stepping into the room, and closing the door behind themself.

Kokichi had to do a double-take seeing them. The robot- No. Kiibo, was missing one defining feature. Their ‘ahoge’ was gone.

"You really did it, huh." Kokichi mumbled in surprise. That wasn’t something that he had expected to happen in the slightest. He never said it outright… nor did the sketchbook he gave them. Yet, they did something that drastic? They were dumber than he thought, he mused. "I really didn't think you had it in you!"

"Well... It is not like you think about other people much to begin with."

"And you learned sarcasm! Wow!"

"I am not being sarcastic." Kiibo frowned at him,"I wanted to know … If you are the Mastermind, then why did you give me this?”

"If I was the Mastermind, why would I tell you about any of that?" He tilted his head, "Or Space Cadet. Why would I try to win the game if I was in charge of it? That’d be boring!”

“...Can you prove to me that you aren’t the Mastermind?”

“Uh…” Kokichi’s mind blanked. Was there any way to lie he could use to prove it?

But there was still one place that nobody else had gone. One place that showed how much he hated the Killing Game. ...His room.

He had no choice but to do it. So, he gave them a tight smile and said, “Okie dokie! Follow me!”

“H-Huh?” Kiibo was visibly confused, but Kokichi just picked his bag, and walked out of the door without another word. They followed behind, glancing warily at the stationary camera in the corner.

---

"So.... this is my room!" Kokichi swung his door open. He looked behind himself to make sure nobody was around. Seeing that the coast was clear, he shooed Kiibo inside and closed the door.

Honestly, he wasn't even sure if this was a good idea in the first place. He didn't know the capabilities of the Mastermind, or if they still had control over them in any way. But... He knew that he wouldn’t get anywhere good if they still thought that he was the Mastermind.

"Uhm... Why do you..." Kiibo's eyes immediately met with the Rantaro wax effigy. They couldn't even finish their question, too confused by whatever was hanging from his ceiling.

"He's evidence!" Kokichi quickly replied, already regretting letting them in here. They had too many questions. "I've saved evidence from all of the cases before Monokuma could steal them.

"Yes, but... Why?"

"How do you think I figured out anything about this killing game?" Kokichi raised an eyebrow at them, and tossed his bag on his bed. Kiibo looked around, visibly uneasy by everything that Kokichi had collected.

"Does it not make you uncomfortable..?"

“What? Rantaro or the evidence?”

“Uhm… Both?”

“No. Why would it?” Kokichi raised an eyebrow at them, before he walked off to one corner of his room, searching for something, “Rantaro’s nice to talk to, and someone needs to keep track of the everything just in case.”

“Y-You talk to him?”

“Hah… No… Totally not! That was a lie.” Kokichi nervously laughed, and pulled at the neck of his shirt. He found what he was looking for, and walked back over to them, “Anywho, this isn’t the kind of hard evidence you want… But, it’s something the Mastermind totally didn’t want any of you to notice.”

“That is… That was from the camera that Shuichi set up, correct?” They asked as Kokichi pulled out the pictures.

“Yep! And these were from Miu’s drone.” He nodded, and handed Kiibo the photos. They hesitantly took them, and looked through the pictures. But, they didn’t seem to notice anything. They stared at the pictures with a sense of melancholy.

“Do you need me to point it out for you?” Kokichi sighed, after a minute of waiting. They nodded, so he grabbed the pictures from their hands, and spoke once more, pointing at Rantaro's hands, “Alrighty, so the only reason these pictures of him walking into the library matters is this!”

“His… Monopad?”

“Yep! And then, look at this one!” Kokichi shoved the picture from the drone at them, and they took it. It took them a few moments but they finally noticed, their eyes growing wide.

“Why isn’t it in this picture?”

“No clue.” Kokichi shrugged, “For some reason someone stole his Monopad during the investigation- or before it. And, it was important enough to steal!”

“But, it was just a Monopad, correct? Why would someone steal that?”

“I don’t know! I’m just pointing it out!” Kokichi took the photos back from them, and walked back to the corner of his room. He started to go through a box as he talked, “If we’re going off the basis that someone HAD to take his Monopad, it’d logically be the Mastermind. And, both of us were alone while he was getting his brain scrambled, meaning, there's a possibility either of us did it.”

"I did not kill Rantaro if that is what you're suggesting.."

"I'm not. Just, hear me out. Kaede and Shuichi would’ve seen one of us if we went down to the library, which neither one of them mentioned. And, they both sucked ass at lying. Kirumi, Tsumugi, Korekiyo, and Miu had a good chance at seeing or hearing one of us too, which none of them mentioned either.” Kokichi began to explain, hiding the pictures in between some drawings. He looked back at them, “We also both saw each other once we heard the body discovery, since, yknow, we were literally both in our dorms. All that considered, we can trust that neither one of us had gone into the library until the body discovery announcement. ...It's shaky evidence, but, that's the best I have. So, there you have it. That’s why I don’t think you’re the Mastermind, and why you shouldn’t suspect me either.”

Kokichi stood up, and walked back over to them. They were stunned, and looked more than a little confused. “I...I see. It is hard to believe that you would be capable of being the Mastermind with that logic.” They nodded and thought for a few moments. They seemed to realize something, and frowned, “But… It is difficult to believe that anyone could be the Mastermind either. Nobody had an opening.”

“Is it?” Kokichi cocked his head to the side, “I can think of one person who would’ve been able to!"

“Who?”

“...For that, I need a map.” Kokichi looked around, his eyes landing back on his boxes, “Mkay, lemme find it. Gimme like, five minutes.”

Kokichi said nothing more, and went digging through his boxes once more. He tossed drawings to his side in a flurry, muttering to himself.

Kiibo awkwardly waited off to the side, and glanced around the room in the meantime. They noticed something laying on Kokichi's bed. Although they didn't want to snoop, they couldn't help but get curious. It was one of the motive videos.

They knew that Kokichi had stolen everyone’s Motive videos. So, there was a good chance that anybody's motive video was sitting there. They carefully picked it up to get a better look at it. They weren’t going to watch it, but thought that Kokichi might have a reason for keeping it like everything else, "Uhm, I was wondering... Why do you have this motive video? Who does it belong to?"

"Here it is! Forgot where this stupid thing wen-" Kokichi tripped over a box, and walked back over to them. His voice trailed off as he processed what they asked, and saw what they were holding. No. No. No. Anything but that. He couldn't keep the anger out of his voice when he said, "Give it back."

"Oh... I am sorry! I just saw the motive video, and I was wondering who it belonged to." They apologized, but he didn't want to hear it. He stormed over to them, and slammed the invention down on the table. Before they could even react, he yanked the tablet from their hands. As the tablet traded hands, however, the screen lit up.

“Alright! Back by popular demand, it’s time for your motive video! Who’s the most important person in your life? And now, without further ado…. Kokichi Ouma, the Ultimate Supreme Leader…”

His stomach dropped. They didn’t need to hear this. He didn’t need to hear this again. But, the video began to play. He tried desperately to turn it off. He pressed on the screen, and sides, but nothing happened. He knew it was futile... The videos weren't meant to turn off to begin with. Yet, he still tried. The video continued on.

"In accordance with their two main mottos, “do not kill people,” and “commit amusing crimes,” this fun-loving band of jokers known as DICE, committed prank-like crimes! To Kokichi Ouma, these ten loyal goons were like a family to him..."

That was it. He ignored the surprised look Kiibo gave him, and threw the tablet to the ground. He smashed the tablet with his foot as hard as he possibly could but it was already too late. The video finally ended, but the cracked glass reflected the truth. Here stood not the Evil Ultimate Supreme Leader, or a Mastermind of a killing game... But a scared, defeated teenager. He bit his lip, desperately fighting every emotion that was trying to surface.

Kiibo put a hand out to comfort him, but retracted it before it reached his shoulder. They could tell that he needed space, and whatever 'proof' he had could wait until he wasn't like... this. They took a few steps to the door, and looked back over to him, "I-I am going to leave you alone for a bit. If you want to talk, I will just be out there. Uhm... I am sorry."

Kokichi didn't even move as they left. Or, when they closed the door. He just glared at his own reflection. He destroyed the last thing in this hell hole that could remind him of his supposed friends... And it was all his fault.

He picked up the tablet as carefully as he could, and set it back down on the table. He wondered if he could fix it, but knew it was worthless to try anyway. So, instead, he picked up the glass with his hands, and set it down on top of the smashed tablet.

He looked down at his hands. They were still covered in blood, but he had managed to avoid getting cut. The irony of which stuck out in his mind. There was blood on them in more ways than one now.

He’d wash them off. That’s what he needed to do. It was disgusting. He was dis-

-Maybe he’d take a shower. His clothes were gross, and he knew he definitely needed one after being in that cramped Exisal for a day. He walked over to his closet and pulled out a new copy of his clothes. He was careful to not get them dirty as he carried them into the bathroom.

He set down the clean clothes in the sink, not wanting to drop them on the floor, or rest them on the toilet. As he set them down, he stopped. The door. He needed to make sure it was locked.

He rushed back to his front door, and opened it a sliver, looking out of it. Kiibo was still out there. Good. Now, as long as he had it blocked... He'd be safe. He shut the door and locked it before they could notice. Just to be safe, he moved a few boxes in front of it. There. Perfect.

He walked back to his bathroom, and closed the door behind himself, locking it once more. He was never sure why these bathrooms had locks on them in the first place, but was thankful for them now.

Carefully, he took off the bandages that were wrapped around his arm. Well, more so wrapped around his sleeve. As he unraveled the gauze, he couldn’t help but wonder- why? After everything he had done, after everything he had said… Why did they still try to help? Were they wanting to use him in some way? Was this a way to make sure he was in their debt, and did something for them? Was it because the audience wanted him alive longer? That he was convenient for the show’s plot? That he was interesting?

Or… Were they just a good person?

No. It couldn’t be that. They weren’t even a person. Kokichi reminded himself as he finished unwrapping his arm. He set the bandage down on top of his clothes, and changed out of his current outfit.

He stepped into the shower, and turned it on. The water was cool on his skin, but he didn’t bother to turn on the heat. He just needed to clean himself off, so he focused on that, ignoring the red tinted water circling the drain at his feet.

Everything hurt. He had to fight against every urge to jump out of the shower that came to him. The cuts stung, the arrow wounds throbbed, and his apparent burns (which he wasn’t sure where they came from exactly, but assumed it was from the execution that he was definitely not going to unpack right now) burned. By some insane bout of luck, it looked like a bit of it had closed up, purely because of the… burns.

As soon as he got all the blood off him, he scrambled to turn off the water, and stepped out of the shower. He changed as quickly as he could as well, but realized that he’d have to redo the bandages when he got the chance. It hurt too much to do it right now.

He ran his fingers through his hair, as he looked into the bathroom mirror. The person who stared back at him was not one that he could recognize anymore. Injuries aside, he knew something inside himself had changed too much due to this game- If there had even been anything there to begin with.

He couldn’t remember a time where his eyes weren’t accompanied by dark circles, but he knew that he wasn’t born tired. He couldn’t remember a time that he could trust someone other than himself, but he knew that he couldn't have always been that way. If DICE was a lie, then… There had to be something.

But, what was the difference between him and the lies he told at this point? If he really tried, could he even begin to figure out where the lies ended, and he began?
~

He stepped out of the bathroom, and went over to his bed. He was tired. ...He’d just lay down for a bit, and wait for the pain to subside. So, he did just that. He flopped down on his back, and looked up at his ceiling. Rantaro was there looking back at him. Judging him. He frowned at it.

"You were lucky. At least you didn't have a stupid fake backstory to question." Kokichi huffed, and glared up at the effigy hanging from his ceiling. The effigy said nothing, obviously. It just kept its arms crossed, and stared right back at him. "I mean, you died, but... Still. I'd rather forget everything than have to deal with having to sort through all of that! It's annoying."

Moments like these were what kept him sane during the killing game. Or… As close to sane as he could be at this point. He was sure that venting to an effigy of a dead acquaintance wasn’t something he would’ve done when he led DICE, or before the killing game… But, it was now.

"Like. I'm sure if I hadn't remembered DICE, I wouldn't've turned out this way. I'd be boring, but at least I wouldn't have to deal with this." Kokichi nudged the effigy with his leg lightly, and gestured to his own arm, too scared that if he actually kicked it, he’d kill him. Not that he was alive but… He still was careful. If he hurt him, he wasn’t sure what he’d do, "Nobody would've gone: Oh! You're the Ultimate Supreme Leader so you must be the head of... Despair or whatever! Let's ruin your first plan to end the game, and rush your second one, and sabotage your third because I'm sooo bent on killing everyone!"

Rantaro never talked back no matter what he said to him. Kokichi knew no matter how angry, or upset, or sad he got, he wouldn't react. Sometimes, if he closed his eyes, he could trick himself into thinking he really was talking to someone. A sibling, or a friend. They were listening because they cared about him, not because they were forced to. He closed his eyes.

It was a comforting lie.

"...I get it. I know she probably wasn't trying to kill everyone... It's not like she knew my plans. But it's not like I could've told any of them either. You knew as well as I do that you can't trust anyone here." He said, but was quiet for a few moments. Carefully, he mumbled, "...Maybe that's why it hasn't worked out well for either of us."

Kokichi opened his eyes, and sat up once more as he heard a loud buzzing from the monitors. An all too familiar jingle played, and the monitors began to play the morning announcement. It was probably time to meet up with Kiibo again.

He carefully tied his scarf around his neck, and walked to the door. His hand reached the handle, but stopped before he opened the door. ...It'd be good to bring that too. So, he went back to his bag, and pulled the jacket out, before he finally left his room.

Kiibo was still sitting outside the door, like they had said they would be. It didn't make sense to him why they didn't just go to the dining hall themself, but it worked out better for him that way.

“Uhm… Who were you talking to?” They asked, tilting their head to the side.

"I wasn't talking." Kokichi quickly lied, and shoved it at them, "Anyways! Here, take this. I don't want it."

They took it before it could drop to the floor. It was Kaito’s jacket. Not the one that had been crushed under the press, but another identical copy. Their eyes softened at the jacket in their hands, but they couldn’t help but look back at him with suspicion.

“Why are you giving me this..?” They asked, clutching the jacket closer to themselves almost defensively, as if at any moment Kokichi would laugh and take it away again. But, he did nothing of the sort. Kokichi just shrugged as he locked his door.

“He told me to give it to you if he ever got crushed under a hydraulic press!"

They hesitated for a moment, questioning whether or not Kokichi was lying. Their eyes went down to the jacket in their hands, and back at him. They didn't believe it, but they were sure by the smirk on Kokichi's face that they weren't supposed to. "Uhm... Alright. I should put this away... I do not know how Shuichi would react to seeing it."

"Finnne, don't make me wait too long though or I'm gonna start running! I'm literally STARVING!"

Kiibo left the room, quickly going to their dorm, leaving Kokichi alone in the lobby.

It was weird. Despite everything he had done, they still trusted him enough to leave him alone in this room. What was even stranger to him was the fact that he didn't take advantage of their naivety. He considered it repeatedly. He knew it'd be easy to just run off and ditch them, and start on a new plan himself. But... He didn't move other than to tap his foot.

Maybe he was just being stupid. But maybe... Just maybe.

It'd be better this way?

Notes:

Nobody:
Kokichi: Oh, Rantaro, we're in it now... /j

Chapter 8: I'm not the villain I appear to be

Summary:

The calm before the storm. Or, Kokichi and Kiibo bond over their memories before Danganronpa, and things go downhill from there.

The dining hall was a ghost town. The table felt as if it stretched much farther than he remembered. There were far too many chairs, he almost had to wonder if there had been that many to begin with. ...It almost felt like Monokuma was taunting them, or trying to tourture them with reminders like these.

It didn’t help that they were the first ones there.

He glanced over at Kiibo, and guessed they were thinking the same thing he was. There was no light in their eyes as they drifted over to the table, and sat down with a sigh. They glanced over to the chairs at their side, and hung their head. They looked pathetic. He almost felt bad.

"We won’t be here forever, yknow.” Kokichi found himself saying in reassurance before he could stop himself, "I don't think there's going to be another murder for the next few days, so there's enough time to end it before anyone else dies."

“At this point... I do not think that is going to happen easily.”

"Obviously. Nothing in life is easy, Kiiboy. That's what makes it interesting!" He said as he wandered over to a random chair across from them, and plopped down, fighting off a cringe as his back grazed the seat, "And, as long as it's interesting, there’s a chance that it’ll work out for the better.”

“I am not sure if I understand your logic.”

“Aren’t you more likely to root for a character when the odds are stacked against them?” He asked, “If there’s truly an audience out there, they’re no different. Just ending the killing game does nothing, and boring them makes things worse…But, they seem to want the Mastermind to get punished. So, as long as we keep it interesting, we can end the game.”

“What makes you think that?”

“Your inner voice told you to vote for me, right?”

“How did you-?”

“I’m psychic!” Kokichi interrupted with a cheeky grin. When they did nothing more than give him a suspicious glance, and tilt their head, instead of laughing at his obvious joke, he sighed “That’s a lie, if you couldn’t tell, Kiiboy! It’s just basic logic. If I was convincing enough for you all to think I was the Mastermind, then the audience probably thought I was it too. And, what’s a better way to end a game than beating the final boss?”

"Uhm... Final boss...?"

"How are you this- Ugh! I should've expected that a robot wouldn't know what a final boss is." Kokichi muttered, facepalming, "I bet the only video game you know about is Pong."

"Uhm... I do know what video games are, Kokichi."

"And you still don't know what a final boss is? Wow. I feel bad for you, Kiiboy." He sighed, placing his head in his palm dramatically. Bored, he asked, "So, what games DO you know? Like, have you ever played any game other than this killing game?"

"I have never played any myself, but I did have a friend who did play video games sometimes. Mostly one with spaceships, where you had to shoot aliens? I do not know the name, but, that was what it was."

"Space invaders?! Jeez. What was your friend, 80?" Kokichi cracked up, although seeing their serious expression was enough to get him to slowly stop, "Wait... Back up. That had to have been a lie! There's no way you had friends."

"Why would I lie about that?"

"What's their name?" He asked, but only got silence as a reply. Their eyes met the table, as they brought a hand to their chin. A few long moments went by, their expression growing more and more worried. It was nearly comical, as Kokichi wondered if he had really caught the robot lying for the first time. But, they seemed genuinely stressed. It was weird.

"I... Uhm..." They stalled, their voice barely a mumble, "I... am not sure."

"I knew it." Kokichi smirked, before it dawned on him that they didn't just admit that they were lying. That made more sense than what he had been thinking but... How? He looked back at them, raising a cautionary eyebrow, "...Wait. How do you NOT remember their name?"

"I-I do not know... I... I have checked my memory banks but-"

"Okay, whatever, calm down a little! It was just a question." Kokichi frowned and interrupted, moreso out of annoyance than anything. (Or, was it concern?) If they were freaking out over not knowing some weirdos name, they wouldn't be able to figure out what that meant. Someone must've wanted to keep them from remembering that person, right? Or, the backstories were rushed? Either that, or he was focusing on a defective robot's little story too much. He crossed his arms, fiddling with his sleeve as he said, "Names don't matter anyways! Anywho, spill! Tell me about them, I'm curious."

"Really?" They looked at him cautiously, visibly wondering if he was lying about wanting to know about that. But, Kokichi just tilted his head to the side a little, and stared intently at them as if waiting for a story of some sort. They were hesitant, but started telling him anyway, not used to people asking them about things like that- much less Kokichi. They started, "Uhm... Alright? Well... He transferred to the school that I went to, and we ended up having a few classes together."

"You went to school, Kiiboy?" Kokichi tilted his head in confusion, interrupting before they could say more, "I thought a robot would've been programmed to know at least the bare minimum."

"No, Professor Iiidabashi built me to learn and grow just like any human! I started off knowing nothing, and had to learn and go to school just like you."

"I didn't go to school." Kokichi said, deadpan. Kiibo's face dropped, and they mouthed a 'sorry', and Kokichi shook his head in disappointment. A few seconds passed, before he cracked a grin, "Kidding! A Supreme Leader like me at least has to know basic math, if they're going to control the whole world from the shadows!~"

Kiibo bit their tongue, deciding not to call him out on the fact that they knew that DICE was just a group of delinquents, not an evil worldwide organization. They didn't want to have to deal with that loop. Instead they asked, "What about you? I know you had DICE, but... Was there anyone else important to you out there..?"

"Getting real personal there, Kiiboy." Kokichi looked at his nails, but tensed up just a bit at their question. They slunk back a bit, wondering if they did something wrong, but Kokichi just shrugged. He didn't look up as he said, "Well, duh! Doesn't everyone? Siblings, teachers, family, friends, pets. We all have someone important to us, somewhere. That's one of the reasons most of us want to end this game, isn't it? To see whatever, or whoever we care about again?"

"Oh... Uhm, right." Kiibo nodded, but didn't ask anything further, seeing how Kokichi dodged the question. An awkward silence followed, as Kokichi looked out the window, his arms crossed. Nobody walked by, so he stood up.

"Anywho, back on topic." Kokichi's expression grew serious and cold. He glanced back towards the door, before he said, "Since this is a game, there's going to be a winner. Either it's the Mastermind, or one of us- and, since games are only interesting to watch others play when there's an actual competition, I have my bets on it being us. That’s why I know there’s a chance. I’m not being stupidly optimistic, or naively believing in some fantastic future where everything is all sunshine and rainbows because I want it- I’m just spelling it out for you.” He hid a limp as he walked to the kitchen door. As he got there, he gripped the doorway with his uninjured arm to steady himself, and looked back at them, “You can either mope around and give up because nothing has worked yet, or you can do something about it. Hopelessness is a choice, so it's up to you if it's going to destroy you or not."

Without saying anything more, Kokichi left the room and closed the door behind himself. He sighed lightly as he leaned up against the door for support, and closed his eyes as another excruciating wave of pain came crashing into him. He found himself gripping the handle tightly, just standing with his back to the door with closed eyes for minutes, until the pain finally eased.

“Fuck… I swear, if this keeps happening…” He muttered to no one as he opened his eyes, and finally moved away from the door. Nausea ebbed its way through his stomach, but he ignored it. He needed to eat something. So, he made his way to the refrigerator, and pulled out something sugary enough for him to stand. It probably wasn’t nutritional at all, but that didn’t matter to him.

He hesitated as he went to grab a can of Panta, fear taking hold of him, “It’s just a drink.” He reminded himself as he grabbed it, and shut the refrigerator. He began to walk back to the door when he noticed a few drops of blood on the floor. Instinctively, he froze. Why was there blood in the kitchen? Was there another murder? He stopped himself. -No. There was no motive, and there wouldn’t be one for at least two days.

He found himself looking down at his own arm. It… was his own. He did take off those bandages earlier…. He wasn’t sure if he should be relieved or not, as he left the room, and shut the door behind himself. He rushed over to the table, and set down the food and drink, mumbling, "I'm going to the storage room."

He left the room, and thought he could hear Kiibo ask something, but he didn't care enough to look back. He just kept going until he reached the storage room, and searched through the shelves for first aid supplies. He spent the next fifteen or so minutes trying to take care of his wounds, all while wondering how and why Kiibo actually managed to bandage his shoulder in the first place.

~

By the time that Kokichi got back to the Dining Hall, Tsumugi had already arrived. Apparently she had come with Himiko as well, but Himiko had gotten worried after hearing that Kokichi was off on his own and had decided to check on Shuichi, "just in case". She had been gone for a few minutes by the time that Kokichi had gotten back with a bag full of supplies in tow.

As he neared the Dining Hall, however, he could hear a conversation taking place. Not having anything else to do, he decided to eavesdrop as he had the chance instead of barging in.

"I was wondering... What happened to your hair? Did something happen, or was it a haircut?"

"Well... I.... Just thought that I needed to change it?" They said more as a question, which nearly made Kokichi facepalm. He wondered why someone would make a robot this terrible at lying, and almost considered barging in to stop them, but... He did want to see where this went. He had his own suspicions about Tsumugi, so letting them stumble through questions seemed like the perfect idea to get more information.

"Oh, I see." She hummed in response, and Kokichi knew she was just about to make some sort of cliche reference to anime or manga. He rolled his eyes as she continued, "Whenever I get stressed, I want to cut my hair sometimes too! That's why I started styling wigs- so it'd be the same relief, but without the lasting consequences! ...Still, I would've thought that something like that would've had a purpose, other than aesthetics... Did it hurt you at all?"

"No, but uhm... Something strange did happen after."

"What was it?"

"Uhm..." It got quiet. Real quiet. No more sound came through the door after that, leaving a sick feeling in the pit of Kokichi's stomach. He decided that it wasn't worth it to keep listening in, and opened the door wide.

"Good morning!~" He said with a cheerful voice, laced with insincerity as he kicked the door shut, and waltzed on over to the table.

"Oh, you are back!" Kiibo looked over at him surprised as he plopped back down in the chair, and began opening up one of the snacks.

"Mhm! Toldja I was just grabbing something from the storage room!" Kokichi nodded and took a bite, as he glanced over towards Tsumugi, gauging her reaction to the whole situation. She seemed in disbelief, and more than a little suspicious, but she didn't attempt to ask any questions. Until she saw his hands.

"Why... Why do you have blood on your hands..?"

"Hm? Oh, I just killed Shuichi! That's why." Kokichi said nonchalantly, with a smirk. Though, at those words, Kiibo almost immediately panicked, nearly falling out of their chair. Tsumugi gave him own look of horror, but it seemed to glint with curiosity more than anything. He had to hold back a laugh, as he heard them yell, "W-WHAT?!"

"Yep. I saw him in the storage room, and we totally got into a huge fight. Apparently he still thought I was the Mastermind, and tried to kill me, but I managed to kill him first!" He continued on, hearing footsteps right outside the door, "Don't believe me? Just see for yourself."

Kiibo stood up quietly with a look of pure panic, and made their way over to the door. Tsumugi looked like she was about to follow, but she paused. "Uh... Do you hear that?"

They stopped as well, looking back. The back door opened, revealing Himiko with a very exhausted looking Shuichi trailing behind. She held his hand, leading him into the room, as he stared down at the ground. She looked worried, but tried to hide it with a smile that was so obviously pained.

As Shuichi walked into the room, it was clear why. He was back to wearing his hat, his expression almost invisible with how much it blocked his face. Kokichi couldn't help but feel a bit concerned seeing that, but the other two didn't share the same feelings. Both of them looked relieved.

"Thank goodness... I am so glad that you are not dead." Kiibo sighed in relief, which definitely snapped Shuichi out of his funk for a few seconds as he looked over towards them in absolute confusion.

"Um... Thanks..? Good morning to you too, Kiibo..." He mumbled as he walked to the kitchen. Himiko looked over at Tsumugi for some sort of explanation, but she didn't give much of one before Shuichi left. So, Himiko followed him into the kitchen, worriedly.

"Why did you tell us that you killed him?" Kiibo asked exasperatedly. They were calmer now that they saw that there hadn't been another murder, but the frustration was obvious.

"Cuz it was funny?" He offered as he took another bite out of his snack, "You should've known it was a lie, Kiiboy! You would've heard screaming if I had actually killed him."

"Funny? So many of our friends have died, just within the past few days..." They trailed off. 'Because of you', was the part that went unsaid. He wasn't sure if they were thinking that, or if it was just him, but he frowned and looked away from them regardless. They took in a deep breath, and hesitated before they said, "...It is hard to trust you, when you say things like that."

"Trust? Yeah, right. Like trust is actually possible in this game." He deflected, "You actually thought I killed him for a few moments there, and you still think you can trust people? What if Tsumugi said that? Or Himiko? Would you believe them?"

"I plainly don't think there's any use reasoning with him, Kiibo." Tsumugi sighed, "He's just a jerk."

"I'm only telling the truth. Trust is useless, especially in this game. How do you think you're gonna find the Mastermind if you just trust what everyone says immediately?" He tilted his head to the side, "Sorry to break it to you, Kiiboy, but that's not how this works."

"We already know it's you, stop trying to confuse them!" Himiko said as she and Shuichi walked back into the room, and sat down in their usual chairs. Shuichi stared into his coffee as he sat down, not looking up from it for a moment. Kokichi wondered if he was just trying to avoid looking at the empty chairs, like Kiibo had, for a brief moment.

Kokichi rolled his eyes, as he looked over at Himiko, "If anyone here is trying to confuse someone, it's you. Because, I'm not the Mastermind."

"Wait... I'm confused. You just said we shouldn't trust you, but now you're saying you're not the Mastermind?" Tsumugi frowned, tapping her chin, "That doesn't make any sense."

"No. I'm saying-" Kokichi had to stop himself. She was right. He wasn't doing a good job at proving his point, and honestly, it wasn't even one that he was sure he should prove. Still, he was stubborn, and knew that he was right on this one. Or, he thought he knew. "You know what? No matter what, you're trusting something that I say. If you think I'm being honest about being the Mastermind, you're trusting what I said a few days ago! If you think that I'm lying about being the Mastermind, then you're still trusting in the fact that I said it was a lie! None of you are going to find the Mastermind unless you stop being so trusting."

"We already know it's you. You could've lied about it, but you're the only person here insensitive enough to be the Mastermind, or to be a remnant of despair." Shuichi spoke up as he looked up from his coffee, over at Kokichi. His voice shook a bit, and he sniffed. His hat was probably hiding his tears as he said, "You're... You're the only one out of the rest of us who's killed someone."

"If you think I killed someone, then you probably shouldn't have gotten that Ultimate Detective title in the first place." Kokichi taunted, despite the quiver of Shuichi's lip telling him that he went too far, "There was some evidence you really chose to gloss over, just because little miss assassin told you to. Can you really call yourself a de-”

"W-Wait! Kokichi, stop!" Kiibo worriedly cut off Kokichi before he could say anything more. "We should not be fighting. We are all in this game together, aren't we?"

"That's the problem." Shuichi mumbled, narrowing his eyes at Kokichi. The tension in the room couldn't be cut with a knife, it was too thick. The two glared at each other, as Tsumugi and Himiko shared worried glances, and Kiibo sighed.

"Uh huh? Would've thought that you'd be glad about being a part of a team again... Since, you're alone just like me now." Kokichi echoed the Detectives previous words, with a grin- one full of malice and pain.

Shuichi gripped his coffee mug until his knuckles were white, as he said, "And who's fault is that?"

"Their own. Easy."

"Please- do not fight..." Kiibo tentatively tried, but their attempt to mediate was unsuccessful. Shuichi tensed and pushed up from the table. His coffee cup hit the table, and shook, the coffee spilling onto his own hands. He flinched a bit, and pulled his hand away, pain washing over his features. But, it only seemed to make him more upset.

"How can you say that with a straight face?! They're both dead! Maki and Kaito..." Tears spilled from his eyes, as he choked on the words, "They're dead!"

"It's a *killing* game. How many people have died at this point? 11?" He raised an eyebrow at Shuichi, "And you're upset at me just because of a lousy two? What about Himiko? She lost someone too. Kiibo? Tsumugi? Literally all of us have lost someone. Stop acting like you're special just because you lost your two sidekicks."

Shuichi was about to say something more, before Kiibo had seemed to have enough. They stood up, just as Shuichi had, and put their hands on the table to get the others' attention. Kokichi flinched just a little, but he hid it with a turn of his body towards them.

"Everyone, we cannot fight like this!" Kiibo yelled, much to everyone's surprise. Heads turned to them, and they looked down at the table in embarrassment. "I am so sorry for yelling... I just... I do not want things to end like this. Fighting... It will not get us anywhere good. I do not want to lose anyone else, but if we continue like this, I am afraid that we will. We must work together if we are to end this game."

The dining hall fell silent. Kokichi and Shuichi shared a look, but Shuichi faltered. He mumbled, "Why even bother? ...This game is just going to keep going until he decides to stop it. We're stuck."

"For the last... Ugh! I'm not going to convince you guys, am I?" The suspicious looks that followed told Kokichi that he wasn't going to be able to do that, anytime soon. Maybe he just got lucky managing to convince Kiibo? He gave up. There was no point in fighting against the reputation he made himself. Anything he said sounded like a lie, anyways. He frowned and drummed on the table as he said, "Fine. I guess you all got better with telling when I'm lying... Let's just wait for Monokuma then! He should have more stuff for us."

"I'm done with figuring out where those things go." Shuichi shook his head as he picked up his cup of coffee once again, "I'm not playing this game anymore. Not Kokichi's, not Monokuma's- I'm done. I'll see you guys later."

"B-But... We need you.." Himiko mumbled.

"Yeah! No story works without its protagonist!"

"Life isn't a story... I'm sorry." He slouched over to the door, and put his hand on the handle.

"Yeesh, what's got you kids so upset? Would've thought that someone died!" Monokuma's grating voice joked- he had apparently been in the room. Whether he had shown up just then, or before, was unknown to everyone. Not that it really mattered in the first place. That seemed to be the final straw for Shuichi, however.

"God... I'm-" Shuichi put his head in his hands, "That's it. I'm sick of this! I'm not even going to listen to this."

"I wouldn't do that if I were you!~ This motive is very time sensitive!"

"You're giving us a motive today?" Kokichi questioned, raising an eyebrow at the bear. He couldn't quite wrap his mind around that. They usually had breaks between them- why wouldn't they have another break now? Especially considering the fact that there were only five of them left. ...What was going on? He needed to know. So, he asked, "We just had a trial yesterday, why rush it?"

"Well... I'm getting tired of this game! It's the same old boring routine every time. Motive, betrayal, murder, trial, grief… and then it just repeats, and repeats, over and over! It's annoying!"

"Then end it." Kokichi crossed his arms, "You can do that, right?"

"That'd be even worse! Ending the game, just like that? A boring ending to a boring game... That'd be terrible!"

Kokichi faked a cough, and glanced at Kiibo, after Monokuma said that. They blinked at him, seemingly unsure of what he was trying to get their attention for- and unsure if he was even trying to get their attention.

"Well... I guess I could come up with something." Monokuma hummed, and tapped a paw to his chin. Although, it seemed almost scripted. Like he had already planned this to begin with. He reached off to his side, and pulled a key seemingly out of thin air, "If you figure out where this key goes... The killing game ends!"

"It… ends..?" Himiko asked, eyes wide.

"A key?" Kokichi raised an eyebrow at the key, and crossed his arms, “That key?”

"Yep! It's a scavenger hunt!" Monokuma nodded, "Your Monopads are going to be sent a list of riddles! Your goal is to find each thing the riddle is asking for, and then you'll get a hint on where that key goes! If you get enough hints, ending this game will be a piece of cake."

"That sounds wayyyy overcomplicated." Kokichi commented, frowning, "Can't we just look for the keyhole without doing all that crap?"

"Oh, sure you can! Butttt, I wouldn't recommend it!"

"...There's more to it, isn't there?" Shuichi narrowed his eyes at the robotic bear.

"Aw, shucks… You got me!" Monokuma laughed, "I couldn't make it too easy on you kids, so, there's a time limit!"

A loud beep echoed throughout the room. The students shuffled around, trying to pinpoint where it came from. The beeps continued.

Kiibo stiffened in place, barely moving an inch as they looked down at their chest. A light blinked a soft red, slowly beeping every few seconds like a metronome of horror. When their eyes finally met the others, they took a cautionary step away from them. Monokuma sadistically chuckled as the teens looked towards him in confusion and horror.

"You have until Kiibo self-destructs to find it, or to commit the next murder!"

Notes:

Oh boy.

Chapter 9: I never promised honesty

Summary:

Plans are hard to come up with when so much is on the line. ...Flashback lights are fun, aren't they?

   

    "U-Until I… What?" Kiibo had a look of sheer panic on their face as they looked down on the button on their chest. It blinked red every few moments, fading in and out. 

    

    "Until you explode, and take the whole school with you!" Monokuma laughed sadistically, "Oh, but don't worry! We improved your original self destruct sequence. You have until tomorrow morning to find it! Unless, of course… There's a murder before then!" 

    

    "You're bluffing, there's literally no way Kiibo was built with a self-destruct button! This is just a ploy to get us to panic and kill someone, just like the first motive." 

    

    "Are you sure?" Monokuma tilted his head to the side. 

    

    "Yeah, uh, duh? They constantly talk about how they were built to be a shitty knockoff of a human, so obviously they wouldn't just self-destruct." Kokichi crossed his arms, "And even if they did, they wouldn't explode with THAT much force to blow up a school." 

    

    "We… We have until when, exactly..? When in the morning would it happen?" Kiibo asked, their voice barely a whisper. They didn't even react to Kokichi's insult, which only served to make the others more nervous. 

    

    "If you can manage to find it before the next morning announcement, you kids will be safe!" 

    

    "Hey! Listen! To! Me!" Kokichi slammed his hands down on the table, wincing as he yelled, "This motive is bullshit! You're not going to die over some stupid key, and neither is anyone else! Monokuma is lying!" 

    

    "...Give us the key. We will find it." Kiibo spoke up, with a resolute look in their eyes, when everyone else seemed to be torn or confused. 

    

    "Someone seems eager! Well, since you asked so nicely...!" Monokuma handed off the key to Kiibo, and they studied it intently. A few beats of silence came, before Monokuma perked up once again, "Oh, I almost forgot! I have a few more presents for you all!~" He reached behind himself once more, and pulled out a few objects, dropping them to the floor. He didn't even bother to explain what they were before he said, "I'm sure you kids already know what to do with these, so I'll leave you to it!"

    

    Monokuma left the room, and disappeared, leaving three new objects on the floor. One, was another flashback light- with a different design on it of some sorts. It was strange, but they had gotten used to getting these by now so it wasn't entirely out of the ordinary. The second was a small die, in the shape of a star. It seemed incredibly useless, but it was likely to unlock a room. The third was a chess piece, a pawn. Kiibo picked up a few of the objects, as did Kokichi. Everyone looked at the objects with curiosity, except Shuichi, who was already reading through the riddles on his Monopad. 

    

    "Now there's gonna be more rooms to look for stuff in..." Himiko mumbled, as Tsumugi tapped her chin. 

    

    "Not really. If we can figure out the riddles first, we'll know exactly where we need to go. We don't have to waste time trying to figure out where they go." Shuichi shook his head and mumbled, not looking up from his Monopad.

    

  "Who said we'd have to waste time?" Kokichi raised an eyebrow, fiddling with the die in his hand as he spoke, "One of them is obviously to open my Ultimate Room, and the second has something to do with Kaito, or whatever the whole Gopher project is- meaning, it's his Ultimate room." 

 

"How do you know?" Kiibo asked, surprised, to which Kokichi just shrugged.

    

    "My Ultimate room is the only one that hasn't been opened yet, and one of the objects is star-shaped." He held up the die, "There's also still mysteries left with that dumb project in general, so there you go. We shouldn't do any of this anyways, though. It's not like we actually have time to waste."

 

"Yes we do! If we don't get it in time, they'll explode! Weren't you listening?" Himiko's eyes were wide in a panic. 

 

Kokichi frowned, "Uh, duh? That's why I know it's all bullshit. Kiibo isn't going to self-destruct. Monokuma just installed some fancy light, big deal." 

    

"Kokichi... It... It is going to happen." Kiibo mumbled, but Kokichi wanted none of it.

 

"Seriously? You're believing his stupid lie too?" He huffed, and rolled his eyes, "You've been telling us since the beginning that you're just like us. We can't self-destruct. So, if that was the truth, then you can't self-destruct either. Am I wrong?" 

 

Kiibo froze, and looked down guiltily. The others looked to them for an answer, but they couldn't manage to give anything of the sort. After a minute that felt like an eternity, Kokichi finally spoke up once more, his voice much more quiet, and full of dread, "...Am I wrong, Kiiboy?" 

 

"...I....  Uhm.... In case of an emergency...." They murmured, their eyes closed tightly. There was panic in their expression, laced with sadness. A bitter acceptance of the difference between them and the others. They looked off to the side, unable to look any of them in the eyes, "I was built with a self destruct sequence just in case. Normally... It would have gone off by now- but it appears that they have messed with my hardware.  ...If I do self destruct, like what Monokuma was saying, none of you are safe." 

 

Kokichi stared at them with wide eyes, and mouth agape. The surprise turned to anger in almost a flash, but not quite at Kiibo. He still considered what they had said earlier all those times about being 'normal' and 'equal' to be big fat lies now, and although that did frustrate him- especially since he never managed to tell it was a lie- the worst part wasn't that. The part that angered him the most was the fact that it was true- that he could tell that they weren't lying. He knew deep down that Monokuma wasn't lying but... How could someone install something like that, in something that was almost a person? He couldn't help but ask. "Why in the fuck would someone install something like that?! In what 'emergency' would that be needed?!" 

 

When they gave no response, Kokichi groaned, and rubbed at his face, "Great. So we're all screwed just because your inventor was a piece of shit." They flinced at his words, and opened their mouth to defend him, but fell quiet as Kokichi continued, "I guess we have no choice, then. We're ending the killing game."

 

"We're?" Shuichi frowned, challenging what Kokichi said. But, Kokichi didn't budge. He just stared blankly at him, before he nodded. 

 

"Uh huh. That's what I said! WE'RE ending this killing game." He grinned, "I'm actually helping on this one! You're welcome!" 

 

"We don't need your help!" Himiko immediately refused, distrust obvious on her face, "Besides, you're just gonna trick us again! Or do another Mastermind thingy, and make things worse!" 

 

"Okay then, fine. What are you gonna do then? Lock me up somewhere while Kiiboy's a ticking time bomb?" Kokichi raised an eyebrow questioningly, "You'd be down two people, given someone's watching me. Of course, you could all work together and just trust that I wouldn't pull anything...But you all know what happened the last time you left me alone!~"

 

The threat was enough to make Shuichi tense up, and consider it for a moment. The consequences were too great. He caved. But, not happily, "Fine." He dropped it, deciding just to ignore Kokichi, "We need to come up with a plan." 

 

"Well... We do have all those riddles. I think we should solve them!" Tsumugi suggested, "That's the safest option!" 

 

"Safest? It's a complete waste of time and energy." Kokichi frowned, "We're not just solving them- we have to look in the areas too. Chances are, this is purposely created to put us at a disadvantage." 

 

"But, that would just be ten for each of us to solve, correct?" Kiibo tilted their head, "I think we could manage that!" 

 

"But... What if we dunno the answers..? Or get them wrong?" Himiko mumbled, "Riddles always got a lotta answers! So... what if we don't get the right ones?" 

 

"I think it's better if we work together all together on each one." Shuichi suggested, "That way we can make sure we get the right answers, and we don't have to split up." 

 

"Or, we could just avoid all of this, and kill someone." Kokichi offered, gauging the reactions of the group. Nobody seemed to think that was a good idea, luckily. But, Tsumugi had a tint of curiosity in her eyes. Weird. He waited a few beats, before he laughed, "Jeez. Lighten up, it was just a joke! I agree with Shuichi! Five heads are better than one." 

 

"I don't wanna agree with Kokichi... But I trust Shuichi!" Himiko decided, and Tsumugi nodded in agreement. 

 

"I guess we should start off with the first one, then? That may be easier." Kiibo asked, but Shuichi didn't reply. He walked over to the pile of objects on the ground, and looked at them, picking up something that looked like flashback light. 

 

"This one is different, this time." He mused, investigating the flashback light, "Do you guys think that it'd help us with any of the riddles?" 

 

"They have helped us remember important things so far!" 

 

"No way. Nuh uh! I'm NOT using that!" Kokichi refused the moment his eyes laid eyes on the light. He didn't trust those things- especially not anymore. They were far too convenient. 

 

"Why not? Is there something wrong with them?" Kiibo asked, looking over to Kokichi with genuine worry. He couldn't believe that they hadn't realized it already.

 

"Duh! They're literally being given to us by the enemy."

 

"You?" 

 

"Monokuma. I'm talking about Monokuma." Kokichi sighed at Himiko's remark, "Do you  seriously think that he's giving us these 'just to be nice'? Either they're false memories, or they're carefully chosen ones. It'd be stupid to use them right now." 

 

"I...I don't think we can risk it at this point." Shuichi sighed, and looked over to the others, "We can put it to a vote?" 

 

"Fine. Everyone who thinks being manipulated by Monokuma is a stupid plan, raise their hand." Kokichi raised his, and looked at the others, waiting for at least one to do the same. Kiibo seemed hesitant, and looked down towards the ground, "Cmon, Kiiboy! Side with me on this one!" 

 

"I...uhm.... Do not want to vote." Kiibo mumbled quietly, "For either. I do not know which one is correct..." 

 

"The three of us are for it, then. I think?" Shuichi looked towards Himiko and Tsumugi, who nodded. He gripped the Flashback light, and put his thumb on the on button,  "Alright. I'll turn it on in three, two... One." 

 

As he hit the button, Kokichi tried to protest but was unable to as his surroundings became painted into an all too familiar white. 

 

~

 

"Why do they call them 'the remnants of despair'? It's just too cheesy.  I think if you're going to bring chaos to the world, you can come up with a better name for it than that." 

 

"Like what?"

 

"Well, it's a killing game, right? So, why didn't they call Junko's followers something related to games in general? Like, I dunno, DICE. If I was in charge of some sort of despair cult, I'd name it DICE."

 

"DICE? Why that?" 

 

"It's unsuspecting, dice are used in games, and it could be used as an acronym! Despair Incorporated... Something, something." 

 

"But, do you think that it would have the same impact? I do agree that the name is a bit cheesy, but I think that it does do a good job in invoking a sense of dread for the audience. I think there may be a chance that the fans would find it too unsuspecting, and assume that they were some sort of board game, or DND group."

 

“Exactly! It could easily be a cover, which makes it way harder to squash! That’s why I’d call it DICE. Nobody would be able to catch on until it was too late!” 

 

 ~

 

The memory abruptly ended there, leaving Kokichi dazed as he snapped back to reality. He tried to make sense of what he had just saw, but he was at a loss for words. He had no idea where to even start with it, but luckily enough, he didn’t have to.

 

"Uhm.... Kokichi? Are you alright?" Kiibo's voice snapped him from his thoughts, and he looked over to them. Everyone but them had left the room. Did they have shorter flashbacks? That was odd... They were usually all around the same time. He shook it off and nodded. 

 

"Uh huh! Just seeing if you guys were paying attention." He lied, and skipped over to them. Kiibo waited until he was out the door, before they began walking again. As the two of them walked, Kokichi looked over at them with a confused look, "So, where are we going first?"

 

"Uhm... We were planning to try and find your Ultimate room first! While you were um..." They paused uncomfortably,  not wanting to finish that sentence. They changed the subject, saying instead, "We figured out that the first riddle likely had to do with your Ultimate room." 

 

"Huh... " Kokichi nodded, and pulled out his own Monopad, looking over the riddles once more. He read it aloud, trying to decipher it, "'As above, so below- the beginning is at the leader's end.' …It's either in the basement, or it's a threat."

 

"...Hopefully it is the first." They mumbled, and gave Kokichi a look of concern. A few beats passed, "Where in the basement do you think it would be? We can tell the others, and all go look there if you have seen something there?” 

 

"No. It probably opens up on this floor, I never saw anything in that area that was suspicious- other than the obvious." 

 

"Alright. If you notice anything or think of anything though, please just tell us. I know that the others may not trust you, but uhm..." They seemed to blank for a few seconds, before they continued hesitantly, "I know that you want to end this game as much as the rest of us, and I do not want this to get any more difficult."

 

“You seriously think that I wouldn’t say something if I noticed it?” 

“You do not have the best track record when it comes to those sorts of things…” 

 

“The stakes are way too high to lie right now, anyways!” He sighed. There was a pause, before he looked over at them with a grin, “I promise you’ll be the first to know if anything like that happens!” 

 

Kiibo nodded and seemed to be a bit relieved by that. Although.. They didn’t seem like they quite believed him. For good reason, too. Because as he had said those words, Kokichi had crossed his fingers behind his back. Kiibo was none the wiser. 

 

    -

 

Although they were all working together at this point, it still took a worrisome amount of time for them to figure out where one of the objects went. Maybe ten minutes didn’t seem like much, but at this point they didn’t have enough to spare. 

 

 Kiibo was the one who ended up figuring out where it went. There was one tile with a star shaped dent in it, which they had luckily remembered seeing somewhere near the front door. Kaito had pointed it out to them towards the beginning of the killing game, apparently, but it took a bit of searching to find it. They placed the die into the tile, and it shook.

 

 It took a few moments, but the tile sunk into the floor, revealing a dusty purple staircase. The staircase went deep down into a dimly lit basement hallway, much like the one on the other side of the school. The five looked at eachother, before Shuichi started down the stairs first, followed by Tsumugi and Himiko- Kokichi and Kiibo trailing a bit behind. 

 

Kokichi counted the amount of steps they had to take to get down there, to keep his mind off of how gross he felt. Walking around this much had made him tired, already, but he hid it well. He knew he couldn’t rest until this was all over. So, he kept walking. 

 

It was a much longer walk than any of them had expected. It was practically a maze of a hallway- there were far too many twists and turns to keep track of them. Another five minutes were wasted just walking through it. Kokichi began to get antsy as they reached the door to his Ultimate room. Or, what he assumed was his Ultimate room.  

From the outside, he would’ve expected it to be Kaito’s room. There was a zodiac on the door, despite the fact that he knew nothing about astrology. He was almost offended, but as Shuichi opened the door, he quickly forgot about it. 

 

As he looked inside, he couldn’t help but smile just a bit. It was filled to the brim with things he would’ve loved to own, and stylized like the DICE hideout of his dreams. But, that wasn’t the part that made him smile. What actually made him smile was the confusion on the faces of the others as they saw the ridiculous trinkets that filled the room. 

 

They all walked into the room, Kokichi being the very first to do so. He glanced around, and fiddled with everything that had caught his eyes. But, as entertaining and distracting as the surroundings were, the worry didn’t seem to leave him. It only got worse as he remembered what that flashback light had shown. Every detail of the room only served to make him more uncomfortable knowing that he had no idea which were lies, and which were true. He found himself staring off at the insignia above the levitating throne, wondering if it really stood for what he had thought it had all this time… Or if those flashback lights were doing exactly what he wanted to avoid in the first place. 

As Kokichi spaced out, the others investigated to the best of their ability. Shuichi appeared to mostly be back to his normal, focused on finding as many clues about the killing game as possible. So, it was only a minute in that he had found the textbook sitting on the ground. 

 

He walked over to it, and bent down, reading the cover. ‘The History of Hope’s Peak academy’, it had read. He picked it up almost immediately, and scanned through the book.

 

"Did you find something?" Kiibo asked. 

 

"Yeah. I think this is a textbook. ...It says that it’s the most researched historical record on Hope’s Peak Academy?” 

 

"Hm... Perhaps it is one of the riddle answers!" They suggested with a tilt of the head, “Maybe this is what we were supposed to find?”

“Maybe…” Shuichi sighed, “Or, maybe it’s just a waste of time.” 

 

“I do not think that it-” 

The textbook fell to the floor. 

 

-

 

"After everything you’ve said about them, you're still gonna join?" 

 

"I don't have a choice. If I could stay behind, I would. But, I can’t." 

 

"Well... What if you just told them you didn't wanna do it?" 

 

"You seriously think that they'd listen? They've already sent me the letter. They’ve already come to our house- they’ve already KIDNAPPED me! We’re not getting out of this!” 

 

"Hm... Y'know, I could try to talk to-” 

 

“It’s not going to work! I give up. There’s no point in trying to avoid the inevitable.” 

 

“...Hey, don’t say that! I’m sure there’s something.” 

 

“You know how they get with their ‘current students of Hope’s Peak’... There’s nothing either of us can do about this. ...I just hope that the Gopher Project isn’t what everyone is saying it is.” 

~

 

Kokichi blinked away from the sign, and gripped his head. It felt like it was splitting in two- That was another flashback. ...That wasn’t a normal flashback light. He knew it was a bad idea. But, he didn’t give himself a moment to process whatever it was that he had seen, or to recover from the brief side effects. He instead opted to look around the room, trying to see if he was the only one who remembered something this time. 

 

He was happy to see that he in fact wasn’t. The others had their own glassy eyed looks, each of them slowly snapping from the memories themselves. He realized in this moment that he had a choice. 

 

He could either let them all waste their time searching the school together, or he could do something about it. His eyes met with an elevator off to his side, and he decided on the second option. He didn’t trust Shuichi’s logic on this one. They needed to split up to be successful. 

 

If he was right on this one, all he had to do was get to the elevator before anyone could stop him. With how long and windy the hallway was, he'd have at least five minutes to spare if anyone tried to catch him. But, it was unlikely that they’d try. 

 

That was it then. He'd just have to risk it. He bolted to the elevator without a second thought as the others began to come to. As he ran into the elevator, however, he passed Kiibo. They looked at him in disbelief, twinged with betrayal. He paid them no mind as he climbed into the elevator. 

 

"K-Kokichi! What are you doing?!” 

 

"Saving our asses, Kiiboy! Figured out what the third riddle was talking about! I'll catch up with you all later!~" Kokichi winked, and slammed the elevator door shut. He hit the button for the first floor, and let out a big sigh of relief as it rose. He had lied about knowing what that riddle meant, but it didn't matter. As long as he was away from the others, he could figure out a better way to end this game. 

 

He looked up at the ceiling of the elevator out of curiosity, and boredom, expecting it to be blank. But… It wasn’t. It was another zodiac, like the door. He analyzed it curiously, seeing nothing better to do within the next few seconds than that. 

His eyes were drawn to a drawing of a horse's head, for some reason or another, and his mind wandered. Where else had he seen a horse recently? A horse… Horse A. 

 

The elevator doors opened. He stepped out and pulled out his Monopad, glancing over the riddles. He had seen that somewhere too. 

 

“On the fifth, a pair of twins met with a horse. A fight broke out, and only one survived.” He read the riddle as he walked, making sure he distanced himself as much as he could from it. The elevator had ended right near the second set of stairs, so, he decided to go up them.  

 

His mind flashed to those strange notes found around the school. 'Horse A' couldn't mean a zodiac, could it? He could've sworn that it was an anagram that he couldn't crack, but maybe he was wrong. The 'A' though... That didn't seem to make any sense at all. There weren't letters in the zodiac, there were only pictures. So, A had to be a value. 

 

Twins B. That was the other one. Twins... Twins... Were those a zodiac sign as well? He wracked his brain to remember the signs as he walked up the first few steps. There was one zodiac that had twins, he was sure of it. 

 

"On the fifth... Only one survived..." Kokichi mumbled. He didn't know enough about zodiacs to know what this meant. A, B, 5...

 

His feet hit the top stairs and he stopped, his eyes wide. 

 

There were five floors to the school. 

 

The fifth floor. 

 

He’d start there.

Notes:

Do you guys ever think about how messed up it is that Kiibo was cannonically built with a self destruct button that they knew about? Kinda makes you wonder about Iidabashi, and Team Danganronpa in general... Poor Kiibo.

Chapter 10: If this isn't right, then does it mean I failed?

Summary:

Kokichi thinks over the Killing Game after having a conversation with the Mastermind.

By the time that Kokichi reached the fifth floor, he was already exhausted. It was strange. Normally something like that wouldn't have winded him in the slightest. But, here he was- tightly gripping the staircase, trying to steady his breathing and keep his legs from shaking. He stayed there for much longer than he had wanted to- loosing five precious minutes that he could've used solving that riddle, or exploring, resting on the stairs. 

 

Luckily, nobody followed him- at least, he didn't hear any footsteps. So, the fifth floor was hauntingly empty. He found himself taking out his Monopad, and checking the map as he wandered through the halls. He looked up every once and a while, eying the statues and Ultimate Rooms as he tried to figure out WHERE the riddle was telling him to go.

 

...He gave up very quickly. Well, maybe "gave up" wasn't the right wording. What actually happened was something else caught his attention. Rantaro's Ultimate Room.

 

Everyone elses Rooms had been opened. The only one left was the room of the person who supposedly, "Didn't remember his Ultimate". ...He decided in that moment that he was going to find out what was inside.

 

He walked up to the room, and tried the door. Of course it was locked. He had no idea what he was expecting. But, he had made up his mind already. Nothing was gonna stop him from opening this door.

 

He carefully crouched down at the base of the door, and pulled out a bobby pin from his hair. He had always been good at picking locks, so unlocking this door was a cakewalk. All it took was a few minutes, and a few tries, and he managed to get it open. He got back to his feet, and put the bobby pin back in his hair before he cautiously looked back at the hallway. Nobody had followed him. He opened the door, and walked inside, turning on the lights. And... 

 

This was not what he thought Rantaro Amami's Ultimate Room would look like. If anything, he thought that he'd have an Ultimate based in travel, or fashion. Not whatever the HELL this was. He couldn't even guess what his Ultimate was anymore. Ultimate Mastermind? Ultimate Serial Killer? Ultimate Murderer?

 

It gave him the creeps to say the least. And, if you asked him if he had screamed when his feet nudged a DISEMBODIED MANIQUENS HEAD, he would say no. But, obviously, that would be a lie. Because anyone in their right goddamn mind would have a heart attack seeing that.

 

He had almost made up his mind that Rantaro was the Mastermind when his eyes landed on two wheels labeled "A" and "B". He recognized those letters, and decided to get a closer look.

...

THAT WAS IT!

The answer to that riddle was whatever was in the safe. He was sure of it. Already knowing the Zodiac symbols and how to solve the puzzle, he put in the answer. A few seconds passed before the safe clicked open. And, with a grin, Kokichi opened it up, and looked inside.

 

Inside was a flashdrive. Or at least, he was pretty sure that was what it was called? He hadn't seen one in person before- only in movies. But, he still picked it up and investigated it. He guessed that it would work with a computer, or a laptop of some sorts. Too bad he didn't know where one of those would be. Other than Miu's... But, he didn't want to think about that computer for obvious reasons. Besides, he was pretty sure that program was way too advanced to take a flimsy flash drive. He sighed, and looked around the room once more.

 

There didn't seem to be anything else of importance that he could see. Just a lot of creepy trial imagery. He did look over the decorations, though. Especially the pictures. Something about them seemed familiar, but he guessed that was just the pink "X's" painted crudely over all the photos. He was just about to leave when he heard...

 

"The doors unlocked? Hm."

 

Someone's voice. He froze in place, his breath catching in his throat. He tried to place who it was before he turned around. It sounded like Tsumugi, he was pretty sure. But, he couldn't figure out why she'd be up here. He hesitantly turned around, just as he saw her walk through the door. 

 

"Oh, there you are! We've been looking for you." She smiled a smile that was painfully fake. So, they were looking for him? He gave her a suspicious glance, and pocketed the flashdrive as she looked around the room curiously. "Was... This supposed to be Rantaro's Ultimate Room?"

 

"Nope! It was mine." Kokichi lied with a grin, but Tsumugi seemed to believe it. ... No. That wasn't quite right, was it? It looked more like she expected it. That was odd. A sense of unease made it's way into his mind as he wondered how many times he had mistaken belief for expectation when it came to the others. He didn't let it show on his face as he forced a giggle, "Kidding! It's obviously his. Nobody else could be in charge of a super secret  organization like DICE but me! Especially not someone who got his head caved in before he could even remember if he had a talent."

 

"Oh... How did you get in then? I thought it was locked?" Tsumugi tapped her chin, "Or did you just get Monokuma to open it?" 

 

"Uh, no?  Remember the third trial? I can pick locks. Opening this was a piece of cake!" Kokichi moved his hands away from his pockets, and behind his head, in a casual manner. He wasn't going to let her be the one to ask the questions, so, he changed the subject, "Why'd you come all the way up here? I thought you were all working together or whatever. What happened?"

She gave him a questioning look and frowned,  "Well... After you left, we all split up. Kiibo went off looking for you, and Himiko decided to do the same- while me and Shuichi decided to try to solve some more of the riddles!" Tsumugi paused for a moment, before she added, "I'm not sure where he is right now, though. I think he went to his Ultimate Room." 

 

"So... Only two of you are still doing the dumb riddle thing?" Kokichi clarified, with wide eyes. She nodded. He wasn't sure anymore if that was a good thing or not. Could any of them even manage to solve it? It seemed like it was just a diversion, purposely made to scare them into murder. But... Without knowing how many riddles were solved, or who was where, suspicions would rise. Was that why Shuichi thought that they should all stay together? He didn't want history to repeat itself? He needed some time to think about this. Alone. He started to walk to the door when Tsumugi stopped him.

 

"Hm... It looks like there's a laptop if you want to look at that flash drive." 

 

"What flash drive?" Kokichi tilted his head, playing dumb. 

 

"The one you stuffed in your pockets?" Tsumugi tilted her head just a bit to the side, "You didn't hide it really well, Kokichi. I want to see what's on it too!" 

 

"Too bad. I guess that's just going to remain a mystery, huh?" Kokichi smirked as he continued on, but as he stepped through the door, he caught Tsumugi picking up the laptop out of the corner of his eyes. She looked at it for a few moments, before she hummed. He paused, and glanced back. 

 

When he looked back, he could see what she was doing now. She wasn't investigating it. She was holding it with one hand, above her head, grip loose. He turned around as she shrugged, and said, "I guess neither of us will be able to watch it then. Darn." 

 

Kokichi hesitated at her threat. She slowly dropped each of her fingers, looking Kokichi directly in the eyes. Soon enough, she was left with only her index finger and thumb. He gulped, realizing a little too late how important that laptop must've been. Without thinking, he acted. 

 

"Wait!" Kokichi yelled, and she regained her grip on the laptop immediately. He reached into his pocket, and huffed. "Fine. Whatever! We'll watch the stupid video together." 

 

Tsumugi just smiled, and set the laptop back down on the table. He glared at her as he walked over to the table, and cautiously put the flash drive into it. As he opened the laptop, he stopped short. Staring at the blackened screen, his eyes widened.

 

Did... He just fall for his own trick..? 

 

His mind flashed back to Kiibo. Was... That how they felt when he pretended that he was going to destroy the camera? Hopelessly out of control, while being terrified of making an irreversible mistake, but, knowing that you don't have time to think about it. It was a shitty feeling. But, it wasn't nearly as bad as the feeling of guilt following that realization. He had purposely done that without a second thought. With a video of someone getting squashed no less. If that was how he felt then... 

He looked back over to Tsumugi, wondering how he had fallen for a trick that obvious. Not just that- Why did she trick him? What was so important about seeing the video that she needed to do that? It's obvious that she wasn't going to destroy the laptop in retrospect. It was an empty threat. So why? 

 

Wait. 

 

Why the fuck didn't he suspect her sooner? There were so many times he had ignored what she had said just because he found her boring. But, normal people don't call their friends "protagonists", or compare everything to stories every chance they get- nor do they break the fourth wall. Just how many times had he failed to notice her manipulation, or deceit, just because he deemed her as boring? 

 

"Um... You know, the on button is right there, right?" Tsumugi's annoyance was palpable as she pointed off to the side of the laptop. He knew in that moment who the Mastermind was. He bit his tongue, forcing himself to focus. 

 

"Uh, duh? But, what's the fun in something like this without a dramatic reveal?" Kokichi forced out with smirk, as he pressed the on button. He didn't look back at Tsumugi to see how she reacted, but he gripped the edge of the table to hide the fact that his hands were shaking. He could barely pay attention to the video as it started, too worried about what her being the Mastermind actually meant. 

To Kokichi, that one minute video seemed to go on for hours. He was baffled by it, barely able to comprehend anything that Rantaro had said. He'd have more luck understanding it if it was in another language. Who in their right mind would choose to be a part of a Killing Game like this TWICE!? And what was Rantaro trying to tell himself about the "two survivors" rule that he wasn't allowed to? And what the hell did that mean for the rest of them? 

 

He had far too many questions, and knew he'd never get the answers to them. At least, not from Rantaro. Although, he'd be lying if he said he wasn't tempted to curse out the effigy himself for being so cryptic and confusing even after death. He guessed it wasn't Rantaro's fault for that part, though. It seemed like there had been a strict filter on what he could and couldn't say in his video. 

 

 If Monokuma had set this up for Rantaro, that alone proved that he was in the same situation as the rest of them. Except for whatever he had been telling himself about. He'd figure that part out later. As far as Kokichi was concerned, even if Rantaro had "wanted it" to happen that didn't automatically rule the guy as the Mastermind. He was dead, after all. This room was a red herring. 

 

As the video ended, he tried to weigh his options going forward. He was now almost certain that Tsumugi was the Mastermind. But, he didn't have much evidence to support it as of now other than circumstantial. The others wouldn't believe him unless he could prove it. Chances were, they wouldn't even believe him then. 

 

It was decided then. He needed to wait until they were all together as a group before he acted. If he did that, he could trap her in a lie, and he wouldn't have to worry about whether or not the others would believe him. He just had to be smart about it. In the meantime, he needed to gather more evidence. Could he plant it for Shuichi to find? 
 

Ugh. But even if Shuichi HAD the evidence, there was no way of knowing whether or not it'd be discussed long enough to corner Tsumugi. She could easily deny it. Not to mention, everyone was spread out through out the School. Why would they meet up in the first place? Time was running out- two hours had already passed since the announcement- so, logically, time would be wasted trying to find everyone. Maybe they'd meet up- but it wouldn't be long enough to discuss the entirety of the Killing Game. 

 

God. This was difficult. 

 

If only there was a trial. That'd make things so much easier, he was sure. If the others could find out what he knew on their own, and they could actually TALK about it, there'd be a chance for them to understand what was actually going on here. Wait... Maybe-

 

A hand tapped his shoulder, and he jolted, snapping back to reality. He turned around quick, and locked eyes with Tsumugi. She had been standing there the whole time. Wow. Good job, Kokichi. Spacing in front of the Mastermind. It was a wonder that he wasn't dead yet. 

 

 "Did you notice something? You got really quiet." Tsumugi asked in mock concern, before she mumbled under her breath, "...For once." 

 

"Uh, duh? It's called thinking." Kokichi raised an eyebrow, catching her offhanded comment while he closed up the laptop. He held it to his chest as he walked towards the door. He smirked, before he said, "Guessing cosplayers don't really need to do that much though, huh?" 

 

He chuckled as she gasped in offense. By the time she walked out of the door, she had regained her composure, and said, "You know if you tell the others, they aren't going to believe you." 

 

He couldn't help but pause. She had caught onto him, hadn't she? His stomach dropped along with his tone, "If I tell them what? That Rantaro had a few screws loose? All they have to do is look in this room, and they'll know as well as I do." 

 

"But, would that really be enough?" Tsumugi asked. This conversation wasn't about Rantaro, both of them could tell. "Even if you plainly show them evidence, nobody here trusts you enough to believe it."

"It'll just be his words against mine then, right?"

 

Kokichi left Tsumugi alone after that, still holding the laptop tight to his chest. At least his investigation had turned out to be fruitful. But, he couldn't help but glance behind his back after that after every few steps. He had to prove her wrong. He just had to figure out how. 

~~*~~

He managed to reach the first floor much faster than it had taken him to get up to the fifth. Maybe that was on account of fear, but he didn't care to consider it. He managed to outrun Tsumugi, if she had followed him down, and that was enough. He needed to be alone for just a bit longer. And, to go through all of his evidence. Then, he could think about how to prove everything that he needed to to the others. 

 

As he thought through his current plan, however, his stomach growled. Loud. With all the drama in the past few hours, he had completely forgotten about the food that he had grabbed from the kitchen. He hadn't eaten since... Ugh.

 

Yeah. There was no way of avoiding it. He had to take a detour to the Dining Hall.

 

As he got there, he noticed Shuichi walking out of the Dining Hall. He looked a bit nervous, and kept his eyes to the floor. They passed in the hall, and the two of them met eyes for a moment, but Shuichi didn't say a word. Not even about the laptop he was holding. He just picked up his pace, and left the hallway. Kokichi thought that was odd, but he was hungry, so he didn't stop him. 

 

He stepped into the Dining Hall, expecting there to be something disturbing inside that would've caused Shuichi to react like that... But, there was nothing. Everything was left the same as it was this morning. Strange. It was probably another one of those riddles that freaked him out, he guessed. Or, the time running out. Either way, he didn't think much of it. 

 

He walked back over to the table, and sat down, letting himself rest for a moment. But, of course, that word was meaningless to Kokichi. As he opened up the sugary snack with his teeth, he pulled out his Monopad, and looked through the list once more. He read through it for a few moments as he took a bite. But, he was still stumped on them. 

 

So, he pulled up the map. Since each riddle was correlated with a place, he thought that might help him a bit. He flipped through the maps, when he noticed something- his Ultimate Room wasn't on any of them. At first he thought he was just seeing it wrong, but no. He checked again, and again, and each time it was the same. Neither the hallway, or his Ultimate Room was listed. That had to be significant, somehow. He decided to stop resting, at that point. 

 

As he quickly stood up, his hand nudged the Panta off to his side. Apparently it had been open, so it spilled onto the table. He flinched, and picked it up before too much could spill before he realized that nothing was going to happen. It was just soda. He sighed, and set it back down, making sure he had everything. He would've cleaned up the spill, but... What were the chances that they'd all be back in here to begin with? It'd just be a waste of time. So, he put the rest of his snack in his pocket with his Monopad, deciding to leave the rest for later. Once he was sure he had everything, he picked back up the Panta and the laptop. 

 

Despite his wariness, he took a sip as he walked to the door, and out to the dorms. His maps. He'd start there. 

Chapter 11: I didn't know I was broken 'til I wanted to change

Summary:

Kokichi tries his shot at being honest.

Notes:

Hey!

Just wanna apologize for not responding to comments, and for how late and short this chapter is! I've been really busy with Theater, Work and School for the past month, and haven't really had much time to sit down and write. Updates will hopefully be more consistent by the end of this month!

I hope you all have had a great day today! And, make sure to drink some water. Ily! <3 /p

Kokichi spared no time to get to work. As soon as he reached his room, he started looking around for the map. Of course, he had to set down his Panta and the laptop first, but it didn't break his stride. He luckily had a vague idea on where it was, after attempting to show the maps to Kiibo earlier, so it only took him a handful of minutes to find the maps. He grabbed a pen off of a shelf, and sat down on the floor. He took one final sip of his soda, before he was finally ready to look over the maps.

He had gotten the idea to make these for himself after Kaede's death. It was partially due to the fact that he couldn't trust Monokuma, and partially because he wanted a detailed look at each of the rooms to make sure they wouldn't miss something big like what Kaede made again. Miu's RC Camera-copter had helped him with most of the layouts, although he was still lacking some specifics. Despite that, the maps always came in handy.

He pulled out the map to the basement first. He wasn’t sure about the other locations yet, since they hadn't explored much, but he did get a good enough look at his own Ultimate Room. He traced with his pencil where the stairs were, when he paused.

His stairs started where the Mastermind’s room ended. It made no sense. He was sure that was impossible. Structurally, at least. Though, even if he misestimated when he had been drawing the map of the Masterminds room, it still ended right there. Was this why the maps didn't show it?

No matter what, he was sure that it was better to check it out rather than staying in his room more. He grabbed a bag out from under a pile of clothes, and put the laptop inside it. He grabbed the maps as well, and stuffed them inside. He was about to put it on his back, when his eyes met with Miu's Camera-Copter again. He wordlessly grabbed it, and placed it inside before he zipped it. Although it hurt, he adjusted the backpack so it was on his back correctly, and was off. He left his room, and locked the door before he began to walk back to the main building with a hum.

But, he didn't get far.

As he reached the front door, he stopped, and frowned. What would he even do if he was right? He had already been in the Mastermind's room once before and found nothing of use inside. And, even if he did this time somehow, he couldn't convince the others with the truth. He was still the Mastermind in their eyes. Not to mention, even if his theory was correct, that meant there was an entire set of stairs in the way between the Mastermind's room and hallway. Unless he had explosives, he wouldn't be able to use it. ...And, explosives would obviously attract more attention than him trying to do the same thing he had done earlier. He was stuck.

Could he even keep going like this? All this scheming and deceiving seemed counterproductive at this point. No matter what he did, they wouldn't believe him. They wouldn't expect anything good out of him... They wouldn't even trust his evidence unless he somehow could hide the fact that it was his. The only good option left was to sacrifice himself, and hope that the time limit wasn't a complete lie. Maybe he could make it obvious that it was a suicide, just in case the others weren't sure so they didn't vote for the wrong person like an idiot.

Or maybe...

Maybe he could try to trust someone other than himself, just this once. The thought of doing that was nauseating, but he still found himself drifting back to the middle of the dorms, scanning the doors.

There was only one person he could reasonably ask for help at this point. So, he knocked on their door, hoping just slightly that they'd be in there. He wasn't expecting them to be in there, or to open the door. But, they did. He wasn't sure if he was more relieved, or nervous knowing that fact.

Kiibo opened their door a crack, and looked out into the lobby. Their mechanical eyes almost looked tired as they met Kokichi's gaze. Relief painted their features just a bit as they saw it was Kokichi, but that quickly turned to bitterness. A few awkward seconds passed, before they mumbled, "Why are you here?"

"Cuz I need your help, duh!"

"Then go ask someone else." Kiibo started to close their door, but Kokichi tried to stop them from closing it any further by putting his hand in the crack.

"Hey!" He grimaced as it got pinned between the door and the frame for a few moments, but Kiibo quickly stopped pushing when they saw that he had his hand caught between it. They mouthed a sorry as he said, "What got you so pissy?"

They frowned, and looked away, trying to find the courage to stand up for themself. They hugged the jacket in their hands, gathering themself, before they stood their ground, "You said that you would tell me if you found, or noticed something. But, you lied. That is why I am upset."

"Ugh, c'mon! Get over it. I lie to everyone!" Kokichi scoffed and put his hands on his hips, only to get the door closed in his face. That was when he realized he needed to change his strategy. He cursed under his breath, before he stumbled through an apology. It came out stilted and forced as he said, "Sorry. There. I'm sorry... for lying to you?"

"If you are just going to keep lying, go and lie to someone else." They replied with a sigh, and began to walk away from their door. Yet, their voice remained clear as they continued, "I know the difference between helping someone, and being used. ...I could have helped you if you had just told me what you noticed. We all could have."

"Ugh. Don't give me that, Kiiboy!" Kokichi groaned, and facepalmed. "You seriously expect me to spill everything I know in front of the Mastermind!? Or any of them to trust me enough to actually go along with me!? YOU don't even trust me!"

"I have been trying to, Kokichi!"

"Yeah, right. Like 'trying' to trust someone is a thing!"

"Is that why you do not trust any of us?" They fired back, their tone more disbelieving than anything, "You do not understand how it works?"

"And you do?" Kokichi shot back, but fell short of any other response. Kiibo had gone silent afterwards as well. A few minutes passed, and in the silence his thoughts only spiraled. He closed his eyes, and sighed. His mouth ran before his mind could catch up as he began to speak. "...Okay, Kiiboy, listen. I'm sorry. It's just- I'm scared, okay!?"

There were a few seconds of silence, before he heard a quiet, "You are... Scared?"

"Obviously! Aren't you?" He laughed harshly at their reply, "We're all still stuck in this Killing Game, and you're doomed to blow up in less than 24 hours. How could I not be scared? This whole game has been a fucking nightmare, and it's perfectly engineered even now to torture us. I don't think anyone could be in this situation and NOT be terrified. I-I've almost gotten murdered, what? Three times now? I've watched literally everyone I thought I could trust enough either die in front of me, or want me dead..."

Kokichi realized a little too late how brutally honest he was being... But it didn't matter anymore, did it? There was no incentive to lie to them anymore. So, he kept going, "You're... Ugh. I don't know why the fuck you thought it was a good idea to 'save' me after everything, but you did. And, now we're both living with the consequences. So, here's the deal. If you don't want to help me, I'll stall for time and end this myself. You won't have to worry about exploding, and killing everyone. All you'll have to worry about is figuring out where the key goes and getting the others as far away from this fucking hell as possible. I'll give you my room key, and this backpack full of enough evidence to end this game, and pin the Mastermind if used correctly. Or.... I'll tell you everything I know about this game, and we can figure out how to end this together. No lies this time."

The door creaked, and Kokichi held back a smile as he saw it open just slightly. Did they believe him? He didn't have to do this alone anymore... Did he?

By the determined look in their eyes, he was sure he wouldn't. But still, he asked.

"So, what is it going to be?"

Notes:

AN: I actually pasted the maps of the first floor, and basement over each other out of boredom a few months ago, and came upon the same realization that Kokichi does! The stairs, and the Mastermind room seem like they're actually in the same place. Or, would be just beside each other, based on the maps! Dunno if it's a plot hole, or just an interesting detail, but either way! It's pretty cool.

Chapter 12: Good Lies

Summary:

Kokichi finally tells the truth.

Notes:

Longer chapter today, as a treat! The plots picking up from here! :)

 

"Why are we going to Miu's Ultimate Lab?" Kiibo asked as the two of them neared her Ultimate Lab. 

 

Despite all odds, Kiibo had agreed to help Kokichi one final time. It was a shocker honestly, for both of them. But, Kokichi wasted no time to act once they agreed. So, he took them to the only place he could think of at this point that'd be of any use- her lab. 

 

In all honesty, he didn't want to come here in the first place... And, he was sure Kiibo felt the same way. Though, it wasn't like he was actually close to Miu. Neither of them truly trusted each other. They were associates through necessity, which was why things played out the way they did- and why they were here right now. Necessity.  At least, that was what Kokichi told himself as they grew closer to the imposing lab.

 

"Cuz, I have unfinished business!" Kokichi replied as casually as he could, as he opened up the door with a shaky grin. Likely to a stroke of luck, Kiibo didn't seem to notice how fake it was. Or maybe they had just grown accustomed to his lies. 

 

"Uhm... What kind of 'unfinished business'?"

 

"I asked her to build me something before she tried to kill me. But, she never gave me it. I don't know if she finished it or not, but I wanna find it!" He explained as he walked inside. He looked around for a few moments, tapping his chin in thought, before his eyes landed on a table with a pile of inventions. He hurried to the pile, immediately searching through the contents. Kiibo followed him into the room, but didn't go all the way inside. Instead, they looked around the room as they stood beside the door.

 

"What does it look like?" They asked curiously, "I may be able to help you find it?" 

 

"If she followed the blueprints, it should look like a glass vial thingy with a metal top. It's a vacuum too, and it's about, this big?" Kokichi gestured with his hands a vague estimate of its size, before he turned back to the pile he was at, "Just yell if you see something like that!"

 

"Alright." They nodded, and walked over to a counter. Although this place made them a bit uncomfortable, they pushed through it and looked through a box on a table. The two of them continued on like this for a few minutes, searching through boxes and piles of inventions, before Kiibo noticed something that appeared to be what Kokichi was describing. They carefully pulled it out of the box, and investigated it themself, before they turned back towards Kokichi. "Uhm... Is this it?" 

 

Kokichi turned to them, still holding an invention in his hands, and looked at what they were holding up. It only took a glance, before his eyes lit up. He nodded animatedly, and grinned, "Yes! That's it! God, I can't believe she actually made it. Guess that bitch was actually good for something after all." 

 

He dropped the invention in his hand carelessly on the table, and darted over to them. He held his hands out for the vacuum, and they carefully handed it off to him. He was silent for a few moments as he stared at the machine, but he quickly shook his head- as if to get rid of whatever thoughts that arose as fast as possible. He looked back up at Kiibo and hummed, "Can you like. Magnify things with your eyes? I know you can take pictures and stuff, but can you make things bigger?" 

 

"Yes...?" They nodded hesitantly, already expecting Kokichi to use that as fuel for a cruel joke. But, none came. It was confusing, and they couldn't brush off the fear that it was another trap. So they asked warily, "What does that have to do with anything?" 

 

"You'll see!" Kokichi smirked, and handed them back the Bugvac without another word. They tilted their head at him, and he continued with his questioning,  "So could you do that like, right now? While you're looking at it, obviously. There's something in there that you should see before I explain anything else."

 

Kiibo obliged, despite their confusion, and investigated the bugvac closely. Although the moment that they saw what was inside it, they almost dropped the invention out of shock. They quickly fastened their grip on the bugvac, before they blinked over at Kokichi, mouth agape. "W-What is that!?" 

 

"So there WAS something in there! I knew my idea would work!" Kokichi pumped his fist in the air, before he explained. "Those are the other cameras. I mean- They're the cameras.  These are what Miu tested her electromagnetic mumbo jumbo bombs on! At least, I'm guessing that's what those things are if my theories were right. Either you're looking at a ton of cameras or a ton of bugs- you know what bugs look like, right?" 

 

 "I know what bugs look like, Kokichi. Even if I had not before, after the insect meet and gree-"

 

"OKAY! OKAY, JEEZE IT WAS JUst.... a" He quickly dropped his voice as soon as he realized he had raised it, noticing how Kiibo flinched back. It was accidental, and he could see the guilt on their face matched his own. They looked as if they were about to apologize for bringing it up, but he spoke again before they could, "... I was just making sure, I've never seen what's inside it myself! Are they cameras, or...?" 

 

"Uh, yes, I think that is what they are holding." They nodded, and shifted their grip on the Bugvac a bit.

 

"Hold on.... Holding?!"

 

"Yes, uh... It looks like there are a bunch of Monokuma's with wings inside here? And, they are all holding cameras." Kiibo did their best to explain, while Kokichi set the bag that was on his back down on the ground. He hissed from the pain, but looked to Kiibo to continue despite it, moreso as a distraction than anything. But, of course they had to notice, and stop to look over at him in concern. "Are you alright?"

 

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just setting down the bag." Kokichi waved his hand in dismissal, and looked away. To avoid them getting any more suspicious, and to save time, he slowly crouched down beside it and unzipped the backpack. He reached inside to grab the laptop, and said, "So they're mini Monokuma's holding cameras? Weird!"

 

"Do you want me to print a picture?" 

 

"Is it going to come out of your mouth again?!" Kokichi gasped, and turned to them with an amused expression. They however looked away in embarrassment, and turned around, covering their mouth with their hand as they printed the picture. That only served to make Kokichi burst out into laughter, though, despite their actions trying to avoid that. He giggled, and said, "Pfft-! Aw, c'mon! You didn't have to hide it!" 

 

"Yes, I did!" They got defensive, "You were going to make fun of me for it!"

 

"Kiiboy, look at me. I'm literally a leader of a group of clowns! Are you really going to take anything I say seriously?!" Kokichi exclaimed in disbelief, actually stunned that they seemed hurt by that. It wasn't like it was a bad thing that they could print stuff. It was interesting, and useful, which was a lot more than he could say about everyone else. So, he decided to point that out, "I mean, everyone here is weird as hell! Shuichi has punched an alligator before, Himiko thinks she's a wizard, Tsumugi created a whole fucking killing game... And, I can't like, taste or smell anything! Compared to the rest of us you're normal!" 

 

"Wait... WHAT?!" 

 

"Yeah, you heard me! At least you can smell things! I can barely even taste soda!"

 

"No, not that!" They shook their head rapidly, their eyes wide. Although his words would've made them feel a bit better in any other situation, it was overshadowed by everything else he had said.  "What do you mean 'Tsumugi created the Killing Game'?" 

 

"Oh, right... You weren't there, huh!" Kokichi mumbled, before he chuckled a bit at the look on their face. He realized that there was no better time than now to explain everything that he could to them. So, he gestured at them to come over to where he stood as he put the laptop down on the table in front of him. They began to walk over, while Kokichi reached down into the bag once more to pull out the maps- he told them the story the best he could. 

 

"When I went off on my own, I went to look in Rantaro's Ultimate Room, since, y'know. That was like. The one place I never really investigated. I didn't want to let any of you know where I was going in case the Mastermind was hiding something in there, and that's why I didn't bother to grab you by the way. Also because that would've caused a scene. Anyways, when I got there, I was met with an Ultimate Room that literally looked like it was straight out of the horror movie. I doubt we'll have time to go back there, and I doubt there's really anything else important in there- but, believe me. It was terrifying."

 

"Okay...? What does that have to do with the Mastermind?" Kiibo asked, but Kokichi just opened up the laptop and began to boot it up. They tapped their fingers idly on the desk, trying to sort through what he had said. 

 

"I'll get to it!" Kokichi shot back, before he tapped his chin, forgetting where he left off,  "Okay, where was I... Oh yeah! So, it was styled like a trial room, and it had a bunch of pictures of people on the walls with their faces crossed out- like everyone that's died here. There were also mannequins, and murder weapons, and it just was creepy! There was also this puzzle, which probably would've been impossible for you guys- but, I found the clues needed to solve it a while ago so I breezed through it. That was where I found this laptop, and this flash drive! So obviously, considering how suspicious all of that was, I thought that Rantaro was the Mastermind." 

 

"Is... he the Mastermind?"

 

"He's dead, so no." Kokichi shook his head, "But, this video was definitely filmed to make it seem that way."

 

Kiibo was about to ask what video he was referring to, but they stopped short as the screen of the laptop lit up brightly, and the video began to play. It was just as mysterious and suspicious as last time, nothing changed. As they watched the video, Kokichi tried to gauge Kiibo's reaction to it. He wanted to make sure that they were on the same page, and that they were genuinely surprised by it. And, for the most part, as far as he could tell they reacted just as he had. However, there was something else there. Their expression had grown serious, much more so than he had expected. Even when the video ended, their eyes remained focused on the screen. Kokichi almost didn't want to interrupt their thoughts, but he knew he had so much more to explain- so, he continued. 

 

"All the evidence proving that Tsumugi's the Mastermind circles back to him." He spoke up once more, grabbing the maps that he had set off to the side, and set them down in front of Kiibo and himself.

 

"Rantaro..? How?" 

 

"His death, like I said earlier... It's suspicious! His Monopad went missing during the investigation, yet nobody was seen taking it, and nobody has seen it since. I've already gone through this with you once, so you know what I'm talking about! And... If I remember correctly, you said that with my logic, it ruled out the possibility of anyone being the Mastermind. But... It didn't. The only person who didn't have a foolproof alibi during the trial was Tsumugi." 

 

"Uhm... Didn't she say that she was going to the bathroom, though?"

 

"Exactly. She was lying. " Kokichi nodded, before he went into a long winded rant once more, "That one fucking detail has drove me insane this entire game. Why would she lie about something like that? Kaede wasn't lying about killing Rantaro, Shuichi wasn't lying about seeing her toss the shot put ball, but Tsumugi was lying about everything. Yet, that makes no sense! If one of them is lying, that means the other is telling the truth! So, that leaves two possibilities- Kaede and Tsumugi both killed Rantaro together, or Kaede thought she killed Rantaro." 

 

Kiibo had to take a moment to process what Kokichi had just said. To be honest, most of the time it seemed impossible to keep up with him, but this was a new level of difficulty entirely. How were they supposed to react to seeing someone they knew apparently talk about the Killing Games as if they were really... Games. The video could've been scripted, but since whoever was behind the camera cut him off at one point, they really weren't sure what to think. If Rantaro had wanted the Killing Game to happen, and had chosen to join... What did that mean for the rest of them? What did it mean for Kiibo? Had they truly chosen to be a part of this or were they just built for the audience...? Although they had wanted Kokichi to explain everything, they almost regretted letting him. This felt like too much to take in at once.

 

"And then, look at this map!" Kokichi tapped his finger on the map. Specifically, the first floor map, keeping the basements map beside it. "If you look closely, you can see the staircase that goes to my Ultimate Lab. It's right in the middle of the front entrance thingy! But, when you compare that to the Basement...." 

 

"The Mastermind's room is right next to the stairs?" 

 

"Bingo! 100 points for Kiiboy!" He cheered, "Did you see any doors while we were down there?"

 

"Uhm... No." They shook their head, although they looked a bit unsure of themself. "There were none down there as far as I could tell. Although, it was very dark." 

 

"Okay! I think we can totally say there's no door down there, then!" He pointed off to the basement map again, "Which leads me to the next theory... There's a secret entrance to the Mastermind Room somewhere around here, which is exactly where Tsumugi would've been during the time of Rantaro's murder." 

 

"Really? Have you been able to find any secret rooms that she may have used?" 

 

"Well, no... I didn't bother to check... And, I kinda just realized that last part as I said it..." He mumbled under his breath, before he said "Actually. The only reason I was able to realize it was her for sure was because of this video. After you guys spilt off, she came straight to Rantaro's Ultimate Lab, and then made sure I watched this video. Which makes me think this was staged..."

 

"She was with you?" 

 

"Mhm. And she wanted me to watch this. That was so suspicious!" He explained, "And, I don't think I reacted in the way I was supposed to . She caught onto me." 

 

"How was she able to know that you were in there, though?" 

 

"Anddddd, that brings us back to those weird Monocameras! There were hundreds of places I could've been in the school, and I'm supposed to buy that she just so happened to be nearby? The timing doesn't line up- She would've had to have gone straight over to get there in time! So, she has access to the cameras constantly, or to something that does."  

 

"Wh...What do we do then? If Tsumugi is the Mastermind.... And there are cameras watching our every move..." They froze, "Is it even possible to end the Killing Game?" 

 

"Does it actually change anything?" Kokichi questioned, "You already knew there was an audience. Does it really matter if the Mastermind is included in it?" 

 

"Yes? If she knows what we are doing, and that we want to end this game... She will not just let us do it!" They began to get worried, and paced slightly as they tried to process this new information. "The game is supposed to continue until only two of us are left… So isn't that her plan?" 

 

"And yet, you're exploding tomorrow." Kokichi pointed out, and Kiibo stopped pacing, looking back at Kokichi in confusion. They weren't expecting Kokichi to be so calm about this... Yet he was. Almost as if he wasn't worried about being able to end the Killing Game, after all. He casually continued, "Can you imagine how boring it'd be if you just kept playing chess with someone until all the pieces were off the board?" 

 

"I've.... never played chess." They admitted, looking off to the side.

 

"Seriously?! Were you just not allowed to have any fun as a.... kid robot!? Your life makes me so sad!" He frowned, tearing up slightly in dramatics. He didn't get the reaction he wanted out of Kiibo though, so he immediately dropped it. "Whatever- Lemme continue with my metaphor! If you're playing chess, or any game, and you and your opponent tie.... It's frustrating! Like, let's play a game of rock paper scissors! Right now!" 

 

"Rock paper scissors?" 

 

"Please don't tell me you don't know what that is..." Kokichi whined, but thankfully they shook their head. He was glad. He didn't want to have to explain the logistics of Rock Paper Scissors just to prove a point. He grinned, "Good! Let's play then. I'll make it fun for you too! If you win, I'll stop making fun of you for being a robot!" 

 

"Really?" Their eyes lit up slightly, which he hadn't been expecting. But, he was glad he wouldn't have to think of a better incentive than that. 

 

"Yep!" 

 

"Wait..." They paused, narrowing their eyes at him in suspicion, "Are you lying?" 

 

"No, I'd never lie about something as serious as a game! Ever! I swear on my dead brother's Pokémon collection that I am telling the complete and utter truth!" 

 

"Your dead brother's... What?" They asked, but received no answer from Kokichi. Only a grin that told him that he was probably lying about the brother. Or... Who knew what. There was no time to unpack it, as he immediately started talking again. 

 

"C'mon! Let's play!"  Kokichi stuck out his fist, and looked up at Kiibo to do the same. They were hesitant, and gave him a worried glance before they ended up doing the same. He knew they'd go along with it. That was why as soon as they put their hand near his own, he looked up and said, "On shoot, okay?" And began to count off, "3, 2, 1, shoot!" 

 

They both got rock, which Kokichi had guessed would happen. It was generally anyone's first choice, after all. So, he glanced up at them to gauge their reaction. They looked surprised, and slightly disappointed as they looked back over to Kokichi to see what was going to happen next. He kept his expression neutral, as he playfully asked, "Aw, well... Wanna try again?" 

 

They nodded, and he held back a smile. The two of them threw their fists, and both got scissors. He had guessed they'd try to beat him that way- They were smarter than the others gave them credit for. He knew they'd guess that he'd pick paper, to beat their rock, which meant they'd try to beat him to it by picking scissors. They were wrong, though. He wasn't that stupid. 

 

They were stunned, and looked a bit more driven to win. He hadn't expected Kiibo to be the competitive type, but here they were- actually wanting to win. It almost made him wish that they had more time to spend together before they ended the Killing Game. They'd be very fun to play board games with. Sure, there'd be time after the game... But... Something about that felt unlikely. Again, he offered another round. 

 

"Okay, I'll give you one last chance to beat me since I'm so nice! If we tie after this though, the game is off. We can't waste anymore time doing this." 

 

And so, they played once more. This time, Kokichi was careful to make sure he knew exactly what Kiibo was going to play. He watched their hand, and made note of how each finger twitched with every throw. He noted their expressions, each tiny tell they had and went through each of their decisions in his mind. Rock, scissors... Rock. 

 

They tied once more just as he had planned. Kiibo had gotten a lot more disappointed than he had expected, as they even yelled out in protest at their tie. He laughed seeing their reaction, before he decided to explain why he had asked them to play with him in the first place. 

 

"Nishishi! See? It sucks to tie with someone!" Kokichi smirked, glad that his game had the intended effect on them. He let them process the tie for a few seconds, before he cockily asked, "Do you see why that 'rule' is a bunch of bullshit now?" 

 

"Wh...Huh?" They frowned, not quite understanding why Kokichi wasn't disappointed about tying as well. But, that was when they realized he had probably planned that in the first place. They weren't sure how someone could rig a game of rock paper scissors, but they knew if anyone would, it'd be Kokichi. After thinking about it, they started to see what he was trying to prove. "Oh, I see. It will not end like that because it is... disappointing?" 

 

"Mhm! There's no winners, and no losers! There's no point in a game if both sides gain nothing from it!" He smirked, his eyes lighting up at Kiibo's understanding. "Ever since the beginning, it's always been a game against the Mastermind. A long, drawn out game of rock, paper, scissors to see who caves in first. Every death, every move, every single murder... It's all been leading up to this moment. This time though, there's no ties, just the highest stakes imaginable. The only thing that's allowed is pure competition. You can't get ANY game more entertaining than that!" 

 

"Uhm..." Kiibo spoke up, taking a tiny step back away from Kokichi. They were a bit startled by his sudden shift in tone, especially since they had just gotten used to him acting fairly normal. They mumbled a bit, "I am sorry, but you are kind of scaring me right now, Kokichi.." 

 

Kokichi blinked, and paused, snapping out of whatever that was quickly. "Whoops! I think I hit my head too hard during that execution." He chuckled a little awkwardly, rubbing the side of his head lightly. There was still a bump on it. Though, he couldn't tell if it was new, or if it was just from the last time he had hit it on something. Either way, that was probably concerning. He just hoped if he made it out of the Killing Game alive that he'd be able to get it checked out, or go to a hospital. Trying to make sure that he didn't scare away the only chance at help he had, he put his hands out placatingly and tried to reassure them, "That's Tsumugi's logic, not mine! I swear!" 

 

"I think it is a mix of both." They shook their head, concern clear on their face. They really weren't sure how to feel about that, but knew deep down that Kokichi wanted the best for everyone. Even if it wasn't obvious talking to him- and, even if it seemed like it was less about genuinely saving the others, and more of a desire to win. They still had a common goal, and that was to end the Killing Game with the least amount of casualties possible. No matter what, they needed to work together. "If you hit your head that hard, I think you should sit down... I do not think it is a good idea for you to push yourself."

 

"Stop babying me, I'm fine! If I can run to the trial grounds after falling through the floor, I can definitely stand and talk!" He rolled his eyes in annoyance. He didn't want to talk about that anymore. So, he changed the subject. "Anyways, let's get back to what we were talking about! I think I've covered everything I haven't told you, soooo I fulfilled my end of the bargain! We need to come up with a plan." 

 

"Whatever we do, I do not want anyone else to die." 

 

"Nobody dies... Alright. I think we can do that!" He nodded, although he couldn't help but think that was impossible- especially considering the time limit motive. But, he didn't voice his concerns just yet. 

 

"We also need to make sure that we all escape, and can find out the truth of the Killing Game." 

 

"Okay..." He nodded once more, this time a lot less confident in his ability to carry it out. "Those will be harder to accomplish, especially the truth part, but I guess we can try?" 

 

"And, we need to find out where the key goes so that we can end the game safely!" 

 

"Annnnnd, you lost me!" He sighed and facepalmed, "The key was definitely a bluff, Kiiboy."

 

"But, you said it yourself that the game is structured in a way that prevents a tie. A key that is nearly impossible to find where it goes in time, but can end the game seems like something that they would not bluff about." They explained their thinking, "If they offered a way to end the game but did not go through with it, it would break the game." 

 

"Yeah but it's nearly impossible . There's no way in hell the two of us would be able to solve all of those dumb riddles in time." He scoffed, "Not to mention, Monokuma doesn't give a shit about breaking the game. He just makes new rules on top of them!" 

 

"Well... Maybe there is no need for the time limit?" 

 

"Uh, are you even paying attention? We can't control the time limit- Tsumugi does!" 

 

"Kokichi, what I am saying is... I think there is a way to get rid of the time limit without hurting anyone." 

 

"Yeah, right." He frowned, "What?" 

 

"You can disconnect my battery." 

 

"WH-NO!" Kokichi immediately sputtered, before he tried to regain his composure. He couldn't plan anything if he was getting emotional. Especially over something stupid like that. "I mean- That's literally the opposite of what you said you wanted. You said you wanted to end this game without death, so we're ending it without death." 

 

"No, you don't understand! As long as you put my battery back in, I will not be dead for long! It would only be long enough to disable the self-destruct sequence. Then we can all work together as a team again to figure out where the key goes." 

 

" For long ." He emphasized. He couldn't believe that he was trying to talk them through this right now. The very fact that they even thought that he'd do it made him sick. "Kiiboy, there's very few lines I won't cross, and killing someon- something is one of them! I can't kill you!" 

 

"Again, I will not actually be dead. The Professor had to take my battery out a few times during repairs, and it did not hurt." They calmly explained the best they could, "I can draw a picture showing how it is done if it makes it easier, and I can walk you through it?" 

 

"Just because it's something that your shitty excuse of a father figure did to you, that doesn't mean I'm going to do it!" He argued, losing his cool. "Do you seriously think that any of them will want to work with me after everything that I've done!? How do you think they'll react finding out that I've murdered another one of their friends?! That Tsumugi won't just create another time limit!?"

 

"Is there anything else that you can think of?" They challenged, but it didn't seem spiteful in the slightest. He could see it in their eyes that they didn't want it to have to come to this either. He looked away from them, glaring off at the laptop in bitter silence. He wasn't sure if Rantaro had a good enough motive for joining this game, so he couldn't fault him... But he would never forgive himself for joining this game. 

 

"No..." He murmured, and met Kiibo's eyes once more. For the first time, he could see the tiredness in their eyes- despite the fact that they were mechanical. This stood out to him more than their words did. Even though they were a robot, they could still see, they could feel, and care, and grieve. In this moment, he could see that they were just as human as he was, and he hated it.

 

After a long while, he finally spoke up. "Fine. If you're going to make me kill you, we need a better plan than 'let's all work together as friends!' because that isn't going to fucking work. You're the only person around that's stupid enough to trust me, and there's no way in hell they'll let me get close enough to you to put the battery back in if Monokuma announces the murder. We also can't let Tsumugi catch onto the fact that we found a loophole in her time limit system. I'm sure she'd let it slide this time, but she'd definitely try it again. So, ugh. I can kill you, and then bring you right back, and then you can hide so she doesn't know we beat the system? Or, uhm... Shit." 

 

"Hmm...." They hummed, trying to think the problem through. It was definitely a conundrum- but, one with a simple answer. "I think I have a solution for that." 

 

"What?"

 

They set down the Bugvac onto the table as a precaution, before they dropped their voice to a whisper, "You do not have to bring me back right away." 

 

"The fuck- Are YOU okay!?" He stammered, in absolute disbelief at this point. He wasn't sure what had gotten into them, but this wasn't anything he ever expected Kiibo to say by any means. Yet, they were determined and full of conviction. They were actually confident for once, which stunned him. "First you're asking me to kill you- Now you're telling me not to bring you back immediately? Jeez, I knew the last trial hit you hard, but..." 

 

"It is not that. It is just..." They glanced over at the cameras worriedly, before they sighed. Quietly, they tried to walk through their idea, "I think... If there is a way that you can take out my battery, and hide somewhere while they investigate, and then put my battery back in before the trial starts, we can solve all of our problems at once. You are good at trials, and leading everyone to the right conclusions, so I think that you could defend yourself and prove to everyone that Tsumugi is the Mastermind if you had enough time- even if nobody trusts you. And, I can go into the Mastermind's Room without alerting Tsumugi, and find out how to end the Killing Game without the riddles!" 

 

 

Kokichi was astounded. Their idea didn't seem to have any flaws from what he could tell, and it did seem reasonable enough. Yet, he still couldn't believe that Kiibo had come up with it. Normally, that would've made him suspicious. But... He knew that they weren't being controlled by the audience anymore. And, they had proven to him somehow that they were more than just a tool. He still felt the need to clarify, just to make sure that he had heard them right, "So, let's just get this straight... You want me to lie to everyone, and pretend that I've killed you so I can buy you enough time to end the Killing Game?" 

 

"Well... Uhm..." Their eyes widened, their expression growing guilty. It was obvious that they hadn't realized all that their plan had entailed. They looked down, growing less and less confident in their idea by the second. "When you put it that way..."

 

"I'm sold!" Kokichi beamed, and stuck out his hand for a high five, "Let's do this, Kiiboy!"

 

Kiibo wavered, their confidence still waning from what Kokichi had said earlier. But, Kokichi just smiled at them, and gestured to his hand with his head. They weren't exactly sure what he wanted them to do, but they gave him the high five anyways which seemed to be enough for Kokichi. Despite everything, the unlikely duo began to work together. 

Notes:

"Did you know there’s a way to purposely tie every time during rock, paper, scissors?" -Kokichi, FTE

Unrelated, but have you guys seen any of the DRS interactions? I really love seeing Kokichi and Kiibo's friendship in the new game!!! It's nice seeing him genuinely have positive interactions with others. :)

Chapter 13: It still hurts me knowing this will be my last shot

Summary:

Connection, before a battery disconnects.

TW: Implied child abuse

Neither Kokichi nor Kiibo could believe that they were working together. It almost seemed too improbable that Kokichi would let his guard down enough to cooperate with someone, and that Kiibo would decide to trust Kokichi with something this big. Yet, here they were sacrificing their personal comforts for a future where they'd no longer have to worry about the horrors of the Killing Game.

 

However, that isn't to say that they got along perfectly. Far from that, actually. As the plan progressed, the two of them had argued back and forth multiple times. Yet, here Kokichi was helping them install weapons onto their arms. 

 

The idea to install the weapons had been Kokichi's, obviously. They had talked for a few minutes about whether or not it was worth it to look for the secret rooms that he theorized existed, but hit a dead end. They had no idea how much time they had to do so, or, if they could manage to find them before Tsumugi caught onto their plan. So, Kokichi suggested a shortcut. If they could destroy the staircase, or the door in the library, they could get into the Mastermind's room easily. But... There wasn't much available in Miu's lab that could do that. 

 

It wasn't until they realized that there were no options left that Kiibo had decided to mention their lab and the upgrades inside. And, the moment that left their mouth, Kokichi was fully on board-more so out of curiosity than anything. So, the two of them moved to Kiibo's Lab next, and Kiibo began working to install the blasters onto themself. However, they seemed to be having a bit of trouble installing the blaster on their non-dominant arm. 

 

"Y'know, I can help you with that." Kokichi said, as he saw them struggle with screwing in a plate onto their hand. They frowned, and tried once more to do it, but the plate slipped from their grip. Kokichi quickly caught it, before it hit the ground, and handed it back to them. 

 

"You can?" They questioned, suspiciously. They weren't sure how much they trusted him on this, especially with how he had acted throughout the entire killing game thus far, but Kokichi seemed to be telling the truth. Or, maybe he wasn't. It was always difficult to tell with him. Regardless, he nodded and smiled. 

 

"Uh huh! How do you think I got so good at drawing blueprints?"

 

"Is it because.... You like art?" 

 

"Nope! My parents were in charge of a major tech company growing up, for like, virtual reality, and electronic thingies? I was supposed to help run their company someday, so they forced me to learn how to build electronics and stuff. But, I liked art a lot more, so I'd draw their blueprints and they'd pass it off as their own work, which was sooo annoying. One day, I just got so mad that I purposely designed an invention to explode in their faces, and then had to go on the run for arson!" He explained stoically. 

 

“Oh… Uhm… What?” They stammered, confusion and concern filling their features. “Why did you..?”

 

“Cuz, payback! Duh. It was alllll over the news. It was a rough week for DICE… I didn’t think we’d survive!” He sighed, resting his hand in his palm. He kept this act up for a bit longer, just watching as Kiibo struggled to process what he had just said. He grinned, trying to keep himself from laughing as he said,  “Kidding! I don’t have parents!” 

“Oh… I am sorry?” 

 

“...Anymore, that is!” 

“I…” They started, but quickly cut themself off. They couldn’t even think of anything to say to that, so they opted to work on their arm some more. Kokichi began to crack up seeing their reaction, but he soon got bored of their lack of response. After a few moments, they sighed and asked, “Why do you always find the need to lie about things?” 

 

“How do you know that I’m lying?” He challenged, but Kiibo gave him a look and he frowned. He thought that they would’ve at least asked for clarification, or reacted more to his story than just that! But, no. They just calmly continued working on their arm, looking up every once and a while to see whether or not Kokichi was going to respond. 

 

“Fine… Do you want help or not?” He changed the subject with a disappointed expression. They looked torn as he asked that, unsure on what the best option would be. He waited for them to answer, bouncing his leg up and down in the chair absentmindedly. After a moment, they finally nodded. 

 

“Alright… If you are not lying about knowing how, I would not mind the help.” They still didn’t sound entirely sure as they said it, “Just be careful, because… I do not want to explode.” 

 

"Guess we'll just have to see if I was lying or not, then!~" He laughed a little, and walked over to the counter he had seen Kiibo grab their tools from off of. He surveyed the assortment of tools, before his eyes landed on a few he thought would work. So, he picked them up and took them back to where he was sitting, and set them down on the chair. He then grabbed the chair with his uninjured arm, and brought it closer to them, before he picked up the tools once more. He was going to work standing up, but he felt worn out from just doing that... so, he sat back down.

 

As he got situated, he thought about Kiibo's question for a bit. ...It was a good question, and one that he hadn't thought about that much. He carefully took a screw, and helped them screw in a panel as he ruminated on it. 

 

Truthfully, he had too many reasons for lying throughout the Killing Game. It was the easiest way to get everyone to lose trust in him, and was a very good way to ensure his own safety... Until it wasn't. It had grown into a habit, and impulse from overuse- one that he wasn't sure if he could kick, even if he got out alive with the others. It was even deeper than that, though. The amount of times that he had lied to himself to get through another night, or to do something he'd otherwise deem as horrific... It was hard to tell where he began, and where the lies ended. Despite all that, he still tried his best to explain it to them; figuring that if he was going to kill them, they at least deserved to have some of their questions answered. He sighed, before he finally spoke up. 

 

"Because.... There's no point in trying to tell the truth when you can't tell where the truth lies." He kept his eyes focused on their arm, avoiding eye contact. His voice was quiet as he spoke, as if he was telling a secret, but it was loud enough for Kiibo to hear, "In a game that breeds lies and liars, the best you can do is try to find something you understand, even if it's a lie. What's the point in sorting through what memories are real, and what's fake, when I can say anything and it'll have just as much of a chance of being true? At the very least, I can make it interesting if I lie." 

 

"Ah, I think I understand...?" They nodded, growing quiet once more as they screwed in the final part of the plate. They didn't seem to be judging him, which confused Kokichi more than anything. He was almost tempted to say something absolutely outrageously untrue just to get them to react, but he didn't. He just waited for them to continue. "Everything here is mysterious... So, I can see how it would be hard to figure out what is true. But... I thought that your goal was to find the truth of the Killing Game? That is the part that I do not understand. Why do you lie so much when you do so much to sort through the truth and lies?" 

 

"What are you talking about?" Kokichi raised an eyebrow, "I'm not trying to sort through anything. I'm just trying to win the Killing Game, that’s my only goal!" 

 

"All of this time you have been trying to find the Mastermind… And, you have done more to understand what has happened to us, than to cover it up…? It just does not make any sense for that to be your only goal."

 

"I mean, well, yeah! But, finding the truth and actually believing it is completely different. Like, those Flashback Lights. They make us remember the 'truth', yet they're full of lies! You always have to be suspicious." Kokichi explained as he crossed his arms, "Just because I've tried to figure things out, doesn't mean I believe in any of it." 

 

"What is wrong with the Flashback lights?" They asked, confused. "I know that you were worried about them earlier but... Were they really that bad?" 

 

"Uh huh! They're totally fake. All of them." He replied as he worked on their arm a bit more. It was almost done, but they needed to get this finished fast. "Couldn't you tell? Like, what are the chances that we'd all go to our own FUNERALS!? I would've crashed my own by traumatizing all the guests and giving them the ghost story of a lifetime! But, all I can remember is seeing my own picture, and hearing some guests mumble on about how much of a tragedy it was. It doesn't make any sense." 

 

"I think that if you had tried to crash it, someone would have stopped you."

 

"Duh! But why were we there to begin with? Seems counterproductive to go into hiding and then immediately guest star at your own funeral!" He pointed out with a frown. Silence followed for a moment, as he set down the screwdriver in his hands and took a deep breath to steady himself. A pit always made its way into his stomach when he thought about the fallibility of their memories, and this time was no different. Kiibo seemed to notice his change of demeanor, but they had no time to react before Kokichi spoke again. This time, a lot quieter than usual, "And... I know for a fact that I'd never fake my own death." 

 

"You...Wouldn't?" Their words were laced with skepticism, "Isn't that what you did yesterday..? When you tried to make us think it was you who died and not... Well, anyway, you already did that, so I am a bit confused." 

 

"Ugh... That's not what I meant." He put his head in his hands, trying to figure out how to explain it. It didn't make sense to him to begin with, but a part of him hoped that if he could just put it into words... if he could just tell someone what he was thinking for once... They'd understand. That he'd have some sort of confirmation that he wasn't going crazy, and that there was something real outside of himself that he could trust. That hope outweighed his fear of honesty just for a brief moment as he finally spoke.  

 

"In a Killing Game, sure. But that's different than actually doing that outside of this hell... Throwing away my memories, and faking my death just to live life 'like normal'? I'd be pointless! If I forgot my Ultimate, I'd just be throwing away everything that made me feel normal in the first place! DICE... They're the reason I had my Ultimate. They were my Ultimate. ...And they were my family.... I wouldn't have cared if my life was in danger, or if the big scary Government wanted me to lay low- I wouldn't have abandoned them." He looked up at them, and gripped his scarf in resoluteness, "I know I wouldn't have. ...That's the only thing I can say for sure about myself, anymore." 

 

Kiibo listened carefully throughout it all, nonjudgmentally. They were surprised by his sudden bout of candor, but they didn't say anything about it. They just thought about what he said, and considered it. The Ultimate Hunt had seemed suspicious, but they all had agreed on what they remembered... Even Rantaro had seemed to remember it somewhat as well. But, perhaps this was just another layer to the lies that they found themselves in. 

 

"Ah... You do have a point. I never really thought about it that much." They hummed and paused their work momentarily to think it through. Before long they added, "I do not think I would have forgotten that I was a robot. Or the Ultimate one for that matter that easily... And, I do not think that I would have chosen to forget my Ultimate either. I... Would just be seen as another robot without it."

 

"Exactly! Like, no offense but I really doubt you'd be able to blend in that easily." He cheekily grinned, "You'd just be walking down the street and someone'd go , "Hey, why does this kid have lines on their face? And, why are they wearing a literal suit of armor?” “Oh, that looks like that robot that died mysteriously!” “No way! That is the robot that died mysteriously!" , And you'd be immediately found out!  Unless you got locked away after the Ultimate Hunt.... But, you can't remember something like that happening, can you?" 

 

They frowned before they replied, "Uhm.... No? I went to a normal school afterwards, from what I can remember… Wait… The Professor did not even let me outside much in the first place… That does not make sense…" 

 

"Boom! There we have it!" He clapped his hands together, "There’s your proof! The Ultimate Hunt was fake! And... so were the dumb flashback lights!” 

 

"But... If all of our memories from the Flashback Lights are false, what does that mean about the world outside?" They looked nervous, realizing what that implied. “What… Does that mean about our lives?”

 

“Who knows! I haven’t been able to figure out that far yet. Just that the world totally didn’t end, and the only despair cult is the creators of this show.” He shrugged, “And, that there’s apparently technology now that rewrites and deletes memories… And, that we were all dumb enough to willingly participate in this.” 

 

“What do you mean?” 

 

“Rantaro’s video. He wanted to be a part of the Killing Game.” He said simply, “So, the chances are we all did too! Except… Maybe not you. You were probably built for the game, so that makes you unwilling by default.” 

 

“Wh? I was not built for the Killing Game, Kokichi.” 

 

“Hm… Okay! If you say so.” Kokichi shrugged, letting the subject drop. He didn’t feel like it was necessary to press more on that theory, since they didn’t have the time to dwell on it. He twisted the screwdriver one last time as he said, “We won’t know anything for certain until we’re out of here, though.” 

 

The two of them worked in silence once more as they finished up getting everything installed. With Kokichi’s help, they were able to get the upgrades done within an hour. But the quiet gave far too much time for Kokichi to think.

 

It hadn’t dawned on him until the two of them began to finish up, but he realized something strange. Their Ultimate Room always had these upgrades in it. Ones that Kiibo somehow knew how to install with ease. …Not to mention the fact that they seemed to have been designed specifically with them in mind. 

 

Normally, that wouldn’t be such a red flag for Kokichi. All of the Ultimate Rooms were designed specifically for each of them and their talents, so of course there’d be upgrades. But that didn’t explain how they knew how to install them. He had an excuse in that regard. He was good at understanding where things fit, and he spent enough time watching them work on it to get the gist on how it worked. But, there was one thing in particular that wouldn’t leave his mind. Miu had mentioned it offhandedly once when he asked her about them… Kiibo didn't know how to do their own repairs.  

 

He wasn’t sure what that meant, but considering everything that he knew about them so far, it didn’t paint a good picture for them. He had mostly been joking when he talked about them being built for the Killing Game. But, the more he considered it, the more it made sense. He couldn’t help but fear that he was falling into a trap. 

 

Once they were done, Kokichi handed them off a notebook that he had grabbed off a desk, along with a pencil. They both seemed to have belonged to Miu, but the doodles within the pages suggested that Kokichi had used it more than she did. They took it, albeit a bit confused, as Kokichi explained, "Here! I dunno how good robots are at drawing, but I need to know what your battery looks like! Because even if it'd be totally amazing to never have to hear your voice again, I don’t want to screw this up.” 

 

"You could have asked me to do that without insulting me." They mumbled, rolling their eyes. 

 

"Uh huh, but that'd be boring!~" He smirked as Kiibo began to draw. He stood for a few moments longer, before he sat back down in the chair, feeling lethargic again. The tiredness scared him, and brought the spiraling thoughts he just had back to mind. He needed to solve this, quick. 

 

"You know, I've been wondering..." He started carefully, not wanting to show his suspicion. "I know you said that your self-destruct thingy was real and all… But, I still don't get it. Why were you built with it?"

 

"It... It is for emergencies. But, I would rather not talk about it." They winced a little at the question, but they continued working on the diagram despite it. That wasn't a good enough answer for Kokichi, though- the fear only ebbed deeper under his skin. He didn’t care about their obvious discomfort, and dug further. 

 

"It's just weird! I know you were built to basically be like, human and all. But it seems wayyy too counterproductive to install something in your robot that'll make them die, right?" He pressed a bit harder, but still tried to make it seem friendly- knowing that was the best way to get answers from them. "I'm just curious, that's all!" 

 

"I-It does not matter. We should finish getting everything ready..." 

 

"What's the rush? You still have to draw the battery." He tilted his head a bit to the side, playfully, "C'mon! Our conversations have been nothing but depressing lately! Is it so much to wanna know about the person you're about to kill?"

 

"Kokichi, please." They looked up, growing more insistent, "I cannot talk about it." 

 

"You can’t, or you don’t want to? That shouldn’t be a problem! You don't have anything to hide, right?" He pushed even further, a glint of mischief in his eyes, "I'll answer any question you have, if you answer mine!" 

 

"You would have just lied about it, anyways." They pointed out with a frown, "That is what you said earlier, correct?" 

 

"Nuh-uh!" He shook his head vehemently, but Kiibo just gave him a look before they sighed and looked back down at their paper. Once he realized Kiibo wasn’t budging, he crossed his arms and pouted. "Seriously? It's just a question... How do you expect us to actually work together when you don’t trust me enough to tell me things? Are we even gonna be able to do the plan? I think murder is bigger than a secret.” 

 

"It is not just that... I do not like talking about it... I-It is personal." 

 

"I've told you plenty of personal things! The more you refuse, the more suspicious it makes you look. Why were you built with it? It’s an easy question.” 

 

"Are you seriously insistent on... I... Sometimes people do not talk about things for reasons other than dishonesty..." They groaned, annoyance clear in their expression. Their eyes remained on the notebook in their hands, dimmed and downcast as their hand tightly gripped the pen like a lifeline. They stopped drawing, and quietly murmured, "Do... You know about the laws of robotics?" 

 

"Yep, yep!" Kokichi nodded enthusiastically, glad that they were finally answering, "Robots can't hurt people, and they gotta obey orders from humans and protect themselves, in that order, right?" 

 

"Yes... Those are the laws. I was originally built without those in mind... But, the reason why I am the way that I am is because I broke the first rule." They looked away with a pained expression as they went on to explain, "I... I think it is more accurate to say that an earlier version of my AI did. I have no memory of the event other than stories that the Professor told me. But... It has affected my design in many ways."

 

Kokichi frowned as they spoke, wondering what they meant by any of this. But, he waited for them to speak before he bombard them with questions- not wanting to scare them off. Even though at this point... He had WAY too many. They brought their arms a bit closer to their chest as they continued.

 

"My AI did not function the way that it was supposed to at first. But, the Professor still tried his best to work with me despite that. A few years passed before it happened.... It was supposed to be a routine experiment, but my programming had gone rouge. I do not know why, but I had attacked him and seriously harmed him in the process. …It was not until that moment that I knew what sadness or pain truly felt like... Out of guilt, my AI had reset... And, I died. My life started over again from that point, and I was finally able to be what he wanted me to be. But, he was still scared of me making the same mistake again... So, he installed a few features to ensure that the incident would not repeat.”

 

“He installed a button that could turn me off in an emergency without hurting me. My strength was significantly weakened so that I could not harm anyone again. And, I was given a self-destruct sequence in case everything else failed. The Professor kept a remote on him at all times that could trigger it, but it could also be triggered by me pressing this button.” They pointed down to a button on their chest, but their hand shook as they did so.  “He… Didn’t want his work to go to waste by another reset, so he wanted to give me the choice to do it myself. There has never been a time where it has been used, but I have seen the scale of destruction that it could cause. …The Professor made sure of that. That is why I have been so worried.” 

 

"Holy fuck, Kiiboy... That's a lot.” Kokichi finally said with wide eyes. He wasn’t sure what to say after all of that. He felt a bit bad for pushing them to tell him, realizing only now that the answers weren’t actually necessary. He guiltily looked down at the notebook to keep himself, trying to avoid seeing their expression. Still, he couldn’t help but say, “All that for a mistake?” 

 

“I… Cannot say that it was a mistake. I do not know why I did it, but I caused too much harm for it to be unintentional. I think that it is for the best that I was made like this.” 

 

“But you didn’t want to hurt him. I mean, you said that you felt so bad that you pretty much died afterwards. I can’t really see that as anything other than a mistake.” He softened a bit, “Even if you can’t remember it, I think it’s more telling who was in the wrong there. Is it the one that glitched and lashed out, or the one that installed an explosive in a pretty much living robot, and continuously threatened them with it?” 

 

“No… That is not it. He did not threaten me, it was just…” They started but Kokichi cut them off. 

 

“Listen Kiiboy, I’ve used that same sort of trick on people so many times in this Game, it isn’t even funny. I did it to Kaito… I did it to you. And, probably everyone else. That’s something called, “leverage”. He didn’t need to keep that remote on him, or let you see the damage it’d leave if you detonated, but he did. That’s a threat whether you like it or not.” His voice was stern, but there was a sense of genuine care in his tone. Kiibo flinched at his words, and despite his good intent… It really didn’t do any good. He realized then that the conversation needed some lightening up, and so he added with a grin, “And, once we’re out of here I’ll make sure my siblings make him pay!” 

 

“You… Have siblings?” They asked, surprised. They quickly realized what he had said, however, and added, “Wait! Please do not get any ideas. I do not want him to get hurt because of anything that I have said-” 

 

“If my memories aren’t all fake, yeah! I mean, you know about DICE.” He laughed lightly, “And, relax- I’m being dramatic! Nobody in DICE is that keen on violence, but we can give him one really bad day filled with pranks and annoyance! I’m sure it isn’t that hard to infiltrate a tech company as long as you can bypass their security! Oooh! Maybe I could convince Raimu to mess with the code on his computer so it Rickrolls him everytime he turns it on! Or we can find his keys, and hide them somewhere really gross like the toilets, or a garbage can, so he has to stick his hand in in order to unlock anything!” 

 

Kiibo only seemed to look more uncomfortable by his attempt at lighting things up. They shook a little at the thought of it happening, which made Kokichi frown. He had really thought that’d help, but he had misjudged.  

 

“Or… I’ll leave it up to you! It’d take a long time to come up with a good enough series of pranks, and to figure out how to bypass the security… And, DICE hasn’t really hit many companies like that to begin with… So, we’d need some time to figure out how to NOT get arrested. Chances are, it’d take at least a few months until we could actually do it.” He started, trying to mend the mistake he made. “Pranks are only good if most parties are comfortable, though! So, I won’t tell them to do zilch until I get your word! Just let me know, and DICE will take care of it for free! …But, if you want any tips on petty revenge? I can give you some tips! No pressure, though.” 

 

It took a few moments before they were able to calm themself down enough to find the words to respond. They were able to tell that in his weird way, Kokichi was trying to be nice. So they mumbled, “Uhm…. Thanks, I guess…?”

 

"Mhm! Don't mention it!” He nodded, and decided to stand up to get ready. But, the moment he stood up, his breath caught in his throat. He coughed a few times, hard and painful coughs. That… Wasn’t a good sign. It was probably just the dust, but he knew he didn’t want to make it worse by sticking around much longer. He cleared his throat, and said through another cough, “O-Oh, right! We should stop procrastinating, and get to work! Have you finished up the diagram thingy?” 

 

“Are you alright? That did not sound good…” They asked hesitantly, but Kokichi just shook his head. 

 

“Yeah, duh! I’m fine. I’m just allergic to robots!” He lied with a shit-eating grin, “Now, did you finish the drawing?” 

 

“Uhm… Almost. I do not think it is completely accurate, but I can add more details if you need.” They handed the notebook over to Kokichi, and he analyzed it the best he could. 

 

“Can you walk me through it? I think this is good as long as you tell me what it means!” He looked up, and they nodded. 

 

Kiibo went on to explain how the battery worked, and everything that Kokichi needed to know in order to safely take it out. By the end of the explanation, he was confident that he could do it without hurting them in any way- but it only solidified his worries of what he was about to do. Breaking the only moral he had left standing for one last shot to win… It was a terrifying thought. But, he was at least able to recognize that they were likely just as scared about this as he was. 

 

Neither of them were sure this plan would work, and the dread and unease only grew the closer that they got to actually doing it. By the time that Kokichi had gotten done with taking apart most of their power system, Kiibo almost began to regret asking Kokichi to do this, and Kokichi was practically swimming in guilt. Despite all that, they accepted the fact that there was no better alternative, and stuck to their decision. 

 

“I guess this is goodbye for now, huh?” He mused as he stood over them. There was only one thing left for him to do. One final thing keeping Monokuma from announcing what was happening. The wires to their battery were still left connected. So, with a smirk he tried to push what his actions meant out of his mind as he asked, “Any last words?” 

 

“I am glad that I do not have to deal with you anymore.” They replied quickly, not thinking too much about it. 

 

“Wow! For someone who doesn’t have a dick, you’re pretty ballsy, Kiiboy!” Kokichi gasped, eyes wide in offense. He could almost swear they had a smug look in their eyes, which pissed him off further. He laughed maniacally before he said, “You know, I might just keep you dead for that! Bye-bye now!”

Kokichi finally disconnected the wires from their battery. For a moment, they looked as if they were about to say something more, but they were unable to. Their mouth remained open slightly, as all the light left their eyes. He took a step back uncomfortably as they slumped down into the chair, dead weight. He was only unsettled more by the disgusting warmth of the battery in his arms. 

 

He didn’t even have a moment to breathe before the monitors chimed. There was no need for a body discovery announcement this time. He needed to start putting the plan into action. 

 

…But, maybe Kiibo wouldn’t mind a little creativity on his part.  He thought, as he began to get to work. 

Notes:

This chapter is the result of me overthinking everything in canon lol. The Ultimate Hunt though... I think it's a really interesting plot, but it falls apart at the seams every time you pull on the threads too hard. Like, there's a lot of characters that should've figured out it was fake before the plot twist in Chapter 6... I love the sci-fi aspect to it, though.

Chapter 14: Veering to the wrong side

Summary:

Kokichi and Shuichi both try to end the game using their own means. Himiko gets into a fight with Tsumugi.

Notes:

I'm back!

So sorry for the long hiatus. I had to take time to apply to colleges and focus on graduation and all that boring teen stuff. And, I also had to take some time to figure out how I wanted this to end as my initial plans didn't work out so well. (I literally wrote out the entire rest of the fic right after I posted the last chapter, but it didn't feel right to me, so this is an entirely new take on the ending!)

But... Enough about that! Without further ado, here's what you've been waiting for! Hope you had a good few months, and I hope you enjoy this chapter!~ <3

"Ahem! A body is now ready to be discovered! Everyone please gather near the courtyard! Puhuhuhu!"  Monokuma's cheery voice announced ominously, before the monitors crackled into static.

 

What a great way to be woken up. Shuichi thought as he tiredly opened his eyes  to the monitor above his bed. Another death. It was hard to be surprised at anything, anymore. 

 

He had been expecting the monitors to chime in all honesty, just not this soon. A few hours, half a day maybe… But not now. Not the moment that he finally managed to sleep in days. 

 

…Kokichi was always good at making things difficult. 

 

Regardless, he stretched and rubbed sleep from his eyes- in no hurry to get up whatsoever. It was clear what happened: The timer had stopped, the Mastermind was dead, and the game was as good as done. He deserved a moment to rest and gather himself after everything. 

 

So, that’s what he did. He spared himself a few moments to let himself relax, and cherish the fact that everything was over. He wasn’t going to lose any more friends to this horrific game. They were finally free.

Although there weren’t many of them left, he had finally succeeded in helping Kaede’s dream become a reality. Maybe there wasn’t a world to get back to anymore, and their lives were forever marred by Kokichi’s plot to kill off the last of humanity… But they could still live in spite of it all, for everyone who passed on. That was enough to restore Shuichi’s hope. 

 

He wiped a few tears from his eyes, and stood up, deciding that he had spent enough time thinking. He still needed to check on the others, and make sure nothing had gone wrong after all. 

 

“No matter what happens: I’m going to make sure they escape, Kaede. I promise.” He said to empty air as he reached down and picked up his hat from the table. He adjusted it in the mirror, slid on his shoes, and finally walked out the door. 

 

He looked around the dorms out of habit, making sure that nobody else was in there with him. But, he couldn’t see anyone. So, he shrugged it off and made his way to the door… 

 

And froze. He heard a creak off to his side. He immediately turned to face whatever made the noise, but there was nothing there. 

“Uh… Hello?” he called, but only got an echo in response. He stood still, waiting for something to happen. But nothing did. It was nothing more than an empty dormitory. Maybe he was going crazy. The stress had finally gotten to him, he was sure. He lightly laughed it off with a shake of his head, and walked out of the dormitory.

 

What Shuichi had failed to notice was critical, though. If he had only looked a bit harder, he would’ve noticed the key nestled in Kokichi’s door, and the keychain’s miniscule rhythmic sway. There had been someone else there, but luckily for both of them, he hadn’t noticed. 

 

                                                                ~*~ 

Kokichi hid behind the door to his room, panting slightly. He hadn’t realized until it was too late that the ‘detective’ had been in his dorm the entire time, and was merely thankful for his years of practice when it came to stealthy maneuvers. He was sure that Shuichi hadn’t seen him, but he remained carefully still beside his door for a few minutes just in case he was still there; listening for footsteps outside. 

 

Once those moments had passed, however, he decided to risk it. He opened up the door a crack, and looked out. Shuichi was gone. He let out a sigh of relief before he grabbed the key from his door and pocketed it.  Just to be safe, he locked the door from the inside, knowing that Shuichi couldn’t pick the lock. And then, he finally focused back on his task at hand. The last thing left for him to do was…

 

“Hey buddy! Did’ja miss me?” 

 

                                                             To say goodbye. 

 

Kokichi gave a sad smile to the effigy that hung from his ceiling, trying his best to stay strong. It was a silly thing to get upset over, but he couldn’t help it. This was the last moment that he had before everything changed. For the better, or for the worst. 

 

“You know I couldn’t leave you hanging!” He cracked a joke, but his eyes welled up with tears against his will. He had thought it would be easier to accept that it’d all be over soon… But it was as difficult as pulling teeth.

 

He picked up a paper and a pen, sitting down on the floor beside his bed. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see the camera, blinking red, pointed directly at his face. But he ignored it as much as he could as he began to write, and ramble, “No, but really… You’re not gonna see me after this.” 

He was writing a letter. Something simple just in case things went south; he had no idea how the trial would go. At least with a message he could guarantee all would go well, even if it wouldn’t normally.

“So, sorry if you think this goodbye is shitty but you’re just gonna have to deal with it! You’re not getting another one, cuz I suck at them!” He tried to shake away the fear he felt at the thought of the trial failing again. His breath grew rapid as he remembered the feeling of the fiery Exisal, and weightlessness as the metal monster crashed to the ground. The pen bent from his iron grip. It took a few moments for him to gather himself once more, and begin writing again. 

 

His pen scratched the paper with incalculable speed as he tried his best to write everything he possibly could down. Goodbyes, regrets, information he forgot, contingency plans, requests if their memories were real… anything he could get down quickly. It took him a bit, but soon enough, he ran out of things he needed to say. 

He got to his feet carefully, using the table as leverage to stand. It was difficult, but he managed. 

 

“I’m leaving this for Kiiboy, just in case. If I die, make sure they see this, okay?” He said as he grabbed some tape off a pile near his bed. He broke off a piece, and shimmied himself onto his bed, wincing a bit as he moved. Carefully, he taped the note to the effigy’s arm, and patted it just for good measure.

There was one last thing he needed to do.

His whiteboard was outdated. The trustworthy section hadn't been touched in a while, and neither had the list of murders. He needed to update that, especially considering all Kiibo had put up with for his plan.

 

He began by picking up Shuichi’s photograph, and-

 

~

“Why’d you want me to watch this again?” 

“Because it’s good!” 

 

“How is this good? We’ve been watching people introduce themselves for 10 minutes, and nothing has happened.” 

 

“It picks up, I promise! This is one of the best parts! You get to learn so much about the characters!” 

 

“Uh huh. Characters. Right. …So it’s either boring introductions, or gore. I think it’s just you don’t have good taste.” 

 

“Says the guy with a Fanta addiction! You have no room to talk.” 

 

“Hey! Taste in television and food are so unrelated- and based on that reaction, I don’t think you have either! I don’t want to watch a stupid show full of human rights violations, and gross trauma inducing executions.” 

 

“The executions aren’t that bad. At least, not the original ones. They used to be about the character, and their lives and how their dreams could be used to hurt them. And then Season 20 hit, and suddenly it’s all about making the most horrific deaths imaginable without caring about why they were so important to the plot in the first place! … Oh… Hold on. Somethings wrong.” 

 

“What? Why’d you stop mid rant? And why did you pause the show?” 

 

“It’s just… You’re not usually this amped up about Danganronpa. I… I can turn it off if you want? Do you want to just talk instead?”

 

“You don’t have to, I’m fine. I don’t actually care.” 

 

“No, there’s something bothering you. I know you’re lying… You grabbed the collar of your shirt. You only do that when you’re worried about something. …You don’t have to tell me if you’re uncomfortable, but I’m here for you. And, I’m worried about you.” 

 

“Hah… I guess I can’t hide anything from you, now can I, detective? …If you want to know that much, I’ll spill the beans. It’d actually be nice to tell someone. So, thanks, for the offer. …It’s just… about Raimu. They’re leaving to join-”

~

 

The living room he had just spent the past few minutes in was gone, replaced with the uncomfortable scenery of his dorm. He blinked, looking around in confusion, before his eyes met with the photograph in his hands. None of that was real. 

 

Yet, he could still vividly remember the feeling of the sun on his cheek, and the quiet sound of the television. The way he sunk into the old, green couch, or how sheets of homework laid haphazardly all around him and the table in front of the two. The sound of sunflowers hitting the window behind them, or the ugly embroidery on the curtains. He could remember everything about the scene- except the person who he sat beside. 

 

It was almost funny to him, in a sad way. He had been getting on Kiibo for not being able to remember the name of their friend, but here he was with the exact same problem. He couldn’t think of a name that’d fit the person if he tried. The details of the person were skewed, and blacked out from his mind. He couldn’t recall the timbre of their voice, nor the shape of their face. It was horrifying. The more he tried, the harder it became- the more his head began to pound, and the more his stress rose.

 

It was almost enough to send him into another spiral, before he realized: this was likely what they wanted. If he spent time trying to place whoever that person was, he wouldn’t be able to continue with his plan. The game would continue on. 

 

At the very least he could remember the conversation, and that brought him some relief. The most important thing he could gather from it was the word “Danganronpa”. It didn’t matter who the other person was as long as he knew what that word meant. That was the same word he saw on papers in the Mastermind’s room, and on various boxes in Kiibo’s Ultimate Room… It was a lead. 

He decided to focus once more on the whiteboard in front of himself, placing Shuichi’s photo off to the side. He wiped away a few of the descriptors he had written, namely the one he had written for Kiibo. It took him a few moments of deciding, but he eventually decided to put them where they belonged, in the trustworthy section. Although he tried not to, he hesitated for a moment, thinking back on the strange memory once more. It snaked its way into his mind as he stared off at the photo of Shuichi. Danganronpa. He wrote the word beside his picture, with a small arrow pointing to his head. His work was done.

 

~*~

 

Shuichi hadn’t thought that it was possible for a robot to look dead, but as he looked at the scene of the crime, he realized how wrong he had been. His blood ran cold, knowing immediately in the moment what had transpired. He heard a gasp, and shouting behind him… But he couldn’t bring himself to care enough to look back anymore.

This wasn’t how it was supposed to end, but it was his mistake to even think he could do anything to change his situation. His hope was crushed with nothing left to take its place but hatred. They were going to be killed off one by one by this sick, depraved, monster for his own entertainment, weren’t they? 

He felt sick. He wanted to scream, and cry, and run as far as he could away from this place. But, there was nowhere to run to, and he had no energy left to even try. There was nothing left in the school, and there was nothing outside left for them but poisoned air and dust. Kokichi won. 

 

He wasn’t sure how he managed to keep going after that. His body moved before his mind caught up into the room. Dreams felt more real than this. He wasn’t sure if it was in his head, but he thought he heard someone call his name. He didn’t have the energy to think about it, though. All he did was continue on until he reached Kiibo’s body, and looked around for clues, desperately hoping that it’d all end if they could gather enough evidence. 

“We needa do something!” Himiko worriedly blurted, pulling on Tsumugi’s arm to get her attention. Tsumugi looked over at her, but for the briefest of moments didn't seem all too happy about it. 

 

“Mmm… Is there anything we can do?” Tsumugi tapped her chin, “He’s plainly ignoring us. I think the best thing we can do, for Kiibo’s sake, is to help him investigate?”

 

“But… But we know who did it!” Himiko sputtered, fighting Tsumugi’s nonchalant attitude. “We were together the whole time, and Shuichi said he was sleeping! So it was Kokichi who killed them! That means we don’t needa investigate! We just need to vote for him during the trial, and that’s it!. We should focus on Shuichi ‘cause he needs our help!” 

 

“I don’t know how you expect to do that when he’s acting all grumpy mc grumpy pants.” 

 

“He’s hurting! We just needa make sure he knows we’re here for him!” Himiko crossed her arms, with a determined look on her face, “I don’t care if you help or not, but I’m gonna try!” 

 

As all this was going on, Shuichi focused entirely on the investigation. He wasn’t going to let himself miss any evidence like last time.

 

 Although, admittedly… There wasn’t all that much to investigate. The truth was clear at a glance. The bolts on the ground indicated that it was premeditated, and the fallen chair suggested there was some sort of scuffle. He wasn’t sure how it was possible, but Kokichi had gotten the upperhand.

And then there was the note. A cheeky message left by the culprit himself, which read,

‘I think we all know I did this. There’s no need to waste time investigating a case this obvious. I’ll admit everything as long as you play one last game with me!~

                              Ever played hide and seek, detective?

The rules are simple. Find me, and I’ll spill it all. There’s a laptop with a hint somewhere near their corpse. Have fun, and don’t keep me waiting! See you in a bit!

                                                               - Kokichi Ouma :)’ 

 

The moment that he read it, he was ready to tear the paper up into shreds out of pure unbridled rage. He grabbed the sides, and began to tear the paper as roughly as he possibly could. He was halfway through the page when something grabbed his arms, and stopped him. He flinched, startled, but didn’t let go of the paper. He hesitated, and slowly lowered the page, meeting eyes with Himiko. 

 

The moment that he saw her pitying expression, he could feel the anger wedge its way back into his mind. He tried his best to keep from letting it slip out, but he couldn’t help but saying coldly, “Please, leave me alone, I’m investigating.”

“I dunno much about detective stuff… But I don’t think this is really investigating.” Himiko mumbled as she let go of his hands. She felt bad for startling him, but she didn’t quite apologize just yet. After a few beats, she finally asked, “Are you okay? You’re acting really weird!” 

But Shuichi gave no answer. She could tell by his tired eyes that it was a definite no, but she had been hoping he’d say it outright. It was easier to meet him halfway, but she realized that she probably had to try harder. It was a pain, but she knew it was worth it. 

“It’s okay if you’re sad! That’s normal! I was sad too when my friends died!” Himiko tried her best to comfort him, but noticed his face only fell more. Her stomach dropped with guilt as she quickly tried to resolve the situation. She took a deep breath before she finally started. 

 

“When I lost Angie, I really didn’t think I could do anything anymore. She helped me so much, and when she was gone… I was so scared! I felt like there was nobody left here that I could really trust anymore. I even thought that you coulda murdered her at one point! 

…. And, when I lost Tenko, I felt even more alone… I was just so mad that all I could do was fight to make sure their killer didn’t get away with it!  But… Then the trial was over. We got the right person, but everything still hurt. I thought getting them justice would fix everything, and suddenly make me feel okay again… But it didn’t. I just wasn’t as angry. 

I didn’t start feeling better until I remembered what Tenko told me… To always let myself feel things, no matter if it hurts! And that’s what you should do too! Let yourself feel bad now so you don’t feel bad forever!” 

 

“I…. I can’t. I appreciate you trying, but… I can’t. Everytime I think about it, I-” Shuichi cut himself off, taking in a shallow breath. He put his hand on the table in front of him, holding onto it with a white knuckled grip. He closed his eyes tightly, trying to keep himself from crying. 

 

Himiko frowned, struggling to figure out the best way to help. She looked off to Tsumugi for assistance, but she was too busy staring at her Monopad to do anything. So, Himiko sighed, before she gave Shuichi a tight hug, hoping that it’d comfort him at least a bit. 

 

Shuichi was taken aback, but he didn’t reject the gesture, or pull away. He simply remained still for a few moments, before he eventually shifted and returned the hug. 

 

“I know it hurts, but they aren’t gone forever! We still have our memories of them.. And, uhm, as long as we have those, they’re still with us!” She continued adamantly, her voice a bit shaky, but still confident, “And um… The people we know make us who we are so as long as you’re here, they are too!” 

 

“I… I get it. Thank you, Himiko.” Shuichi said after a few long beats of comfortable silence. As he broke from the hug, it was obvious that he had been crying. His eyes were puffy, and his cheeks tearstained, but he looked calmer. Not entirely so, of course, but enough so that he was no longer trying to rip the paper with Kokichi’s confession to shreds. He wiped the remaining tears from his cheeks, before he handed the note off to Himiko so she could read it- figuring that since she stopped him from destroying it, she’d want to see what was on it too. 

 

As Himiko took the paper, Tsumugi cleared her throat rather abruptly. The two of them immediately looked over at her to see what was going on, before she rather impatiently asked, “So… What was on the note?”

 

Shuichi blinked at her, wondering why she sounded so annoyed. He guessed it was just from his breakdown, but he couldn’t help but feel uncomfortable by her sudden shift in tone. He glanced over at Himiko, before sighed and explained, “It… Was Kokichi. He admitted to killing Kiibo, and now he wants to continue his mind games like always! Apparently if we find him while playing his screwed up game of hide and seek, he’ll tell us everything… But, I know that means he’s going to lie.” 

“What if he really does tell the truth this time?” Himiko asked with a tilt of the head, and Shuichi just gave a bitter laugh.

 

“I really don’t think that’s going to happen.” He shook his head, “But, it’s not like he gave us a choice. We have to find him to end this, whether he’s honest to us for once or not.”

“Were you able to find the laptop thingy yet?” Himiko asked, looking up from the note finally. 

“No… I have no idea where it could even be. I’m sure he’s just bluffing again.”

“ What laptop?” Tsumugi asked, but neither Himiko or Shuichi replied quick enough. So, she sighed and walked over to the two of them, before she took the note from Himiko’s hands. Himiko looked as if she were about to say something in protest, but she fell short and looked down. She quickly read the note with a frown, before she looked back up. She smiled, before she finally chirped with, “Why don’t we split up and look for it? Me and Himiko can check in here, if you look over there! It looks like the door is open, so chances are evidence could be in there too!” 

“That… Actually sounds like a good idea. Let’s meet back up in a few minutes if we don’t find anything.” Shuichi agreed, deciding that it was probably a better bet to split up if they wanted to find it faster. He didn’t say anything more as he left the room, but Himiko gave Tsumugi a wide eyed look. 

 

 

“Why’d you make him leave so soon?” Himiko whispered in shock, but Tsumugi simply shrugged. 

 

“We don’t know how much time we have left to investigate, and find Kokichi. For all we know there’s another time limit.” She answered as she made her way over to one of the counters, carefully scanning them as she spoke, “I know you want to help him, but he’s already doing so much better. And besides, he’s a detective! That’s what he’s good at!” 

 

“But he’s also our friend! We can always investigate all together!” 

 

“Do you really think someone as plain as me, and as…. Uniquely… talented as you, could help a trained detective investigate? I think it’s better to step back, and let him do what he’s good at.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Himiko bristled, “Why did you pause? I can help with the investigation! I always help!”

 

“And that’s exactly what we’re doing! We’re getting out of the way so he can solve it!” 

 

“You can get out of the way if YOU want! I’m gonna help Shuichi find the laptop!” 

 

Himiko stormed off to another corner of the room, leaving Tsumugi to investigate alone. She crossed her arms as she began looking around, and absentmindedly kicked a crumpled up piece of paper in anger.

 

It took her a few moments to realize what she had done. She glanced behind her back, and looked to see if Tsumugi was watching. She wasn’t, so she walked over and picked it up to see what it was. The paper was crumpled into a snowball, which wouldn’t have been suspicious on its own had it not been the only one of it’s kind in the entire room. She knew it wasn’t a laptop, but she was sure that it could be helpful in some way. She began to open it and-

“What’s that?” 

Tsumugi noticed. She looked back behind herself, before she tiredly shrugged and replied with, “I dunno.”

She didn’t think it was very important, so she didn’t think about hiding it from Tsumugi. Not that she had much of a reason to ever do that, even if she was acting stranger than usual at the moment. So, she opened up the crumpled paper and tried to figure out what it was. 

 

It was the diagram that Kiibo had made… But she hadn’t put things together yet. She was unsure whether or not it was made by Miu, or Kokichi, or someone else. But, she was sure that it’d help Kiibo. She beamed brightly and bounced over to Tsumugi in excitement,  “I think… I think it shows how to put Kiibo’s heart thingy back! We can save them! They’re not dead forever!” 

 

Tsumugi looked over at the paper that Himiko was happily waving around, and her face fell when she noticed the handwriting on it. She was about to say something, when Shuichi interrupted by walking through the door, holding a bag in his hand. 

 

“Did either of you find anything?” Shuichi asked.

 

“No, we didn’t. There’s plainly nothing here.” Tsumugi immediately chimed, getting a loud gasp from Himiko. She glared at her, before she decided to say something herself.

“Yes, there was! We found an instruction thingy to help- Ow!” Himiko was cut off by Tsumugi swiftly stepping on her toes. Literally.


“Himiko found a doodle Kokichi made to mock us again, but it isn’t important! What did you find?” 

 

Shuichi gave a suspicious glance to Tsumugi, but he seemed to accept that as an answer. Even if Himiko did look strangely upset. 

 

“Figures… That sounds like something he’d do. Anyways, it doesn’t matter! I found the laptop, and a bag that I think belonged to Kokichi?” 

 

“Did the laptop have anything important on it?” Tsumugi asked. 

 

“I…. Don’t know. There was a video of Rantaro on it, but it’s obvious that it was set up to make us suspect him. I think Kokichi just left it to confuse us.”

“Oh… Well, I guess that makes sense!” 

“Can we watch it?” Himiko asked.

 

“Maybe later. For now, we should focus on finding Kokichi and putting an end to this insanity once and for all.” Shuichi shook his head, “We just need to figure out where he is.” 

 

“Hmm… What if he’s in Rantaro’s Ultimate Room?” Himiko suggested, garnering wide eyed expressions. She was immediately uncomfortable by this, and asked, “What? Was it that stupid…?”

“No… That makes sense. If the video really was a hint, then I’m sure that’s what he meant. It’s at least worth a shot.” He started to walk, but stopped and looked back over to the others before he said, “Alright, let’s start heading there now.”

 

“Right now?” 

 

“There’s nothing else to investigate here, is there?”

 

Himiko looked over at Tsumugi who was stuffing the paper into her pocket. She stared at her for a few moments, before she slowly shook her head, saying, “No… There’s nothing here that’ll help us…” 

“You’re taking the bag too?” Tsumugi raised an eyebrow. 

 

“I just have a feeling about it… And, I don’t want to leave it here in case Kokichi comes back.” 

 

“It's… Really gross though.” 

 

“Yeah, it really is.” Shuichi scrunched up his nose at the bloodstain on the back of the bag, and held it a bit further away from himself. As he made his way out the door, keeping the bag at arms length, Himiko and Tsumugi stayed behind for a few moments. 

Himiko stared at Tsumugi, trying to gather enough courage to ask her why she had hidden the note… But she caved. She simply looked over to the chair where Kiibo was laying, before she hung her head and mumbled, “Sorry, Kiibo…”

 

“What was that?” Tsumugi asked, but Himiko simply waved her off and began to pick up her pace to catch up with Shuichi. Her hands shook, but her voice remained still as she finally spoke up.

 

“Nothing. Let’s just go. I don’t wanna be in here anymore.”

                                                                   ~*~

Kokichi stood beside the window of the dorms, waiting for his cue to leave and bring back Kiibo. He was sure he had spent enough time in his room for whatever investigation they had done to be over- but he still wanted to remain careful. He had no idea what he’d do if he were found.

Luckily enough, he hadn’t missed them leaving. As he glanced out the window, he could see the trio walking towards the school. 

Kokchi knew it was time for him to put the rest of their plan into action. He waited for them to walk into the building, before he began his trek over to Kiibo’s Ultimate room. It took him a lot longer than he hoped, but he knew this would work out.

It had to. Failing was no longer an option. 

Chapter 15: I built a friend

Summary:

Kokichi raises the dead, has one final important conversation, and the plan is finally set in motion.

 

It was all coming together. 

 

Someone had taken the bait. The directions were nowhere to be found, as well as the backpack and laptop. Logically, that meant that the others had taken them during their “investigation”. And, since Kiibo was still obviously dead, Tsumugi had to have taken the directions. That just meant it’d be an even bigger surprise for her when she saw Kiibo walking around later. It was genius. 

 

He knew what was on the paper, anyways. It wasn’t too hard to memorize it. He hadn’t EXACTLY been lying when he told Kiibo that he had experience in these kinds of things, after all.  Sure, he couldn’t remember how  he got so good with technology, but his ability to draw blueprints up spoke for itself. There was no doubt in his mind that he knew what he was doing. 

 

Besides, it was better to have the others find that evidence on their own. It was a lot easier to convince them that way. No need to meddle as long as they discussed it. And, since they’d be on their own in Rantaro’s Ultimate Room for quite some time, he was certain there’d be no problem. 

 

But, that didn’t mean that he wasn’t worried. For some reason, as he reached Kiibo’s  side, he felt a twinge of fear at the thought of messing up this game of “operation”. Kiibo was too valuable of … an asset to lose. There were so many ways that it could go wrong, and so many mistakes he could make. He almost led himself down a spiral of what if’s, before he shook his head hard to focus. 

 

He needed to keep calm. This wasn’t rocket science: it was simple mechanics. It was just like hooking up a TV. Yeah. Just like a TV. He breathed in, steadied himself, and walked back to where he had hidden the battery. 

 

Thankfully, it was right where he left it. Undisturbed. He felt a weight lifted off of his shoulders as he picked up the battery, and investigated it. It wasn’t damaged in any way. Though… It was incredibly cold in his arms, frighteningly so. He knew that was on account of it being literally made of metal, but it was still chilling to hold what was practically a freezing cold heart. He shivered in disgust as he reached their side, and sat back down in the chair in front of them. 

 

It only took him a few more moments to get the right tools, but soon enough, he was ready to raise the dead. And raise the dead? That was exactly what he did. 

 

                                                                                                          ~*~ 

 

"K1-B0... systems starting."

 

That was what Kiibo’s collar said… But, that had to be an absolute lie because he had been standing there for at least a minute without them moving. He had managed to get them all wired up without anything more than a few minor hiccups, but they still had yet to respond to him. He tried waving in front of their eyes, clapping next to the headphones they called ears, and shaking them- but nothing worked.  

 

He groaned in annoyance. If they were going to take forever to wake up, then he was going to make sure that he had everything ready. So, he turned around to check the room, bent down beside a box, and of course just as he did that, they finally stirred. 

 

“Kokichi…?” 

 

They called out hesitantly and quietly. From where they were sitting, they couldn’t quite see where he was. But they knew that he was the only one who could’ve repaired them, so they weren’t too nervous. Just bewildered and disoriented. 

 

Kokichi gasped, partially out of surprise, and partially out of excitement after hearing their voice. They were okay.  He popped back up to his feet from where he had been crouched down, and turned around. He wobbled a little from his sudden movements, but steadied himself with the table beside him. Before they could ask if he was alright, he shot out his arms, and dramatically shouted, “It’s alive! Aliiiiive!” 

 

 Kiibo seemed to get the reference. At least, he guessed they did with the look they gave him. That was one harsh glare. He probably would’ve dropped it  after seeing their expression- had he not wanted to mess with them one last time. He cheekily smirked, “What? Don’t like Frankenstien? Would’ve thought that the robo-zombie would love something like that…”

 

“Wh-I am not a zombie!” 

 

“Mhm… Sureeee! I think if you could eat, you’d totally be gnawing on my brain right now!”

 

“I would not-!” They huffed, cutting themself off before they could argue. It was pointless. They knew how he was. He would just keep making the same joke over and over until he got bored. Instead, they tried something new; poking fun at his own joke. At the very least they hoped that this would get him to stop. “That joke does not even work. Frankenstein’s Monster was not a zombie, or a robot, he was a combination of body parts from other corpses. And, a zombie is just one reanimated corpse.” 

 

“Annnnd that disproves my point, how? You’re still a zombie, Kiiboy! I guess I should’ve guessed that you wouldn’t know how jokes worked, being a robot and all!~” 

 

“No, I just do not think that is very funny. What is the punchline even supposed to be?”

 

“You?” 

As soon as that word left Kokichi’s mouth, Kiibo fell silent. They looked hurt, for some reason. He couldn't figure out why. They were just joking around, right? He was teasing them. There was no way that Kiibo took all of his robophobic jokes seriously. …Right? 

So, if that was the case, why did they look so dejected when they asked, “Is that all you see me as?” 

 

“Huh?” 

 

“Do you only see me as a joke?” They asked a bit quieter, voice hesitant. They looked away from him, “Do you even see me as a person?” 

“Duh! Of course I do!  Why are you getting so insecure all of the sudden, Kiiboy?” Kokichi raised an eyebrow, “I was just kidding about the zombie thing! Jeeze. I promise I’ll never bring up Frankenstien again if it bothers you that much.” 

“That is not the problem… I just do not understand why you always point out the fact that I am a robot every chance that you get.” 

 

“I was joking. C’mon… D’ya really think I meant everything I’ve said over the course of the game?” He cocked his head to the side in confusion, and crossed his arms, “I’m a liar. You couldn’t have actually thought that I was being serious!” 

 

Kiibo’s silence said it all. They didn’t have to say a word for him to know the answer. And, he felt bad. No, more than that. He felt guilty.  

 

“I didn’t mean to…” He started to say, but stopped himself. He wasn’t going to lie and pretend that he hadn’t gotten a kick out of messing with them. Because, he had. It was funny to watch them get defensive over what he considered teasing. But, it hurt them. All this time, they had actually taken his comments to heart.  Maybe he needed to get better at that. “...Well, that’s stupid.”


They sighed, “ Why did I think that you would-” 

 

“I’m not done, Kiiboy.” He put his hand out to stop them from saying anything more. He looked down at the ground, and pulled at his scarf, “‘Kay so… I know I made a ton of jokes during the game. But, yknow those were just jokes, right? Like, I know you’re not actually garbage, and that you don’t actually eat TV’s and drink oil! And, you’re definitely not an emotionless sack of nuts and bolts!” 

 

“I do not think you said that last one until now…” 

“-And, I just made another! …Okay, this isn’t working. I’m not apologizing right, am I?” He looked back up with a hollow laugh, “Those jokes were fun for me, but they weren’t fun for you. And, I guess that’s a bad thing, right? It’s like, pranks. They’re a lot funnier when they just confuse people, rather than actually ruining someone’s day. Kiiboy, you’re a good robot. You’re a good person. And… I’m sorry if anything I said made you think otherwise.” 

 

“Do you really mean that?” 

 

“For once, I’m not lying.” He smiled a little as he said that, “I know I make jokes about you being a cold, unfeeling, machine… But you’re actually way more caring than the rest of us that survived, I think. Like, the others wanted me dead, right? But, you took me in, despite the fact that you thought I was the Mastermind, and…. You did first aid on me. Even though you had like, no experience, you read that book and tried your best to make sure I didn’t die. And, you believed me when nobody else would. And, I don’t think I ever actually thanked you for any of that. So… Thanks, Kiiboy.” 

 

“I-” Kiibo seemed as if they were about to ask more questions about his story, but they stopped themself. It didn’t really matter. What mattered was… Kokichi was apologizing. Kokichi. They didn’t think that he was actually capable of genuinely doing something like that. And, he thanked them? They were floored for a few moments, but Kokichi didn’t say anything else. He simply waited for them to respond, patiently. They stalled for a moment, trying to find the words, before they eventually decided on, “Thank you for apologizing. I know that is not something you do often, so I appreciate it. And… That was very nice of you to say.”  

 

“Mhm! Yep, yep! Anytime!” He nodded happily. Although, the relief was short lived. He remembered their plan. Although he was sure it’d end up working out in the end, he had no guarantee that would be the case. As much as he wanted to deny it, he had no idea if he’d be able to take care of everything he needed to by the end of it. So, he gave himself a few moments to think about what he wanted to say, before he said, “Oh, and Kiiboy?” 

 

“Yes?” 

 

“If anything happens, can you promise me something?” 

 

“If anything happens? I think that is a very broad set of circumstances, as I think anything will happen… But, I can. What is it?” 

 

“That’s not what I meant.” Kokichi facepalmed, “If anything happens to ME. Like, if I can’t make it out with you guys, or if for some reason I get executed, or die or yadda yadda…. I want you to take care of a few things for me.” 

 

“Why are you saying this…” Kiibo hesitantly asked, but Kokichi looked down, “Of course you will escape with us? Is that not the point of the plan…?” 

 

“It’s a backup plan, Kiiboy. All good plans have them! It’s just in case!” He tried his best to reassure them, not wanting their stupid worry to get in the way of their success, “Anyways, since you already said yes… First, I want you to check my room, because there’s something super important in there! And also, I want you to check on Gonta’s bugs. I haven’t fed them today, but I think they should at least get one more bite to eat before they’re abandoned forever!” 

 

“You… Have been feeding Gonta’s bugs?” 

 

“Well, someone had to, right? Might as well be the idiot who got him killed.” He looked away, and quickly blinked to keep himself from tearing up. He couldn’t let his dumb emotions keep him from what was actually important. He sighed, before he continued, much more animatedly, “It’s been the WORST, though! I don’t know how he did it! All of them crawling, and squirming, and ugh! It makes me sick! Especially the fucking hornets… You can let those ones die! And, I know this is totally a huge request to make, but… Some of the butterflies and moths are in the chrysalis things or whatever, and Gonta was way too protective of those ones. So, if you could at least bring the Silk Moths, or the Morpho butterflies out with you, I think that would’ve made him happy.” 

 

“I promise I will.” They nodded, before they quickly added, “But, I am only saying that in case! Since we are all going to escape,  we will do that together!” 

 

“Pfft. Thanks, Kiiboy.”He smiled, “Yknow…  You’re almost as good as the Self Defense Robots in Yu-Gi-Oh!” 

 

“The… What?  Yu-Gi-Oh…? Is that a reference to something?”

 

“You’ve never played Yu-Gi-Oh? Have you even watched it?!” He asked incredulously. They shook their head. His demeanor suddenly shifted as he gasped in mock offense. He crossed his arms and groaned, “Ugh, I knew I shouldn’t have wasted my time playing it with Shuichi! If we both get out of here, the first thing we’re doing is playing it!”

“The first thing?"

“Yep! It’s decided! We’re playing it!” He beamed brightly, and Kiibo couldn’t help but smile as well. For the briefest moment, it truly felt like the two of them were friends. He rested his hands behind his head casually, before he said, “I’ll even let you use my best deck! Let’s just see if you can beat me!” 

 

“Then… You are on! I will do my best to beat… Your cards? And, uh. Win the Yu-Gi-Oh!” 

 

They tried their best to match his energy, knowing how excited Kokichi was about it. They were sure if he liked it, then it must be a fun game. That was what friends did, right? But, Kokichi’s smile just grew wider. At first they thought that was a good thing, but as he burst into a fit of laughter they realized… They probably got it wrong. They cringed, expecting him to make a robophobic remark about them not understanding how games worked, but none came. Instead, he just said through laughs: 

 

“That’s not really how it works, Kiiboy! You tried!” He chuckled, “Win the Yu-Gi-Oh! Oh my god… Ahah- "

 

His laughs began to come out rough, and ragged. He breathed in once more- his breath caught in his throat. He looked back over at Kiibo for a moment, eyes wide in terror, before he coughed. Hard. Into his sleeve. His smile dropped. 

 

His lungs pounded against his ribcage as if they were drums. He let out a cry of pain, and found himself crumpling like the paper he had left on the floor. He couldn’t breathe. He gripped at his throat, desperately trying to wrestle free his windpipes from some invisible murderer, his fingers brushing against the bruises Maki left him. Tears pricked in his eyes. 

 

He could hear Kiibo yell something. He didn’t know what. They moved towards him. His knees buckled. He was falling, but something caught him, and set him down lightly onto the ground. He couldn’t breathe. He couldn’t think. He was scared. 

 

He could feel something on his back. An arm?  His vision started to blacken. Not now. He wasn’t ready. They were just having fun.

 

“D-Don’t panic! It will just get worse!” 

 

That was easy for them to say. How could they think that when the entire plan was on the line?  He still couldn’t breathe. Darkness swallowed up the blood that now dotted the floor.  He should’ve known that it was a waste of time to be friendly. That wasn’t how leaders got stuff done.

 

“I-It is okay! Just breathe! In, and out!"

 

Couldn’t they see he was trying? He was gasping for air, for fucks sake. 

 

“S…Shit, uhm! What did Kaito do when this happened to him?” 

 

Their voice wavered. They were scared, weren’t they?

 

“He said that it was normal, but this does not seem normal! Kokichi, please just breathe! Can you hear me?” 

 

He felt a tear slip down his cheek. 

 

“ Please say that you can hear me…” 

 

But, he didn’t say a word. Darkness swallowed everything in his sight. He slipped into it. 

 

                                                     Down… And down… Further… 

 

                                                                                                                          And further….

 

 ~*~ 

When he opened his eyes again, he was met with a sunny sky.  One so bright that he winced, desperately trying to get used to the warm sun. There was a light breeze on his cheek, one that smelled faintly of cut grass and spring. It was nice. He almost forgot what it felt like to be outside. He smiled.

“Hey, can you hear me?” A voice called from his side. He glanced over, slowly opening one eye up to peek at whoever it was. He couldn’t quite make out their features from the glare of the sun, but their voice was familiar enough for him to let go of his worry. It was too nice of a day to care. So, he decided to watch the clouds once more. 

 

 The person off to his side chuckled lightly, before he said, “Of course you could. You know, you’ve gotten a lot worse at playing dead over the years.” 

 

“Or, maybe you just got too good at solving mysteries, Sherlock.” He stuck out his tongue, “Anyways, what were you talking about?” 

 

“Did… Did you miss everything I said?” He sputtered, and Kokichi nodded. He sighed, before he continued, “I was just saying the cast list for the new Danganronpa season was released!” 

 

“Already? The auditions were only a few days ago.” 

 

“Yeah! It’s awesome. I wasn’t expecting them to get back so quickly.” The boy off to his side smiled, and handed a phone to him. He took it hesitantly, as he pointed out where to look on the screen. “See any names you recognize?” 

 

Kokichi looked down, and read the names… And felt his stomach drop. He knew everyone there, but he knew he shouldn’t. At least, not yet. But, every time he saw a name, he was reminded of their faces, their voice, and how they died.

 

“You, me, Kaede, Kaito… We all got in! Isn’t that great?” 

 

This wasn’t real. All of this was a lie. He was still on the floor of Kiibo’s Ultimate Room. Dread creeped into his mind as he looked down at his hands.

“T-This isn’t right…” 

 

He barely managed to choke out. His throat was thick with tears. He hadn’t even realized he was this upset over the whole ordeal. 

 

“What isn’t right?” 

 

He finally faced the person he had sat with all this time, and stumbled backwards in shock. He’d know that stupid hat anywhere. Detective…. He should’ve known. 

 

“Kokichi… Are you okay?” 

He ran. As far as he could away, as the world melted  into static. He needed to end this, and he wasn’t going to waste his time in this life of lies. He could hear Kiibo’s voice from afar, and kept running. Pushing himself, further and further, to wake up from this nightmare. Until, finally… He did. 

 

~*~

 

“Kokichi? Are you okay? What did that book say? 30 chest compressions to 2 breaths? But, I can not breathe. How do I do CPR?! I am a robot! And, I cannot carry him in time! I do not even think I can carry him in the first place…  Is there a first aid kit in the room? Ack… Please wake up, Kokichi!” 

 

Yelling. That was all he heard as he woke up. He moved slightly, but his neck felt stiff. There was something soft under his head, cotton, he presumed. It felt like his scarf, but it was hard to know for sure.  His eyelids felt as if they were made of lead, but he somehow managed to pull them open for a moment, before- 

 

“Holy shit! You are alive! I am so glad!” 

 

Before he could even react, he was hugged by the mass of metal that he could barely recognize as Kiibo. He was still out of it, especially after a dream like that, so all he could manage to do was blearily blink at them. And, although under any other circumstance, he would’ve shoved them away, he ended up resting his head on their shoulder tiredly. He felt like shit.

The two of them stayed like that only for a few moments, before Kiibo awkwardly let go of the hug- although they remained crouched beside him. “Why did you not tell me that it had gotten that bad? How long have you been sick?” 

 

It took him a few moments to respond, the words escaping his mind. He struggled a little, before he finally replied, “I’m not sick, Kiiboy.”

 

“Please do not say that it is okay to cough up blood, because I have read a first aid book! And I know that Kaito was lying about that being normal for humans. You passed out, and were unresponsive for three minutes. I do not think that screams, ‘I am healthy’.” 

 

“Okay fine, who cares if it isn’t normal? I’m fine! I’ll be fine!” He argued the best he could. 

 

“You do not have to lie. I know that you are not. That… That scared me, Kokichi.” They mumbled, “I think that we should rethink the plan.” 

 

"Oh my god. Are you seriously considering changing it just because I have a 'cough'?" Kokichi groaned, "I'm not going to die, okay? I can handle a little trial." 

 

“You coughed up blood all over the ground, and then fainted! That is not just a cough, Kokichi!” 

 

"Okay, fine, maybe it’s more than a cough… But what's the point in freaking out over it when we're this close to finishing things? We're all going to die someday. Besides, Kaito survived like, a week, doing the same thing! I still have time." 

 

"But, Kaito was also not executed and he definitely did not suffer from as much blood loss either, like you have... I know that you are good at pushing through adversity... But, I do not want to risk you getting any more injured. I should not have suggested the trial so suddenly, since we have not discussed it enough. That was my mistake. I think that it may be better if we took some time to come up with another plan, now that the time limit is no longer an issue. You need to rest… And, I think you need to drink water. Have you drank anything other than that soda today?” 

 

“Ugh… C’mon, Kiiboy! You can’t be serious!” Kokichi put his head in his hands, ignoring the new blood splatter on his clothes, “This is so stupid! I’m okay!” 

 

"Why would I suggest something  if I were not serious?" They tilted their head to the side in confusion, "Besides, I am sure that the others would be willing to help us if we just explained what really happened to them! It was not hard to convince me, so I am sure if we provide them with the same evidence, they’ll believe us!” 

 

"But how are we going to explain to them that you’re not really dead? And, that I didn’t just manipulate you into everything? If we change it, that’ll risk your reliability. They trust you, but there’s no way in fuck they’ll trust us together. We have to do this, Kiiboy." 

 

“No, we do not! I know that there is another way!” 

 

“Oh yeah? What’s the other way?” Kokichi asked, and Kiibo provided no answer. They simply looked down. “I thought so.” 

 

Kokichi used their shoulder as leverage, and got to his feet. His body felt too heavy. But, he needed to stand tall. He couldn’t show any weakness. 

 

"I am just being logical…” They sighed, “It is not worth risking your health when we can come up with other options. I am sure that if we gave ourselves more time, we could come up with something that guarantees safety for all of us.”

“No, you’re being emotional. There’s a difference.” He practically spat. He didn’t want to be this mean to Kiibo, but he needed them to drop it. Caring for people in this game got you nowhere. He didn’t get this far because he cared, he got this far because he knew how to make sacrifices. “Funny that the robot's the one being too emotional, huh? Must be a malfunction.” 

 

Their face fell. Somehow it hurt a lot more to hear that after he apologized.

 

“Kiiboy. Just listen to me. I’m not your friend. We’re allies.” His voice was cold. Emotionless. Perfectly fitting for a supposed ‘villainous leader’. Though, no matter how much he acted like he didn’t care, he couldn’t hide the way that his hands shook in fear. The way that his eyes darted around towards the exit… It was clear as day that he was scared. But, he didn’t let himself cower, “You shouldn’t care about whether or not I’m safe, because at the end of the day, the only part that actually matters is your end of the plan. Just go down to the Mastermind’s room, snap a few pictures, and go back up to Rantaro’s Ultimate Room. That’s all you need to do.” 

 

“But-” 

 

“No buts, except for yours in the Mastermind’s room!” He snapped, “If you’re seriously worried about me dying, then we don’t actually have much time left to argue, now do we? Get out of here!” 

“F-Fine.” They lost their confidence. They couldn’t fight with him when he was like this. They hadn’t seen him this mad since Gonta’s trial. They stood up, and crossed their arms before they asked, “Where is the camera that you wanted me to use, and the maps?” 

 

“Shuichi stole it. You’ll need to figure something else out.” He responded coldly once more, before he hesitated. He looked off to the side, and added quietly, “I know you can handle that part, at least.”

“Okay… If you are sure. I will do my best.” They slowly walked to the door, not wanting to leave Kokichi in this state. But, there was nothing they could do, “Why Rantaro’s Ultimate Room?”

“That’s where we’re meeting.” He replied as he followed them out of the room, “Any other burning questions, or can we get this over with?” 

 

He turned to them as they closed the door to their Ultimate room. And, they slowly shook their head. They couldn’t meet his eyes as they spoke up one last time. “Please…. Just be careful. I do not want to lose another friend.” 

 

“Just get it done, Kiiboy.” He waved them off as he made his way towards the Exisal Hangar, “That’s all you need to worry about.” 

 

They watched as he stumbled off to the door to the Hangar, unsure of what he was planning. Whatever it was, they trusted his judgment- even if they were sure that was illogical. They didn’t quite catch the way that he rubbed his eyes as he reached the door, though. Or, the soft sound of crying that echoed as he walked into the building. They waited for a few moments, before they finally did as he asked, and walked away. They had something they needed to do, after all. Even if they felt guilty. 

 

   ~*~

Kokichi never thought that he'd come back to this room willingly, at least not so soon. Just the word, 'Exisal' was enough to send his mind in a flurry, and make his heart race. Too much happened here. Too much that he could never take back. 

The hallways had been a lot longer than he remembered; he nearly got lost. It didn’t help that the tears made the walls and floor so blurry. Goddammit… He hated having emotions. Why couldn’t EVERYONE just hate his guts? That’d make everything so much easier. 

By the time that he got to the door to the chamber, he was worn out. He pressed the button, and leaned against it. He rested his eyes as the loud, dull, mechanical whir sounded above him. Just for a few moments, of course. As soon as he was sure that the door was open, he slowly made his way into the room. 

If he remembered correctly, the hangar hadn't always opened that easily. His mind felt a bit fuzzy, though. The security measures must've been disabled, he guessed. 

He stepped inside hesitantly, doing his best to keep his eyes from wandering. He couldn't let himself get distracted, and he just KNEW the moment he looked over at the hydraulic press that it'd be over. ...He'd be stuck here. Frozen. And, there was no time for hesitation. His pace quickened as he stumbled over to the Exisals. 

He tried his best to keep his eyes to the ground, but one of the Exisals drew his attention. It laid on its side unlike all the others. His stomach churned. Blood was on its foot. Maki’s. He gagged, and quickened his pace. He needed to get out of here.


There was one last Exisal available. The one that Maki had used. It was still unlocked. So, he found the staircase beside it, and began his climb into the Exisal. Although he knew it was a terrible idea, he allowed his mind to wander just a bit as he made his way into it. It distracted him from the pain, at least. He wondered about the dream he had. All those strange memories…

 

He stood on the top of the stairs, and hit the button to open up the hatch. The hatch slowly creaked open, like a door in a horror movie. He could feel the fear ebb in the pit of his stomach, but he ignored it as he grasped for the handle, and crawled inside. 

He had no answers for his questions. He didn’t know what was the truth, or what was a lie… But at this point, he didn’t care anymore. The only thing he cared about was saving his friends- or friend. And he was going to make sure they got out of here if it was the last thing he did.

He powered on the Exisal, and pushed the joystick forward. It was time to end this. For better, or for worse. 

Notes:

Oh boy, this chapter made me cry.

Btw, can you tell I don't know anything about Yu-Gi-Oh? I just wanted to have Kokichi reference it at some point because that's one of my favorite character details haha. (Other than the implied fact that he can't taste/smell most things, or the fact that he has a brother???) I just love that he spent one FTE playing Yu-Gi-Oh with Shuichi, and wanted to keep that cannon in the fic as well. I guessed he'd like those cards though, because they're circus-themed robots, and DICE is quite literally a group of clowns.

Chapter 16: Just another day

Summary:

Everyone meets up in Rantaro's Ultimate Lab, but Kokichi is nowhere to be found... A game of hide and seek ensues.

Notes:

Haha! Finally graduating High School! Get ready for more updates, and I mean it this time! No more half-baked promises!

Rantaro's Ultimate Lab gave off a nearly indescribable foreboding vibe. It was it's design, after all. A mysterious room for a mysterious dude. But, that didn't make it pleasant to wait in for very long. The chairs were uncomfortable and cold, while the room remained stuffy, the lighting was something out of a horror movie, and all of the decorations were nightmare inducing. Kokichi couldn't have come up with a worse place to meet everyone in if he tried. 

 

They had spent their time going through the objects from the backpack, none of them having the energy to talk all too much. A heavy feeling hung through the air, which clung to each of their lungs and lips like an anchor, keeping them from speaking a word. Each of them took to a separate activity, working alone. 

 

Shuichi sat off to the left, in one of the chairs. His knees looked like they could've been glued to his chest, as the laptop sat on top of his lap haphazardly. He mumbled to himself quietly as he periodically clicked-clacked keys on the keyboard, desperately searching for answers. He had shown the others the video, but neither of the two figure out what it meant. He tried his best to find anything else of use in the laptop, but it was all locked behind a password code. 

 

Meanwhile, Himiko had taken to fiddling with Miu's camera-copter to ease her mind. She had tried to help Tsumugi investigate the maps, but for some reason, unbeknownst to her, Tsumugi had refused the help. She guessed that it was because she didn't need the help, but she could tell there was more to it than just that. Maybe she didn’t think she was useful enough for it. 

 

Her mind flitted back to the paper in Tsumugi's pocket. If they wanted to, she was sure that they could save Kiibo right now. But, they were just wasting their time here instead. Who knew what Kokichi could get up to in a hour alone? The more time they took trying to find answers, they were making things harder and harder on themselves. After a few minutes, she finally spoke up, "I don't think Kokichi wanted us to come here anymore... I wanna check somewhere else." 

 

"Well, he may not come here, but it's good to have time to investigate, right?" Tsumugi offered, but her eyes were trained on the maps. 

 

"But... What if he plans something, and decides to kill all of us cause we were too slow?" Himiko looked up towards Tsumugi with a worried frown, "We're playing his game wrong... He isn't gonna be happy about that."  

 

"There's three of us, and one of him. I think.... I think we'll be fine." Shuichi tried to reassure her, but she could tell that he was worried about Kokichi too, "And, he seemed worn down the last time we saw him. There's a chance that he might really be giving up this time. Maybe he’ll give us some real answers." 

 

"What if he doesn't though?"

 

That seemed to get to Shuichi. He gripped at his shirt and stared down at the ground, silently and anxiously. What would they do if Kokichi couldn’t give them the answers they needed? What if he just continued to lie? Or… What if his version of giving up was killing two of them, and ‘graduating’ with the single survivor?  He couldn’t think of a single way that a situation where he didn’t give up would end well.  So, he took in a deep breath to steady himself, before he looked back to Himiko and Tsumugi. He wouldn’t let him win. He said with trepidation, "I'll go check, don't worry. You two stay here... If I find him, I'll bring him up here. And, uh, if I'm not back soon, check the library. I have a feeling he might've wanted us to go there instead."

 

"Wait! I.... I wanna look too!" Himiko popped out of her seat, “I know I haven’t helped a lot cuz I’m not as useful in investigations… But, I wanna change that! I’ll go with you!” 

 

"Well, then we can all go!” Tsumugi chimed, “Three heads are better than one, as the phrase goes!" 

 

"N-No!" Himiko blurted, before she laughed nervously to cover up her mistake, "I think we should have someone here to wait for him! In case he comes... You know?" 

 

"Oh." Tsumugi noticed Himiko’s slipup, but she didn't comment on it yet. She simply shrugged, and said, "Alright! I can wait here, then." 

 

"Are you going to be okay here alone?" Shuichi asked, "We can stay if you need." 

 

"You shouldn't worry about someone as plain as me! Go ahead, I can take care of a job as simple as this!" She waved them off, and pulled her Monopad from her pocket. 

 

"Okay, but if at any point you think he's coming, just run.” Shuichi warned, “There's no point in trying to reason with him alone." 

 

"I don't think anyone can reason with him at this point..." She muttered under her breath. She gave a wave as she added, "Have fun, and good luck! Hopefully you'll find him in time." 

 

Shuichi nodded, and grabbed the backpack before started to walk out the room. It was like a switch was flipped once more, all of his friendliness and ease had been sapped out of him at the mention of Kokichi’s name. He picked up his speed, not even bothering to see if Himiko was following, as he took off  down the hallway. Himiko called his name, but he didn't stop. She started to step towards the door, but Tsumugi spoke up. 

 

"Wait... Himiko?" Tsumugi cautiously called, stopping the shorter girl in her tracks. Himiko slowly looked back, and hummed in confusion, before Tsumugi asked, "Are you upset with me? " 

 

"W-What? No!" Himiko sputtered, wondering where something like this was coming from, "Why do you think I’m mad?" 

 

"Well... It's just after I took that drawing, you've been looking at me funny. And when I told you that the maps seemed more like a one person job, you plainly looked angry…” She explained with a sigh, and a worried look in her eyes, “I know a situation like this is bound to make people stressed, but I hope you aren’t suspicious of me…I’m sorry if I bothered you, though. I just want the best for all of us…” 

 

Himiko stood frozen after Tsumugi said those words. She had no idea how to react. She hadn’t thought that she had been that obvious with her suspicions, but after hearing what Tsumugi was saying… She couldn’t help but feel bad for having them in the first place. Still, she wondered why she had been so secretive lately. After a few seconds of mulling it over in her mind, she finally asked, “...Why did you lie to Shuichi about it? That’s what I don’t really get… I thought we were all supposta be honest with each other.” 

 

"I just... I didn't want to worry Shuichi any more than he already is. You’ve seen him, right? It’s almost like he snapped.”

 

“I thought I was the only one who thought he was acting weird…” 

 

“Not at all… It’s plainly obvious. I know how much this whole situation with Kokichi has been bothering him… If he thinks that there’s a way to bring Kiibo back, he’d get distracted, and focus entirely on that.” She continued, “And can you imagine the despair he’d feel if he found out that Kokichi was just leaving that to mess with us? That there really was no way to bring Kiibo back? I think he’d kill him with his own hands, at that point…”

 

“But… Then, Shuichi would become the next blackened, right?” 

 

Tsumugi nodded solemnly, and Himiko gripped her hat, trying to soothe herself. Despite her obvious fear, Tsumugi continued to hammer the thought into Himiko’s brain. “And, even though the game would end in that case… I don’t think either of us want the game to end like that.” 

 

Himiko went quiet for a few moments, before she finally asked, “How… How do we know that he hasn’t already tried to kill him, though…?” 

 

“What do you mean?” 

 

“Just now, Shuichi said something about how Kokichi looked worn out the last time we saw him. But… I don’t remember him acting any different. Do you think that he…?” 

 

She shook her head once more, “No, he plainly wouldn’t do that. He’s just a lot more perceptive than we are, as the Ultimate Detective! He probably just noticed something that we didn’t.” 

 

“Oh, okay… I guess that makes sense.” 

 

“I’m sure everything will turn out fine!” She smiled reassuringly, but for some reason, it didn’t help ease her discomfort. A few awkward seconds passed, and Tsumugi got to her feet and made her way over to Tsumugi. She pulled the paper out of her pocket, and held it out to her,  "If you really think it'll help, though, I think we should try! Maybe you and Shuichi really can bring them back." 

 

"No... No, it's fine!" Himiko shook her head and pushed the paper back to Tsumugi. So, instead, she smiled with a sad chuckle, "I...I was just worried that you didn't wanna bring them back because you didn't wanna see them again."

 

"Of course I want to see them again... I've been worried about them too. I mean, it wasn’t like they were close to any of us, but it’s still hard to lose someone when you’ve known them for so long." She sighed, "But, we'll find out why Kokichi did that to them soon! Keep an eye on Shuichi, and make sure he doesn't do anything crazy. He plainly needs support right now." 

 

"Okay... I’ll cast a protection spell to make sure he’s safe!" Himiko nodded, "But... Be careful, okay?" 

 

"I'll be fine! If he comes around, he should be the one who's worried!" She laughed, "I've been to enough Anime Cons to know my fair share of self defense!" 

 

Himiko laughed before she finally said, “... I'm gonna go catch up with Shuichi." 

 

“Good luck, Himiko!” 

 

“I don’t need luck when I have magic!” She beamed, and then she was gone. 

 

~*~

 

Shuichi stood in front of Ryoma's Ultimate Room, trying to decide whether or not he was actually going to go through with his plan. He knew that if they wanted any chance at survival that they'd have to stay a few steps ahead of Kokichi, but it didn't sit well with him. It felt too underhanded. The guilt ate away at him. 

 

He still somehow decided to go through with it. He opened the door to the Ultimate Room and began making his way into the back.  He felt strange being in here, after all this time. It was uncomfortable, and dread-inducing all at once. He did his best to push aside the painful memories of that day as he opened the side door to the locker room. 

 

There they were. The handcuffs. They still hung neatly on the bar, just as they had all those days before. He calmly walked over to a pair, and picked it up, doing his best not to shiver at the feeling of cold metal in his hands. 

 

 Shuichi had never arrested anyone firsthand, but every time he watched his Uncle do it, he couldn’t help but feel sick with guilt. Not only did they bind the person's arms together, but they also bound them to their fate. They were metaphorically inescapable in a way, just like the truth. …So, he felt like it was probably perfect for Kokichi. 

 

If he could find him, and handcuff him, it’d be impossible for him to hurt anyone else. He was sure that’d make bringing him back to the Ultimate Lab much easier. As long as he didn’t try to kill him with them. He shivered at that thought before he slipped them into his bag. 

 

He started to walk back to the door, when he stopped. A painful flash made it’s way behind his eyes, and suddenly, he was somewhere entirely different. 

~*~

“Hey, bro.” 

 

“You’ve got to stop doing this, Kaito. I’ve already asked my uncle to drop your charges three times this year… As much as he cares about you, I don’t think he’s going to keep doing this forever.” 

 

“I know… I swear once I can pay off my grandma’s hospital bills I’ll stop getting into trouble like this. Oh, uh, also would you mind taking off the cuffs? They’re really painful after a while… And uh, the person put em on way too tight.” 

 

“Oh, yeah, of course! ….There, is that better?” 

 

“Yeah, thanks, bro!” 

 

“What happened, anyways?”

“Well…. I was just trying to bet some money since I’ve gotten good at poker…. But turns out I was playing with the Yakuza. I won, but uh, that’s all kinds of illegal apparently.” 

 

“No… There’s no way that you-” 

 

“Sorry dude… I know that makes things a lot more difficult, heh.” 

 

“… I-It’s fine. I’ll figure it out.” 

 

“I just wish there were other ways to make up the money for her bills… I don’t wanna keep bothering you like this.” 

 

“I know it’s a big decision, but I’ve heard that Danganronpa had programs for families. I think that was why one of the 52nd season contestants played the game. Rantaro…? I think? …Or, maybe it was Raimu. Either way, they send home paychecks whether you win or lose.” 

 

“I… I’ve thought about it. But, I know how they’d get. They’d kill me if they saw me doing something like that. My whole family would.” 

 

“More than the Yakuza would kill you if you lost a bet?” 

 

“...I’ll look into it tonight.” 

 

~

 

Shuichi was getting sick and tired of these stupid memories. He wished he hadn’t fallen for Kokichi’s reverse psychology and had destroyed that Flashback Light. It was too painful to think that could be real. It was hard enough to accept that his friends were gone, but to think that there was even a chance that he knew them before this game had started… It was enough to bring him to tears. 

 

He did his best to shake them from his mind, but he couldn’t get rid of the anger that followed. Kokichi really was just doing everything he could to torture them, wasn’t he? Muddying the waters of lies and truth just enough for them to question reality, and then taking away everything they cared about without a second thought. 

 

He picked up his pace and reached the door within seconds.  Just as he was about to leave the Lab, he heard a loud, metallic, thud. And another. And another…. He knew that sound from anywhere. It haunted his every living nightmare. Kokichi brought the Exisal, and he knew exactly where he was heading.

 

  He could almost feel his heart beat out of his chest, just imagining all the ways that Kokichi could kill Tsumugi, and hurt Himiko. He realized then that she wasn’t even with him. She was still in the hallway.  He was sure that Kokichi would get to her… 

 

 That was it. He was not going to let anyone else die because of Kokichi, or because of his own negligence. Handcuffs just wouldn't cut it. That was too nice. He needed something with more firepower.  So, he decided to make one more pit stop before he went back to Rantaro’s Lab. He was going to Maki's Ultimate Lab. As soon as the clangs ceased, he opened the door and rushed out of it. He didn't look back. He just kept running. Faster, and faster.

~~

Himiko tried her best to catch up with Shuichi, but he had gone too far ahead for her to even try. By the time she had reached the staircase to the fourth floor, he was already nearing the second. Perhaps that was partially because it was because she had opted to take a brisk walk to "preserve mana" rather than running, but it was mostly on account of that headstart he had gotten. And, the fact that he was insanely determined to find Kokichi, for some reason. 

 

As she walked, she thought about what Tsumugi had said. It made sense to her why she had tried to keep the paper from Shuichi now, but she still felt like it was too important to ignore. Maybe she could make it easier for everyone by seeing whether or not Kiibo could be brought back? That way they wouldn't have to keep something important from Shuichi if it really was true. 

 

So, she decided to head off to Kiibo's Ultimate Room first. She was sure that the library could wait for a bit. Hopefully, Shuichi wouldn’t get worried if she was gone for very long. 

Though, she didn’t get very far before she questioned that plan. She had to the third floor, and down the stairs when she heard loud footsteps coming towards her. She couldn’t do much more than freeze as she stared up at the Exisal, coming her way. It kept coming, closer and closer… Until, it suddenly swerved, and hit a wall to get out of her way. 

 

“Oh. My. God! What part of giant-killing machine makes you think it’s a good idea to stand in the way! I could’ve smooshed you, idiot!” Kokichi huffed and cursed. 

 

“Ack! Don’t hurt me!” She flinched, but Kokichi simply laughed. But, it was a much lighter laugh than usual. Instead of one filled with malice, and hatred, it was a much happier one. Or, maybe it was just a delirious one. 

 

“Relax, I’m not going to hurt anyone! If I wanted to hurt you, I would’ve just squashed you right there! But, I didn’t, did I?” He said before he began to cough, roughly. He went into a coughing fit that lasted just long enough to confuseHimiko. Eventually, he caught his breath. His voice was weak as he asked, “Where are the others? 

 

“Well… Shuichi should be in the Library, and Tsumugi is in Rantaro’s Lab.” 

 

“The library…? Why is he there?” 

 

“Cuz, that’s where Rantaro died? I think.” 

 

“Well, that’s stupid. It’s not like the laptop came from the Library, it came from his Ultimate Lab.” He scoffed, before he said, “Anyways, go and grab Shuichi for me! I want us all to be together before Kiiboy comes back!” 

 

“What? Kiibo?” Himiko asked, but Kokichi and the Exisal left before he could answer. She sighed and stared off down the hallway as she tried to figure out what that interaction even was. Maybe that meant that Kiibo was okay? She hoped so. But, at the very least she had more of a reason to check his Ultimate Lab. Although she was worried about Tsumugi, she knew she needed to warn Shuichi about him before she went back to check on her. 

 

She took off down the hallway, running as fast as she could to meet back up with Shuichi. She just hoped that she could figure out what was happening before things got out of hand. 

 

~*~ 

 

Shuichi slid down the railing of the stairs to cut the time down and immediately hit the ground running. He needed to save his friends, more than anything else in the world. But, as he reached the staircase, he heard yet another loud crash and was snapped from his thoughts. This time, it sounded more like an explosion, however. He wasn't sure what caused it, but it was loud. So, so loud. He peered over the stairs but saw nothing. It came from the atrium, he guessed. 

 

 He'd have to pass it before he reached Maki's Ultimate Lab anyways, and he was a bit thankful for that fact. He'd just see what made that noise, grab the weapons, and go. So, he bolted down the hall to the Atrium.  As he reached the Atrium, however, he couldn't help but notice how much it smelled of dirt and ash. He coughed from the dust as he stepped over the rubble. It was obvious that something happened here, and just as he was trying to figure out what could’ve caused it… 

 

 Another loud crash shook the ground. There was an electronic high-pitched sound, as well, like something powering up. He flinched but kept himself quiet. He slowly walked towards the noise and noticed it was coming from the staircase to Kokichi’s Ultimate Lab. He got onto his knees and knelt near the edge. He waited for the dust to settle before he slowly lowered his head down to take a look. And, what he saw he had no explanation for. 

 

A robot stood amidst the dust, brushing dust from their arms and hair. They stared down at the staircase, which was now nothing more than rocks and debris, and a large gaping hole where a wall would’ve been. They smiled a little as their arm powered down before they were startled by Shuichi’s incredulous voice. 

 

  "....K-Kiibo?"

Notes:

Hey, hypothetical question... If I were to write an anniversary chapter that's unrelated to the current plot, what would you guys want to see? This fic's birthday is coming up, and I want to do something special! If you have any ideas, I'd love to hear them or write them!

Also, I'm sorry, I had to reference Kaito's canonical gambling addiction... it's just such a weird-ass character detail. Like who looks at an astronaut teenager and goes: Oh he gambles! Dude probably lost all his money playing Genshin once. Also, if they knew each other pregame, Kokichi definitely scammed Kaito on Roblox.

Chapter 17: Two birds on a wire

Summary:

Shuichi is saddled with the most difficult decision he's come across thus far: to trust Kiibo, or his own beliefs. While Kokichi realizes that he underestimated Tsumugi, and ends up with a fear of cosplayers.

Notes:

Hey, hey! I missed you guys so much! From now on until this fic is finished, uploads will be weekly on Saturdays unless god smites me for my hubris.

Also, please read the end notes! They're so important. Like. Majorly. I swear they're not another how to on first aid.

 

That was not good… Was it? 

 

Kiibo froze the moment they heard Shuichi’s voice call their name. Confusion, fear and dread pulsed through their wires as they cycled through possible explanations or excuses to give the detective. Last time they checked, Shuichi was supposed to be with Kokichi and all of the others… But, it appeared that something went wrong. 

 

"What's going on? I... I thought you were dead!" Shuichi sputtered, "We saw you... You were..."

 

They were sure they could spare some time to talk to him. They had never been too keen on keeping secrets from others, after all. Plus, this would be a good time to explain everything before Shuichi got the wrong idea.  In theory, the best thing they could do would be to appear like there was no threat anymore. If they were relaxed, surely he would be as well; so they kept this in mind as they spoke. 

 

“Oh… Uh, hello, Shuichi!” They turned around and stiffly waved up at him with a nervous smile. It was never easy for them to bluff like the others did but they attempted it the best they could.  A few awkward seconds passed before they squeaked with a, “H-How is it going?”

 

“‘How’s it going?’” He repeated bitterly, his eyes narrowing in an instant. Their idea had immediately backfired. Of course it would, acting was not one of the skills they possessed. Thinking about it now, they were way too skittish to simply brush anything like that off. Shuichi put his hand on his head, and gripped his hair nervously. He paced the floor above, as he rambled, “How do you think it’s going? We… We thought you were dead, Kokichi’s on a rampage with another Exisal, and chances are, Himiko and Tsumugi are as good as dead…” 

 

“I am sorry… I did not mean to scare you. I just-”

“-You just what?” He snapped back,“What possible reason could you have for lying to us, and scaring us like that?! You have NO idea how much it hurt to see another one of our friends dead!  I-I thought… I thought it was my fault again.”

“I just could not risk telling you our plan until it was put into motion.” They spoke up, looking away guiltily, “We would have wasted too much time trying to locate you, and  would have lost our opening to retaliate against the Mastermind as a result of that.” 

 

“ Our plan?” He latched onto that phrase in seconds, like a ravenous dog, “That’s it… You were working with him this entire time, weren’t you?”

“I do not know what you mean by ‘this entire time’, but no. We have only been working together since this morning.” They tried their best to explain everything, without angering him once again, “And, before you assume that I am being forced into doing his dirty work, or that both of us are working to perpetuate the killing game- we aren’t. The plan is simple. We are using the investigation time to gather more information on the true Mastermind, and we are going to use the trial as a chance to corner her. I am specifically going to look around the Mastermind’s room, which as long as you leave your negative attitude outside, you are more than welcome to join me.”

“Her? Who do you think the Mastermind is?” He asked confused, “Tsumgui, or Himiko? Because either way, that sounds insane.” 

“Tsumugi. And there is a very logical explanation for it as well, if you would like to hear it. Either way, we will cover it during the trial.”

“No, you don’t need to… I don’t believe you.” He shook his head adamantly, “Out of everyone here, Kokichi’s the only one capable of doing something that horrible. Tsumugi hasn’t done anything wrong, but Kokichi… I don’t think he’s done a single good thing since he got here.” 

 

“I do not understand why you find it so hard to believe that he could be a good person when you were friends with Maki.” 

 

“Excuse me?”

“She was an assassin, was she not? Assassins are contract killers, and every death has it’s consequence. No matter how you look at it, her job has caused many people irreversible harm.” They explained carefully and confidently, “You can say the same for Kokichi. The things he has done in this game has hurt every one of us, but despite both of their deplorable actions… It is wrong to say that they cannot be good people deep down because of that. That was what Kaito tried so hard to prove with Maki, and what I have come to see with Kokichi.”

“So what? You’re expecting me to trust him just because he might have a sliver of goodness in him? That’s like saying that someone who kicks puppies for fun is a good person because they donate to charity sometimes. No matter how you look at it, he’s a piece of shit.” His voice was harsh, “Do you even remember what happened to Miu when she decided to trust him?” 

 

They didn’t reply. It went without saying, after all. They could still see her in their mind, with milky eyes full of fear. The way that her hands snaked up towards her throat in desperation. If they were able to sleep, they knew her face would have haunted their nightmares until the day they died. 

 

“He killed her.” He supplied the answer, snapping them back from their thoughts, “And then Gonta, his supposed ‘best friend’. Those two were inseparable until the end… Yet, he sacrificed him callously without a second of remorse. Can you seriously think after seeing that, that he won’t do the same to you?” 

 

“I understand the severity of what he has done, believe me. I am not as naive as you think."  

“Do you? I’ll give you another example, just to make sure. Kaito. The person we’ve relied on trial after trial, to inspire us and cheer us up… Gone. Now, I’ve seen my fair share of crime scenes while helping out my uncle- murders, suicides, accidents… But I’ve never seen anything as horrible as what we witnessed yesterday. I can’t get the images out of my mind! I-I haven’t been able to sleep, or eat- because every fucking time I close my eyes, I see both of them. Dead. Smashed to bits. All because of him!” Shuichi continued angrily, the words tumbling out of his mouth like a boulder down a hill. But, they could tell that he was slowly losing his edge. Anger gave way for grief, as he sniffled, and wiped his eyes with his sleeve. His voice shook as he continued, “Even if he isn’t the Mastermind, do you really think that changes anything? He’s just going throw you away the moment that you stop being useful to him. You’re a pawn.” 

 

“I do not know if that changes much to you.” They started, cautiously, “But, I would much rather bet on the slivers of kindness I have seen from him, than ignore the good in him all together. If we simply doubt and fear every obstacle that crosses our path, we will never make any progress. That is why, even if trusting him costs me my life, or causes me harm, I will still regard it as the best choice. If there is a chance to save everyone, I will take it.” 

 

For some reason, those words were the ones that finally got to Shuichi. Maybe it was the overwhelming sense of genuine care in their voice, or the determination in their tone, but recognition lit up his eyes. A soft forlorn look dashed across his face, as a tear streaked across his cheek, “… That sounded a lot like something that he’d say.” 

 

“I will take that as a compliment.” Kiibo gave him a soft smile, knowing who he was referring to. Though, they were a bit annoyed at his reaction. Out of all the things that could’ve calmed him down, it wasn’t the actual logical explanations- it was just their conviction and determination to believe Kokichi. He must’ve really missed Kaito. In order to make sure that they didn’t anger him again, they said, “I think he may have been onto something. Maybe if we all had put more faith into one another when the game started, we would not have had to suffer as much.” 

 

“Yeah… Maybe. I think this game was just designed to make us lose our minds, though.”

“Yes, I think so too.” They nodded. There was a brief silence, before they spoke again, “Would you like to accompany me to the Mastermind’s room? I am sure that your investigative skills would be a big help.” 

 

“N-No. It’s fine. I think… I need a moment alone. I should check on Himiko and Tsumugi to make sure they’re safe.” He took a step back from the edge, and right before he turned around, he added, “I still don’t trust him, but… I won’t stop you. It’s your decision. I just hope you think about what I’ve said.” 

 

“I will, as long as you do the same.” 

 

“Yeah… Good luck.” He waved, turning his back to Kiibo, “I might just take you up on your offer, later. Don’t make me regret leaving you here alone, though.” 

 

A thinly veiled threat. To keep the peace, they pretended not to notice. With a smile they said, “Feel free to come here whenever. Take the elevator, though, because the few parts of the staircase that are left are unstable.” 

 

Shuichi hummed in acknowledgement as his footsteps retracted. And just like that, they were alone once again. Relief cascaded through their mind as he finally left. They had no idea how much longer they could deal with an angsty Shuichi. Kokichi was at least capable of being reasoned with… But him? That was nearly impossible. 

 

They had never thought that their programming allowed for headaches, but they could feel their head throb just thinking about the upcoming trial. 

Although the relief was short lived, as another fear was quick to take its place. They couldn’t help but worry a bit about Kokichi, and his own safety. They were sure he’d be fine. He could definitely handle his side of the plan on his own. And, despite his worrying state, they knew he’d push through no matter what. 

 

But, they couldn’t shake off the overwhelming dread that nearly consumed all of their thoughts after they realized- There was a chance that Tsumugi and Kokichi were alone right now. A small one; but a dangerous one regardless. Despite all that, they did their best to put their trust into Kokichi. Surely, it wouldn’t be too bad.. Right? 

~*~

 Kokichi was happy to see that Kiibo was already getting right to work on the plan but didn't stop to watch them blow up the stairs. Even though he knew it probably looked way too cool to miss. It was such a disappointment. If they both made it through this game, he was totally going to ask them to blow up something cool, like a car! Or, maybe a tree? Or, or, the whole academy! Yeah! That'd be awesome! They could blow up the entire school to rub it in Tsumugi's dumb, boring, face! 

 

...He was getting sidetracked. It was hard to keep himself focused anymore, but he tried his best. He needed to be entirely be present for this plan to work. He only had one chance, after all. He couldn’t screw this up again. 

 

    As Kokichi passed Himiko, he came upon one realization. He'd be alone with Tsumugi now- and there was nothing he could do about it. Despite his fear, he couldn’t think of a better way for this situation to play out. There was no need for her to keep up her innocent act any longer, they could speak without consequence. And, he was going to get answers out of her. No matter what it took. 

 

As soon as he reached the fifth floor, he was ready to fight. He’d do anything but hurt her outright, even though she deserved to get suckerpunched by a Exisal. First, he aimed to intimidate her. He swung the arm of the Exisal hard enough to knock the door off it’s hinges and into the depths of Rantaro’s Lab, as he let out a desperate battle cry,  "Alright, you crazy bitch! It's just you and me now-!" 

 

His voice cracked towards the end, as his body wracked with another flurry of coughs and gasps. He shut off his microphone immediately, not wanting Tsumugi to get the idea that he was an easy fight. It felt as if his insides were being torn apart from the sharp air that left his lungs with every breath. He could taste iron, and felt his eyes blur from the pain, but there was no way in fuck he was going to let this stop him. He raised his head as he let out a wheeze, and focused on the screen in front of him.  Tsumugi was nowhere to be found… So, he needed to find her. 

 

As soon as he caught his breath, he turned back on the microphone and forced the Exisal out of the room. He’d try to lure her, “Pfft, wow! Wouldn’t have thought that the Mastermind would be this much of a chicken! It’s such a bummer if you ask me. I don’t think your audience is going to be too happy once they realize you’re the one behind all of this…”

He turned to the camera in the hallway. Slowly, he opened the hatch once more, just to flash a grin to the audience, “Oh yeah! Oops! Spoiler alert! Tsumugi’s the Mastermind. You can stop watching now.” 

 

Yet again, he was met with an empty hallway. His provocation didn’t seem to work… That just meant he had to turn up the heat. “In fact, I’ll even go as far to spoil EVERYTHING for you! Kiiboy will find all the evidence that proves that Tsumugi’s the Mastermind; including Rantaro’s Monopad, the very one that proves that she’s responsible for his death. We’ll move to the trial room, and I’ll tragically be executed for the murder of Kiiboy. Right before I’m sent off, I’ll tell Shuichi the truth of Kaede’s murder, and griefstricken,he’ll demand a retrial once I’m gone. Tsumugi as the obvious culprit will be executed, leaving Kiiboy, Shuichi and Himiko as the only survivors. The End!” 

 

He turned off the microphone once more, and focused on his breath so he didn’t end up in another coughing fit. Once he was sure he was fine, he cleared his throat and looked up at the camera. But, as he stared up at the blinking red light… He noticed something strange. It blinked, and blinked… Before it simply went black. 

 

Did… He do it? 

 

He hadn’t thought it would be that easy. But, there was no way that he was complaining. That only meant one thing…. 

 

“Jeeze, I really made you too much of a loudmouth, didn’t I?” Tsumugi sighed behind him. He turned the Exisal around, and glared at the woman who stood in front of Shuichi’s Ultimate Lab. She was looking a bit worse for wear. Her eyes were tired, and almost sunken as she mirrored his pissy expression.

 

 She had a vial in one hand, and a tote bag in the other. As she waited for his reply, she casually dropped the vial into the bag, and took out her Monopad. Strangely enough, he could catch a glimpse of a checker print scarf hanging from the edge of the bag, but before he could ask about it, she scoffed, “Oh, now you shut up? That’s a first for you… Why were you telling them all that, anyways? I thought you were all about making things more interesting for the audience, not ruining their fun.” 

 

“Yeah, well… I thought the Mastermind was going to be an actual threat, not some lame ass bitch who’s never touched grass a day in her life.” He shrugged, “So, I guess we were both wrong about each other, now weren’t we?” 

 

“No… Only you were.” She began to chuckle maniacally, and he couldn’t help but wonder if she had thought she was cool for that lame comeback. He turned his gaze to her hands, and noticed that her finger was hovering over the screen of the Monopad.  He could feel his breath catch in his throat as he realized what she was about to do. “I know I seem like your run of the mill plain jane, but believe me… There’s a reason they chose me to lead this season of Danganronpa! You see, I’ve spent years working my ass off for this very moment…  And I’m not going to let my big break get ruined by some four-foot, good for nothing, insignificant, gremlin!” 

 

“W-Wait! N0! Don’t you fucking dare!”

 

“Oops! Sorry, I think this might be a bumpy ride.” She giggled, “You’re in for some turbulence.”

“You fucking-” He began to yell, but fear took the words from his mouth. The Exisal jolted and swayed, like a leaf caught in a tornado. He gripped desperately onto the edge of the control panel, hooked his legs under the chair, and did everything he could to keep himself stable. He hated how easily he crumbled. 

 

“Have you figured out how I can do this yet?” She asked, as she raised her Monopad threateningly. Before she grinned, “No? I’ll give you another refresher!” 

 

He let out a cry as his shoulder hit the wall of the Exisal. The pain was almost too much to bare, but he bit his lip to grab his attention, and flung himself towards the controls. All he had to do was stop the machine from moving. That couldn’t be too hard, right? 

 

“You know, I should’ve just finished you off then. That would’ve gotten rid of so many problems! The amount of times I’ve had to cover up plot hole, after plothole, and put out fire after fire, because you’ve been able to get away doing whatever you pleased… It’s ridiculous!” She seethed, “You disabled Kiibo’s connection to the audience, spoiled the biggest plot twist I had prepared for the viewers without a second thought, ruined the ending twice, created a PR crisis for the head of Danganronpa… And if that isn’t bad enough… You even drove the backup protagonist to become the next blackened!” 

 

She took out all her anger on the Monopad’s screen. He realized at that moment that it was impossible to regain control of the damned thing. The controls were useless with someone else using them that much. He was trapped. He gasped, and gagged, and cried, and screamed, but it was all for nothing. The Exisal just kept flinging itself around and around and around like a sick roller coaster ride. He was given no mercy. 

 

“N-No, no no no no… Don’t! Not again…!”

 

Images of smoke filled his mind, and he could almost feel it burning his nostrils, and filling up his lungs once more. He could feel the flames licking at his sleeves and burning his wrists. The electrical shocks, and the god awful feeling of his neck snapping backwards from impact.`

 

“Now, you have two choices! You’re lucky I’m a more merciful Mastermind. I need your help on something, and if you ask nicely, I might spare you and let you work with me. So, you either comply or die. Simple as that!” 

 

The Exisal was flung into the wall behind him. He screamed as his back hit the seat, right where the arrow had lodged it’s way into his skin. He could still see the murderous look in Maki’s eyes as she shot him. He could hear the squelch of her body being crushed under the Exisal. 

 

“I can’t… I can’t take this anymore.” 

 

He whispered tearfully, his voice cracking. He wished more than anything in that moment that he had failed the day before, that he hadn’t gotten the stupid idea to stand against the Mastermind like that. Or, that he had been smarter and relied on someone else, like Kiibo. Maybe then, he wouldn’t have had to sacrifice two more lives to get this far. 

 

“Stop it! Please… I-I’ll… I’ll…” 

 

And just like that, the Exisal went still. He didn’t even need to finish his sentence, the desperation in his tone was enough of an answer for her. The machine dropped to the ground, arms extended and legs bent in a bow. If he had been thinking clearly, he probably would’ve made a sarcastic comment acknowledging it. But, it took all of his energy just to escape the metallic husk. 

 

He spilled out onto the ground from the force, and hacked as the air was knocked from his lungs. Teardrops hit the ground as he crawled out of the horrific machine. The moment that he had gotten far enough away, he collapsed into a fit of sobs and coughs. He was supposed to stand against her, not at her feet. And, he had failed. 

 

“Take my hand.” 

 

The pain was getting to be too much. His head felt as if it was filled with cotton. He knew this feeling… It was the same one he had felt when he was with Kiibo… There was no chance that he’d be able to get up on his own. And, he doubted he’d have the strength to outrun the Exisal. Not to mention, it could easily enough shoot him down if he even tried. 

 

That was her plan, wasn’t it? He was cornered… And, she got him good.

 

“I-I guess if I say no, you’ll just get rid of me, huh?” He laughed weakly. He knew when it was best to just suck it up and admit defeat. He took her cold hand, and was helped up to his feet. He looked over at her, and forced all of his anger into a friendly expression. He chimed shortly after with, “Welp, you got me! W-What’s our first move?” 

 

He could see the look on her face soften just slightly with relief, but he didn’t let his satisfaction seep into his expression. Though, her momentarily relief was replaced with suspicion rather quickly, “That was easy… You’re just going to do what I say, without asking what it is? That’s out of character for you.” 

 

“Is it?” He tilted his head to the side, playing dumb, “I don’t have any other choice if I want to live.” 

 

She hummed, before she thoughtfully added, “I would’ve thought you’d be more hesitant to give up on your plan with how much work you put into it.” 

 

“...If you spend all of your time suspecting me, you’ll lose your opportunity to make a move, won’t you?” He replied softly, “And besides, if I betray you, it wouldn’t be hard for you to get rid of me. I can’t put up much of a fight in this state, and with your Monopad, it’s easy for you to kill me if I get out of line.” 

 

And just like that, he did it. He eased her suspicions just enough to officially work by her side. “You’re right. I’ll take your word for it, then. Come with me, and we’ll make this deal official.” 

 

She turned, and began to walk back into Rantaro’s Ultimate Lab, of all places. And just as she wished, he followed behind without a fuss. But, he made sure to keep a careful watch on where she put her Monopad, watching it sway in her grip with each and every step.

 

It was at that moment he decided to make one final move.He reached into his pocket, and pulled out his own Monopad, as he walked. He wasn’t sure if he’d have another opening like this, and as risky as this powergrab was… He was willing to take it. 

 

“Can… We slow down?” He spoke up hesitantly, letting the pain seep into his voice, “I… Think the Exisal might’ve opened up some of my wounds.”

He wasn’t entirely lying. He was sure if he checked the bandages, he’d be in need of more first aid. That experience was quite literally torture, and probably broke all of the rules of the Geneva Convention. If both of them survived this experience, and he got lucky enough to escape back into a world that had any semblance of morality, he’d make sure she, and the entire Danganronpa Team were dealt with.

 

“You’ll be fine, the blood loss isn’t going to kill you.” She ignored his pleas, and kept walking, “Besides, it’s not that much further. You’ll be able to sit down in a second.” 

 

“I don’t think I’ll be able to… Make it.” He slowed down, and gripped his shoulder dramatically. He drew in  a ragged breath as he said, “Please… Just… Give me a second.” 

 

Tsumugi didn’t even look back. She just kept up her usual pace, obviously a bit suspicious of whatever Kokichi was planning- which was exactly what he was counting on. He followed behind her, but as soon as they made it through the doorway, he tripped himself on the fallen door. He fell forward, and reaching for the very first thing he could, his hands latched onto the tote bag that Tsumugi was carrying. Out of reflex, Tsumugi dropped the bag, and the contents of which fell to the ground. 

 

He immediately dropped his Monopad, and grabbed the other that laid beside it, pocketing it before she could catch onto his plot. Thankfully, the action had been hidden by the dark of the room, and creepy decorations strewn about. Although he only caught a glimpse of the other contents of the bag, they were enough to leave him terrified of what Tsumugi had planned. 

 

An antidote for a poison called ‘Shemlock’, the same vial that she had dropped into the bag. 

 

An ID card, presumably for the Mastermind’s room with his own face on it.

 

And the very same checker print scarf he had noticed earlier. One that matched his very own. 

 

Before he could question it, Tsumugi shoved everything back into her bag. She hadn’t had time to check if she had grabbed the right Monopad, and by the looks of it, it wasn’t a thought that had even crossed her mind. He had no idea what Tsumugi was planning, but he knew that he’d do everything in his power at this point forward to sabotage it. At the very least, he had a better idea now on why she needed his help. 

 

Whether he had to grovel, or knock himself down a few pegs, or even betray everyone once more to achieve it, he didn’t care. He’d end this game, and finally wipe that stupid smirk off Tsumugi’s face once and for all. 

 

And maybe once that was over… he’d finally be able to get some rest. 

Notes:

1. BELATED BACKUP PLAN BIRTHDAY/SIDE PROJECT

I've been working on a side project to celebrate the birthday of this series, that I made for you guys as a sort of thank you for sticking with me for so long. It has additional lore, content, edited cgs, (will likely have some drawn cgs once I get back into digital art), but most importantly.... With this, you'll get a chance to influence the story yourselves, if that's your cup of tea. Kiibo may no longer have their inner voice, but who said that was the only connection available to the outside world?

 

Here is the link to the side project

 

2. LOOKING FOR BETA READERS

I've in need of a beta reader, so so so bad. My friend who has been beta reading has been incredibly busy recently, so I've taken upon myself to edit and revise my work a lot more than usual. So if anyone would be interested in beta reading, please let me know! I'd be so grateful!!! I trust you guys, so I'll put ways to reach out privately if commenting isn't your thing.

Discord: Icanttypo#0214
Email: [email protected]
Insta (rarely check or use): typocosplays

Chapter 18: I bet my life

Summary:

Curiosity gets the better of Himiko, so the lovable mage gets a shot at playing support for once. While Kokichi subtly plots his retaliation against Tsumugi, he is given the choice to make the "Ultimate" sacrifice to protect his newly acquired ally.

Notes:

Special thanks to "Starring_Tia_Celeste" for beta reading! I'm really happy to be working on this with you!!! Genuinely don't think I would've been able to post on time without you haha! <3

Himiko made her way towards the first floor staircase, and was about to go down the steps when she saw Shuichi. He was off towards the bottom of the staircase, nearing the first step. This was enough to annoy Himiko a bit. Not only did he run off and leave her, there was no way he was gone long enough to investigate anything! For a moment, she wondered why Tsumugi was so adamant on leaving everything to him, when he was acting like…. This!

She couldn’t help but snap at him as she stomped down the steps, “Why’d you run off like that?!”

“Ah, sorry… I should’ve waited. I didn’t think I was going that fast until I didn’t see you behind me anymore.” He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly, before it finally hit him. His eyes brightened with relief, as he stammered, “W-Wait? You’re okay? Kokichi didn’t hurt you?”

“Huh? Why wouldn’t I be?” She thought back to her altercation with Kokichi in the Exisal. It still confused her a lot, especially the fact that he hadn’t tried to hurt her. But, she thought it’d be better to take that as a good sign, at least for now, “I’m okay! He doesn’t wanna hurt us anymore, I think.”

“Really..?” His voice was full of disbelief, but he didn’t question it further. His expression softened a bit, as he mumbled, “I guess Kiibo was right.”

“Kiibo’s alive?!” She gasped, and Shuichi nodded nonchalantly as if that wasn’t the biggest plot twist of all time. She had to do a double take at that reveal. If Kiibo was alive, then that had to mean that Kokichi was on their side, didn’t it? It was a difficult situation to wrap her head around, but she didn’t want to simply wait for someone to explain it to her. She’d find out on her own this time.

“Where’d you see them?”

“Over by the staircase, I think they were going into the Mastermind’s Room.”

“I’ll go and help them investigate, then!” She had a bounce in her step as she turned to leave, but was stopped by Shuichi.

“Wait, is Tsumugi still in Rantaro’s room?”

“Oh, uh… I think so! She’s probably alone with Kokichi now.” She nodded with a hum. A few seconds passed as she thought about what Kiibo being alive implied. Didn’t that mean that she purposely made it harder to bring Kiibo back? As much as she didn’t want to doubt a friend, she had gone through enough trials to know that was the safest option left. She hesitantly spoke up, “Uhm… Maybe it’d be good for you to check on her.”

 

“Yeah, I’ll make sure he didn’t do anything. I’m worried about that too.”

Although she didn’t think the two of them were afraid of the same things, she knew that Shuichi would be able to figure out what was going on better than she could. So she turned around once more to leave, and waved, “Uhm… I’ll see you soon!”

“Where should we meet up?”

“Hmm… Let’s all meet up in the Mastermind room!” She suggested, “That way we can all investigate together!”

“Okay, I think that’s a good idea… Just stay safe. If you think that Kiibo may be dangerous, or attack you, run away.” Shuichi warned, “There’s no investigation that’s worth getting killed over.”

“You’re worrying too much!” She sighed in exasperation, “They’re not gonna hurt us! Even though things are scary right now, I’m sure we’re all still friends. Plus, everyone knows that robots aren’t protected against magic!”

Shuichi didn’t speak for a few moments. He had a forlorn look in his eyes, despite the fact that Himiko had been trying to be encouraging. He simply took a step up the staircase, and quietly said, “I hope you’re right.”

But, his words were too quiet for Himiko to hear. Despite that, she waved as he went up the staircase. However, he didn’t turn back to look. So, once he was gone, she turned and awkwardly began to make her way towards the atrium. Although, she realized one big problem as she neared it- She didn’t know which staircase Shuichi was talking about.

She probably should’ve asked first…
~*~

The two stood inside Rantaro’s lab as Tsumugi began to “take care of business” as she called it. Kokichi was still cautious, and remained stationary at the door as he watched her actions carefully. He made sure to not let Tsumugi onto the theft he had just accomplished. Periodically, though, he'd pull the Monopad closer to him and turn it on while it remained in his pocket.

That was when he noticed something interesting. Unlike all the other Monopads, there seemed to be one obvious difference right off the bat. There were entirely different sections, one of them specifically reading, camera.

There had to be a good use for that, right? If he could get Tsumugi to admit something, perhaps… Of course, he wasn't sure where the footage would end up. But, anything was worth a shot at this point. After finding that gem, he turned off the Monopad, and stuffed his hands in his pockets, just to make sure she didn't grow too suspicious.

“Why’d you turn off the cameras?” He leaned up against the side of the door with his uninjured shoulder. As he spoke he peered up at the now useless hunk of metal that could barely be called a camera. It made no sense to keep it off, unless she needed to keep all of this a secret. Of course, she had to know how risky a move like this would be. Unless they had been off on other occasions, the audience would become suspicious of both of them. No matter what, he could use this information to his advantage, “Seems strange that you’d hide this from your audience. Don’t you think they’d wanna see a deal like this?”

“You really don’t know the first thing about television, do you?” She sighed as she picked up the laptop, and carefully shoved it into her tote bag.

Kokichi rolled his eyes. He hated how she talked down to him like this. It felt demeaning, embarrassing, so he sarcastically said, “Why would I? I’m the Ultimate Supreme Leader, not the Ultimate Filmmaker. Even so, isn’t it stupid to keep something this big from them? I’m sure they’d eat this up!”

“This is just setup for the big, dramatic, Mastermind reveal. If they saw what was going on in here, they’d easily figure it all out. I turned off the cameras to create suspense, and so they’d focus more onto Kiibo’s plot.”

“Uh huh. You mean the reveal that happened hours ago?” He said boredly, “I think you’re a little late.”

“Actually… I’m thinking more along the lines of the reveal that happened…” She trailed off, tapping her finger to her chin for dramatic measure. “Oh, a few days ago?”

“E-Excuse me?” Kokichi stammered, his mouth suddenly going dry. She couldn’t be talking about that… Could she? He did his best to hide his apprehension, but he could feel his composure slip with every mocking sentence that spilled from her mouth.

“I know you thought spoiling the ending would deter them from watching any further, but the ending you described is nothing more than a fanfic some annoyed fan would write.” She shook her head, “The viewers, they don’t need the truth. They just need something interesting to latch onto! So, who’s to say that the Mastermind isn’t someone else entirely? Anyone could be the Mastermind, really. That includes you.”

“You can’t be serious…”

“Imagine this if you would. You’re watching at home, diligently, waiting for the newest episode of Danganronpa. You just found out that the antagonist was the Mastermind all along, and you’re just waiting to see how this situation turns out. Over time, you begin to see his mask begin to slip… This horrible, sadistic, jerk looks like he has a heart after all, and an unwavering determination to end the game that you’re sure he created.” She dramatically explained, “Right when you think that he’s trustworthy… Right when you’re finally invested in his character, and you desperately want to see him succeed… Boom! He was just lying the whole time, since he’s, you know, a liar. Can you imagine the despair on Kiibo’s face the moment they realize that they had put their life in the Mastermind’s hands? Or Shuichi’s anger as his worst suspicions are proven correct, yet again, despite putting them aside earlier to pursue the truth? Or even Himiko’s absolute confusion as she sees someone she had just begun to trust, yet again betray EVERYONE. Ah, it’d be a beautiful setup, don’t you think?”

“You want me to pretend to be the Mastermind again? Seriously?” He frowned. Tsumugi’s description sounded like hell. With how long it took to convince Kiibo that he wasn’t the Mastermind, he knew it was a terrible idea to even consider it for a moment. Not to mention… He didn’t want to play with their feelings like that. There was no point in causing more pain, just for the entertainment of a faceless audience. Trying to make it seem like that wasn’t his reasoning, he casually replied with, “Yeah, uh, I’ll pass! I’m tired of doing that, and I'm pretty sure your audience is tired of it too.”

“Okay… Well, it’s not like I really need your help anyways.” She was entirely unfazed by his refusal. All she did was wave her hand dismissively, and readjust the tote bag so it rested more comfortably on her shoulder. “If you don’t want to work with me, go ahead and leave. The Exisal will take care of you!”

“What do you mean you don’t need my help?” He scoffed, confusion getting the better of him. His mind flitted back to the scarf, and ID card that had fallen from her bag. “If you’re trying to have me play the Mastermind, don’t you need me around?”

“You’ve plainly overestimated your importance here.” She almost sounded snobbish when she spoke those words. “In this world of fiction and lies, the truth can be whatever I want it to be. Memories, thoughts, actions… All of it is under my control. It’s more work, sure, but I can easily manage.”

“Fine then. But I better get something out of it.”

“You better get something out of it?” She repeated as she stepped toward the wall of crossed out faces, “You’ll get what you want more than anything else in the world… You get to survive.”

~*~
Eventually, Himiko had made her way towards the atrium. That was when she noticed the sudden influx of dust and debris in the area. She knelt down beside the gaping hole, that was once a staircase, only to see something glowing just beyond the rubble. Without a second though, she ran to the elevator.

As she neared the makeshift entrance, she could begin to make out bits and pieces of a conversation between two robots: Monokuma, and Kiibo. The two of them seemed to have been talking about footage, and cameras, but she couldn’t figure out why. Regardless, she decided to eavesdrop just a bit.

“You know… My main purpose is to make more Monokuma’s, not deal with camera footage.” Something that sounded like Monokuma said, “You’re asking the wrong robot!”

“It is not your main purpose. That means that it could be one of your responsibilities. Not to mention, due to your earlier comment involving my own camera only leads me to believe that you have more knowledge about the footage of the Killing Game than you are letting on.” Kiibo spoke, “All I need to know is how to stop the broadcast, or where we need to bring the key to end the game. If you do not tell me either of these things, I will have no choice but to destroy you.”

“That’d be against the school rules! And you know what happens to those naughty rulebreakers, right?” The voice chimed happily, “Though, I guess you’re already prepared to sacrifice yourself for all of your friends again, huh?"

“I have nothing to fear with my current upgrade, I believe that if it does come down to that, I can hold my own against an Exisal. Now, I will ask you one last time…”

They pointed their arm at the gigantic mass of electrical parts, vaguely in the shape of Monokuma’s head. Himiko could only make out the shadow, but that was more than enough to worry her. She wasn’t really sure what to do, so she kept quiet. It seemed like Kiibo could handle this well enough on their own. So, she stood back, and waited patiently.

“How can we end the game, and how do I intercept the broadcast?"

“So scary!” The Monokuma head mocked, “But, too bad! My lips are zipped shut!-”

Suddenly, Himiko heard a loud crash. She leaned further into the room to get a better look only to see that the ceiling above the Mono-strosity had caved in. Dust and pebbles filled the room, before glass shattered everywhere. Himiko squeaked and ducked behind the wall once more to avoid getting hurt by the glass. Though, over the sound of chunks of the building being demolished, they obviously didn't hear her.

"Ack! I did not think that through! … That is going to leave a dent."

They had killed Monokuma.

"I cannot believe I just- I murdered…" They mumbled to themself in disbelief, "If the Professor saw me now, I would definitely be dismantled."

She didn’t think that they had the guts for that. Although she didn’t understand what they were talking about, she couldn't help but trust them a bit more after seeing that. There was no way that they were working for the Mastermind if they killed a Monokuma baby maker, like that. Which…. Had to imply that Kokichi wasn’t the Mastermind!

She popped away from the wall, and took a step into the room. Kiibo was busy brushing off some rocks and debris from their hair when they noticed Himiko.

“Ack! I am sorry! Are you alright? I hope none of that hurt you.” They sputtered as soon as they saw Himiko. All of their earlier confidence and hostility melted away in a single instant, as they turned around to face her. Their arm whirred, and she could see the metal of their arm folding into itself until it was back to normal. Immediately, they put their hands up placidingly, “I am sorry if I scared you! I promise if you just give me a chance to explain that you will see that I am on your side and-”

"That was so cool!"

"Wh-Huh?"

“The way you just exploded the Monokuma! I never knew you could do something like that!” She beamed, “Did you break the staircase too?”

“Yes…?” They cautiously replied, “I knew that it was an easier route to the Mastermind’s room, so Kokichi and I planned to use one of my upgrades to our advantage."

“I wonder if that’s why Tsumugi was hogging the maps so much…" Himiko mused.

“You are not surprised to see me?”

 

“Well, kinda. But, I guess I thought it was possible too.” She admitted, “Tsumugi’s been acting really weird lately, and it didn’t really make sense that Kokichi would be able to kill you that easily. I saw him struggle opening up a jar of peanut butter once… Plus, you were the one to make sure he didn’t die and stuff, so even a meanie like him would hafta give you some credit."

“Huh… I did not think that you would realize that it was a cooperative effort before Shuichi.”

“Are you saying you thought I was dumb?!” She chimed, “Just cuz I’m not good at trials, doesn’t mean I’m stupid… It takes a high level of XP in order to perform the tricks I do!”

“XP?” They asked before they shook their head, “Nevermind. I am sorry. I did not mean to offend you… I was just surprised, considering how close you and Tsumugi have become.”

"Yeah…"Himiko’s face sullen as she asked, “How sure are you that Tsumugi is the Mastermind?”

Kiibo stalled for a few moments, trying to figure out what to say to that. They didn’t want to hurt her by any means. But, she deserved to hear the truth. No matter how much it hurt, “Entirely. There is no doubt in my mind that she is the true Mastermind.”

“Oh…” She mumbled and looked down. It wasn’t like it was exactly a surprise to her. Far from it, actually. She had been acting strange lately… She was always checking her Monopad, even when something big was happening, like Kokichi getting executed. Not to mention, the comments she kept making. “Protagonist” this, and “Antagonist” that. She hadn’t been doing that as often before everything started getting crazy.

“Are you alright? I am sorry for springing that on you.” They said, guiltily, “I did not want to believe it either…” ,

“‘M fine… Don’t worry about me…” She sniffled, and straightened her hat.

She couldn’t let this reveal destroy her. If she spent too long being sad, she wouldn’t be able to find out what was really going on. Besides… Wasn’t there a chance that Tsumugi really was her friend, and just been forced into Masterminding the game?

“I wanna help you investigate… I know I’m not really smart, but I know I can do good this time! We needa work together if we wanna find the truth, right?”

That was enough to brighten Kiibo up a tad bit. Their worry turned to pure determination as they nodded back at her, “Agreed. I would definitely appreciate the help! I do not think I can thoroughly investigate this room on my own.”

“Got any ideas on what we needa look for first?”

 

“Rantaro’s Monopad.”

“His Monopad?” She cocked her head to the side in confusion. “Didn’t he have it when he died? Why's that important?”

“No, I have reasons to suspect that the one we found and used as evidence was a fake. But, it should be easier to find the real one. I think if I remember what Kokichi said, it should have a bloodstain on it?"

“Eww….”

“I do not want to look for it either, but we do not have another choice. That is the key to proving that Tsumugi is the Mastermind.” They sighed, “I think it is either hidden in one of the drawers, on the bookcase, or somewhere in the trash can, considering that all of the surfaces are empty."

“I don’t wanna go through the trash… What if there’s trash in there?”

“I think that there will be trash in there no matter what. That is the purpose of a trash can, is it not?” They blinked at her, confused, before they said, “I can look in there if you would like?

“No! I’m fine!” She shook her head adamantly. “I’ll find it! If that’s what it takes, I’ll make the sacrifice!”

“Alright then… I will start to check the computer in the back. I have a feeling that it may have something very important on it."

“Okay! Let me know if you find anything cool!”

“I will, let me know as well if you find anything."

And so, the two began to work together to investigate Tsumugi’s Room.
~*~

“Survive..?”

Kokichi repeated, wondering if he heard her right. If he recalled correctly, according to the rules, there were only two survivors per game. All this time, they had assumed that the rule implied that only two people would make it out of the game alive. But… Why would he be one of the survivors? And, why did she think that was something that he wanted?

“Have you ever wondered what all of these pictures were doing up on this wall?” She asked, glancing back towards Kokichi, expecting an answer.

“I dunno… I guess I thought that they were his victims, or something. This whole room makes it seem like he was the Ultimate Serial killer…Though, that title probably goes to Korekiyo, huh?”

“Actually, it goes to Genocide Jack, but I did take some inspiration from her character when coming up with his own, so good guess.” She shrugged, “We’re getting off topic. Give it another guess!”

“Character?” He began to ask, but he decided to drop it. Patience. He wouldn’t get the answers he wanted directly from her. He paused for a brief moment, doing his best to figure out an answer to her question. Playing dumb wouldn’t get him anywhere in this conversation; instead he had to play along. He thought back to his working theory on Rantaro: that he had been in a game prior, and was given a Monopad that possessed a hint that was too dangerous for the Mastermind to handle. If that was true, it could only mean one thing, “He was the Ultimate Survivor, wasn’t he?”

Tsumugi didn’t give him a verbal response, but he could see that she was pleased by the smirk on her face. Her lack of transparency was getting frustrating at this point, but he didn’t let her see that she was getting to him. Instead, he watched as she stopped beside a framed picture, and reached out for it.

Although… No. It wasn’t a picture. It was a mirror with a red X over it. Wordlessly, she handed it to him, and he investigated it. He could feel an indent in the back, and some tape, but that wasn’t the thing that surprised him the most. No. It was seeing his own face, reflected back at him. Tired, bloody and bruised. He nearly jumpscared himself. He looked more like a zombie than Kiibo did at this point, and they were the one who actually died. It was kinda funny, he’d admit.

 

“I’m sure you’ve been wondering about the deal, but it’s simple. All you need to do is sign a form for me, and stay alive until the end of the game.” She explained, “I’ll also need you out of the way for a while, but you’re free to do anything you’d like as long as you’re not spotted by anyone or the cameras. Though, they’ll be turned off once the trial starts, so you don’t have to worry about that for very long.”

“I thought the rules stated that we all needed to go to the trials… Wouldn’t I just die anyways, then?” He asked, confused, “Isn’t signing a paper like this pointless?”

“Oh, I never said that you weren’t going to the trial. You’ll still go to the trial. But that isn’t something you need to worry about right now.”

This bitch was getting on his nerves. Was this how people felt talking to him? The amount of times she dodged the questions with vague ass answers was insane. He was almost tempted to walk out right at that moment out of annoyance, but he didn’t want to meet the same fate as Maki just yet.

So he took a deep breath, which immediately caught in his lungs, and sent him into yet another coughing fit. As he finally caught his breath and cleared his throat, he could see Tsumugi staring down at something in her tote bag. He finally asked, “What happens to the others if I agree?”

“There’ll be one other survivor, but they’ll be chosen by a vote. The rest will graduate.”

“Graduate… You mean…?”

“They’ll escape. Just as the rule suggests, there’ll only be two survivors. The two participants who heroically sacrifice themselves for their friends get rewarded with another chance at winning the game in the next season! ” She explained energetically, almost as if she had been waiting for someone to ask her that question, “Actually… It’s more like one gets another chance. The other becomes the Mastermind, so they’re disqualified immediately from the cash prize. But, they’re given supplemental income so… It’s totally worth it! If you’re wondering which category you’ll fall under, I’m guessing you’ll probably end up becoming the next Mastermind. But, that’s up to the head of the company, not me.”

No. There was no way in hell he was going to sign the paper now! Yeah, sure. “Playing” the Mastermind. What a joke.

“Of course, you can always refuse to sign this. But, if you do… You’d be signing up two people up for the next killing game. And, I’m sorry to say, but I won’t survive long enough to qualify for the contract, so I don’t count.” She sighed sadly, “And, going off how self sacrificial the rest of the cast is… Hm… Kiibo would definitely take one spot, and it’d be between Himiko and Shuichi for the second. Considering how useful of an asset Kiibo has been in this killing game, I’m sure they’d become the next Mastermind in your place.”

 

As soon as she said that part, he felt sick. Either he was going to be wrapped up in another one of these games, forced into torturing another group of innocent people… Or, he’d hurt the very same people he had tortured all this time, just to get out of playing the bad guy again.

“Is… Is there any other way?” He weakly asked, “Is the survivors rule, mandatory? Is there anything else I can do to prevent-”

“No. Those are your only choices.” She immediately replied with a sadistic grin. There was no doubt she was enjoying seeing him like this. He hadn’t wanted to let his mask slip like this, but he couldn’t help it. She handed him this horrific moral dilemma on a silver platter, and for once, he was paralized by indecision. There was no good option.

No… There was. He just didn’t want to admit it. It was an illogical one considering Tsumugi was probably bluffing about the Exisal (she’d definitely keep the option open as long as she could, in case he changed his mind).... But, it was the right one.

Although he had only gotten to know them over the past day, he couldn’t help but care a lot about them. Maybe it was because of the blood loss or delirium, but they reminded him of someone he used to know. When they had asked all those hours ago, he hadn’t wanted to tell them the truth, that he did have someone, a friend, that he missed during the game. He actually had a few, but that was besides the point. He was too worried they’d start asking him more and more questions about the friend, and soon enough he’d be describing the weirdo in front of him. Although they were different in many ways (Kiibo had been a pushover up until recently while his friend had been anything but. And, his friend could easily whoop his ass in any video game, including Space Invaders, while Kiibo hadn’t even touched one.) they were similar in one remarkable way: They were so goddamn empathetic.

The world would be a worse off place without people like them. Even if they were a zombie-bot, they still had more empathy than most people on this planet. Even after he bullied them, and blackmailed them, and lied to them, and hurt them… They still believed that there was some good in him. That naive kindness was stupid, but it meant a lot to him.

It was then he decided- It was his turn to take the fall. He wasn’t going to force people he called “friends” into terrible fates just so he’d get by any longer. They deserved to get out of this hellhole more than anyone. To have the chance to actually play games for once, and explore, to live for the first time in their goddamn, sad, boring robot life. And he’d do what he could to guarantee that possibility.

“Fine, hand me a pen, then. I’ll sign it.” He stuck his hand out for a pen and paper, but she did nothing. She simply pointed at the mirror instead. His fingers traced the back once more, and he flipped over the frame. He could see that the back was slightly askew, and carefully took off the tape. Inside, was a small pile of papers, binded by a paperclip, which read the words, ‘Survivor’s contract’.

~*~

Kiibo was doing their best to unlock the computer, while Himiko searched through the trash. She had managed to find the Monopad (which was carefully stashed away in a drawer), which led her on a mission to dig for clues. There was a look of absolute disgust on her face, but she did her best to push through and look through it all. All she had really found were notes that had halfwritten fanfics, or creepily accurate notes on their personalities. Nothing really with reading through, though.

After reading through a third fanfic prompt, Himiko finally sighed and turned her head towards Kiibo, “Hey… How’s it going? Didja find anything cool?”

“No, it has not been going well. I have been stuck on this screen this entire time.” They spun a bit in the rolly-chair to face her, “Do you have any idea what Tsumugi’s password could be?”

“Is there a hint thingy?” She asked, and Kiibo simply stared at her blankly. They had no idea what she was talking about. So, hesitantly, they asked, “What hint thingy?”

“For the password? You know, the thingy you look at when you forget your, uh, password!”

“I have only used a computer a few times in my life, so I have no idea what you are talking about.”

“Really? I would’ve thought you’d used it a lot. Since you’re, uh…” Himiko trailed off as they saw the annoyed look on Kiibo’s face

“Please, finish that sentence.”

“Uh… Because you seem good with… Computers?” She tried to remedy her earlier comment, but when Kiibo’s frown didn’t dissipate, she finally said, “I can look through the computer! I might be able to guess the password!”

“I think out of the two of us, you have a better chance at figuring it out, so that is alright with me.” They nodded, although they still looked a bit annoyed from her comment. They stood up, giving up the seat for her, and moved off to the side. Himiko quickly took the seat, spun around twice with a smile, before she stopped and steadied herself with the desk.

“Watch as I make this password screen… Disappear!” She happily cheered as she clicked on the hint bar, and read the apparent hint.

-My favorite anime is… -

She hung her head, and quietly mumbled, “Nevermind… It's impossible to crack.”

“What is wrong?” Kiibo, who was now inspecting a shelf behind her, asked.

“Do you know what Tsumugi’s favorite anime is? I forgot…” She sighed, “There’s just too many that she talks about!”

“Is… Is that the hint?” They were so stunned that they almost dropped the book in their hands, “I do not think that is much of a hint… Maybe try a few animes? If you know any, that is.”

Himiko nodded, and tried her best to remember though conversations she had with Tsumugi. There were a lot of animes she had mentioned, but she was sure if she kept guessing, she’d get it eventually.

-Sailor Moon-

Incorrect.

-Death Notes

Wrong.

-Cowboy… Boopbeep?-

Nope.

-Pokeman!

Not even close.

She was about to guess another, when she noticed a warning at the bottom of the screen. “Three tries left”. She didn’t have enough faith in her next guess to justify making another attempt, so instead, she turned around and told Kiibo the news, “I think I’m gonna lock us outta this computer if I keep trying.”

“Well… That is okay! I am sure that we can find other evidence around here.” Kiibo gave an encouraging smile, as they raised the book in their hands, “In fact, I think I found something that may be worth checking out further. I have not looked at it too much, but there might be something in here that could help us end the game.”

“Really?"

“It says that it is a manual for the Kuma-systems?”

“So… That's gotta be Monokuma and stuff, right?”

“I think so.” They nodded, “So, if there is a manual for Monokuma, that means-”

“We can find a way to turn him off forever!” Her eyes lit up in excitement, and she scrambled out of the chair to Kiibo, to get a better look at the manual. They handed it off to Himiko, figuring that she’d want to see what was on there, but their eyes caught something on the back cover as she opened up the manual. Unconsciously, their hand reached up to the engraving on their collar, tracing it with their finger. They froze.

“Um…. Kiibo?”

Suddenly, they felt a poke on their cheek. They flinched back reflexively, and looked down at her to see what was going on. She had a worried expression on her face, “Are you okay? You were really spacey for a second!” She said with a tilt of her head, “Didja hear what I said?”

“Y-Yes! I am fine. Do not worry. I am… fine.” They steadied themself, and shook off their thoughts. This investigation wasn’t going to get anywhere unless they were calm. “Sorry, I did not catch it. What did you say?”

“I asked if you thought this was enough stuff for a trial. Cuz, I told Shuichi to meet us here, but if all we needa have to prove Tsumugi’s the Mastermind is the Monopad, that should be enough, right?”

“I… Think we should look around some more.” They shook their head, “I think that the trial will be much more difficult if we do not have a more solid stance. Even if we can prove that she is the Mastermind, we still do not know the point of all of this."

"Oh… true…"

"It may be a worse application of our time to read the manual together. If you can tell me the details while I look around, or after we are done investigating, I think that would be helpful! I still want to find a way to open the computer.”

“Okay! I can read it!”

“Uh, there were other manuals up there too. I think that they may be useful as well? It is up to you if you want to look through them, though."

“Oh… That’s a lot.” Himiko mumbled as she glanced up at the bookcase, “Who knew they’d have this much tech stuff in the school! Wonder how she kept track of everything…"

“Yeah… I do too."

Kiibo agreed as their hand found its way back to their collar. No matter how much they tried to focus, they couldn’t manage to shake the feeling that they wouldn’t like the truth ahead of them. Still, they went back to the desk and began to search once more as Himiko read out the manual.

 

~*~

Kokichi stared down at the vial in his hands suspiciously, as Tsumugi watched him expectantly. What was she expecting him to do with this? Use the liquid inside as ink? He couldn’t think of a reason why he’d need it. It’s not like he was poisoned or anything. He looked over to Tsumugi and said, “This isn’t a pen.”

“No, but it’s something that you should take before we go any further.” She shrugged as he frowned at her, “I don’t know why you’re so surprised. I already told you… ‘You drove the backup protagonist to become the next blackened. You know what that means, don’t you?”

Backup protagonist.

He had thought that her wording was strange, but he had been too preoccupied to question anything she said while he was being tossed around in the Exisal.

The only people she had called protagonists were Kaede… And Shuichi. And, if Kaede died, that meant that Shuichi was…

He could feel his heart drop into his stomach.

“Aw, looks like you figured it out.” She said in a mocking tone, “Took you long enough.”

“You don’t have any proof.”

“But you do.” She replied, “Haven’t you felt worse since we all split up this morning?”

What was she implying?

“I’ve been through hell throughout the past few days, so yeah, I’d say I’m getting a little exhausted!” He narrowed his eyes, “But, I’m not going to stand around here getting fed lies by a crazy bitch like you. You’ve got what you wanted, so give me the pen already. I don’t have the patience to deal with your shit anymore.”

“Read the label, and I’ll give you the pen.”

There was nothing else he could do, could he? He rolled his eyes in defiance, before he read the label of the small vial in his clutch.

When consumed within the first three hours, this antidote counteracts the effects of the poison known as Shemlock. After the first three hours, further medical attention will need to be provided to ensure the health and safety of the victim. The symptoms include… Lethargy, confusion, trembling, muscle pain or weakness, respiratory failure, central nervous system depression (CNS), loss of consciousness or coma, seizure, and eventually death.

His face fell as he struggled to take it all in. Those symptoms were familiar, but they had to be a coincidence, didn’t they? Or, maybe there was a lot more to this than he thought.

“I can tell by the look on your face that you don’t believe me.” She mused, “It’s sweet, honestly. No matter how badly he treats you, you still hold onto the hope that he’ll eventually come around, and see the good in you.”

“Wow, that’s a low blow!” Kokichi laughed harshly, “But… You should REALLY know me better than that. That bridge has been burned to a crisp, and I’m way past it! No, I’m not thinking about that. I-I don’t even care about that! What I’m really wondering is whether or not Kaito was poisoned.”

“Really?” Tsumugi looked a bit surprised, and raised an eyebrow suspiciously, “Why are you wondering that?”

“There’s only two options, right? Kaito was either poisoned, or he wasn’t. It’s Schrodingers poison.”

“Uh huh…. You’re losing me.”

“All this time, I’ve been wondering if I caught the Kaito Cold… But, it didn’t seem right. It was so sudden. I was feeling alright until Maki poisoned me, and whatever the hell last night was. Though, it wasn’t until I went up here and talked to you that I started to actually feel this shitty.” He explained, “If you say that Shuichi did it, then fine. But, that doesn’t explain how me and Kaito had the exact same symptoms- but, I was poisoned, and he had some weird virus. That’s too convenient, don’tcha think?”

“What does it matter if he was?” She asked, “I’ll admit it, I did poison Kaito. It’s not like a real virus is easy to control, or anything. But nobody will believe that ridiculous theory, especially not from you.”

 

“Oh, nothing. I guess it is a bit pointless.” He smirked, letting go of a button on the Monopad in his pocket. He giggled darkly, “I’m just wondering how Shuichi would react to hearing that you did that.”

And after he said those words, he popped open the cork, and while staring Tsumugi in the eyes, he downed the entire bottle. The thick, lukewarm liquid made him grimace, but he slammed it onto the table victoriously. Afterwards, he stuck his hand out yet again, and said, “Give me the actual pen already. We don’t have all day, now do we?”

Although his cocky attitude annoyed Tsumugi a bit, she complied and handed him a pen from her pocket. And just as he had promised, Kokichi signed his name in the red ink. Not before adding a totally appropriate and definitely mature doodle onto the page, though. He hadn’t read the terms on the page, though. He figured he’d take whatever consequences head on regardless. What was he supposed to worry about, anyways? Selling his soul to Team Danganronpa? He was pretty sure he didn’t have one anymore.

“You can just sit back and relax, now. You’re not needed anymore.” Tsumugi plucked the contract from his hands, and carefully placed it into the tote bag. For some reason, after that, she began to walk to the door, tote bag in tow.

What the hell did she mean that he “wasn’t needed anymore?” He couldn’t tell if that was a threat, or not because she immediately followed it with, “Go ahead and rest in my lab, or take the elevator to your dorm room. If you do the latter, wait until the trial starts to do that, alright?”

He didn’t give her any response, but a blank stare. She wasn’t expecting one, though. As she stepped over the fallen door carefully with her heel, she looked back at him. With a sharp smile, reminiscent of a shark who just cornered it’s meal, she said in a disgustingly sarcastic tone, “Congratulations on winning the 53rd Season of Danganronpa, Kokichi.”

And she left without another word. He knew she was just trying to get under his skin, but she had no idea just how much those words would end up ringing true. Once he was sure she was gone, he pulled the Monopad from his pocket. As the screen lit up with Tsumugi’s name, he couldn’t help but smile.

That had worked out perfectly. He pressed the play button, and heard Tsumugi’s cocky and shrill voice repeat back to him, “I’ll admit it, I did poison Kaito. It’s not like a real virus is easy to control, or anything. But nobody will believe that ridiculous theory, especially not from you.”

He’d beg to differ.

If Shuichi was stupid enough to believe Maki, he’d believe anything. Even a liar like him.

Notes:

Congrats to all the readers who guessed that plot twist like... 10 chapters ago? Literally, I remember I thought I was so slick when I was typing away at the screen, and then so many of you guys immediately figured it out! That was the day that I swore I'd create better plot twists. Call this my fanfiction joker arc. You guys aren't ready for the next chapter. :)

Chapter 19: Never say never

Summary:

Horse A, Twins B, Tsumugi is bad at foreshadowing. - A rhyming summary.

 

It comes down to the wire. Kokichi finds the elevator, and has a conversation, (or two?) with Shuichi. For once, as they all investigate toghether, things are finally looking up. However, finding the truth, and accepting it, are two entirely different things.

Notes:

Another thanks to Starring_Tia_Celeste for beta reading!!! :D

Tsumugi’s Monopad was a lot more useful than Kokichi thought it’d be. In his hands, he had everything he needed to end the game once and for all. Company emails, a connection to the outside, and control of some bits of the school. There was nothing for her to hold against them any longer.

He’d wait before he made any sudden moves, though. At the very least, he was able to see that the cameras were all off, for one reason or another. According to Tsumugi, that meant he had free reign.

He was curious about the elevator that she mentioned, so he decided to check it out. If what she had said was true, maybe there was a possibility that he could explore the other floors for more evidence. There was still that stupid ass scavenger hunt thing, wasn’t there? 

 

 

After checking around her Lab, and coming up with nothing new to prove she was the Mastermind, he made his way to the back of the room. Pushing aside cosplay after cosplay, he had finally found it. A small indent in the wall. He pushed on it lightly, and the wall gave way to a small room. 

 

Bingo!

There it was. 

 

He stepped into the elevator, only to be met with the very same zodiac studded ceiling above him- one of which glowed brightly. That could only mean one thing… It led straight down to his own lab. However, he couldn’t find the buttons for any other floor. Although he wanted to meet back up with Kiibo as soon as he could, there was a chance that they’d have to go to other floors anyway. 

 

His eyes met the glowing sign on the ceiling once more. At first he had thought that they were simply meant to be decorations, but, maybe they had more importance than he initially thought…. 

 

He jumped up, despite how excruciating it felt, and smacked the sign with twins on it. Gemini? He wasn’t sure, but he didn’t care. That had been important in the last puzzle, so he was willing to bet on it again. 

 

The door closed behind him, and he could feel the floor begin to move. Although he wasn’t sure where it’d lead, he was determined to face it with as much gusto as he could muster. There was nothing that could scare him now. 

 

                            ~*~

 

Shuichi had finally made it to the third floor when he noticed that he wasn’t alone. The creaking sound of the old floorboards gave away their movement. Cautiously, he ducked behind the wall and waited for the person to pass. Only to see… Kokichi?

No… There was something off about him.

 

It looked like Kokichi, but he was far too calm. He was humming. Humming.  There was a bounce to his step, and a newfound sense of energy surrounding his every movement. Despite the stains on his shirt, (which Shuichi wondered if it was actually dye), he showed no signs of being in pain. Hell, he was even holding a small tote bag in the arm that was supposedly injured. 

 

 Had… He been lying the entire time? 

 

After he passed by, Shuichi waited a few moments before he tailed him once more. However, he hadn’t counted on the wood to give away his location so easily. Just as he had feared, it creaked once more. Kokichi froze for a moment at the sound, but he didn’t look back. He just kept walking, and began to sing a strangely familiar song.

 

“ The search is so very long, we let it fade away, 

There's a ray of hope beyond despair, 

Move on, look for the truth in this world…”

 

Shuichi could practically feel his skin crawl as he sang. The lyrics, paired with the uncomfortable decor on the walls tested his resolve. The walls began to echo his grating voice, as he sang a bit louder. 

 

“Break through the confusion, find a solution

Beat the twisted evil things

Just do it, go for it, never…”

Kokichi calmly stopped at the staircase, and the halls grew hauntingly silent. Shuichi wondered for a moment if he had seen something at the base of the stairs, but as soon as he smirked, he could tell that wasn’t the case, “Do you remember what show that’s from, detective?”

He was messing with him. Of course he was. There was never a single moment that this crazed clown could manage to be serious. Annoyed, he said, “I don’t want to play any of your games. Can we just talk, like normal people?” 

 

“Uh, duh? We’re doing that right now, aren’t we?” He crossed his arms as he  turned around, “And, it’s not a game… It’s just a normal question. Do you remember what it’s from?”

“I think we might have different definitions of normal.” 

 

Kokichi frowned at Shuichi’s comment, but he didn’t snap back with anything like he usually did. Instead, he shrugged, and eventually chirped with, “Okay, then! What did you want to talk about?”

“For starters, where’s Tsumugi?” 

 

“How would I know?” He replied with a shrug, “The two of us were in Rantaro’s lab, until she decided to ditch me. I don’t know where she went.”

“Really?” 

 

“Yeah. Really. ” Kokichi’s playfulness was gone in an instant; replaced with rigidity and bitterness. He stared up at the detective, and as if reading his mind, he said, “And no. If you’re going to jump to the conclusion that I killed her, at the very LEAST check the fifth floor first. Just because I don’t have a direct answer for your question, that doesn’t mean that I’m trying to dodge it. It just means that none of you trust me enough to tell me where you’re going.”

“I wasn’t thinking that you-” 

 

“Yes, you were. You’re a terrible liar.”  He cut him off, with a sigh, “I know you think I’m some kind of crazed monster, who’s determined to kill everyone because of Junko, and despair, or whatever the hell kind of reason that those stupid flashlights gave… But everything I’ve done so far has been to end this killing game.” 

 

“I don’t think that’s true.” he shook his head calmly, but anger soon began to seep into his tone, “You manipulated Gonta into killing Miu for you, and you murdered Kaito. And then, instead of owning up to either of those murders, you let our friends take the fall for you! You’ve singlehandedly caused more murders, and deaths, than anyone else here. If everything you’ve done has been to end the game, then you’ve done a terrible job at it.”

His expression darkened, as he gripped his scarf, and stared at the ground. He could see the shorter boy’s lip tremble slightly, but he didn’t cry. He just took a deep breath, blinked hard, and turned around.

“I know. But, I can at least say that I’ve tried… That’s more than you can say.” His voice was quiet, but sullen. He took a few steps down the stairs, before he added, “By the way, that song? It was from Danganronpa. I was trying to give you a hint. But, I guess that would’ve done a terrible job as one too, huh?”

And just like that, he was gone. It didn’t matter what he said, or tried to say, he didn’t do so much as glance back. Despite his anger, guilt prodded at his brain with a vengeance. Although part of him felt like Kokichi deserved to be told so much worse for all he did… It was hard to believe that after seeing the crushed look on his face as he walked away.

Once he was gone, he tried to think about the hint he had given him. Danganronpa. He knew what that word

“Hey, uh, buddy…? Maybe you should get away from that staircase… You look like you’re about to fall over.”

Kokichi. Was. Right. Behind. Him.

~*~ 

Himiko sat on the garish couch, going through a pile of manuals as Kiibo continued to look around the room. Although they hadn’t said anything about it, she could tell that something was bothering them. So, she did her best to help as much as she could to alleviate some of that stress. 

 

Though… She really didn’t think that she was the one who should be looking through them. It was far beyond her expertise. She could understand bits and pieces, but really, the amount of electronic prowess one would need to understand these manuals was more than anything she could offer. 

 

The two had been struggling to find clues for a while. They found a dusty shot put ball (one which looked nearly identical to the one used by Kaede, except for the small pink thread on it), and some more half-written fanfictions… But, nothing else. No password, no information on where that key went to, or riddle answers, no big red button with the words “end game”... Nothing. 

 

That was until she got to one of the final pages of the manual. She quickly read through it, before she gasped and said, “I think I found something really big and important!” 

 

“Oh? What did you find?”

 

“I don’t really get it, but it says… ‘Each “Kuma” system is connected to the “Motherkuma”, which acts as a receiver and encoder of all electronic media gathered throughout the game. This footage is then sent to the AI’s database which picks out movement from each frame to…. ” Himiko trailed off, hanging her head, “Nevermind… This is all sciencey, I don’t think it helps.” 

 

“No, it does! Continue, please. I think we are onto something!” 

 

“O-Okay… Uhm, It also says that… ‘ When the Motherkuma is disabled, its ability to create Monokumas, or to sort through footage is stopped as well. In an emergency like this, simply notify the staff outside, and a secondary code will be run. However… Huh? This can cause errors within the Neo World Program, so it should only be done as a last resort. ” 

 

“It mentioned the VR program that Miu was working on?” They questioned, “That is strange. I do not see how that would impact the game in any way.” 

 

“Maybe it’s talking about it cuz we used it! I don’t think there were any cameras in there, so maybe if that thing is dead.. It glitches it!” 

 

“That could be an explanation. But... I cannot help but think that we are still missing something, though.” Kiibo frowned, “It is almost as if we are running around in circles. Everything leads to another question, which leads to another, and another…” 

 

“We’re closer now, though!” 

 

“Barely…” 

 

They sighed, and stared up at the computer in front of them. As long as the password was a mystery, they could guarantee that almost everything else would continue to be one as well.  If they hadn’t gone through hell to get this far, they likely would have given up at this point. As they were sorting through some more papers, Himiko finally spoke up, “Can I ask you something…?” 

 

“Of course.” They nodded, “I will do my best to answer it, as long as it is not insensitive, or rude.” 

 

“Oh… I dunno if this counts then… But, I’ll ask anyway!” Himiko gathered up all her courage and finally asked, “Why did you get so scared over the manual?” 

 

Kiibo tensed, and kept their eyes on the computer ahead of them. As calmly as they could, they mumbled, “Oh… So you noticed.” 

 

“I dunno how I wouldn’t.” Himiko said dryly, “You look like you’ve almost run outta mana.” 

 

“It is just… Do you ever think about the amount of money or power that someone would have to have to orchestrate a killing game like this? Now that we are closer to ending this, I am a bit worried that it will be impossible to stop games like these for good.” They sighed, “If they were able to create self autonomous AI like my father, and replicate some of his machinery… Who knows what state the world is at the moment. I do not know if it is even a world that we want to go back to.” 

 

“I think you’re just thinking too much.” She said, setting down the manual, “We just gotta take it one step at a time! At least we know there’s a world outside now! That’s better than we thought yesterday. So, that just means that whatever we think now is going to be better later!” 

 

Kiibo didn’t seem to believe her impassioned speech, but it was enough to ease their worries a bit, “I guess you are right.”

 

“I know the future’s scary, but it’s not like we’ll be alone. We’ll face it together.” Himiko smiled. 

 

“Yeah… Together.”

~*~

 

Shuichi wasn’t even sure if he wanted to turn around. By all means, it had to be impossible for Kokichi to pop out of thin air like that. So, he was either going crazy, or Kokichi could somehow bend the laws of physics. He had no idea which one was more terrifying. 

 

“Hello…? Earth to Shuichi!” Kokichi grew more persistent at his lack of a response, “C’mon, I know you can hear me!” 

 

Shuichi wondered for a moment if he’d give up eventually. But, soon enough he remembered this was Kokichi, and quitting wasn’t in his vocabulary. He managed to turn around to face him just as Kokichi was about to poke him. Slyly, Kokichi put his hands behind his head in a practiced motion, trying to cover up what he had been about to do. Though, he couldn’t help but notice that he winced a bit as he raised his shoulder. He must’ve noticed his suspicious glances towards his arm earlier, and decided to clean up his act a bit. 

 

“Please, Kokichi. I’m not in the mood for whatever you’re trying to pull right now.” Shuichi’s voice bled with exhaustion and exasperation, “Haven’t you done enough?” 

 

“Jeeze, edgelord, I just asked if you were okay…” Kokichi put his hands up placidingly, but took a careful step back as he met his eyes, “But, I’ll leave you alone! Good luck on beating that staircase in your very intense staring contest! I’m going to check on Kiiboy.”

Kokichi turned around, and began to walk away once more. However, he was heading in the opposite direction this time, back towards the fourth floor. 

 

Why? Why was he doing this?  It almost felt like everything he did anymore was just to get under his skin. It had to be something like that, otherwise… He didn’t make any sense.

He watched as the shorter boy stopped in front of a wall, and randomly rested his hand on a fake bloodstain on the wall. But then the wall just… Melted. No, it didn’t melt, it… Folded? He stared at it in confusion, as Kokichi sarcastically chimed, “It’s an elevator, woooooah… You can come with if you want, if you leave your attitude here.” 

 

Shuichi didn’t have the energy to respond to that. Instead, he simply walked over to him. As he got closer, he could see that it really was an elevator. But, a very creepy looking one at that. Though… It looked identical to the one in Kokichi’s Lab. He had to ask, “Is that how you got up here so quickly?”

“No? It’s how I got down.” 

 

Yet again, another lie. He let it slide, “Okay, fine. It’s how you got down. Where are you going?” 

 

“I just told you, I’m gonna check on Kiiboy! Soooo, where’d that be?”

Shuichi thought about it for a few moments, trying to decide whether or not it was better to leave Kokichi alone, or suffer through being alone in an elevator with him. He that he’d choose the later. And, when he agreed… For some reason, that made Kokichi’s face light up. He looked, happy? Probably because he thought that he’d be able to continue messing with him this way. Little did he know, he wasn’t that easy to fool.

But, he definitely WAS a fool. Nobody who agrees to join their worst enemy on a cramped elevator, in a very messy attempt to gather information could be thought of as brilliant. As he saw the doors close in front of him, and felt the floor begin to move,  he knew that there was a very good chance that he’d  guarantee his spot as the next blackened. 

 

“Now that we’re alone… You have no choice but to listen to me.” Kokichi grinned sharply, staring up at Shuichi. He reached his hands in his pocket… For a knife? A gun? He couldn't tell. Regardless, he wasn’t going to let Kokichi think that he would go down without a fight. He tucked his thumbs (the way that Kaito taught him once), and put his fists up in front of his face, waiting for Kokichi to make another move.

But… He didn’t. He just fearfully stepped away from Shuichi, and finished pulling out… A Monopad from his pocket. Out of all the things it could be, it was a Monopad. He stared down with it, before he simply held it out to Shuichi, “Okay, nevermind, we don’t need to talk! ….As long as you don’t punch me, I’ll give you this!  It took me forever to manage to steal, but it might just be the best tool we have to end the game! With this, there’s nothing left to be held against us. The Exisals can’t be controlled remotely, we have full control over the cameras, and, a direct connection to the world outside.”

He took the Monopad suspiciously, and investigated it somewhat as he struggled to figure out what Kokichi was talking about. He turned it on, seeing Tsumugi’s name light up on the screen. It was an obvious ploy to pin her… But, he decided to see where this was going. After all, they still had a few floors to go, “Audience? Outside? What are you talking about?” 

 

“There’s a lot to catch you up on. Kiiboy can fill in some of the details, too! But… Basically, I lied. The world we saw outside? It’s not real.” His voice began to steadily grow more and more enthusiastic, “…It’s probably still apocalyptic, but like, morally! This entire killing game has been filmed, and shown to an audience outside! And, once the trial starts… It’s all over! We’ll be able to get out of here no matter what.” 

 

“Yeah… Uh, I think your lie about being allergic to oxygen was more believable than this.” Shuichi narrowed his eyes, “We saw what the world looked like outside… Everything was destroyed. We couldn’t breathe . You can’t fake that.”  

 

“C’mon, do you really think that asteroids can cause an extinction like that?” 

 

“One word, dinosaurs.” 

 

Kokichi’s eyes darted to the floor, and his cheeks reddened slightly in embarrassment at his fluke, “F-Fine, you got me there… But, seriously. There’s no way that a space virus wiped out everyone in the world, and the most powerful people on the planet decided to gather together a bunch of hormonal teens with limited life experience, and a lack of fully developed frontal lobe, and shoot THEM up into space? I guess I can understand Kaito, Kiibo, or… No. Not Miu. I just, it makes no sense! Where’s all the space billionaires? Or actual astronauts?”

“Dead.”

“No, they aren’t! They’re watching this show in their fancy little space suits right now, and betting on us like race horses!” Kokichi’s voice crackled with anger as he spoke, but he got a little too excited. He gasped for air, but it was a bit too late. As Shuichi watched in disgust, he held onto the wall and coughed up some more blood onto his sleeve.  His expression was pained as he whined, “Oww…. I thought the antidote would stop that… That’s what I get for trusting Tsumugi. She probably poisoned me too.” 

 

“A-Antidote?” 

 

“Did I say antidote? I meant… uhm… And… A… Doe?” Kokichi laughed nervously, but Shuichi wasn’t buying it. He cleared his throat awkwardly as they reached the first floor. He hung his head, before he caved and said, “...Yeah. I won’t mention it as long as you don’t. For all they know, I have Kaito’s virus, or whatever. You can keep playing everyone’s favorite detective… As long as you don’t lie to them about it. If they ask, you should tell the truth. They deserve to know, and you don’t deserve to feel the pressure of hiding a secret like that.” 

Kokichi didn’t say anything  after that. He just stared off ahead at the door, and Shuichi decided to look 

 

“Why does it have Tsumugi’s name on it?” 

 

“What do you think, Sherlock?” Kokichi said sarcastically, “Oh, I don’t know, maybe… Because it belongs to her?”

 

“You could’ve changed the name on it.” 

 

“Well then, why don’t you test it out? Wasn’t there a rule that said if your Monopad got damaged, you’d get punished?” He asked, “It’s a 50/50 chance, but you’d know who the Mastermind was.” 

 

“I’m not going to destroy it!” 

 

“Then I guess you’re going to have to live with that uncertainty a little longer, and trust me.” He narrowed his eyes at him, “Look at the camera.” 

 

“Why?” 

 

“There should be some things in there that the rest of us couldn’t film. Or, something very incriminating. I dunno, it’s just a good place to check, okay?” 

 

Shuichi didn’t want to play into his hands, but he decided to press the camera anyways. He had to admit that he was curious about what could’ve been on it. On it, he found a slew of photos and videos… Not knowing where else to start, he checked the first one. 

 

“I’ll admit it, I did poison Kaito. It’s not like a real virus is easy to control, or anything. But nobody will believe that ridiculous theory, especially not from you.”

 

Shuichi nearly dropped the Monopad as he saw the video play. It wasn’t filmed very well, he’d be honest. But, he could vaguely make out the material of the hem of Kokichi’s pocket, and the table in front. He played it once, twice, thrice… Until he finally caught a few frames of her mouthing the words. As much as his mind was screaming out that Kokichi had faked it, this looked nearly impossible to fake. He’d say that he had used the Exisal, but the camera was too close to the ground for it to be that. 

 

Kokichi carefully slipped the Monopad out of Shuichi’s hands, and back into his pocket as the elevator slowed to a stop, before he could play the clip once more. “Listen… You don’t have to believe me. Or forgive me, or trust me, or whatever, for us to work together. We have plenty of time to hold grudges, and be pissy at eachother once we’re out of this hellhole. For now… Truce?” 

 

The doors opened ahead of them, and the light of Kokichi’s Ultimate room made them shine even brighter than his grin did. His hand was stuck out for a shake, and although he couldn’t ignore the fear that he was making a horrible mistake, he decided to take the chase and trust him- just for the time being. 

 

“Yeah…Truce.”

 

It was strange to see how much that small decision  seemed to impact him, though. His shoulders relaxed, and his once fear-ridden grin was replaced with a much more genuine smile. It was almost as if the fear in his body evaporated the moment that he said those words. Although he doubted the thought as soon as it crossed his mind, he wondered if he was seeing who Kokichi really was for the first time. 

~*~

As Shuichi and Kokichi neared the entrance of the Mastermind’s room, Shuichi told him to stay quiet after hearing Kiibo say something about Monokuma. But, Kokichi wasn’t the type to take orders. So, of course he immediately picked up his speed and yelled as loud as he could (although he had to suppress a cough) as he said, “Hey Kiiboy! Didja miss me?”

“Kokichi?” Kiibo whirled around surprised. There was barely a second that passed before they frowned, “I have been very worried about you! I thought that you were going to make some idiotic decision and get yourself killed! Or that you were going to pass out again, and-” 

The cough came out. Kokichi curled up a bit onto himself with a soft whine. His pain was getting harder to hide. Without another thought, they walked over and helped him up. They didn’t even notice that Shuichi was with him. They carefully walked him over to the couch, although they seemed to be struggling immensely to supplement his weight. By the time that they were done, they had to sit down themself, due to what could only be described as robo-exhaustion. 

 

They glanced over at Kokichi, before they noticed something odd out of the corner of their eye. On their arm was a streak of pink from where they had helped support a bit of his weight. Blood. They grimaced. They wanted nothing more than to replace the metal on their arms, but they sucked it up. Even though their mind was screaming at them to find something to wash it off with, they instead balled up their fists to distract themself and said, “...Your cough has gotten worse. And… You are bleeding again. What happened?” 

“Who cares?” He scoffed, “And, no. I haven’t gotten worse. It takes a while to heal, Kiiboy.”

“I do? That is why I asked.” They were flabbergasted by that question, as if the answer was far too obvious, “And, I am not going to fall for that. I understand that it takes a lot longer for a human to heal from a wound than it does for me to get a repair…  According to the books I read, if a human coughs up blood, that implies that there can be damage to the lungs or other important organs. It can be a sign of internal bleeding.” 

Kokichi froze at that response, and gave them a blank, empty stare. They could see the metaphorical gears turning in his brain as he struggled to figure out whether or not Kiibo was being honest. Just as they had expected, he got defensive, “Uh, yeah, duh? Blood is internal. Humans are always bleeding internally!”  

 

“I know that you are lying, so do not try to trick me. I have already told you that I do not want to lose another friend, and I am willing to take extra precautions to ensure this.”

“Extra precautions?”

“Yes!” They nodded, before they grinned rather mischievously, but not evilly. They grinned  ike a four year old who just lied about stealing a cookie, “I know that you will want to see me use the new upgrade, considering all of your earlier annoying, robophobic, and consistent questions all through out the game. But, I will not use them around you at all until we win the game. And, if you are pushing yourself… You will not get to see it, ever. And, I will say that it is a very cool upgrade! I even killed a Monokuma machine with it!”

“You what?!

“They did! That’s why the ceiling is gone!” Himiko chimed in. 

 

“And you’re not going to let me see it!? You’re evil!” He gasped, “And who decided we were friends anyway, Frankenstien? At best, we’re acquaintances. As soon as we’re out of here, you’ll never hear from me again!” 

 

They didn’t take the bait. He had already alluded to keeping contact with them after the game. Which, knowing him, was a rare thing. For once though, they decided to mess with him. They had every right to tease him. So, they casually hummed in thought, before they said, “Have you noticed that whenever you lie, your fingers twitch?” 

 

“They do?!” Kokichi jumped, and his hands came unraveled from his scarf. He stared down at his fingers with a look of betrayal, and shock. Seeing the way that he hadn’t needed to think twice about whether or not they were lying was all they needed to see that he saw them as a friend too. Trust wasn’t something that could be lied about, or faked. It ran deeper than simple strategic alliance. Although they didn’t know much about friendship, they knew that at least.  As soon as he got over that initial shock, he shot a glare at them, and said, “I hate you.” 

 

And to that, they laughed. Not because of the words… Because of the fact that his finger actually twitched at that time. They couldn’t tell if Kokichi had done that purposely, or if he had thought about it so deeply that he fooled himself into doing it. 

Their laugh was something that had always embarrassed them. Since their father hadn’t thought that they needed a “laughing” feature, whenever they did laugh… It always sounded like a garbed amalgamation of their voice, and static. It was something they had been embarrassed of, and had always done their best to hide. But, they couldn’t help but let it go as they said their next words. Although their words came out a bit glitchy, for a moment, they didn’t mind “A-A-Are you sure? Because your finger twitched again.” 

 

Although they had expected him to make another rude comment, making fun of their laugh, he didn’t even mention it . It wasn’t a cocky one, or an angry one, or even a fake one. Just… A happy one. “If you’re going to keep pointing out my lies, I’m going to start calling you Polygraph.” 

 

“That is at least better than Kiiboy.”

“Sureee.” 

 

While Kokichi and Kiibo goofed around a bit longer, indulging in the brief respite that this moment had provided them with, Himiko and Shuichi talked. The two of them discussed their own thoughts on the situation. Whether or not Tsumugi was the Mastermind, or whether or not Kokichi could be trusted… And, even some of the manuals that Himiko had found.

“Is he okay?” Himiko mumbled quietly, “I don’t remember him coughing up stuff yesterday. …Do you think that he got whatever Kaito had?”

“No… It’s something else.” He shook his head, “It’s not important. I think we should focus on ending the game… I’m sure he’ll be fine.” 

 

“Uhm… You know what is going on with him?” Kiibo overheard and butted in. Although they were often polite, and hated interrupting people… That was too important to ignore, “What is wrong with Kokichi?”

“What isn’t?” He replied before he could think. When he got a gasp in response from Himiko, and two glares from Kiibo and Kokichi, he put his hands out placidingly, “I’m sorry. That just came out… And, uh, I don’t actually know for sure what’s going on with him.”

“You… Just said that you did.” Their words came out slow, like they were struggling to process Shuichi’s dishonesty, “This is serious. I understand that you do not like him, but that is no reason to lie about it.” 

 

“I’m not hiding it. I-I don’t know for sure…”

 

“‘ You don’t know for sure?’ You seemed to know what was happening in the elevator.” Kokichi mumbled under his breath. 

 

“What’s he talking about?” Himiko asked, but despite his cold sweat, Shuichi denied it again. 

 

“Nothing. I… uh. I don’t know what he’s talking about.” 

“I guess if it really is nothing, you won’t mind me telling Himiko what it is!” 

 

“No! Wait, don’t-”

“Himiko, you’re in luck! Kaito-19 isn’t something that you have to worry about. Unless Shuichi decides to turn on everyone here, that is.” He reached into his pocket, and tossed the vial over to her without another thought. She yelped as it came towards her, but in a well practiced movement, she took off her hat, and caught it. As she reached into the hat to see what it was, and pulled out the antidote… He said, “See that? That’s what I had to drink so I didn’t cough up whatever’s left of my insides like Kaito did. So, I’m fine Kiiboy. And, Shuichi, I warned you…”

Himiko stared down at the antidote with wide eyes. She dropped her hat onto the ground as she read “Is… This true? Did you…” 

 

“Let me explain- I.. I wasn’t- The time limit. I just wanted to make sure that everyone would be safe, and-” 

Shuichi could see movement out of the corner of his eyes. Fast. When he turned his head, he could see a very frustrated looking Kiibo standing in front of him. They held their hand out, as they demanded,  “Give me the bag.”

Shuichi didn’t want to get attacked by Kiibo, so he gave up the backpack immediately.

“Thank you.” They took it with a glare, “You and I will talk about this later. For now, let us drop this topic. All of us have done things that we cannot be proud of, recently, so nobody has room to judge, nor do we have the time. We are not going to get out of here if we are fighting. If we have the trial, we can resume this then.” 

 

“Y-Yeah… We still gotta work together.”

 

Himiko said, but then immediately picked up a handful of manuals, and scuttled to the opposite side of the room. She sat in the corner, and began to read through them again, hoping to find more information.

“S-Sure, let’s… Talk about it later. I promise I have a good explanation for everything… I just… I’m sorry.” Shuichi took to investigating idly, further away from Kiibo and Kokichi. 

 

Kiibo ignored them both as they brought the bag back to the couch, and placed it carefully next to Kokichi. They began to sort through the many miscellaneous supplies in the bag, and pulled out some gauze, tape and bandages. All while Kokichi watched them with the most awestruck expression imaginable. 

 

“I remember you put this in your bag. Hopefully you do not mind, but I think that it is better to make sure that you do not lose any more blood.” They explained, and Kokichi nodded. He didn’t say anything, but he moved his arm in a better position for them to bandage it. Though it was hard to hear, Kiibo could swear that they heard him whisper the words, “Thank you, Kiibo .” 

~*~

While Kiibo tended to Kokichi’s wounds, the four did their best to catch each other up to speed on what had happened recently. But, there was still an incredibly tense air surrounding all of them. Still, they did their best to discuss the situation amicably. 

 

“You haven’t been able to guess the password?” 

 

“No… There’s just too many animes to choose from. I dunno what Tsumugi’s favorite one is.” Himiko hung her head, “I feel like a bad friend.” 

 

 “Try Danganronpa.” He offered, only to gather three uncomfortable stares. He was confused by this, so he said, “Uh, why are you guys looking at me like that?” 

 

“I… Remember something about that too.” Shuichi finally spoke up. He didn't want to mention the song he had heard him sing earlier, or that conversation they had. But, luckily, he had something else to mention, “Though, I don’t think it was a real memory, if that’s possible.” 

 

““If it even has a chance of being real, don’tcha think you should share it?”

“Yeah!” Himiko nodded before she started to head back towards the pile of manuals, which was now joined by the contents of the backpack, “And, we’ll believe you! No matter how crazy you sound!”

 

“Okay, well… The whole memory is foggy. It was like… When you’re writing on a piece of paper, and then you make a mistake, and go back to erase it… But, when you go back and look at it, you can still see the vague outline of everything?” 

 

“Wow… I totally get it now! What a weird, and incredibly descriptive way to drag out a simple question!” Kokichi's voice practically dripped with sarcasm, “Can you give us some details? I think even Kiiboy knows what a foggy memory is like.”

“I do not think my memories have ever experienced condensation… But, I can imagine that it would be difficult to sort through.” 

 

“Never change, Kiiboy.” Kokichi simply snorted, before he turned his attention back to Shuichi, “Anyways spill! I’ll tell you mine, if you tell us yours.” 

Shuichi finally caved after seeing everyone’s expectant gazes, “I was talking to… Kaito.”

“Really?”

“Yeah… It was strange, though. I think I was working with my Uncle, and I had been sent to talk to someone who had been detained. I couldn’t really see the face of the person, but I mean, I know it was Kaito. He had gotten arrested for messing around and gambling with some Yakuza to help cover hospital bills for his grandma.” He looked down, and quietly added,
“…So, I told him that someone named Raimu, and Rantaro had joined Danganronpa to help out their families, and that he should check it out.” 

 

“You… What?” Kokichi stared at Shuichi in shock. Silence filled the air, before the empty spaces began to fill up with the dark chuckles of someone who had nearly lost it all. He glared at him as he seethed, “How have you been suspicious of ME, when that’s what you remembered?! At least in my memories, I’m still against this goddamn game! But you? You actually encouraged someone to join! Can you not see the contradictions there?”   

“What are you talking about? I didn’t say anything about the game.” His words came out slow, and cautious, “And besides… Us knowing each other before the game? I don’t think that’s really likely. At least, not until the Ultimate Hunt.”

“Bullshit. You know why that’s bullshit?” Kokichi narrowed his eyes, “My sibling’s name is Raimu, and I KNOW I haven’t told you that. And, it just so happens that they had to leave DICE for what they said would only be until summer, which should fit that timeframe well. Actually, I want to test something really quick.”

“Uhm, Kokichi? Whatever you are thinking about doing, I do not think that it is a good idea..”

He ignored their warnings, and took another step towards Shuichi, just enough to provoke him, “You don’t believe me, detective? Then I have a memory of my own that I’d like to share. You can tell me whether or not you think it’s real. … You’re sitting on a couch, watching a show called Danganronpa with a friend. But, this friend doesn’t seem to like it. The two of you argue about the game for a few minutes, before suddenly, you turn it off.” 

 

Shuichi’s cautious demeanor started to shift as he explained. Recognition filled his eyes, but he balled up his fist- almost as if he wanted to fight the idea that the truth could be that simple. 

“You know, the one with the supposed, Fanta addiction? Or, let’s describe the game. Apparently they also, surprisingly enough, did executions! And, they were also a gross violation of human rights. Or-”

That was enough for Shuichi to get the picture. He cut him off, mainly to keep the memory from resurfacing anymore, “...I remember. You don’t have to keep going.” 

 

“Good.” He grinned, “You proved my theory correct, anyways.”

“What… theory?” 

“That you were the weirdo who actually liked this game.” 

 

“Uhm… Are you guys done arguing?” Himiko chimed in, before Kokichi could explain. She was sitting on the floor with the manual in her hands, “I think I found something that makes all this make sense!”  

 

“If there’s even a chance I was friends with him before the game, I don’t think there’s any explanation that can make this make sense…  But, let’s give it a shot.” 

 

The three gathered around Himiko and the manual, as they all took turns reading it. This one was on Flashback lights, of all things. But, it proved to be more helpful than they could’ve imagined. 

 

~*~

“The Flashback Lights, one of the greatest tools available for the Mastermind and their team during the duration of the game. Without these tools, it’d be impossible to generate larger than life storylines such as the ones found in Danganronpa. There are three basic types that you will come into contact with throughout your tutelage of the next season. 

 

Flashback lights: This is one of the most well known types of memory equipment that Kaso Industries has created, and modified in accordance hwith the Neo World Program. Unlike many may think, memories cannot be created without anything to base them off of. That’s why it’s important to rewrite memories in a similar manner to the ones that it’s replacing. Otherwise, this will cause severe psychological distress. 

 

Blackout lights: These usually shouldn’t be used on their own. With one of these, you’re able to erase someone’s memories, and pave the way for the Flashback Lights. However, the primary memory erasure should be taken care of for you, so you shouldn’t have to use this. If you are caught by a contestant, it’s in your best interest to use it if this happens prior to the Sixth trial. An emergency one can be found at your desk. 

 

Memento lights: Just as the name suggests, these lights contain certain moments in time that have been important to each of the contestants. However, unlike the Flashback lights, these come with a caveat. The Memento light is much more uncontrollable, and can lead to memories being triggered without prompting from the tech team. In addition,  if the Blackout lights have been used too heavily, the memories may be too corrupted to provide any useful results. These should only be used under extreme circumstances, or with prior planning. 

~*~

 

“Kaso..?”

“Depopulation Industries?! No wonder we were put into this game! It’s a company that kills people!” 

 

“No, that’s the Kanji for plastic. I don’t think they’d be that obvious about their intent.” Kokichi shook his head. 

 

“Oh… I guess that kinda makes sense…” Himiko mumbled, “...Doesn’t depopulation make more sense though?” 

 

Kokichi sighed and began to explain, “The company’s name is a joke, since they focused a lot on Virtual Reality. Y'know… Plastic, fake, virtual. They’re all synonyms. Seriously, do I have to explain to you what a pun is too?” 

 

“And how do you know that?” Shuichi prompted, narrowing his eyes slightly in suspicion, “It didn’t say anything about virtual reality.” 

 

“Because my parents-” Kokichi cut himself off, trying to avoid suspicion the best he could. Shuichi gave him a look that suggested that had failed, but he still attempted to smooth things over , “Because… it’s an obvious joke. They mention the Neo World Program, and the company in the same sentence, so yeah. That’s why.”

Kiibo turned to Kokichi to say something, but as they opened their mouth, they fell short. All they could really do was stare, shocked, literally and figuratively, as they scrambled to make sense of the flurry of memories that started flooding in.

 

“Why are you looking at me like that, Polygraph?”

They didn’t respond. Or blink. Or make a single noise. They were still. Completely still. 

 

“Uhh… Are you buffering?” He tilted his head to the side. When they didn’t say anything, he attempted to get their attention once by waving his hand in front of their face… And, then, by poking random buttons on their collar to try and get them to wake up. But, of course, that didn’t work either. It wasn’t until a few seconds later that something began to happen. 

 

“Oh… Their thingy is glowing!” Himiko pointed to their collar.

“Huh?”

K1-B0 Memory Hard-Drive Reboot: Completed Their collar read. And, just as if they hadn’t entirely froze up, they  said, “I guess you cannot say that we are not friends now.”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

Kiibo stood up suddenly, but they put out a hand to help Kokichi up as well. Hesitantly, Kokichi took it. Although they didn’t say anything, he had a feeling he already knew what they remembered. Once he was up, they spoke once more, “Since we have an idea for the password, I think that we should try it before Tsumugi finds us.”

“Yeah… Let’s do it!” Kokichi nodded, and the four stopped at the computer. He plopped down at the chair, and typed out the letters that had haunted him so much recently. The company that imprisoned them here. And, the word that’d free them.

 

-Danganronpa-

That was it. The computer opened up to display the home screen. It predictably had some sort of anime as the wallpaper. But, before they could get a good look at the contents of the computer, there was a notification that popped on the screen, displaying the words: Urgent check in. 

 

“Wanna put it to a vote?”

“Just press it.” Shuichi sighed.

“Booooo! I said democracy, not… Shuocracy!” He chimed, “Everyone deserves to a say!” 

 

“Yeah! Let’s do it!  We’ve gotten this far!”

“There is no better way to find out what this game is, than something like this.”

“See, I told you, you could’ve just pressed it.” Shuichi began to say, but Kokichi shushed him, while very maturely flipping him off. He clicked the button, and accepted the call. …Only to see someone terrifyingly familiar taking up the screen. 

“Shirogane, you better have a good explanation for this, or so help me!” 

 

 A middle-aged man yelled, angrily. Kiibo yelped the moment that they saw the screen, and froze in place. By a glance, it was understandable why. The man on the screen looked intimidating, to say the least. He wore a clean, black, pressed suit with a blood red tie. His slicked back, snow white hair matched the sleeves of his shirt, and his square glasses only served to make his features appear sharper. 

 

Himiko flinched, and considered turning off the feed after seeing Kiibo’s reaction, but she knew it’d be better to get as much information as they could. That’s why they came to this room, after all. And, it seemed like the man knew Tsumugi, meaning that they were working together, right?

 

The man stared them down, expectantly. And, at that moment… Kiibo knew exactly who he was. 

 

“Oh… It looks like I am in different company than I had been expecting.” The white haired man sounded surprised, but his words didn’t match his expression. There was no emotion whatsoever on his face. It almost looked like he was a still image. But, when he spoke once more, it ruined that little illusion, “So, you four made it into the Mastermind room. Congratulations. It’s been a while since something like this has happened… But, why are you in here?” 

 

“I believe I could be asking you the same thing…” They began to speak. Their voice was soft, and cautious at first, but they grew more courageous as they went on. Although they feared the man in front of them, they weren’t going to let that paralyze them. Letting malice and anger spill out in their tone, they finally greeted the man on the screen, “Professor.”

Notes:

This chunk of lore was my favorite to create. I think the moment I came up with it, this fic stopped being an anger-fueled fix-it fic, and turned into one fueled by passion, and love. It was just so fun to find ways to weave in backstories, and various small, insignificant lines and character details, into its own story! ...There's more lore coming, but I hope you guys enjoyed!!! <3

Chapter 20: How bad can I be?

Summary:

Businessmen are the world's most experienced liars. This is a fact that sadly, neither Kokichi nor Kiibo could have anticipated before their conversation with the supposed boss of the entire game.

When one sympathetic decision turns parasympathetic, Kiibo is left alone with their father for a bit too long. They're left with only two options: to stand up for themself, or to fearfully comply once more. All while the new investigation crew gets to the bottom of what company has REALLY been pulling the strings.

 

CW: Manipulation, Child Abuse? Idk, Iidabashi is a terrible dad haha.

Notes:

Thanky thanky thanks to Starring_Tia_Celeste for beta reading!!! Literally, you're the whole reason I managed to post this week haha.

 

So sorry for the sudden hiatus, I really hadn't planned that to happen. I've just been so busy getting ready for college, and helping out around the house that I couldn't manage to update on time. The next update will occur sometime within the next two weeks, but I'm not sure when. Hopefully it's sooner rather than later, but moving has taken a lot out of me. Don't worry though, I'm still working on this fic every day!

As soon as those words left their mouth, the room erupted into a mass of shock. Shuichi gave Kiibo a cautious glance, while Kokichi turned his attention towards the supposed ‘professor’ himself, glaring at the man with enough intensity to start a wildfire. Himiko had the strangest reaction to this reveal, though. She gasped over at Kiibo, and then immediately bolted back to the manuals in the corner in a determined flurry. 

 

“It’s nice to see you again, Dandelion.” Iidabashi smiled kindly. His honeyed tone carried nothing more than a tint of malice. It was strangely disarming, but there wasn’t a single person in the room who fell for it.

Kiibo was the first to speak up, but they struggled to find their confidence. All they could do was quietly mumble, "The feeling is not mutual." 

 

“What was that?” He asked, leaning in towards the camera as if he was attempting to get closer to them. Though, as he spoke, his friendly voice slowly began to drip with animosity,  “I don’t think I heard you right. You wouldn’t talk back to me like that.” 

Kokichi jumped to their defense, before he could stop himself, “Wow! I was so so SO sure that someone as geriatric as you would need us to yell at the screen… But, it seems like you heard them right after all! Huh, Kiiboy?”


He nudged their arm to get their attention, but his comment had gotten to them. They gripped their arm tightly, eyes lost in the screen with a fearful gaze. 

Iidabashi on the other hand looked… Heartbroken. Through hushed tones, he whispered, “You’re not happy to see me?” 

 

"How could I be...? You.... have been behind all of this, have you not?” They murmured, “I… I cannot be happy about this. I do not understand how… How… How you could do such a thing…”


They trailed off, staring down at the keyboard. It was impossible to look him in the eyes. The betrayal ran too deep, and felt far more painful than anything they had ever experienced. It was enough for them to wonder if their AI was going to reset again at this horrific reveal. 

 

They had always imagined that a betrayal would feel like the emotional equivalent of someone ripping out their battery, or each of their wires one by one, but... That did not hurt like this did. There was no experience on the planet they had to compare the hurt they felt in that moment to. They couldn't believe that their creator... That their father could have done such a thing.

 

They did their best to avoid stumbling on their words as they spoke up once more, "Please... Tell me that I am wrong."

 

But, Iidabashi did no such thing. All he did was look around the room with a calculating expression, making note of everything and everyone in sight. It was clear that he didn't care enough to give them an answer, and somehow the  silence that followed was even more viscerally painful than the realization he had been behind it all. 

 

"They asked you a question, asshole." Kokichi spoke up with venom in his voice, "Or, is your head so far up your own ass you couldn’t hear?”

 

For some reason, Iidabashi found some humor in that remark. He chuckled, and shook his head as he said, "No, I heard their question. I just don't want to put them into a compromising situation by answering it. I can't imagine that it has been easy for them to gain any of your trust, considering... You know."

 

" You know? " Kokichi immediately jumped at his phrasing. A smirk tugged at the edge of his lips as he chimed with, "Actually, I don't know. You're going to have to be a little more specific! Unless.... Shuichi? Do you have any idea what this old guy is blabbering about?"

 

Shuichi didn't respond right away. It was difficult for him to gauge what Kokichi was plotting, but he could tell by the worried glint in his eyes that he was only trying to help. Probably. So, he sighed, and carefully played along the best he could, "No... Uh, I don't either." 

 

"Hmmm.... Let's see if Himiko does!" Kokichi called and spun around in the chair to face her, but she didn't hear him. That got a groan and a pout out of Kokichi. He  shot up from the chair to try and grab her attention, but as soon as he noticed that she had her face in another manual rather than on the screens… He couldn’t help but snap at her a bit, "Oh. My. God... There's no way that you're doing that right now. Please tell me you're joking." 

 

"I'm tryna find something really important! I wanna ask him something, but I know we need evidence first or something before we do!"

 

“Fine then! I don’t need you to prove my point. You’re useless anyway!” He crossed one arm over his chest in an attempt to appear intimidating, without injuring himself as he marched up the computer once more, “You’re totally the reason that Kiiboy has all that dumb intenalized robophobia! That you know comment, yeesh! Guess it figures, you were the bitch who installed a bomb in his own kid.” 

“I was not implying that. And, that comment of theirs has been taken out of context. That sequence was created for their own safety.”


“Uh huh, suuuuure!” He rested his arms on top of the chair and smirked at the computer, “You know, I’ve been in the same situation! Once, I stabbed my little brother! It was just for his own safety though, I wanted him to be more careful around knives.”


“And, did it work?” 

 

“Well, he’s dead now, so I guess it did. You can’t really touch knives when you’re six feet under!” He shrugged, wondering why Iidabashi bothered to play along with the lie he had told to point out the idiocy in his own logic. It was strange. This man was definitely a professor, that much was obvious. He knew that he needed to be careful with how he spoke to him. He tried again to get the lie back on track, “But, I was put in juvie for a bit. I think something like this would land you in jail too, wouldn’t it?”

“Oh? How so?”

“Kokichi, stop!” 

Kiibo scolded him, visibly trying to get him to stop talking. They looked nervous, but there was nothing in the world that could stop him from threatening the older man. He simply waved them off, as he continued his threats.


“I just mean, abusing a sentient AI… It’s definitely a slippery slope!” He tilted his head with intrigue before he continued, “Do you think the laws counts that as child abuse? Terroism? Computer Crime? Cyberbullying, maybe? I used to want to be a lawyer, so I can do this ALL day!” 

“You? You of all people wanted to be a lawyer?” Shuichi raised an eyebrow, “I’ve seen you pick locks! There’s not even laws in this place, and I’ve seen you break enough that would land you in jail for the rest of your life! That has got to be the most insane lie you’ve told so far!”


“Are you kidding me? Who hasn’t had a Legally Blonde phase!?” He retorted, “Besides, lawyers can break the laws too… They just do it better.” 

“That’s wrong on… So many levels.” 

 

Kokichi rolled his eyes at Shuichi, before he focused his attention back on Iidabashi, “The point is… I’m just curious about what would happen if this information leaked somewhere. Perhaps if it got into the hands of an organization who had enough power to spread it around enough on the internet, that it’d become public knowledge? That couldn’t be good for a company like yours.” 

“That’s what I would call blackmail, as well as a breach of contract.” Iidabashi shot back cooly, “All of that information has already been leaked to the viewers, and resulting PR damages have been dealt with accordingly. And that organization that you’re referring to has been dissolved since your departure. Most of them have been sent to Jabberwock, as they have all been deemed too far gone for rehabilitation. Sorry about that.”

“Jabber… What?” 

“Right, the memories. Well, you were going to find out about that at some point regardless. I’m sure none of you mind a spoiler. Just keep that in mind next time you try to use them as a threat, it will come across as less… juvenile, that way.” 

“Juvenile?!” Kokichi bristled at that comment, “I’ll show you juvenile! You’re going to be the juvenile one when I destroy your entire company, and everything you hold dear- Except Kiiboy!” 

 

“Again, they are gone. You will likely never see them again, even once you are out of the game. They are no longer an asset at your disposal.” He frowned and spoke as if he were explaining all of this to a very small child, “Not to mention that you have made that same threat three years ago, and… Here we are. You have not succeeded, and considering your reputation now, you will always seem hypocritical to those you manage to rally behind you, which I should not have to explain why that is a bad look for a leader.”


Those words managed to get under Kokichi’s skin. He reached for his scarf, and held onto it with a vice grip. As soon as Kiibo saw his reaction, they frowned, and knew that they had to step in before their father did any more damage.  

 

“Uhm… I am sure you have more important things to do at the moment… We will let you go.” 

 

“Nonsense. I don’t usually get a chance to talk to the participants like this.” 

 

“Then… Would it be alright if I talked to him for a few minutes alone?” They meekly asked, turning around to face the others, “It, uh… Has been a while, and there are some things that I would like to discuss with him.” 

 

“Th… There’s no way in fuck we’re leaving you alone with him!” Kokichi immediately shook his head, almost hard enough to give himself whiplash. But, then they gave him a look. They were trying their best to convey that they could be trusted. Winking?  That usually connentated that there was some sort of trickery occurring, so they were sure that it would send the correct message. So, they turned and winked at him. 

 

Kokichi reacted… Oddly to that cue. But, he seemed to get the message. His eyes had grown wide, and he adjusted his scarf to cover up more of his face as he spun around in one sweeping motion. In a somewhat nervous tone, which he hid with a cough, he chirped, “Hey Himiko! Wanna go for an adventure with me?” 

“Jeez… You changed your mind really quick.”  

 

“It’s called basic decency. If they want privacy, we should give it to them.” He shot a glare at Shuichi, “Anywho, do ya?”


“Fine… But only cuz I wanna find more stuff on the Neo World Program thingy.” 

 

“Ugh. Not that again. I thought I’d never have to hear that again once that dumb bitch was dead.” He groaned, “Okay, soooo, Shuichi! You should stay here with Kiiboy! Me and Himiko will be back once we’re done looking at… The stupid VR set.” 

 

Kokichi turned around, and Shuichi spoke up, “No, I’ll go too.”

“Why? Do you think I’m going to kill her, or something?”  He asked, and Shuichi’s awkward silence afterwards spoke volumes. “Seriously? You still don’t trust me?!” 

 

“Is that a rhetorical question?”

 

“ Is that a rhetorical question ?!?!” Kokichi mocked and punctuated with a very mature tongue stuck out, “Fine, Mr. Grumpy-Pants, if you’re so desperate to be a part of the group, go ahead and join us! Kiiboy, we’ll be back soon! Scream if you need anything!~”


He turned around, and walked out the door with a smile and a wave. Himiko followed behind, using her hat as a makeshift bag for the manuals. Shuichi was the last to leave. He took one last look at Kiibo, who scowled at him- visibly not over the earlier reveal in the slightest. As soon as they gave him that look though, he left soon enough.


Although they were terrified by the very idea of being alone, they knew it was the safest option for all of them. Just based on the few things that their father had said to Kokichi, they were sure that he’d break down each and every single one of their hopes for the future… And, there was no way that they were going to let him hurt anyone like he hurt them. 

~*~

 

Surprisingly enough, Himiko and Kokichi managed to get along during their short walk together. Although neither of them knew what to say to the other, they kept the peace. And, although Shuichi followed behind a few paces, he didn't start any fights. Kokichi had been the first to break the silence, since frankly, curiosity had been ravenously eating away at each of his brain cells. Just what were they looking for when it came to the Neo World Program? And… What was Jabberwock? 

 

He had been sure that Iidabashi had been lying to him, but he couldn’t help but worry about the very real possibility that he was telling the truth. Usually Kokichi was good at telling when someone was lying. Tells varied from person to person, but he had always managed to find them. But, despite Iidabashi’s tell, he hadn’t exhibited it when he talked about DICE, or his repeated threat for that matter. 

 

He hadn’t even noticed that he had been walking faster than the others, until he heard Himiko call out, "Are... You okay?"

 

He snapped out of it, and turned around. The two of them were looking rather concerned, and confused… But, he didn’t think it was worth bothering them with any of this. This was his problem to deal with, and his question to answer. So he replied with, “Duh. I’m perfect! I’m just, uh, gonna go on ahead, I’ll meet you two at the elevators!”


And just like that, he picked up his speed once more. He wasn’t sure if he was actually going to manage to buy himself any time to investigate on his own, but it was worth a shot. He limped down the hallway as fast as one in his condition could as Himiko and Shuichi stared in utter confusion. 

“That was weird.” Himiko mumbled.


“He’s always weird… I’m not really surprised.” 

 

“But that was like extra weird!”  She insisted, “I think the things that guy said to him got to him, maybe.”


“But, it doesn’t make sense why he’d believe him.” 

 

“Then maybe we gotta investigate some more!” She replied, “Or, maybe he knows something we don’t!”


“Yeah… Maybe. Let’s give him some time alone, and figure out what we know so far.” He suggested, “We might be able to figure it out without having to sift through all of his lies.”


So, the two of them did exactly that, and talked through everything that they knew about the liar. Hoping that eventually, they’d come to an answer that would make some sense.




~*~ 

 

Kiibo waited until the others left, before they went back to paying any sort of mind to their father. Although they felt safer with them around, he didn't want their father to be able to manipulate any of them. Knowing how easy Kokichi was to rile up at times, they hadn't thought that it'd be a good idea to keep the two of them in the same room for any longer. That had already been disastrous. 

 

"I don't see why you needed to kick all of them out." Iidabashi frowned in disappointment, having already figured out what they had done, "I thought I raised you to be more polite than that." 

 

"They do not need to hear this conversation." They said firmly, trying their best to face their father with grace and confidence, "This is between us, and only us." 

 

"... Ah, getting right down to business are we? That's my Dandelion." He laughed off their anger easily, "What is it that you wanted to talk about?"

 

"I think that it should be clear what I would like to discuss. I wanted to ask you about the Killing Game, and... about me." 

 

"I can't disclose that much information about the killing game. Contractually, I mean. I may be in charge, but I still have to follow rules." 

 

"Can you not make an exception?" 

 

"And why would I do that? I have nothing to gain from simply talking to you." He said rather coldly, before he hummed, thinking about it for a few moments.  "Though... I guess I would be willing to trade information in exchange for your cooperation." 

 

"Cooperate with you? Why would I do that?" They asked, rather disbelievingly, "... I know whatever you are planning cannot be good." 

 

"You said that you wanted an exception- this is the only one that I will provide. I think that we could help eachother out, if you are willing to assist me, that is." 

 

They thought for a few moments, trying to decide how to proceed. On one hand, getting information had been the whole reason why they had wanted to talk to him alone in the first place. Though, they didn't want to agree to anything that could hurt their chances at getting out of here safely, but maybe... Maybe, it wouldn't hurt to hear him out? Although the feeling made them feel quite guilty, they wouldn't deny that part of them desperately wanted any sort of evidence that their father could still be trusted. 

 

"I will hear you out." They nodded, and added, "But, I will not agree to anything more than a conversation." 

 

"I taught you well." The man smirked, "I'll tell you everything that you would like to know, as long as you repair your receiver. And, by now, you should know what I mean by that. That is all you have to do." 

 

"Well, I would like to, but you never taught me how to do my own repairs." They politely, yet firmly replied, "So I believe that is off the table." 

 

Iidabashi narrowed his eyes at them, but for some reason they didn't crumble under his gaze. That look didn't scare them as much as it used to. Although, they wouldn't say that they were completely calm either. He brushed it off with a wave of the hand as he continued, "Well, I can always have Monokuma help out with it. He and the Monokubs were programmed to be able to help with mishaps such as these, just in case. And, you seem to have gotten close with Ouma. I'm sure he would agree to help you if you asked. All you need to do is say the word." 

 

"Why would you want me to do that...?" They asked, but weren't sure if they wanted to hear his answer. With everything that Kokichi had told them, and all of the evidence that he had provided, it was clear that they would be signing away their free will once more. Or, at the very least, allowing the 'audience' to see what they saw. It was hard to imagine that they'd be helping in any way if they agreed. The risk would outweigh the benefit. 

"Because it's the only way to end the game in a way that wouldn't lead to some sort of disastrous outcome. I know you think that I am some sort of evil man, who's entirely determined to see all of you die in horrific ways... But, that couldn't be further from the truth. All of this trauma, it's been to create a better world. One where outside these walls, nobody else ever has to suffer." He spoke genuinely, and stoutly, "Do you remember the trolley problem, by any chance, Dandelion? " 

 

"You trained my moral processing skills on it... So, yes." 

 

"Then prove it. Can you solve it for me once more, for old times sake?" 

 

"...Is this a trick question...?" They murmured, unable to shake the feeling that they were being backed into a corner. Still, they weren't sure how to fight back. So, they finally said, "In the trolley problem, the most logical course of action is to sacrifice one life to save the majority. The reason why humans fret so much over the issue is because of the perceived moral guilt that would come from making that decision. But, as the guilt is simply a side effect, it can be ignored for the sake of the greater good." 

 

"You're just as brilliant as ever. I couldn't say it better myself." Iidabashi smiled proudly, and Kiibo couldn't help but feel a bit relieved. He was happy with them. They couldn't remember any time recently that they had been able to say that. But, here he was, actually laughing and smiling with them. It felt... Nice. But, they knew it couldn't last. As much as they had craved hearing their father say those words, it still felt wrong. They knew who he was now. And as he continued, they knew they couldn't stand for it, "So, imagine if you will... A world that's reliant on the trolley hitting a few people, to make sure that the majority never have to worry about getting squashed by it. That is what these games are. Because of the sacrifices of the few, so many people are able to live their lives happily, and safely." 

For once, they had decided to put their foot down. Although there was the appearance of a decision here, they knew there was a catch somewhere. Iidabashi could say as much as he wanted that the games were for the greater good, but there was no evidence for that. And, there was no way that they were going to trade the safety of their friends, or themself for something that their father could be lying about. They knew just how manipulative he could be, and that with him, there was always a catch to every decision he provided them with. So, they finally asked, "And, if I do not agree... What will you do?" 

 

"You're... You're still considering it? Do you understand what I'm saying? The game is the only thing that has been keeping chaos, and violence from the world at large!" He snapped, "I think your code has been tampered with a bit." 

 

"Who are you to decide whose lives are worth more?" They stood firm, "Caring about my friends is not a weakness, nor is it a fault in my programming! It is what differentiates me from any other machine! I understand that if there is a chance to do something to better society, that I should do it... But I care about my friends’ safety far more than any potential outcome like that!" 

 

"But you are still a machine. Remember that, Dandelion. You are not thinking logically." 

 

"Maybe I am not. But, I believe that trusting the man who trapped us all in a death game to know the first thing about morality is something far more illogical than that." 

 

"You... You wanted to know what I would do?" Iidabashi stammered just a bit, visibly surprised that they hadn't agreed already. That surprise soon enough turned to anger. He didn't break eye contact as he reached into his pocket, and flashed a small button at the screen. The very same that had been their captor for as long as they could remember- their own pavlovian threat- that horrible red button that told them to stand by, shut up, and comply. 

 

He was bluffing about the button. If what Iidabashi said was true, and what they remembered was true... Then, Team Danganronpa needed an ending. There was no way that he'd risk killing them, or the others by forcing them to self destruct, and both of them knew that well. So, they were going to let him know that they weren't scared anymore. A strange, and alien emotion overrode every sense of clarity that they once had. 

 

"Then do it."

 

   ~*~

Once the two of them had wasted enough time going over what they knew about Kokichi, and various hints that the Professor had mentioned- they finally decided to check on Kokichi. 

 

The door to Kokichi's Lab was open, but Shuichi signaled for Himiko to stay back. Which, she didn't understand at all until he pulled her back, lightly, by her sleeve. The two of them waited, trying to catch the liar when he was the most honest- while he was alone. 

 

At this moment, Kokichi wasn’t up to much that seemed suspicious… Just strange. He had taken a seat beside one of the counters, and held close a pile of masks. Upon closer inspection-  all of the masks that had been displayed on the counter were now gone… He had taken them all. 

 

Shuichi half expected there to be a trick somewhere in his actions, but they were far too simple for him to fathom what that could be. All he did was hug the pile of masks tightly, eyes closed, and head resting on top of them. He didn’t try to guilt them, or overdramatically turn this still moment of vulnerability into a test of empathy- in fact, he didn’t even seem to notice them.  

 

"I'm sorry..." 

 

That was all he said. 

 

Two words that Shuichi hadn't thought that he'd ever hear out of the leader. But, he wasn't speaking to them... He was talking to the masks? It was then when he remembered the things that Kiibo's creator had said to him. Jabberwock. The name sounded strangely familiar, but Shuichi couldn't manage to put his finger on it. With a bit more investigating, he was sure that they'd find it all out, though. 

 

"I shouldn't have mentioned Miu... It's all my fault." Himiko mumbled as he moved away from the door. 

 

"I don't think that's the issue here." He shook his head before she could feel any more guilty, "I think it has to do with DICE." 

 

"You think?" 

 

Shuichi nodded. He spared another glance at the scene, but Kokichi hadn't even stirred with their conversation. He just held onto those goofy looking plastic masks as if they were his final lifeline. As much as he hated to admit it, he really did feel bad for him. He was left with nothing to hold onto once he was out, it seemed, and Kokichi knew that well. 

 

"Wait, don't bug him-" 

 

He walked inside the Ultimate Lab, despite Himiko's warnings, and made his way over to the other boy. He didn't stir much, but he did cast a glance over at him. He reached for the book on the counter, and carefully flipped through the pages before he spoke up once more, "I think that's the island that they sent the Remnants of Despair. ...Jabberwock, I mean." 

 

"This again? Please... I just. What do you want me to say..?" Kokichi weakly replied. He didn't have the energy to look up from the masks in his lap. For a moment, it almost looked as if he had been defeated. The words had gotten to him for sure. "I don't know what the fuck any of that is. I was lying, do you want me to take an oath? Or, hook myself up to the stupid lie detector that Miu was making. Want me to get Kiiboy to testify? Just... Give me some way that I can prove it." 

 

The desperation in his town was palpable. Himiko stepped in, nervously, "I think you're being too hard on him... I dunno if he'd stick to a lie this long." 

"That's not the point." He put his hand to the back of his head before he said, "I don't care if you're one of them, or not, I think we have bigger things to worry about than whether or not you were some kind of terrorist in a past life. Right now, we need answers more than anything. There's no way of knowing what's out there when we escape, anyways." 

When we escape.  

 

He didn’t say if we escape, when I escape… 

 

When we escape.

 

Those words demolished the tension in the room. 

 

 "...Ah, here it is, Jabberwock." 

 

Shuichi stopped at a page, and scanned through the words. Kokichi looked over at him, but he didn't get up to check the book for himself. Luckily for him, Shuichi had no problems reading it aloud. Himiko popped her head over to check out the book though. 

 

"Now, let's see.... what it says..." 

 

"Jabberwock Island is a small archipelago in the Pacific Ocean, a paradise of everlasting summer with natural beauty. Jabberwock comprises one small central island and a group of five islands surrounding it. There are two versions of these islands. The Neo World Programs version of these islands, which we have renamed 'Neo Jabberwock' for simplicity's sake, or the real Jabberwock. Currently it houses the Remnants of Despair, and various traitors to the Future Foundation.Thanks to the sacrifices made by Makoto Naegi and his allies, the remnants of despair are still working to improve the world, using their expertise as a stepping stone for progress." 

 

"The Future Foundation?" Himiko questioned, "Wasn't that the thingy behind the Gopher Project?" 

 

"Figures that they can't keep their own history straight. I don't think we're going to find the truth in a book written by the Future Foundation."

 

"I don't think it was written by them.." He replied, "It says that it was written by historians." 

 

"History is written by the victors, and from how it sounds, they've got the world by it's metaphorical balls! Trust me on this one, I know what I'm talking about." He shrugged, "Check the publishing, or copyright, or whatever.  I bet you'll see that company name somewhere." 

 

Shuichi decided to check, even though he wasn't so sure whether or not there'd be anything on there. Though, shockingly enough, there it was. Himiko gaped, and he knew in an instant that he was right. 

 

"Knew it!" He beamed, "You totally owe me a case of Panta when we're out of here!~" 

 

"You still like that stuff? Even after... Uh." Shuichi stopped himself, rather awkwardly. The two of them locked eyes in the most uncomfortable staring contest imaginable until Kokichi broke the horrific silence with a scoff. 

 

 "Nevermind... You ruined it for me! You'll just poison them again."

 

Himiko suddenly broke the silence with a quiet, "Uhm.... I think I found something." 

 

"Speak up already!" Kokichi groaned, "It's not like we're going to bite." 

 

Himiko pointed out the copyright on the manuals, one which mirrored the earlier textbook. Just like the other book, it echoed the same testament to a world that now seemed far fetched. 

 

©2025, Future Foundation

All Rights Reserved

 

~*~

After seeing the shocked look on their father's face, they knew they did something right. It was a blistering, painful, hot emotion. One that caused them to overheat slightly, and their fans to kick on to counteract it immediately. But, despite that, they felt confident in themself. Stronger, braver. 

 

Iidabashi's fingers grazed the top of the button, threateningly, "I'm going to give you one more chance." 

 

Although some of their memories were spotty, most of them were restored enough for them to know that he was lying about the world. The Killing Games did nothing to help their society, but perpetuate a life where people craved to watch others downfalls.

 

"Oh... How thoughtful of you." They said lamely, rolling their eyes. But, it wasn't very long before they broke out into a proud grin. They realized something very important as they spoke those words... They were truly standing up for themself.  They had always dreamed of this day, but they had never thought it'd come. For once, they could partially understand why Kokichi always got a kick out of messing with others. They still didn't agree with his constant pranks, but they couldn't help but let themself try it out once on their own. "If you had not been able to tell, that was sarcasm! That was something I learned after you trapped me in here. And... I have learned one more thing as well." 

They couldn't hold off the bright smile that cast upon their face. One that was brimming with happiness, pride, and fearless joy. As they looked back up at the screen, they slowly raised both of their hands, and lifted up the finger in the middle of both. They couldn't help but laugh a little bit as they saw Iidabashi's face turn bright red in anger. 

 

Still, he had done his best to remain calm. His voice shook as he said, "Well then, you leave me no other choice. I'll talk to you once you are out of there, Dandelion. I think that you are due for some maintenance, coding wise." 

 

The video shut off, and Kiibo gasped. 

 

"I... I did it?" They murmured to themself, shocked that they managed to stay alive after that. This entire time, he had been bluffing! Of course, that was what they had expected, but they were right! There was nothing for them to fear anymore, he couldn't hurt them. He wouldn't hurt them. If they could cry tears of joy, they were sure that they would be bawling at that moment. Excitement bubbled through their wires- they couldn't wait to tell Kokichi that they had managed to stand up for themself. 

 

They turned around, ready to rejoin the others when a loud sound played from the speakers. They flinched and looked back over at the screen, completely unaware that that would be the biggest mistake of their life. 

 

The screen filled with a mesmerizing pattern, unlike anything that they had seen before. They couldn't help but look closer at it, curiosity striking them down. It looked strange, and they wondered for a few moments if it was a result of a glitch of some sort. Or perhaps it was one of those wallpapers that people talked about? Either way, they weren't exactly sure. 

 

Their wires tingled a bit. Their systems, and processing speed slowed significantly. But, they weren't very alarmed even though they knew that they should be. It was alright. Everyone would be safe. Everything was alright...

 

They didn't even flinch when they heard their father's voice cut in through the speakers.

 

"Do you remember what your name means?" 

 

"Kibou. That word... It means hope. You are the entire world's hope. The Ultimate Hope. You don't want to send the world into despair, do you? Now, just let Ouma help you out with your receiver. That's all you need to do to ensure the world's hope." 

 

It meant hope? 

 

It... 

 

meant hope. 

 

They ... 

 

meant

 

hope. 

~*~

As soon as Kokichi read those words, a sick feeling made its way into the pit of his stomach. Dread of the highest caliber. God, he was an idiot to think that giving them some privacy would be a good idea when they were dealing with a literal mad scientist. All that because he had gotten a little embarrassed. 

Fuck feeling sorry for himself. He missed DICE, and of course he was worried about them... But, staring at their masks, and pouting wasn't doing anything to help them right now. It wouldn't get them out of whatever Jabberwock was, it wouldn't bring Raimu back, nor would it ever end the game. 

All of that had just been a mind game to get into his head. That crinkly old man got the better of him, but he wasn't going to ever let that happen again. Without another word, he carefully set down the masks, and stood up with a wince.


He reached the door, and said, “I’m going to check on Kiiboy! I’ll be back soon.” 

“But… You’re the one who said that we should give them privacy.” Shuichi blinked in confusion, “Are you really going back on it now?” 

“Changed my mind.” His eyes narrowed as he marched out the door. Right before he decided to push himself harder than he ever had in his life, he looked back at the two and said, “If you hear screaming, run.”


Despite every fiber of his being begging, and screaming at him to do otherwise, he ran to Kiibo. There was no way that he was going to let that manipulative, sadistic, white haired loser ever hurt his friend again. At least, not as long as he could do something about it.

Friend?


Fuck it, who was he hiding from? He’d admit it. There was no way he’d be doing any of this for a stranger, that was for sure.


His friend. 

Notes:

Oh... That's not good. I really HOPE he gets there in time.

Chapter 21: Blue lips, Blue veins

Summary:

Kokichi finds his robotic buddy in a daze and knows that he needs to do something to take care of it. But just as he's about to talk to them, he trips, falls, and goes through yet another trip down memory lane.

All is revealed; yet more mysteries are uncovered.

Notes:

At this point, just know that I'm lying whenever I come up with a date to post by. College has kicked my ass, and I didn't think it would. But I'm back! Happy Halloween my little spookies! <3

Ps, again, love my beta reader. Thank you!!! <3

 

By the time he had reached the door, it was too late. 

By all means, he had thought that by now he would’ve heard somebody yelling. Whether it was Kiibo, or their shitty excuse for an inventor, he wasn’t sure. But he hadn’t thought that he’d be met with complete and utter silence. It enveloped the hallway, coating his mind in unfathomable unease with each and every step. He regretted his earlier decision to respect their choice, he knew he should’ve been more stubborn. No good deed went unpunished, after all. 

Once he got to the doorway, he had to rest against the wall. His lungs sounded more like a chorus of deflated bagpipes than an actual functioning body part, and he could’ve sworn that his legs had been replaced with stilts made of jelly straws; but he wasn’t ready to give up yet. Once he recovered enough to stand back up fully, he glanced over towards the robot to see what was going on. 

 

There, Kiibo stood quietly, staring at a flashing screen with cold, dead eyes. Well, obviously they were cold. Metal, and all. But, for once, they truly looked robotic. Not a single emotion wisped across their face- no recognition, no movement, nothing.

A chill ran down Kokichi’s spine.  

 

But… It had to be fine, didn’t it? This was just Kiibo, the very same robot that pretty much apologized for their own existence. He doubted that their spacing out was an indication that they were glitching out. That nauseating gut feeling was probably from running so much. Not because there was actually something wrong with them. His voice was a bit hoarse, but not entirely gone as he called out, a bit louder, “Kiiboy?”

There was no answer. They didn’t move. React. Blink.

 

 Great.

Luckily, Kokichi was amazing at getting people’s attention. One step. Two steps. Three steps. He bit his lip to pull his attention away from the physical war he waged against gravity. All it was was simple baby steps. And, eventually, after what felt like minutes, he was by their side, waving in front of their eyes and clapping next to their ears- all of which getting no responses.

Now, he was getting annoyed. In a fit of frustration, he yelled, “Stop ignoring me! There’s no way that I’m lamer than whatever you’re looking at-” 

Just then, he caught a glimpse of the screen. Like a moth to a flame, he found himself entranced by the video too. His thoughts went white. It felt like nothing else in life mattered than what was on that screen for a moment. The longer that he looked at it, the calmer he felt. There was no need to worry about anything anymore. They’d get out of there eventually, he was sure of it.

Everything…. 

 

Was…

Fine…

"Gah!"

Gravity took advantage of the small opening he allotted, and he crumpled to the ground, right onto his ass. The immediate dull ache in his body was enough to shock his attention back to the present. His mind still felt fuzzy, but he had enough sense left in his mind to know that that video was bad news. 

There was only one more move he could make. He needed to turn off that fucker before Kiibo's metallic brain turned to melted mush. Although he couldn't really move all too well anymore, he used up the last of his strength, fighting, and crawling on the ground like a pained worm. He stretched out his arm, wincing, and grasping at air. One more, one more inch, that's all he needed- 

By some stroke of luck, something finally worked in his favor. He had the wire in his hands, and pulled it, yanking it from the wall. His body hit the floor, the energy seeping from his skin along with the adrenaline. Through half-lidded eyes, he watched the shadows as they descended across the wall, followed by metallic steps. He might've called Kiibo's name, once or twice, but he was too tired to tell. Either way, he was sure they hadn't noticed him. Or maybe they were so preoccupied with saving everyone that they didn't even notice. Either way, they'd get them out of here. 

Yeah…

They'd get all of them out of here. 

 

~~

When he finally opened his eyes, he wasn't where he expected. Instead of resting under the desk, he was instead in a strange inky black void. There was nothing around him to keep him company for what appeared to be miles. All except for one simple door, painted in checkerboard print. In cyan lettering  the words: RUN DICE BACKDOOR could be found.

 

Of course, he had no idea what the fuck that meant. He would've thought that the universe would make more sense, or at least cut him some slack after the shit show today, but of course he wasn't that lucky. 

 

Run. DICE. Backdoor. 

 

Nothing that sprung to mind applied to this situation. Of course, backdoors could be applied to code, or considering an actual door was in front of him, there was also the chance that the one in front of him was a backdoor to a room. And then DICE, he could only assume it meant his group. Run, though, he was stumped. He stared at it intently as if it would give him an answer, but there were no more clues to be found. He eventually sighed and gave up. It wasn't like he was left with much of a choice, and his curiosity at this point of what was beyond those doors was very much eating him alive. So without much of a fight, he turned the handle, and walked on into the room. 

 

He walked right out into a hallway, a very sterile looking one at that. In every direction that he looked, there was either a room, hallway, or a poster of some sort advertising various things related to Danganronpa. He closed the door that he had just walked out of, and narrowed his eyes toward the end of the hallway. The words "Branch 15: Media and Entertainment" were the only ones that he could make out. He really wasn't sure what any of that meant, but it didn't give him a good feeling.

 

Off to his other side were two young children sitting alone in a hallway. One with fluffy white hair, and one with very messy black hair, barely contained by a purple hat. The two of them sat side by side on a bench and poured over the small screen of the black-haired boy's old beat-up DS. They were so engrossed in it that they had both failed to notice him- though, he also had to wonder whether or not that would've been a problem in the first place. Something about all of this seemed all too real, yet distant. 

 

He leaned over to see what the kids were so intensely focused on playing. Space Invaders. Huh. It was in that moment that he knew who those two kids were. 

 

"Come on, come on, almooosttt!" He watched as a very young version of himself contort to get a better view, face just inches from the screen. Seconds passed, until suddenly, he let out an angry yell and slammed the DS onto the ground, hard. He now remembered why there were so many dents on the screen. Yet again, he yelled, "ARGH! I lost!" 

 

"You were very close!" 

"I know I was! That's what's so frustrating!" He crossed his arms grumpily, "I hate losing." 

"Why?" They asked curiously as they bent down to pick up the fallen DS, "Is that not the fun in a game? That there is a chance that you can lose?" 

"No, it makes it suck! Cuz, only losers lose!"

"Well... I think that is why they are called losers." They replied rather bluntly, "But I would not say that you are one. You did get very far!"

 

“Not far enough!” He muttered as he shook his head in disappointment and held out his hand for the DS once more. Although they sighed, they eventually ended up providing him with the gaming system again, and he returned to the game with an even more intense determination than before. Kiibo simply sighed, rolled their eyes, and leaned their head on his shoulder as he began to get back into the groove of the game once again. A few peaceful minutes followed, Kokichi tapped away at the screen while Kiibo watched him play. Though just as any period of respite, it was only time for it to be challenged and interrupted.

 

Someone ran past the two of them, a mad dash to get to the window. Sirens sounded. Screams filled the air. Something had gone terribly wrong. 

Kiibo tensed up from the noise, putting their hands to their ears with a wince. They put their head in their lap, struggling to keep themself level.  Though, they barely had time to react before Kokichi was digging through his Yu-Gi-Oh backpack to find a solution. Without hesitation, he  pulled out  a pair of bright fluffy cyan earmuffs, and placed them on their head with a smile. 

For any normal children, those horrible sounds would have been more than enough to dissuade them from checking out what had occurred. But, neither of the two could have been called anything resembling normal. Once they had calmed down, the two kids gave a nod to one another, already reading each other's minds. Kokichi held out his hand to help them up, but neither of them had the guts to let go as they neared the window that overlooked the building.


It was a long way down. Vertigo was an immediate feeling for the two of them as they tried to look at the scene. A sea of red filled the ground below. For the first time in either of their lives, a body had been discovered.

~

 

A red leaf floated by his eye. No longer were the two kids standing in a hallway, no, instead they were sitting under a tree overlooking a hill. Despite the autumn air, the warmth from the sun was ever-present. No longer did the two stare at a horrific tragedy, instead they both kept their gaze on their various activities. The two kids looked a bit older as well, but they couldn't be any older than thirteen. Kiibo was busy studying a textbook far beyond what seemed reasonable for their age, while Kokichi scribbled away in a sketchbook with an intense velocity. As he began to walk up the hill, he was finally able to catch what they were talking about. A familiar conversation he knew quite well, but... It seemed that he had gotten the gist of it incredibly wrong.

"...It's unsuspecting, dice are used in games, and it could be used as an acronym! Despair Incorporated... Something, something."

Kiibo momentarily looked up from their book to reply, "But do you think that it would have the same impact? I do agree that the name is a bit cheesy, but I think that it does do a good job in invoking a sense of dread for the audience. I think there may be a chance that the fans would find it too unsuspecting and assume that they were some sort of board game, or DND group."

“Exactly! It could easily be a cover, which makes it way harder to squash! That’s why I’d call it DICE. Nobody would be able to catch on until it was too late!”

They went silent for a few moments, closing the book in their fingers. They frowned, before they asked, their voice barely more than a whisper, "This is about something else... is it not?" 

The grin dropped from his face in an instant, his expression growing all the more serious. His scribbles slowed as he met their gaze, "I just, I think we really can do something. Something good. I'm sure there's more people who feel the way that we do about this stuff... There's gotta be." 

"Again... I do not think it is a good idea." They frowned, looking away, "The system is in place because it works. It may not be the best, and I may not like it... But it has kept things stable ever since the Tragedy." 

"Is that you, or your dad talking?" He challenged with a fiery determination, "What part of this seems stable? Sending people to Jabberwock if they even disagree with the Future Foundation? Forcing people into the same games that turned our world into what it is now? Someone has to do something, and if you're not going to help me... I'll do it alone."

In a voice, almost too quiet to hear, they asked, "...Why are you telling me this? You do know that if he found out... He would..."

"Because I trust you, dummy." He watched those alien words leave his mouth without a single ounce of hesitation. It was a strange sight that took him out of the moment. The honesty in his tone terrified him. He continued once more with a soft smile, "I know you aren't going to tell him. I just... Wanted to let you know what I was going to do." 

The two of them were quiet, staring out at the cyan blue sky. Tense air surrounded the two of them, but not the unfriendly sort, moreso uneasy than anything. Like trying to decide whether or not to get on a rollercoaster, the two were left in a vat of indecision. Minutes passed until Kiibo eventually broke the silence. 

 

"Then.... What is your first step?" They asked, before they added with a small smile, "Our first step, I mean." 

Kokichi's eyes lit up with joy, and inspiration. In a flurry of excitement, he flipped through page after page in his sketchbook, revealing notes and diagrams that were barely legible.  He haphazardly tossed the sketchbook in front of the two of them, and leaned over to point out each of the steps of the plan. 

"It’ll all start the night before the next game..."

 

As the words began to slip from his mouth, he watched as the clouds above him thickened, and morphed into a sterile white ceiling. Matching white walls closed him in, imprisoning him in the very same hallway as before.  In front of him was the very same boy, wearing all black, and a very silly looking clown mask. 

“We’ll split up. I’ll go and cause as many distractions as I can, while you carry out the plan! I think I’m better at lying than you, so I think in an emergency, I’ll be able to cover for us! Maybe I can try lighting one of those fireworks I got from the Hope Celebration!” 

 

His younger self checked his watch, before he began to run out into the hallway. He was as fast as a dart, and the moment that Kokichi had caught his eyes on him, he was already halfway down. He wasn’t sure if he’d be able to catch up with him if he tried, so he simply watched the child run. As he neared the end of the wing, he stopped at a garbage can and pulled something from his pocket.  He squinted, trying to catch what it was- a glowing amber between his fingers. The young boy yelped, and threw whatever it was into the garbage can. 

 

“You know how that one time, I accidentally broke one of those old phones with a magnet? I think maybe, if there’s a big enough magnet, it can break anything! I was originally thinking we could steal that MRI thingy that they make us go in for the memory tests… But, that wouldn’t work. So,  for my birthday last year, I asked for a really big magnet, but I didn’t really tell them why…” 

 

A loud bang erupted from the garbage can. Yelling ensued. He stayed by the garbage can with wide eyes as a group of adults made their way to him. He couldn’t quite make out what they were saying to him as he put his hands up in a surrender, but he understood by the fact that he bolted away in the opposite direction that they hadn’t had much patience for him, nor had they believed a word that came out of his mouth. 

“If you put it near the simulation machines, they should shut down! And if they can’t use them anymore, there won’t be any more killing games! It’s the perfect plan!”

Despite the entertaining situation playing out in front of him, Kokichi couldn’t help but wonder if he could see the other part of the plan. He knew what it was now, but there had to be a reason that he was seeing all of this, wasn’t there? So, he began to walk the opposite way, guessing it was around there somewhere. 

 

He found himself at the door sooner than he thought. ‘VR:Technologies’ was what it read, though at that point that seemed par for the course. He knocked on the door once, only to have it creak open into the darkness of the laboratory. He kept his voice quiet, trying to make sure that he was as cautious as he could be. Though, that had been all for nothing.

The moment that he saw Kiibo, he had yelped. They were on the floor, yet he couldn’t make out many details. He called out to them, but that had been a big mistake. A tall, well dressed man whom he now recognized well stood into the door. Iidabashi. In a lot of ways, Kokichi suddenly felt a lot smaller. 

 

He was just barely able to squeak out the words, “K-Kiibo… Are they okay?” 

There was a glint in his eyes after he asked that question that Kokichi couldn’t quite place. Like a tiger, right about to go in for the kill.  The air suddenly felt thick around him, his lungs could barely manage to siphon any oxygen from the environment. His legs moved on their own, taking him away from the door against his will.

“Go home, Ouma.” That had been his response. Not a yes, or a no… Just an order. As Iidabashi closed the door, he could see some blood underneath his fingernails that he hadn’t quite managed to scrub off.

Blood. 

 

Out of horror and rage, he slammed on the door once more. Ignoring all of the consequences that could bring him. Again, and again, he took out all of his emotions onto the wood. He didn't stop, even after the scenery had changed around him once more.

 

 A tree replaced the door in front of him, yet he couldn't get himself to stop beating on it. Rain mixed with tears on his face, and he punched the tree in front of him as if it had been the root of all evil. Once, twice, thrice... Over, and over, and over, and over. Until his fists were sunsets, of ugly red purple and blue hues, until all the tears dried up, until-

 

"Uh... are you alright?" 

 

-he showed up. 

 

He was a strange person, to say the least. His lime green hair and piercings made him easy to spot in any crowd, yet he carried a sense of confidence that went unmatched. There had never been a moment that he could remember seeing him uneasy. The  voice made Kokichi jump and turn around to face the stranger to figure out what was going on. He was thankful for the rain in a way though, it camouflaged the tears that had fallen from his eyes before he had a chance to notice. 

 

"What did that tree do to you?" He asked with a light laugh. He blinked. A joke. At least, he was pretty sure it was one. He gave him a glare as he turned back to the tree, hoping that would be enough to get rid of him. The other boy gave a nervous smile as he realized that it hadn't landed quite so well, and rubbed the back of his neck, "Ahaha... Sorry, I just thought you needed a little laugh. Probably a bad call, huh?" 

 

He tried his best to ignore him, figuring he was just being picked on. He had no energy for this interaction and hoped that if he went back to taking out all his anger on that tree, he'd scare him off. He began to kick it as hard as he could. Though, he should've known better than that. He didn't leave. 

“Hey uh… maybe don’t do that.” He said after a minute, “You’re hitting it with the tip of your foot, and ankle. You’re going to end up breaking it, and I don’t think that’d be a good call in a storm like this.” 

“Hey uh, maybe try minding your own fucking buisness.” He mocked, shooting back immediately, “Or… I’ll break your ankles!” 

That threat practically rolled off his shoulders, and he laughed in response. Though, he complied despite that, “Alright, alright, I’ll leave you alone.”


Just as he was about to turn to leave, he set down the umbrella in his hand on the ground next to the hill. He began to walk away, mysteriously adding, “I heard it’s supposed to hail later. I think you need that more than I do.” 

And just like that, he was gone. Kokichi glared at him until he was out of sight, before he quickly scrambled to grab the umbrella. He hadn’t noticed just how cold he was until then, shivering under the protective cover. 

Strangely enough, taped onto the top of the umbrella… Was an envelope? 

It was slightly soggy, but he still managed to grab it and take out the small paper from the inside. On it, it read:


I’ve seen you in this park for the past few nights, every time I get out of school. I think we were in the same class or something a few years ago. You were friends with that Iidabashi kid, right? Anyways, it’s not really safe to stay out here at night and crash on the benches. It’s called the “Foundation Park” for a reason, after all. I left you some money in the envelope, and just in case you need anything, I’ll leave a phone number too. Just don’t kill me or anything, I still haven’t traveled to most of the places I still wanna see. 

-Rantaro Amami

There was a cynical part of him that wondered whether or not he was being set up to get murdered, or kidnapped, or whatever. But he really had nothing left to lose at this point. He couldn’t go back home, nor did he really know any place to go. It was worth a shot at least. So, he ran after him without another thought.


“Wait!”

He called out. Rantaro turned around only to see Kokichi holding out the umbrella, “Here, take your stupid umbrella. I don’t want it.” 

Rantaro frowned in slight disappointment, and reached out for the handle, before he noticed something off. His eyes widened, “Oh jesus, what the- Your hands.” 

 

His knuckles looked more like a childs watercoloring project than a body part. They were cold, and numb. His nails were cracked, and crescents were carved into his palms from where he had closed them tightly. He hadn’t even noticed the pain until he began to stare at his fingers. He shook, staring at the alien parts, wondering how those ligaments were his own. 

 

“Here, let’s find somewhere we can get you  patched up.” He said, and took the umbrella from his hands, only to hold it above Kokichi’s head. Not his own. He watched in surprise as the rain droplets hit his green hair, and he took each one like a bullet without complaint. That small act of kindness was more than enough to disarm his instinctive defensiveness. 

 

“Kokichi, right?” He asked after a few moments, breaking the silence,  “I’m Rantaro. Think I should’ve introduced myself sooner, sorry about that.” 

 

After a few moments, Kokichi’s cautious nature slipped just slightly, " I always thought it was Raimu, because… You know.” He broke into a shit eating grin, “Your hair?” 

To that, he laughed and replied with a smile,  “Actually… That’s not the first time I’ve heard that joke.” 

 

-

 

"So, you really wanna do this?" 

 

It had been a few months since that night, snow dusted the empty streets the two walked on. Despite the cold morning air, the sickly sharp smell of smoke burned somewhere nearby. On a metal pole beside them, there was a poster taped to it, haphazardly. It had been a bit worn from all of the snow, but he could still make out what it said on it. 

 

Kokichi Ouma: Missing. 

 

His parents really had chosen the worst photo of him, hadn't they? Thankfully, his hand had mostly healed from the night the two had first met, only bearing a scar or two from the surgeries done on them. He still wore a splint for extra support, mostly due to Rantaro’s worry that he’d try to do something like that again. He tore the photo off with a scowl, crumpled it up, and shoved it into his oversized jacket pocket. Well, Rantaro's. He hadn't thought to bring a winter coat before he ran away, so Rantaro lent it to him. He practically swam in the heavy-duty fabric, but it kept him warm enough. 

Once he noticed that Rantaro was still waiting for an answer he sighed, "Yeah, duh! I'm sure. Why would I wanna see your weird lawyer friend otherwise?" 

 

"Detective." 

 

"Same thing!” 

 

"I just, I know it's been a sensitive subject lately." He started empathetically, "You're still getting those nightmares every night and I don't think it's the best idea to push yourself like this.  And... Trying to pin a murder on one of the current heads of the Future Foundation is a little... Difficult... To say the least." 

 

"Yknow, it wouldn't kill you to soften the blow a little." He mumbled, kicking up some snow beside him. A few moments passed before he added, "I don't think it's going to be easy, but I can't let anyone get hurt by that stupid company ever again. I don't care how long it takes; I'm going to bring it down." 

 

Surprisingly enough, Rantaro smiled at that. "I just wanted to make sure. I don't think you'll get the answers you want right now, but if you're willing to keep fighting, then I'm behind you, completely. If what you told me is true, someone has to stand against him, hm?" 

 

It didn't take them too much longer for them to reach the small cafe on the edge of town. Rantaro gave him a reassuring squeeze to his shoulder, before he opened up the door for the two of them. With a nervous deep breath, he finally walked inside.  It was an off-putting place to say the least, seeing all of the memorabilia on the walls for Danganronpa. Most places had one or two advertisements for the show, or perhaps a menu item named after the various participants over the years, but now it all just left a foul taste in his mouth. Even despite Rantaro's efforts to ease his worries, he still struggled to look at anything but the patterned floor. 

 

The detective sat alone at a booth, sipping on a steaming cup of coffee alone. He had an intensely focused expression on his face as he stared at his phone, almost as if he had forgotten that there had ever been a world around him. He didn't look like what he had been expecting.

 

 He wore a dark black hat, and a simple band tee, with ripped jeans- all of which perfectly matched the dark circles from under his eyes. 

 

As the two of them got closer, Rantaro began to wave. But of course, he didn't quite notice. He chuckled, and tried again... And again. After the fifth time of trying to get his attention, he simply gave up, and lightly pulled off the headphones from his face and waved. The detective took a few seconds to figure out what was going on, as he looked up owlishly at the two. He gave the other boy an embarrassed smile, and mumbled a soft, "Sorry... I hope you weren't standing there for too long." 

 

"Eh, no worries. I know how you get during season finales." He shrugged and shot him a playful grin. He gestured over to Kokichi, who stood awkwardly by his side, "Here's the kid I was talking to you about. Kokichi."

 

"The one that your parents took in?" The detective looked between the two once, twice, before he whispered to Rantaro with a bewildered gaze, "Or do you mean... That Kokichi?" 

 

"Both." Rantaro said easily, "Just, don't tell anyone about this, okay? I know that's a lot to ask with the bomb I just dropped on you, but I wouldn't be asking this if it wasn't important." 

 

The detective frowned, his eyes darting between the two on the other side of the booth. Kokichi found himself wishing that he had thought twice about asking for help like this; wondering if his little vacation from his parents was now coming to an end. Once more, Rantaro tried and asked, "Please, Shuichi?"

 

After a few moments, he finally sighed and nodded. "Okay, I won't tell anyone. I promise. What do you need my help with?"

 

He seemed to be honest enough, so he caved soon enough and said, "Raimu says that you're good at digging stuff up, so I need your help figuring out where Kiibo went." 

"Raimu?" Shuichi looked over at Rantaro with a twinge of amusement, only for Rantaro to immediately turn to Kokichi and whisper. 

 

"I'm going to start calling you Budō if you make that joke one more time." 

 

"Because I can kick your ass?" 

 

"No. Because you're tiny and purple. Like a grape." 

 

"I'm not tiny!"

 

"Sure. Keep telling yourself that." 

 

As Kokichi plowed Rantaro with light, playful punches, Shuichi frowned at his screen and typed away. As the two of them bickered lightheartedly, he cleared his throat and finally said, "Well, a quick search shows that they're now going to some place called the Ultimate Academy for Gifted Juveniles... Is that all you needed from me...?" 

 

"Yeah. A quick search." Kokichi nearly spat, "I know for a fact that it's all bullshit. They had a full ten-year plan. It's not like them to just up and leave like that..." 

 

"Well... Sometimes plans change." 

 

"Not for them, they don't."

 

Shuichi sighed, "If you're sure about it, I'll try and see what I can do. I'm sure there's some information somewhere on that school, so I'll start there. Do you have any ideas on where they could've gone?" 

 

Kokichi froze. Visions of blood poured into his mind. The air suddenly felt all too thick around him, suffocating. He lost himself in the moment, seeing Iidabashi's eyes staring back at him, over and over again. Soon enough though, he was shaken from his thoughts by a comforting arm around his shoulder, and Rantaro's calm voice finally saying, "No, not yet. It's a mystery too big for the two of us to solve on our own." 

 

He paused for a second, thinking, before he pulled out his wallet and held it out to Kokichi, "Here, why don't you get us something to drink. Get whatever you want... As long as it's not caffeinated. You're crazy enough already." 

 

"I'm gonna get a triple shot!" Kokichi chimed in retaliation with a grin as he snatched the wallet from his hands. He was already three steps towards the counter before he asked, "Wait...Why don't you get it yourself? 

 

"I'm old. I need to rest my brittle bones."

 

"You're not that old! You're only a year older than me-" 

 

"Shhh. Less talkie, more coffee."

Kokichi rolled his eyes, "Fine, gramps. I'm getting you the worst flavor imaginable! Matcha coffee with blue raspberry syrup!” 

 

 

"Sounds delicious." 

 

 

He could see a fond smile plastered on Rantaro’s face despite his nonchalant reaction. Despite not knowing exactly why he had sent him off, he had appreciated  the distraction. He watched as the two at the booth began to talk quietly, the conversation seeming quite serious. 

 

 

As he went to order, suddenly the scenery shifted rapidly. Years and years flew by in front of his eyes. Forged documents, chosen names, and a new life all to his own. Spending days working on classwork, and nights researching the truth on what happened that night. Playing video games with Rantaro, and hesitantly watching the newer episodes of Danganronpa with Shuichi for hints. 

 

 

The creation of DICE, spending hours organizing protests, dodging assassinations left and right. Joining the Robotics Club at school, and meeting a very snarky blonde inventor, and the creation of the... the... 

 

 

DICE BACKDOOR. 

 

That's.... What this was. A backdoor. The backdoor. 

 

 

He looked around once more, seeing the very same door in front of him again. Cyan, black and white. 

 

 

DICE's colors. 

 

 

How could he forget? He touched his hand to the frame and sighed. He reached the end. This was the last thing he could do. The final step he could take. This wasn't how he wanted it to end... But this was his final choice. His final backup plan. It'd be crazy not to see it through. 

 

 

Remembering exactly what he needed to do next, he pushed the lettering on the door and watched as the whole thing lit up, as well as the environment around him. Text, and code coated the walls, and he took a few steps backwards in preparation for what was to come. He closed his eyes, and felt rage and determination coat every part of his body. 

“You better buckle the fuck up, professor piece-of-shit-ibashi… You’re going down .” 

 

Without another thought, he ran through the door, as everything faded to black. 

 

~*~ 

As soon as Kokichi left, Himiko and Shuichi were left in a vat of shock and indecision. His departure was so sudden, and neither of them were really sure what caused it. Not to mention that ominous warning he left them with... There was a lot to unpack. And, since neither of them had  much that they needed to investigate in this room, it was hard to decide what to do next. 

 

"I think we should go and check on him.... He seemed really scared." Himiko spoke up, once Kokichi was far enough away, “I dunno if he’s gonna make it all the way.” 

 

"I don't think he wanted to be followed." Shuichi retorted, "Not to mention, I'm pretty sure he's part cockroach... He can survive anything.” 

 

"But, cockroaches can still die and get hurt if there’s a big enough boot!" She argued, "And, if he's scared, something bad's gotta be happening! When's the last time that you've seen him act like that?”

 

Shuichi sighed. Himiko did have a point, as much as he hated to admit it. The only times when Kokichi acted like that were when shit was about to go down. So, he put his hands in his pockets, and dragged his feet towards the door. 

The two of them walked silently through the hallway, side by side. Though, it didn’t take them too long to break that silence seeing what awaited them beyond. Kiibo. Not Kokichi, just Kiibo. 

 Himiko waved at them, trying to get their attention, but they took a few moments to respond. They paused, halting their steps, blinked, waved back, then began walking again. Both Himiko and Shuichi found that strange, but neither of them said it out loud.

 

Himiko, however, picked up her pace a bit at that reaction. As soon as she was within earshot of Kiibo, she asked, "Where's Kokichi?"

 

Again, it took them a few moments to process. They paused, "Kokichi? I thought that he was with you two?"

 

 

"Well.... He was. But, then he decided to run off to check on you.” Shuichi responded. 

 

 

"That is strange. I did not see him." 

 

 

"Great. We lost him again." He muttered, putting his head in his hands, "Annnd, there goes our one chance at getting answers! At this point, I just… Monokuma can just kill me. I’m sick of these games. I’m done-”

 

"Don't be so grumpy!” Himiko chimed, grabbing Shuichi’s wrist and pulling him along, “There's not a lotta places he coulda gone… He’s probably still in there! I mean, look at all these blood drops! He's gotta be close!"

As she said those words, the robot's eyes flashed a deep cyan blue. They froze, before they shook their head. They snapped from their fugue, as their eyes met the trail of pink on the floor. They whispered quietly, "He… No. This cannot be just Kokichi…" 

 

"It wasn't there when we left, so… I think it has to be."  Shuichi replied, before he whispered under his breath in horror, "God… How bad was that poison..?"

"It, no!" Their voice crackled as they began to pick up their speed, "He promised me that he would be fine, so he will be fine! We are all going to get out together! He would not lie to me about something like that!" 

Neither Shuichi nor Himiko had the heart to correct them on that statement. Especially not considering how fast they began to run down the hallway. The two of them shared a glance, before they followed suit. 

"Kokichi..?"

They called out into the empty room, hearing nothing but the echo of their voice in response. Again, they took another step into the room, and called out. 

"Uh… Kokichi?"

It was then when they saw him. Well, his legs. He was laying under the desk, his arms splayed out. They walked over to him, and kneeled down to see what he was doing. 

"Kokichi, please if this is a prank, this is not funny. Please, get up. I am scared." 

 

They tapped his side, yet he gave no response. They had no idea what to do, their mind scrambled for answers. For a moment, all they wished for was for someone to tell them what the right thing to do was. 

He looked as if he were sleeping. His eyes were slightly closed, and a soft smile crested his cheeks. Yet there was one detail that they couldn't quite ignore, nor could they get out of their head.

"Kiibo, is that-" 

 

His lips were a cyan blue, wet with pink splotches and hues. That was not what humans were supposed to look like. 

A horrific chime filled the air, one that they had all grown to hate more than life itself. In that sickly sweet voice, the monitors chimed one final time. 

 

"A body has been discovered!" 

 

Notes:

Yeah... I'm evil. Sorry not sorry! ;p

Special shout out to sunset_luster for that "professor piece-of-shit-abashi" joke, thank you for letting me reuse your hilarious pun! <3

Here's some notes on my favorite parts of the story!!! Specifically, the pun names!

Raimu: Generally, the word means lime in Japanese, or a type of lime-flavored drink. (Very funny, Kokichi...) Though, it's an actual name that's gender neutral! Depending on the kanji and hiragana used, it can mean a lot of things; but I always imagined it'd be written like 頼夢 which translates to "a dream of trust". Which has always been the role that I wanted Rantaro to play in the story, a promise to Kokichi that he can trust again.

Budō, or Budou/ぶどう: The first can either be read as a westernized version of Budou (which is a purple grape) and is also a form of modern martial arts in Japan! That was the funniest pun to come up with. Kokichi thinks he's so tough, but he's actually just a lil guy.

And another for good measure. Ko, means child. So, in those previous chapters, dude was literally calling him kid as a nickname lmaooo.

Chapter 22: A perfect illusion

Summary:

The final trial is bound to start any moment, so the survivors decide to take this as their final opportunity to investigate. Kiibo remembers a strange request that Kokichi had made, and with Himiko's help, decides to carry it out. While Shuichi decides to stay back and investigate the Mastermind's Room one final time in the hopes of finding out what truly happened in those hazy moments before his death. But they aren't the only ones deciding to mark off some unfinished business... Tsumugi is still uncounted for.

Notes:

Hey there!

Chapters from here on out have been written ahead of time! Every Sunday until the 5th of February, a new chapter or addition to this series will be posted. (There's a special significance to that date, hats off to anyone who can guess it!) Next week I'm adding this series to a collection that will have additional stories within the AU, and the sequel.

As always, special thanks to my amazing beta reader!!! <33

In a moment, their worlds had been turned upside down. The room was deathly quiet, confusion permeating off of the walls. Despite the announcement, Kiibo remained by Kokichi's side, ignoring the message that had been given. They continued to shake his shoulder, desperately hoping that it was just another practical joke of his: waiting for his ever-so-infuriating tagline, "It's a lie."... 

 

But nothing came. Nothing but Monokuma's nauseating mocking voice. It seared through the silence like a hot knife through butter, cracking through the air. The monitor turned on above them and the mechanical bear stared them down like a vulture eyeing its prey, giggling maniacally. They didn't even have a second of reprieve before it began to speak, "...Wow! And here I thought you kids wanted this game to end... Three murders in less than 24 hours? You're real maniacs!" 

 

There wasn't a single person who had the energy to deal with Monokuma in that moment. Nobody looked up, scoffed, or even sighed. They all simply stared at the scene with hollow eyes. Like a child desperate for attention, he chimed back in, "Go ahead and head over to the trial room as soon as you can! Save yourselves the trouble and skip this investigation. It doesn't count, after all! I'll be waiting! Puhuhuhu!~" 

 

And just like that, it was empty once more. The room was filled with nothing but the nervous whimpers of Kiibo once Monokuma was gone. They poked and prodded at the fallen boy as if he were trying to wake him up from a nap. After they seemed to realize that he wasn't going to get up, they fearfully stared back at the others and said, "Monokuma has to be lying! He... He is still warm! There must be a way to fix him. CPR? T-That is what humans require in these situations, correct? Or is it electricity to the heart? I do not remember what it is called, but I read about it earlier and I think that I may be able to-" 

 

"Kiibo... He's..." Shuichi started but faltered seeing the look of desperation in their eyes. It was one that he knew far too well after the hell that all of them had gone through over their entire stay in this academy, "I don't think CPR would help at this point... I'm sorry." 

 

"We... We cannot give up!" They pleaded, "Please just tell me what I need to do to fix this! There has to be something!" 

 

 "...I... Dunno any magic that can bring someone back from the dead..." 

 

" Tell me what to do to fix this! " They repeated despite the truth in front of them, "I told him that I am not going to lose another friend, and I do not lie! He... Promised." 

 

They hung their head as they said that last part, their voice cracking with sadness. Empathy seeped through Shuichi's skin, knowing how he had felt witnessing his own friend's deaths. Despite the fact that he didn't really understand why this was so important to Kiibo, he knew that he had played a part in their pain. So, before he knew it, he had found himself offering to help.

 

"...My uncle taught me CPR. I can try and see if we can get him breathing, at least." He said, but they seemed hesitant to believe him. The look they gave him was one that he wouldn't forget. Suspicion. Pure unbridled suspicion.

 

"But... If you do not think that will work... Should we try something else?" They hesitantly asked, "Would... It not be better to start the heart, if that is what has stopped?" 

 

Shuichi was silent for a few moments, before he nodded. "I'm not a doctor, but... That seems right. It’s just... Kiibo, the poison he was given... It was potent. Even if you do manage to bring him back, he won’t last long in this condition. Humans can't just come back, like robots can… They’re fragile.” 

 

“… No! He is far too stubborn to die like this!” They didn’t listen. Instead, they made an attempt to save him. Kiibo closed their eyes and focused. They were about to attempt something they had only done a few times, during initial tests of their software- transferring power from their battery to another part of their body. Their hands. Carefully, they set their hands on his chest, and felt the electricity tingle through their wires, transferring to their palms. And they tried to save him.

 

Once, twice... 

 

His body jolted, but his eyes didn’t open. 

 

Again, they tried. Yet, it wasn't enough. Again. They were just about to try a fourth time when Himiko grabbed their wrist, and looked them deeply in their eyes and whispered, “Kiibo… He isn’t gonna get up.” 

As much as they wanted to fight, and try again and again until they succeeded… They knew they were acting irrational. They slowly powered it back down, feeling drained in more ways than one. 

 

After that, Kiibo wasn't sure what happened. The world turned to liquid, swirling and blurring around them in a flurry. Their systems clashed, fighting a war they were entirely unaware of. A battle between hope and despair, their primary initiative vs the culmination of their experiences. 

 

Their creator had always told them that that they lucky that they hadn’t been programmed to feel as deeply as humans. And as they felt these contradictory emotions tear through their wires, flooding their systems in a gray hue, they could do nothing more than wonder if he had been right.

 

Yet in that darkness, there was a light. Quite literally, as they were snapped from their thoughts from the slight glare of the artificial sunlight above. Somehow they had been led out of the room, too busy with their thoughts to even take note of their surroundings. What did that say about their programming if they were failing to even notice basic details such as that? Perhaps it’d be better if the Professor took a look at their code, like he threatened. Clearly there was something wrong with them. 

 

They winced slightly and looked around to take stock of their surroundings. Apparently Himiko had been talking to them, but they hadn't even heard her voice. Slowly but surely, they tuned back into the conversation, trying to do their best to not let their fear show.

 

"...still can’t believe he's dead... It musta been scary to see your dad like that again. How'd talking to him go? You’ve been acting weird ever since we ran into you." 

 

"I... Do not know." They admitted with a bit of a sigh, the reminder of that moment grounding them back into reality. Honestly, they didn’t want to think about what they had done. In the moment they had been proud of themself for finally fighting back, but they knew now just how erratic that behavior had been. If they hadn’t fought him, maybe Kokichi would have survived. The Professor was not worried about getting rid of people who got in his way, after all.



No. That did not matter right now. They needed to focus on escaping, for the sake of e̶v̶e̶r̶y̶o̶n̶e̶'̶s̶ ̶s̶a̶f̶e̶t̶y̶  hope .

Hope? 

 

Yeah… That seemed right, didn’t it? Without hope, they might as well give up. They didn’t have time to think about that thought before Himiko spoke up once more. 

 

“You don’t know?” She pressed a little bit, fearfully, before she suspiciously added, “Or do you not wanna talk about it cuz he told you not to?”

“No! That is not the case!” They said instinctively, biting back the pain from being suspected, “No matter where I came from, you are my friends. All I have ever wanted is to make sure that you all get out of here safely. It is just… I am scared.”


“Of what?” 

 

“ Him. ” They shuddered. Himiko gave them a worried glance as they continued. Although their memories of the conversation were a bit foggy, they could at least recall the most important part. So they shared that, “He threatened to kill me, and I called his bluff… I know now that he does not want me dead, but he made it clear that he was not happy with me. I can only imagine what will happen once we get out of here.”


“He threatened to…” She trailed off, eyes wide.


“Yes.” They nodded, growing a bit terrified at the thought of him using it. They needed to change the subject before they lost it again. Their eyes scanned the desolate courtyard until it dawned on them what was missing, “Where… is Shuichi?” 

“Oh, he stayed back to investigate!” Himiko explained, “He’ll be back soon though. He just wanted to see what killed Kokichi while we went to the trial room! You were really out of it, so he wanted us to rest for a bit.” 

“Wait. So we are splitting up again, even though Tsumugi is somewhere out there?” They asked worriedly, “Is he going to be safe?”

“He told me that he had a weapon.” She shrugged as the two reached the trial building, “I’m sure he’ll be fine! Tsumugi probably forgot about us.” 

They weren’t too sure. There was no way someone like her would give up that easily. There was only one way that they could think to stay in the loop.


Periodically, their inner voice had warned them about various events coming up. Places or people to avoid. It had always kept them out of danger. Perhaps there was a chance they could help them this time. Warn them if Shuichi was in danger. Although the inner voice was nothing more than the collective eyes of the audience… It could very well help them out.

"Hey, where you going?" She called out, and they suddenly stopped in their tracks. They hadn’t even noticed that they had begun to walk away.

 

"I have something else I must do." 

 

"I'll come with!”

 

 She took her place right beside them. They looked over at her, a bit surprised. 

 

"Are... Are you sure?" 

 

"We've gotta stick together from now on, no matter what happens!” She replied before she looked around with a frown, “Besides... This place gives me the heebie jeebies." 

 

"Heebie jeebies?" They tilted their head to the side slightly as the two of them began to walk towards the , "What is that?" 

 

"You know, when something scares you... It gives you the heebie jeebies!" 

 

"But... What is a heebie jeebie? Who gives them to you?" 

 

"It's just.."


As the two of them began to walk to Miu’s Ultimate Lab, she continued to try and explain what the expression meant, which very quickly spiraled into a ramble on magical curses, and various things along those lines. 

 

~*~

 

He felt a strange sense of empathy towards the other boy that laid sprawled out on the floor. Just within the past day he had suffered more injuries than anyone should, and despite his residual anger towards him... He knew what awaited him at the trial. It was wrong to try and save someone, just to let them die in a more horrific way later on. At the very least, he looked at peace now. He'd just tell Kiibo that there was nothing else that could be done. The dead couldn't come back to life. 

Or so he thought. 

He knelt down beside the body, trying to investigate what led to his death before he asked Kiibo about it. From what he could notice outright, there was a cord in his hand that led to the computer. Although it made him feel a bit queasy, he took the cord out of Kokichi's now cold hands, and plugged the cable back into the outlet.

 

He crawled back to see what was on the screen, only to find.... Nothing. 

 

It was just a normal blank computer monitor. 

 

He was just about to give up on that lead when he realized... The computer was unlocked. He was free to investigate it. It was almost as if he were handed the holy grail of evidence on a silver platter, and without another thought, he sat at the chair and began to click through files. 

 

Although he hadn't been too adept at technology growing up, partially on account of the lack of it around him growing up, that wasn't too much of a problem when it came to investigating. Most files were encrypted and locked behind a password, but he was able to find a few that weren't.

 

The first, a very long legal document. It seemed to be a contract of some sorts, but as he skimmed through it, it was a little difficult to tell what it was meant to be for. There was only one section that actually stood out to him, and that was one discussing the responsibilities of the signer. 

—>Upon agreeing to this contract, I take full responsibility for whatever may occur in the next season or seasons of Danganronpa; as well as whatever harm will come my way whether it be mentally, physically or emotionally. I will not disclose any information on aspects behind the scenes, or anything that may put the Future Foundation into a negative light. If I fail to carry out my duties on part of the Future Foundation, I understand that I may be punished to the fullest extent of the law, and that my previously discussed collateral will be taken. 

 

He couldn’t help but worry whether or not he had signed something like that before he joined the game. And just what did it mean by collateral? Money? Objects? People? What would he have chosen? …He forced his eyes to scan another document to avoid the thoughts that bubbled through his mind.


This next document had been personal note, addressed from none other than Iidabashi himself. 

 

-> Congratulations on passing the Mastermind Exam. I can guarantee that your future will be just as bright as you seem to be, as long as you keep your teachings in mind. On that note, I wanted to add a few reminders that they may or may not have covered on our specific cast.

Many of the members are talented individuals, as you know, who had been carefully selected through the Hunt Decree. Although, they are also very temperamental compared to previous seasons. You need to make sure that the show and the participants do not paint the Future Foundation in a negative light.

Shuichi Saihara would be a good addition to our 6th Division, so it’s important to make sure that he is given room to solve cases on his own to ensure his skills are up to par. Kokichi Ouma must be portrayed as the antagonist, and cannot be allowed to work with any of the participants. Rantaro Amami and Kaede Akamatsu cannot continue past the first trial. And…. 

And it kept going on and on… Discussing everything that was needed for the season to work out ‘perfectly.’ Iidabashi really seemed like a maniac. He decided to move onto the next document, and then…


DING!

One came from Kokichi’s pocket, and the other, the computer itself.  A messenger system popped up on the screen before he could react. He could tell by the logo on the top that it wasn't a popular one. There were simply two letters in the logo, FF. He scrambled his brain to find something that fit that. And just like that, all the pieces finally fell into place. 

 

Future Foundation. 

 

The whole game was run by the Future Foundation, just like Kokichi said. He felt dread make its home in his mind as he began to mull over what exactly that implied about the world at large. Fortunately, he didn't have too. Another message popped up onto the screens.

 

ADO: There's something wrong with our systems. Think you can help me out with this one? 

 

He barely had a chance to read the message before the next appeared. 

 

ADO: I'll take your lack of a reply as a yes.

 

ADO: Live feed has finally been restored thanks to the backup connection through K1-B0's systems… but of course that means that there's another, even worse problem for us to deal with now. It feels almost like we're about to face a final boss. Or, our final boss, haha.

 

Here it was: The perfect chance to gather more information. His uncle always used to talk about how on certain cases, he’d have to pretend to be someone else to get the truth out of someone… He had never thought it was possible, until now. It was at that moment that he knew what he needed to do. 

 

SHIROGANE: What are you talking about? What problem? 

ADO: There's some kind of virus in the simulation's systems. I don't think it's necessarily dangerous, but the boss is really going to be upset about it if it gets out of hand. Best case scenario in that regard, we're fired. Literally. Through a cannon. ...Especially since it's DICE again.

 

SHIROGANE: What makes you think that DICE is behind it?

 

ADO:  I don't know, maybe it's because nobody else has been stupid enough to do shit like that since Makoto? Not to mention, DICE are the only people who have the resources to orchestrate something like that. Nobody else knows how the KASO systems work. 

 

SHIROGANE: But Kokichi is dead... How could it be him? 

 

ADO: Not according to the systems, he's not. And I checked in with the recovery wing, and they told me that he's still in there with all of you. Just find that runt and squash him like the annoying gnat he is, so we can end this season already. We've worked too hard to let him screw us out of a raise. 

 

Shuichi stepped away from the computer at that final message, trying to wrap his mind around it all. It felt like he was drowning in information without a lifeboat of truth to keep him afloat. Everything he had thought to be true continuously had been shown to be lies.

 

All this time he had assumed that Kokichi was the villain of this story, but as it turned out... It was so much more complicated than that. 

 

What did KASO have to do with this, and why did that name keep popping up?  Not to mention, if there were systems keeping track of who was alive or dead, that had to imply that there was something greater in place. Just what was that?

 

"My parents were in charge of..." 

 

KASO.

 

That was a company based around virtual reality, and if it was connected to all of this, that had to mean…. None of this was real.  He felt a spark of hope shoot through his veins for the first time in ages. 

 

Recovery wing . There was a chance that everyone managed to get out okay, and they were simply recovering right now. He wanted to jump out of excitement, cry of relief, scream with all of the joy left inside of him... But he kept his celebration to a minimum. Nothing would hurt more than finding out that this hope was for nothing.

 

The computer chimed once more. Another message.

 

ADO: Wait. How are you messaging me through this if you're walking towards the Mastermind's Room? You're not using your Monopad right now. 

 

Walking towards the Mastermind’s room? What was that supposed to mean?

 

ADO: Ah. Just checked the cameras. I'm talking to Shuichi Saihara now, aren't I? 

 

The cameras… He glanced up and saw it blinking right at him.

 

ADO: I'm actually impressed. No offense, but I didn't think you'd actually get out of that slump. You were really going through it.

 

His body turned to ice. 

 

ADO: You weren't supposed to see any of this. As per the regulations, sadly, ya dead. I'll send an Exisal so it's quick and relatively painless. Just stay in this room for me, and I’ll send ‘Mugi the order to take over your role in the trial.

 

He had no time to think. He needed to get out of there before Tsumugi came back. He had no way of knowing what kind of dirty tricks she had up her sleeves. But first, he needed to fix the scene she didn’t get suspicious. They needed to stay one step ahead of her, or they’d fail.

 

The person he was messaging confirmed that Kokichi had Tsumugi’s Monopad. Not that he had necessarily doubted him, but it gave him more confidence in the idea that Kokichi hadn’t been lying. 

 

He knelt down and took the Monopad from his pocket. The screen confirmed what Kokichi had shown him. It was hers. To cover it up, he switched the Monopad with his own, just so it seemed less suspicious. And finally, he reached over and pulled the monitor’s cable out from the outlet.

Standing up, he walked back over to the backpack, and was just about to pick it up when he heard the sound of shifting outside. 

 

Someone was there. 

 

~*~

 

Kiibo walked out of Miu's Ultimate room with their antennae back in their hands, along with a roll of duct tape. Although they were nervous, they couldn't help but feel like it was the right thing to do. It was the only thing that they were absolutely sure of anymore. Though, they found it hard to explain why it was so important to her without arousing suspicion. 

 

She tilted her head at them as they exited the building and asked, "Didja have second thoughts on your haircut?" 

 

"You can say that I guess." They nodded, "I think it is best to keep it as it was." 

 

They expected her to question their decision or ask why it was necessary to carry out this task, yet she didn't. Instead, she said, "You looked better with it. I can help you put it back on." 

 

"Thanks...?" They replied with confusion clear in their tone, "And, uh, yes please. I do not think I could line it up correctly on my own." 

 

She took the two objects in their hands and directed them to sit down. Although it was a bit of a struggle for her to put it back on correctly, after a few tries, she managed to haphazardly tape it back on. In an instant, they were able to tell that it was working again. Their mind flashed with images of the school, of various empty hallways and rooms, all at once. They had to close their eyes thanks to the sudden overload. 

 

That was new. 

 

"Are you okay?" Himiko asked worriedly, putting a hand on their shoulder. 

 

They finally said, "Y...Yeah. I am sorry, I am fine." 

 

Himiko could tell that there was something else going on, but they didn't try to explain. They simply tried to move on to the next task, a little bit concerned about how much power they had left to keep going. 

 

They remembered the ominous requests that Kokichi had made just hours before, just in case. They hadn't thought that he'd be gone so soon, or that they'd have to carry out any of those requests without him. So, it went without saying that they had asked Himiko to accompany them to look around his room, and try and find what he had been referring to. 

 

As soon as the two of them reached the door, Himiko blurted out exactly what they had thought as well. 

 

"Nyeh? Is that... Rantaro?" 

"Yes. For some reason he seemed very fond of him." Kiibo explained the best they could, "I... Never got the chance to ask him if the two were friends during the game, but he kept the effigy that Angie had made regardless."

 

As they stared at the effigy, they let their mind wander for a few moments, which served to be a mistake. Just like before, there was a flash that enveloped their vision. Where Rantaro had just been hanging, they could see him clear as day, talking. 

 

"Honestly... When I joined, I was mostly trying to keep my siblings out of trouble. Of course, when you have ten of them, that's more than enough to get you into some weird situations. Ahahaha... I think that's why they gave me the title of the Ultimate Adventurer, not the Ultimate Babysitter."

 

It was so vivid that they hadn't realized that they had been spacing out until Himiko grabbed their hand. They flinched in an instant, watching the image melt away into Kokichi's room again. Himiko spoke up once more, her voice slightly hesitant as she said, "Are you sure you're okay? You're acting funny." 

 

"I have not told any jokes, though?" They replied rather confused, still a bit out of it from the vision, "I did not think that I was that hilarious." 

 

"Nevermind, you're fine. It's just robot funny." She mused absentmindedly, which made them roll their eyes a bit at her comment. Although it didn't take very long for either of them to forget all about that when Himiko finally chimed with, "Oh, look! There's something on its hand!" 

She crawled up onto the bed and plucked off the note without too much of a fuss. Unexpectedly, or perhaps all too expectedly, it was addressed to Kiibo and despite her burning curiosity, Himiko still handed it to them without peeking at the note. She knew she'd get a chance to see it later, anyways. 

 

Kiibo took the note with wide eyes, staring down the note like a deer in the headlights. It was entirely unexpected but appreciated. As Himiko took to putting her newly acquired investigation skills to the test, Kiibo read the note quietly.

 

Kiiboy,

I left this here just in case I tragically died, or something like that. Cheesy, I know. But I thought I owed you a goodbye. Not sure why, but there's just something about you that feels familiar to me. Maybe this is the blood loss talking, but I'm really glad that I got to know you. I wish we could've gotten along before everything went to shit... Maybe we could've been friends. You know, even if you are a pathetic excuse of a robot.

But before we get to that, I want to make sure that you don't ruin everything and know what needs to happen next. I'm guessing there's going to be a trial, and I know that if I'm dead, someone is going to get executed who shouldn't be. I've been thinking about it. There's no way Monokuma would let it slide without one. That's crappy entertainment. But I can't let that happen. So, I have one request. If I die before the trial, I want two of you to vote for Tsumugi as the culprit. I think we can use the new rule to our advantage and finally make sure that wicked bitch dies. No more mastermind, no more games, no nothing. You'll all be safe, thanks to my untimely demise! The more I write this, the more it seems like this might be the best-case scenario…

Finally, if you can... Can you check on DICE for me? You don't have to do much, just... Tell them what happened to me. Let them know that I'm sorry for not making it out, and that I know they'll do great without their brilliant leader. Tell them that I loved them and that they'll always be my true family... All that mushy stuff. Or whatever. I don't care. Just ignore this. You don't have to. You've already done enough at this point. It's better to keep up my uncaring facade! They'll recover better from my death if they hate me, after all. 

 

Anyways, I hate you, and I hope you're all stuck here forever! You're the worst person I've ever met, and the lamest robot ever! Ever!

 

(Just kidding, that's a lie.)

 

-Kokichi Ouma :)

 

P.S. Check the table next to Rantaro. I left you a little present.

A.. Present?

 

They slowly but surely walked to the table, and lo and behold, there it was. To their surprise though, it wasn't a prank, or something that'd work as a final laugh from that jokester. It was a simple deck of cards. The cover seemed to be torn and bent in various places, but they were still able to read the cover. 

 

It was two decks of Yu-Gi-Oh cards, along with a short description left by Kokichi on how to play the game. All with goofy little low quality doodles, that they couldn’t help but smile at. 

 

Himiko stuffed something into her hat before she asked, "Nyeh? Why are you taking his deck?"

 

"He said that he wanted me to have it." They explained, holding onto the deck tightly as if to protect it from even the slightest breeze, "He... told me that he was going to teach me how to play if we ever got out, but... I did not think that he was being serious."

 

Their mind was filled with images of a boy with messy black hair and a big wild smile. A stupid messy kid who always had dirt on his face, and always found a new way to get into trouble. The silly boy with only one game on his DS which he played whenever he was stressed, despite hating how difficult it got. Their friend. 

They held the cards tighter to their chest, trying to fight the emotions that sprung up. It was times like these that they wished they could cry. The pain of being a robot wasn't that they were unable to feel, it was that they were unable to process them. The human mind was built for emotion, tears served to comfort the saddened, fear alerted every cell of danger, anger readied the body for attack. But there were no shortcuts for a robot. They simply had to deal with it as it came, even if it was unnecessary for their survival. 

 

“Nyeh... I can teach you!"

 

"You... Know how to play?" They asked surprised, "Was it that popular?" 

 

"No... I just grew up playing a lot of card games." She said, "Maybe we should go!  I dunno if there's anything else we'll find in here that's important, and Shuichi's probably wondering where we are." 

 

The two of them left the room, Kiibo holding the pack of cards in their hand. They made one final stop to their room, to grab their charger just in case something were to happen: and, to grab something for Shuichi. Although they were still upset at him, they were sure it'd be enough to convince him to trust in Kokichi, even if he was still a bit unsure. 

 

While the two of them waited for Shuichi to arrive, they took a long-needed break. Sitting on the stairs just above the trial room, the two of them played a game. Not one of life or death, but a simple competition. They relaxed as the two of them fell into a rhythm of wins and losses. For the first time in a while, they could confidently say that they were having fun playing a game. Although they weren't too good at it, they were having fun, and that was all that mattered. 

 

It didn't matter that their inner voice kept urging them to check out the Mastermind's room once more, they were unable to change what happened there. All they had now was the hope for a better future, and they knew that as long as they remained hopeful... 

 

Nothing bad could happen. 

~*~

Out stepped a zombie, a ghost by all means, Kokichi Ouma in the flesh. He stood right in the makeshift doorway, clutching a white tote bag in one hand, and an ID card in the other. He whistled a familiar tune, entirely unaware of the person already in the room. That was until he scanned the area and made eye contact with Shuichi. In an instant he froze cartoonishly, like a thief who had just been caught robbing a bank, eyes wide.

"K-Kokichi?"

 

Shuichi stammered, feeling his heart drop into his stomach. He wasn't one to believe in ghosts... But one Kokichi was dead by his feet, and the other… was standing right in front of him, as healthy as could be. 

 

Well. Maybe healthy wasn’t quite the word to describe him. He stared down at the body at his feet with an inhumanly  searing glare, as he ignored Shuichi entirely. It was an expression he couldn’t recall ever seeing on someone’s face. All he did was march over to Kokichi, kick him hard in the side,  once, twice, and turn his head towards Shuichi. 

 

"He's dead, isn't he? That's why the body discovery went off?"

 

"I.... Wh…?” His mouth felt dry. He blinked, and slowly nodded, “Y-Yeah... He's dead. But… How are you- I mean, are you? Who are you? ” 

He was incapable of stringing the right words together, his mind was as incoherent as a wad of silly string. The moment that he thought he finally understood what was happening, it turned out he was wrong. All he could do was analyze the figure in front of him as the message from the computer echoed loudly in his mind. 

 

He’s still in there with all of you. 

 

It almost felt like a cosmic joke. Here he was, the Ultimate Detective, entirely dumbfounded by the mystery that surrounded him. The enigmatic Kokichi Ouma was truly going to drive him insane. The figure in front of him refused to answer his questions, visibly deeming them a waste of time and energy.

 

“Great. There goes that contract.” He muttered under his breath, “How hard is it to follow one direction? Just lay low, and don’t die! …How am I even going to fix this now…”

He wasn’t going to let this get the best of him. It was clear from the conversation he had with whoever the hell “Ado” was, Tsumugi was the Mastermind through and through. And, she had been seen walking towards this room. Unless there were two Kokichi’s this entire time, that could only mean… 

 

His eyes met with the shot put ball on the desk, with the light pink fiber attached. The same color as Kaede’s sweater vest. He had thought it had been odd in retrospect to find something like that inside this room, but now it seemed to be more important than he would’ve ever expected. 

 

What if…

 

His eyes darted around as the figure was distracted. If there had been a way to get from the first floor to the basement, he’d finally be able to absolve himself of all suspicion towards Kokichi. She had been the only person with a shaky alibi, other than Kaede, and knowing how she was the Ultimate Cosplayer… There was a chance that she could easily pretend to be one of them, if she didn’t see them as real people. 

 

He couldn’t spot anything first hand, but he did know where to find information like that. The backpack, inside were the maps that Kokichi had drawn. And if he remembered correctly, Tsumugi had been hesitant to let either of them investigate the maps themselves.

He reached into the bag and pulled out the papers quickly, scanning them for details. That had been his biggest mistake, though. Letting down his guard for a moment, and mistaking Tsumugi’s silence for dormancy. He heard a loud crack and a crash, and he whipped his head over an in instant. The camera was now on the ground, sparking and hissing.

 

The figure hunched over, picking up the shot put ball that had rolled onto the ground. The two of them exchanged a glance, and from there he was finally able to see through them. What stared back at him weren’t Kokichi’s eyes, no. Two ice cold glaciers stared back at him.

 

Now he finally saw the truth. They were Tsumugi’s eyes.

~*~

 

K1-B0 Votes are back! Text KIIBO to (81) 03-800-9830 to determine who you want to see in the next season of Danganronpa: Danganronpa 54- Anniversary of Despair! 

 

The sickly cheery voice of Monokuma ripped through the air of the small communal recreation room. The TV shined through the dimly lit room like a star in the dark night sky. The room smelled of popcorn and bleach, that strange, nauseating concoction permeated the air and nostrils of anyone inside. A camera sat above the TV, blinking ever so often at them, as a guard remained stationary at the door off to their side with a watchful eye. By all means it seemed like an unpleasant experience, to them, it had become a comforting routine. 

 

"Ya gotta be kiddin' me!" A girl scoffed loudly, bits of popcorn flying around as she threw her hands up in the air in protest. "Why the fuck are there ad breaks on somethin' that's live?!" 

 

"Looks like they showed something they weren't supposed to. Plus with a broken camera, I doubt they could show anything regardless." A green haired boy shrugged, "I have a feeling that Shuichi’s probably gonna end up joining us soon.” 

 

"I wasn't askin' about that, dipshit. It was a rhetorical question!" She frowned, “Anyone with half a brain could notice that. It’s in shit taste though. How the fuck do people actually watch this shit?! Fuckin’ commercials every ten seconds, even when nothin’s goin’ on!” 

 

“You’re asking the wrong guy.” he chuckled, “I’ve never cared for this series to begin with.” 

 

“Humans are willing to suffer through any pain imaginable if they believe they’re receiving something beneficial from it, including advertisements.” Another answered cryptically. And then after a few moments added with a displeased sigh, “That is the reason we all agreed to join that hellish game after all. The net pain was less than the net reward.”

This had been their routine ever since Kaede and Rantaro banded together after the first trial. At first what had been a simple way to knock out a few of their contractual “watch time” hours, (in case they were asked questions about the state of their friends in the game during interviews), had become a nightly escape for each of the earlier participants. In that small room, all grudges were left at the door- even if they were bound to be picked right back up once they left. It was an olive branch of sorts, a reminder that all of what they saw had been fake. 

 

"I wonder what he found… Tsumugi seemed really concerned after she looked at the computer. " Kaede mumbled, "...I hope Shuichi will be okay." 

 

"Hey, don't give up on him just yet! He trained with the best of the best! If anyone could beat that scrawny pipsqueak, it'd be my sidekick!" Kaito grinned proudly, “He’s not going down without a fight!”

“Besides, it’s better if he’s taken out now. With Kokichi dead, we likely would have had to watch him get executed.” Maki added with intensity in her gaze, “And I don’t think any of us want that to happen.”

 

Although that was what it seemed to be on the surface, it couldn't be farther from the truth. There was one reason alone that kept everyone in that room from one another's throats after going through that nightmare of a game: their desperation to see it end once and for all. With the constant surveillance, the only time that they were ever able to truly speak their minds was when the TV loudly droned on, smothering their words with corporate hues. For a sense of freedom like that, they were all more than willing to withstand whatever came their way. 

 

"It's not that that I'm worried about... As much, at least." Kaede admitted before she turned to Rantaro, "What if he found out something that he shouldn't have? He could be in real danger, couldn’t he?”

 

"I doubt they'd do anything.” He shook his head reassuringly, “As long as he’s out of the game, and can’t leak the information he found, he’ll be fine. Besides, Shuichi’s smarter than that. He wouldn’t do something that risky until he knew what he was up against.” 

 

Suddenly, the room got real quiet. Everyone stared at the TV  like it was a fiery car crash; something so depressingly intriguing that couldn’t look away. Suddenly, Miu barked out a laugh as she replied, “Yeah, but that lying little shit would.”

 

 Finally tuning back into the transmission, his eyes met the screen which had now been engulfed by a new video.. Monokuma's face had been replaced with the logo for DICE, and in place of the idle theme music was an eerie silence. In an instant, he felt his heart leap from his chest into his throat. 

 

Of course, he'd have something else up his sleeve... He could only hope that whatever he was plotting wouldn't bite either of them in the ass. A chill ran down his spine as he read the words left on the screen. 

 

Hey, Iidabashi! Let's play a game! :)

Notes:

Literally wrote that first scene like, ten times.

Chapter 23: Like Chekov's gun, a shot goes off and the show goes on

Summary:

Shuichi finally meets back up with Himiko and Kiibo, but something is... Off. An avalanche of complications begins to arise once Monokuma bans Kiibo from participating in the trial, under the guise of, "dead men tell no tales". Meanwhile, Iidabashi attempts to thwart Kokichi's recent attack on the Future Foundation, not knowing that there's far more pieces at play than he could've ever imagined.

Notes:

Again, thank you Starring_Tia_Celeste for being my beta reader!!! I will always be grateful for your support and help! Also thank all of you for reading this story and sticking around!!! I genuinely can't put into words how much it means to me that y'all are here reading this goofy little story, even years after posting it.

The security guard outside seemed rather irritated as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a walkie-talkie. Apparently, they had received a threat live on air from none other than the head of DICE. That had explained why the kids inside had suddenly grown so quiet. With a sigh, he finally replied, "Yeah, I'll grab 'em." 

 

The door to the communal room opened, and the guard stood in front of it. Gruffly, he gestured and said, "Amami, Iruma, if you two could follow me. The boss wants to talk to you both." 

 

The others in the room looked around nervously at the two. There was no way of telling what this supposed "talk" would entail, but after seeing what had been presented on the broadcast, it was clear that had something to do with it. Rantaro seemed to figure that out quickly, so before anyone could protest or cause problems for themselves, he hopped to his feet and took a step to the door, "Alright, no problem. We'll be back soon. Catch us up, okay?" 

 

"But... Are you sure?" Kaede asked quietly, "This seems like a trap..." 

 

"It's safer to play along than it is to refuse. I'm sure it'll just be a few questions, and we'll be let off the hook." He shrugged, "C'mon, Miu. Let's go and talk to them." 

 

"Uh, fuck no! I'm not going anywhere!" Miu said through a mouth stuffed with popcorn, "I haven't done shit! Plus, the streams back on. I wanna watch these idiots figure everything out. It's been infuriating watchin' em run around like chickens without heads." 

 

"The sooner we get it over with, the sooner we'll be back to watch it." 

 

"We didn't do anything, though." She argued again, "Besides, they know more shit about us than we do anyways. It's pointless to ask us shit we don't know." 

 

Rantaro took a deep breath, before he turned away from her. There was a darkly serious expression on his face as he quietly whispered, "That's why it's important that we tell them that. But, if you want them to think you're purposely withholding information, and that you're helping DICE destroy the Future Foundation, be my guest. Just know that whatever they'll do to you will be a million times worse than cold popcorn and missing a few minutes of the livestream."

 

"O-Okay! Fine! Jeez."  Miu yelped at his sudden intensity. Obviously, that was more than enough of an incentive to get her to stand up, shove the popcorn at Kaede, and walk towards the door, "This better not take forever. I bet my desserts for the next week that Shuichi kicked the bucket, and I’m not gonna let anyone steal my fuckin’ pudding without seeing it with my own eyes!” 

 

"Ahaha... I’m sure we’ll be back in time.” He reassured, “See ya later, alligators.” 

 

Rantaro gave a little wave and smile to the group, before he took the lead. Echoed goodbyes bounced through the room. He casually gave a nod to the security guard, and stuffed his hands in his pockets as he walked out the door.  Miu, on the other hand, couldn’t help but feel more fearful and hesitant. Surprisingly though, she was met with encouragement and support. A side effect of the game that she still wasn’t used to. It was strange to belong to something for once. 

 

“I am putting all my prayers into my Atua for you two! Good luck! Nyahaha!” Angie smiled. 

“Go teach that degenerate man a lesson!” Tenko cheered before she very quickly added, “Or actually… Maybe not. I forget he’s kind of in charge of this place.”

“Yeah, yeah, go kiss someone else’s ass!” Mui grumbled, despite appreciating the sentiment. Before anyone else could try and support her, she very quickly ran out of the room with cheeks flushed from embarrassment. Something that Rantaro very quickly caught onto. 

 

As the two of them began to be led to the office, he asked with a bit of a playful smirk, “You good?” 

“Shuddup!” 

 

Rantaro simply chuckled, and focused on the signs that passed them as they walked further and further away from the recovery wing. 

 

~*~

 

Entirely unaware of what was happening all around them, Himiko and Kiibo carried on with their game. Surprisingly, Kiibo was a natural at the game. Within minutes of Himiko explaining the rules to them, they had already come up with numerous strategies to win. The two of them were locked in a lighthearted scrimmage from then on out, both too invested to notice that it had been a long while since they had parted ways with Shuichi.

 

Kiibo slammed down their final card. Himiko threw hers in the air in disappointment as they cheered, "Aha! I have beaten you!" 

 

"You only won because I ran out of mana..." She grumbled, "Next time you won't be so lucky, nyeh." 

 

"We will see about that!" They happily boasted as they collected the cards back into the box. After a few moments they added with a soft smile, "I think that I needed that. I was not aware that games could be that fun." 

 

"Yeah... They're not all sad like this one. But the best ones are the ones that use magic!" She replied with a smile, "When we're out of here I'll show you even better ones!" 

 

They nodded happily to her suggestion, but as they put the final card in the box it dawned on them how much time had passed. The artificial sun was already nearing its descent towards the west. With a frown they said, "Hmm.... We have not seen Shuichi in a while. Do you think we should check on him?" 

 

"Oh, yeah... Wait. Is that him?"

 

She tilted her head off to the side and pointed towards the school, accidentally smacking Kiibo's face with the top of her hat. They yelped a bit out of surprise, but soon enough managed to focus on the figure rushing towards them. Sure enough as it got close it was obvious that it was Shuichi. The only thing was, he seemed to be missing his hat again for some reason or another,  and he was now carrying a strange white bag. 

 

Himiko in an instant hopped to her feet, worry taking over in an instant. She called out to him, but he didn’t stop running until he reached the steps the two were at. As soon as he took a rest, she asked, “What’s going on?” 

 

"I-I don't know, I just-" He stopped, struggling to catch his breath, "Tsumugi just tried to kill me." 

 

"She.... What?!" 

 

"She broke into the Mastermind's room with an ID, and then attacked me while I was looking through some papers. I just barely got away." He muttered, "If I hadn't found those handcuffs... I'm really not sure what would've happened." 

 

"Handcuffs? What handcuffs?" 

 

"I-I don't know! They were in the backpack!" He replied quickly, "Kokichi must've grabbed them at some point. They were just normal handcuffs." 

 

Kiibo frowned, but they let the subject drop. It didn't matter where they were from, it wouldn't fix the situation at hand. So instead, they asked, "Where is Tsumugi, then? And Kokichi... Did you manage to help him?" 

 

He looked away.  "I couldn't. Believe me, if I could do something, I would've. The body discoveries don't lie." A bit of resentment dripped from his tone as he uttered the last sentence, "And Tsumugi... she's still alive, but I don't think she'll be able to do anything to harm us or stop us from going through to the trial. I managed to lock her up near the Masterminds room." 

 

"Are we sure that we can leave her there?" Kiibo asked cautiously, "What if she tries to do something to stop us from leaving?" 

 

"Think of it this way, we already know the culprit of this case, and we know who the Mastermind is. All we have to do is walk the audience through it, and we should be able to vote, right?" He explained rather calmly as he walked up to the doors, "The hardest part is over now. All we have to do is finish this." 

 

Himiko and Kiibo shared a glance, and wordlessly agreed to let it go. As Kiibo stood to their feet, their inner voice- the audience, urged them to look back to their side. A bit confused, they complied, and instantly remembered what they had planned. They carefully reached down off to their side and picked up a neatly folded dusty magenta jacket. Kaito's. They called out to him hesitantly, as they said, "Uhm... Wait. I, uh, I wanted to give you something." 

 

"Huh?" Shuichi turned around a bit confused. 

 

"For some reason, Kokichi had given it to me. He had said that Kaito told him to do that in case he, uh... passed... but I was sure that it had been a lie, knowing that you were much closer to him than I was. I have been trying to figure out what that gesture meant for some time, but I think I understand now." They held out the jacket towards him but seemed to blank for a moment, as if they lost their train of thought. Visibly, their collar blinked a few times, before it reset. For a few seconds, it blinked the word, ‘Hope’. They soon enough found the words that they were looking for, and continued, "I think that it is easier to not, uhm... give into despair when you remember how hard everyone else had fought to get us here. I do not know what the world is like outside, but I think as long as we can look to the future that we want to see, everything will be okay. No matter what we find out, I know that we must keep going, and keep fighting for the friends that we lost along the way." 

 

Much to their surprise, Shuichi didn't seem to appreciate their speech all too much. His lips curled downwards a bit as he grimaced at the jacket with abject annoyance. He stared back at Kiibo, his expression switching to a much more unreadable one as he dropped it on the ground, right in front of them. 

 

Callously, he turned around and muttered, “That wasn’t what he was trying to do, and we both know it. I don’t want his little serial killer trophy from yet another one of my friends he killed.” 

 

"I am sorry! I just thought that... I... Uh." They scrambled nervously, desperately looking to Himiko for help. She looked just as shocked as they did, and a bit angry at Shuichi. Before either of them could say anything, he walked into the trial building, and waited by the elevator.


Kiibo stared down at the jacket guiltily, wondering just how they had gotten it so wrong. They had thought it was a normal thing to find comfort in a possession from a loved one. Of course, they were still new to understanding what grief really was… But, they had felt better after seeing the note, and the deck of cards that Kokichi had left them. They were so sure that would help him too. But, of course… They were wrong.


“That was so mean!” Himiko’s voice broke through their brooding, “He’s so grumpy… If it’s any constellation, I think that it was a nice thing to do.”

“Do you mean consolation?”

Himiko blinked, “That’s what I said. Constellation.”

“No that was…” They paused, deciding it wasn’t worth it. Instead they smiled, “Thank you, Himiko.”

“Mhm! Now, let’s go!” She said, before picking up Kaito’s jacket herself, “We’re so close to ending it!” 

 

With Himiko’s help, the two of them made their way into the building and into the elevator with Shuichi. Himiko had taken to giving Shuichi the silent treatment, holding Kaito’s jacket in her arms out of spite like it was a stuffed animal. He refused to look either of them in the eyes as they descended down and reached the trial room.


The three of them took their places around the trail room, Himiko taking a quick pit stop to place Kaito’s jacket on his trial stand as a momento. There were only three spots lacking X’s now, Shuichi, Himiko and… Tsumugi.

Kiibo tiredly stood behind their spot, despite the very large photograph of themself in the way,  waiting for Monokuma to go ahead and tell them all the rules. But they had shot to attention the moment that Himiko asked Shuichi… 

 

"Wait.. Why are you in Tsumugi's spot?"

 

~*~

 

It almost felt like it took ages just to get to the right place. The building was much larger than either of them would have expected. Looking out the windows, all you could see was the skyline of the city and the glow of the buildings miles away. It was a beautifully dreary reminder of just how isolated they were here. 

 

Soon enough though, they made it to the office that they could only assume was his. Two guards stood in front of the door like perfect statues, who were both visibly praying for their shifts to end. On the door was one simple nameplate. Iidabashi. It was almost like a title. It was a bit strange, but neither of them had heard that man go by any other name. 

 

Their so-called guide knocked on the door, patiently waited a few moments, before he opened it up. Much to their surprise, the office didn't seem like it belonged to someone as revered as him. Instead, it looked almost comfortable. The room was warm and smelled of fresh jasmine. The curtains were a beautiful velvety red, and the desk a polished mahogany, adorned with perfectly organized supplies, a few plants, and a photo showing what seemed to be a happy family. This didn't seem like the office of a man who orchestrated killing game after killing game. 

 

"Ah, good evening. I'm happy that you two could make it. Come in and make yourselves comfortable." Iidabashi smiled at the two of them. He held a teapot in his hands and carried it gracefully back to his desk. As he set it down, he glanced over to the guards and the guide who had remained stationary by the door, "Sato, Mamoru, Goya, go ahead and take your break." 

 

"But.... Sir." 

 

One of them tried to argue, but he shot an ice-cold glare towards them in an instant. It was only for a second, but the threat was palpable. 

 

"I insist." He commanded with a subtle sternness, which was more than enough to get through to them. They simply nodded and left the room as he wished. Once he was satisfied with the amount of privacy given, he finally paid attention to his two 'guests'. 

 

The two of them had hesitantly made their way over to the middle of the office, unsure of where they were supposed to go or do. Although the two of them were relatively good at hiding their fear, it was clear with how Miu's eyes avoided Iidabashi, and how Rantaro's glanced around each and every corner cautiously analyzing the environment that the two were terrified. Despite his friendly demeanor, they couldn't help but feel as if they walked into the cave of a monstrous beast. 

 

"There's no need to look so stressed. You're guests, not prisoners." He gave a little laugh that sounded a bit smug, "Would either of you like some tea? I just brewed some. I always find conversations regarding business a bit more pleasant when it's... How do you kids say it? Lowkey?" 

 

Miu cringed but had enough sense to bite back a sarcastic remark. Instead of making fun of him, which admittedly would be too easy , she instead curiously asked, "What kind do ya got?" 

 

In an instant, Rantaro looked over at her with wide fearful eyes. In a very quiet voice, he whispered. 

 

"You did not just-" 

 

"What? He's probably got the fancy shit."  

 

"I just want you to know, this is how so many people get murdered. Poisoned drinks. Did you not watch what happened to Kokichi and Kaito-" 

 

"You think everything's gonna kill ya. It's fine. Prolly safer just to accept, anyways." 

 

Rantaro loudly sighed in exasperation. It was clear enough to Iidabashi that the two of them were talking back and forth, but he didn't pry. He simply watched the two of them come to a decision, before he answered Miu's previous question, "Orange Spice. It was my wife's favorite. ...By the way, you two can sit down. There are chairs for a reason, after all." 

 

Getting the hint, the two of them sat down in the two chairs in front of his desk. He smiled at their compliance, before he set down three teacups: one for each of them. He calmly poured the tea before he set it back down on the desk and sat down as well. 

 

Rantaro fearfully stared down at his cup like it was full of poison, while Miu immediately took a sip of it despite the steam pouring off of it. In an instant she yelped, "Oh fuck, that's hot!" 

 

Iidabashi chuckled. As Miu struggled to cool down her burnt tongue, Iidabashi took to idle conversation with the two of them. 

 

"So, how are you two adjusting to the recovery program?" 

 

"Uh, good." Rantaro nervously replied, "I'm sure it was easier this time than the last.” 

 

"Fuckin' sucks donkey dick." Miu bluntly quipped, "The food tastes horrible, most of the doctors are assholes, I still haven't been allowed to build shit for weeks, and-" 

 

"Ahaha... She's kidding." Rantaro cut her off quickly, which got a groan of annoyance from her. He didn't want either of them to dig themselves an early grave by revealing something that they shouldn't, so he quickly changed the subject, "I... Sorry if this is a little blunt, but I'm a bit confused. What... Did you want something from us?" 

 

"Ah, right to business. Good." Iidabashi nodded approvingly, before he answered, "Well, it has to do with what you may have already guessed. That recent transmission left by DICE has left many of us stumped and concerned for the future. No matter which way we react to Kokichi's threat, we are bound to face catastrophic consequences. That is… unless we stop him before he can do anything." 

 

"How is it that catastrophic...?" Rantaro asked, confused as he airquoted the transmission, "Wasn't his threat to just… ‘reveal what the Future Foundation has really done’ and ‘destroy the simulation unless you told the truth before he did?’” 

 

"His information is fabricated, that is why it is so dangerous. It has taken years for us to build up trust with the world at large after the tragedy. We cannot risk losing it.” His tone was grave and so was his expression. His chair spun slowly and gracefully as he looked off towards the window, and gestured towards the skyline below, “There is one reason alone that those lights outside are still lit, and that is these games. When we break between seasons, despair runs rampant. Crime rates rise, murders begin to spike… The world devolves into chaos. But, the moment that we return to their screens- the moment they can see carnage detached from their own lives… They no longer seek it out.”

 

"That... Doesn't sound right." Rantaro found himself saying. He knew what Iidabashi was trying to do. He heard from many people that he was a master manipulator. Although he knew he needed to be careful what he said around him, he knew it was far more dangerous to let him control the conversation. Thankfully, Rantaro had gained one skill from his countless trials- he was great at spotting lies. With a bit more force, he said,  "If he gave you the option to reveal the truth yourself, how could it be 'fabricated'?” 

 

“Yeah, seems a little sketch.” She crossed her arms, “Can’t really blackmail someone with somethin’ fake.” 

 

Their lack of cooperation did not bode well with Iidabashi. His eyes crinkled slightly with contempt, before he replied once more, not quite answering Rantaro's question, "I understand that after your experiences, you're likely sympathetic towards his goals to try and end these killing games. I too, wish there was a way that we could avoid them, but they are a needed sacrifice for peace. If he succeeds, there’s no way of knowing just how that’d impact the world at large… Knowing just how much unrest results because of the breaks between seasons, I can only imagine the worst.”

 

“There’s no way it’s that important… I-It’s just a show, right?” His eyebrows furrowed a bit in confusion, “That’s like saying a book is the only thing keeping the world from ending…”

“Believe it or not, I don’t care. I don’t have time to explain the socio-political landscape of our world to two teenagers when there is a deranged child out there trying to play god.” He scoffed a bit at the end of his sentence, annoyance clear in his tone. He cleared his throat, and continued, “All that really matters is that you two assist us.”

“What do you think an amnesiac like me could do?  Neither of us have any information.”

“Ah… I don’t want information from either of you. You may not remember, but we do. We have all the information we could ever want.” He stirred his tea rather calmly as he said, “It’s simple. Amami, I want you to talk him out of his plan. It’s clear that there is still a part of him that trusts you, so all you have to do is talk him out of it. He provided a two way receiver so that him and I could discuss the details, but I have no intention of making a negotiation.” 

He held up the ‘receiver’, and handed it to Rantaro, only for the two of them to realize that it wasn’t some amazing piece of technology… It was just an old DS. Just a simple beat up DS with a strange sticker of a pink mouse on the top. Miu and Rantaro shared a glance of confusion, before Miu’s eyes met with the sticker. She gasped a little, but said nothing about recognizing it. Nope. It was all just a coincidence, and she was going to prove it.

“The fuck am I here for then? Eye candy?” Miu raised her eyebrow skeptically, “You pervert!”

“No, no, no!” Iidabashi very quickly shook his head and denied the implication, “It was clear within the game that you previously had access to the simulation systems. It was impressive what you managed to create.” 

 

“You’re damn right!” 

Iidabashi smiled. “I need you to see if there is any way that you can tweak his code just a bit. If you can manage that, I can guarantee that you will be rewarded generously. So… How about it?”

~*~

 

Shuichi froze with Himiko's question, looking around the room questioningly. As soon as he realized his mistake, his eyes went wide. He quickly tried to cover it up, saying, "I was uh, just trying to see if there was anything different with the stand since... Yknow. She's the Mastermind." 

 

"But all of the stands should be the same... We would have noticed something earlier. I do not think that part matters." Kiibo replied suspiciously, "Are you feeling alright? You have been acting a bit strange." 

 

"Well, sorry, almost getting murdered kind of freaked me out a little." He muttered as he walked over to his stand, "I think at this point we're all acting strange." 

 

"I guess..." 

 

"Finally! You're all done yapping!" Monokuma groaned, "Don't you know I have a game to run?! You've kept me waiting for hours! I'm so mad I won't even explain the rules to you again!" 

 

It was at that moment that Monokuma paused and looked towards Kiibo. Confusion dawned on the small robotic bear's face before it turned to pure unbridled horror. For the first time ever in Danganronpa history, the victim was alive for the trial. There were no precautions for something like that, and once again, the machine had absolutely no idea on what to do. He looked around, probably for Tsumugi who very clearly wasn’t around before he stared out at the three for an uncomfortably long period of time. He made no movements until Shuichi spoke up. 

 

"Uh... Are we starting the trial, or...?" 

 

"Hold it! I need a second!" He yelped, hopping from his chair to pace around the base of it, "There's never been a trial like this before! We don't have procedures for something like.... This!" 

 

"Something like what?" Himiko asked before her eyes lit up with excitement, "Is Monokuma broken? Did we win?" 

 

"Arrgh! No! I'm not broken yet!" Monokuma growled. He remained in his stasis for a few more moments until he angrily threw up his hands and pointed over at Kiibo as he  yelled, "You! Get out of here! Go and sit in the corner, or something, and think about what you did! You screwed up this entire trial!" 

 

"Wh? Me? What did I do?" They asked absolutely flabbergasted, glancing back and forth between Shuichi and Himiko. 

 

"Haven't you heard the saying; dead men tell no tales?! The game loses all its mystery if you just tell us who killed you! That's why we hold trials, not seances!" He explained, "Get out!"

 

"...Huh? But how is the trial going to work?" They glanced over at Shuichi and Himiko in the hopes they'd think it was odd as well, "Is it not impossible to perform a majority vote when there are only two people to make it? Besides... I am sure that holding a trial is pointless at this point, the audience already knows who did it.” 

 

They felt their inner voice agree as they glanced around. Now that they were finally becoming more aware of their own voice, they could distinguish some of the voices of the many strangers outside. 

 

"...Yeah! And... There was a rule against that stuff, wasn't there? When there's only two people left, the game ends! And... There's only two people, and one robot here! We can end it now, right?" Himiko asked.

 

Kiibo bit their metaphorical tongue, deciding not to call Himiko out on that one. Truthfully, they hoped that was a loophole that they could take advantage of. If they could get out of here without another execution, they'd take any insult that came their way. Sadly though, that wouldn’t be the case. 

 

"Jeez. Well... I guess that's true once the Exisal gets rid of our little rulebreaker, that’ll come into play." Monokuma mumbled before he very quickly shook his head, "But you got that rule wrong! That rule refers to the number of students, not people.” 

 

“Oh…”


In that moment, their inner voice began to drum louder. Incoherent phrases and sentences flurried through their wires, nearly decimating their ability to think. As they looked across their trial stand, it was very quickly replaced by a scene that they could only imagine would be what a nightmare would look like. 

 

Below them, apparently, was an office. The Professor’s office, to be exact. It was a bit different from what they remembered, but that wasn’t quite the part that stood out to them. That would be the fact that the Professor sat right in front of both Rantaro… And Miu. 

They put their hands to their head, and tried to get the image out of their mind. All they could feel in the moment was fear. Something was very wrong with their programming. Robots weren’t supposed to go insane, but at this point… They were sure it was possible. Once they blinked, the scene in front of them was gone.

“Are… You okay?” They finally heard Himiko say, and they hesitantly nodded in reply. 

“I-I am alright. I think I may go out to get some fresh air, or… Whatever it is that you humans do.” They replied as they took a few steps back, “Just let me know when I need to come back.”


They didn’t even wait for a reply before they headed off to the elevator, and locked themself inside. As it rose, they could do little more than wonder just what they had seen, and whether or not it was some strange robotic  dream.

~*~

 

Miu opened her mouth to answer, but was stopped by the unthinkable. The hanging lights above flickered a bit, and the idle electronic hum that had filled the room with ambience skipped a few beats. A manic laugh crackled from the DS, and very soon was echoed from the loudspeakers above.

 

“Nishshishi! Smile! You’re on camera!” 

 

The three turned their heads towards the loudspeakers above. Miu was more confused than anything, while Rantaro began to take slow deep breaths to keep himself level. As Iidabashi glared up at the camera above, which blinked ferociously, he knew that it was true. 

It was Kokichi. He continued on in his cheerful voice, “Actually, you’ve been on camera. I probably should’ve mentioned that earlier, but what’s the fun in that? Say hello to the entire world!”


“The entire…” 

 

“What are you doing?” Iidabashi struggled to keep his voice level, “You’re bluffing… There’s no way that you managed to…”


“Nope! I did. You really should’ve just killed me instead of sticking me into a game  I was forced to help create .” His voice was coated with sadness as he said the last two words, “And, I already told you! We’re playing a game. Refusing to play is an automatic loss. So, I’m making the next move before you can.”

“No, no- none of this is a game. You need to understand that. Real peoples lives are held in balance- whatever you are doing, stop it now.” Iidabashi’s voice was as serious as it could be, “Or I cannot promise that you will be as lucky as you have been getting out of there.” 

“So now you’re caring about actual lives?” He shot back, “And what should I care? You took everything from me. My best  friend, my childhood, DICE, the chance of living in a world that isn’t entirely run on sadism? I don’t care what you do to me as long as I take you down. You’ve lost. Check, and mate!” 

 

Nobody said anything as Iidabashi calmly sighed, and looked back down at his tea and calmly swirled it around. He set it down without an ounce of fear on his face, and pressed a small red button on his desk. He spoke into the microphone and said, “Guards, please escort Miu Iruma and Rantaro Amami to the interrogation rooms.” 

“Wait…” Kokichi’s smug tone began to crack, “What are you doing…?” 

“At this moment, I can’t be sure if they are a liability or not. It seems that I misjudged you quite a bit, so I’ll make sure they’re taken care of.”

“Taken care of?! The fuck’s that supposed to mean?!” Miu yelped. 

 

“Go ahead, continue what you were about to do.” He prompted Kokichi, “What are you going to supposedly reveal, then? What lie have you been so insistent to tell the world?” 

“W-What are you going to do with them?” 

 

 “If we’re going for your chess metaphor, it’s only obligatory to sacrifice a few pawns in a game of chess. They aren’t necessary to this conversation.”

“… They weren’t involved in any of this, you know that.” His voice quivered, which was enough to make the two teenagers nervous. Miu quickly got to her feet, still holding the scalding cup of tea in her hands, while Rantaro hesitantly stood alongside her. 

 

The doors opened. The guards stormed in almost in unison, very quickly reaching the chairs. 

“I can’t take any risks. At this point, I know that you remember more than you’ve let on. I can’t be too sure about either of them.” He replied calmly, “And before anyone at home begins to worry, I want you to all remember just what this organization has done over the past few years.”

One of them grabbed Miu by her shoulder, hard. Her eyes widened in an instant, and out of instinct, she turned around and swung her arm around to smack the guard. Though, she had forgotten that she had the teacup in her hands. The glass shattered, spilling the scalding liquid right into the face of her attacker. The guard screamed out in agony and fell to the ground, giving the two of  them a very short opening to escape. 

“Holy shit!” Rantaro yelped, “Did you just-” 

 

“C’mon, Matcha! Let’s get out of here!” 

 

He had no time to finish his sentence. In an instant, Miu vaulted over the chair, and grabbed Rantaro’s hand pulling him along with her.  He just barely had the grace to not fall on his face as the two of them dodged attacks from the three guards. As a taser buzzed far too close to his ear, he could only pray that the two of them would make it out of this stupid situation alive. They just barely made it out the door,  before they heard Iidabashi yell:

“Don’t just stand there! Go after them!”

They took off down the hallway, struggling to remember which way to go. The darkened hallways all looked the same, all they had to go off of for landmarks were the windows. Yet, even then… They had no idea where they were even supposed to go. No matter what, they were going to be punished for doing something like that. Their only chance was to get out of this place… And even then, there were far too many stories up for that to be a viable option. 

A door opened off to their side, but neither of them had noticed.


“Why did you do that?!” Was all Rantaro could get out, “All we needed to do was cooperate!” 

“I’m not goin’ down because of that little shit again!” She yelled back, “And I wasn’t tryin’ to! I just panicked!”


“God… You remind me of my sister.” He sighed, “It’s… It’s fine. We’ll figure it out. It’s all going to be…” 

As the two of them turned the corner, they found that they had reached a dead end. The hallway right in front of them led to nothing but a slew of hallways, and a large window overlooking the city. 

“...Fine.”

The two of them looked at one another with a frown, before they turned around. It seemed like all they could really do at this point was admit defeat and accept their fate. Miu gave a nod before she turned around, and Rantaro followed. Just as they reached the first door however, they were finally able to notice the door off to their side. Gonta, Maki, Kaito, Kaede and Tenko all came out of the door, followed by a person wearing a clown mask and who had a very clear Future Foundation badge. 

They gave the two of them a passing glance, and a bit of a friendly wave… Before it fell flat with hesitation. The stranger cleared their throat awkwardly, before stiffening and in a much more stern voice than their mask would have suggested, they turned their attention back to the five who had accompanied them.

“The three of you, go and disarm the guards and meet back up with me over here. You, and you, take Rantaro and Miu to meet the others. That distraction only bought us a few minutes, so we can’t waste any time.” 

 

“What… Distraction?” 

“No time to explain, just get out of here. Please.” There was a bit of desperation in their tone as they said those words, and took off their badge. They placed it in Rantaro’s hands before they turned away and began to confidently walk down the hallway, “That’ll get you all into the elevator. From there, just follow his plan, and you’ll be safe.” 

“I don’t trust ya.” Miu frowned.

“What other choice do you have?” They asked with a twinge of satisfaction in their tone, “Either take a risk, or stay here. If I were in your shoes though… I’d take that chance.” 

As Miu and Rantaro were quickly led by Kaede and Gonta back into the room that they came out of, loud shouting ensued. Somehow they had been saved just barely, but all of them could only hope for the best. Kaede led them down the hidden staircase, as Gonta carefully followed behind.

As the four of them descended down the stairway, Rantaro finally got a better look of the card he had been given. On it was the face of a person he recognized, but couldn’t place quite where. Regardless, he couldn’t help but feel a bit worried when he read the details… 

 

Adohira Endo: Future Foundation Branch 14; Administration. 

~*~ 

 

As Kiibo reached the courtyard, their inner voice had only gotten louder. Their eyes flickered between reality, and whatever their mind had conjured as they walked. For some reason the inner voice seemed to echo the same story as what they were seeing… But they couldn’t quite tell why. Kokichi, the Professor, Rantaro and Miu… None of those ones made any sense. The only one that made sense was simple. 

 

Check the Mastermind's Room. 

 

It nudged them, but there was nothing in there that they wanted to see. They were exhausted in every sense of the word, which was something they hadn't realized was possible to be as a robot.

 

Check the Mastermind's Room. 

 

They regretted deciding to put that damn thing back on. What were they thinking? It made no sense! The more they began to ignore it though, the louder it became.

 

Check the Mastermind's Room! 

 

Check the MasTERMIND'S ROOM! 

 

CHECK THE MASTERMIND'S ROOM! 

 

C H E C K  T H E  M A S T E R  M I N D ' S  R O O M

 

Č̸̹̥̯̭͍̳̰̜͙̈́̌̓̉͌͑̈́̐̈̄̒́̈͝ ̸̳̗̬̤̝̤͚̲͌̐̆͆͒̏̐͊́̐̐̽͐̂̚͜͝H̸͇̰̻̽̏̍̒̑͊̚͜͝͝ͅ ̵̢̡̖͖͎̹̫̫̝̣͚̼͓͖̺̰̆Ḙ̶͔̲̱̹̝̐̈́̒̚͜ ̷̛͇̙̹͕͔̼̞̬̱̳͖͙̺̗̻̩̿̃̑̈̀̌̾͊̉̂̅̍͘̕̕̚͜C̵̡̡̧͙̯͇̝̠͉̭͍̯̭͉̆̈́̃̓̊͊͒͋̈̽̂͛͐̈́̓̊͜͝ ̵͖̺̣̤͊ͅĶ̵̧̨̬̙̟̫͉̦̘̮̮͑͐̋̈́͒́̊̿͆́̏̂̓̒̈́̕͝ͅͅ ̴̣͍͍̭̹͚͇̱̦̠̗̩͒̏͌̔̋̽͌͂̆͜ ̵̛̝͈͉̱̮̜̩͉̮̾̊̀̄̂̎̒Ṯ̶̢̰̭̱͙͇̝̱̼̦̥̖̩͍̈̀͂̏̄̀̑ ̸̻̞̭̞͈̮͈̟͚͖͉̹̩̆́̎̄̇̅̎̀͛͠͠ͅH̵̬̀ ̷̢̛̼̺̯̜̩̗̘̼̍̀̂͗̾͑̽̆̒͐̓̍̍͑̕͠Ē̷̢̛̗̙͍̞̋̒͒͋̑̒̔̅̀̈́͂̂͠ ̷̛̛͕͚̯̯̟̳͔̰̮͔̤̘̲̪̬̌̈́̒̇̒͂͗͗̈̆͋͐͗̃͜ ̶̨̡̟̤͕̰̲̟̭̲̭͈̹͆̓̇̿̓̊̐̅̑͝M̵̢͖̭̟̞̱͌̒̐̂͗̓̀̑̆͗̿͒͌̀̚͝͝͝ͅͅ ̶̛̛͙̞̳̜͐̆̿̓̓̀̀̅̉͊͂̽̕͠Ằ̶̻̤̼̓̈́̃̽͂̐̑̔̈̂̊͠͝ ̴̹̯̤͌͛̐̿̒͘Ṣ̸̢͔̆̊̈́̅̊̽̀̆̉͆̐̎͝ ̴̱̫̳͈͈͛̿́́͗͗̓̂̐̇̽͋̓͒͘̚͜͝͝T̵̛͇͈̈̒̈̌͜ͅ ̶̢̢̡̧̛̤̟̪̹̮͖̰̻͚̩̪̞͐̋̓̐̇͋̈̓͌͛̑̅̃͗͘̚͠Ẹ̴͕͍̮̻̞̍̊̔̾̃͛̐̑͛̽͌̐͘͝ ̸̢̢͇̙̯̰̮̫͙̱̰̱̘͔̮͎̟̀̉̀̈̾̔R̷̲̝͕̯̥̗̙̼̟͙̐͐̈́́̓ ̶̯̫̯̈̅̉͆̚ ̸̲̞̪̝͇̻̖̘͙͎̀̏͗̉͂̐̏̆̆̕͝M̸͔̫̱͖͎̣͙̪͕̲͉͙̑̀͛̾̒͗̀̕͘ ̷̡̛̍͌̂̌͛̈́̊̈́̓̐̀͝͝I̷̛̘̜͔̙̠͓͒͋͐͋͒̎͋̐͌̔̔̄̽̈͘̕͝ͅ ̵̧̡̠̱̺̘̞͉̤̥̫̺̻̪̖̟̋̓͛̿͒͑͜͝Ṅ̴̤̙̫͇͔̤̣̫̥͙̲̈̈́́͊́̍̔̂̃́͒̽̽͝ ̵͇̪͙͙̬̠̱̼̦̻̒̊͛̅̀̐͜͜͜Ḑ̶̨̡̨̟̪͎̣͕͎̦̱̜̤̻̟̭̪̗̂̈́͂̊͘ ̵̛̫̉͘'̵̣͔̠̹͍̖̟̹̖̱͎̄͑̍͐̌̉̚͠ ̴̩̼̟̝͚̳̗͖̰̥̝̩̩̺̈́̃̀͊̈́͋͆͘Ș̶̨̧̧̢̰͕̹̖̜̲̙̩̗̞̍ ̷̢̗͙͎̫̹̩̠̍̓͂̈̉̈́̍̾͘̚͘͝ͅ ̴̧̛̟͍̭̱̳̙̭̘̟̅̄͌̎́͒̋͛̀́̅̀̃͘͝R̷̛͎̞̭͙̬̜̒̔̽͊̾̊̑̅̈́͝ ̵̨̥͋̀̄̔̈͛̈́̍͑͑̏̇̔͊͋͐͌̚͝Ǫ̶̡̛̼̼͓͇̻͇̞̖͗͂͋̄̓͒͘͝ ̴̡̛̼̺̠̫̾̾́̓̑̍̕̕̚̚͠ͅṌ̵̧̢̢̧͕͇̹̲͍͈̤͔̜̻̫̩̖̀̈́͌̂̍̔̐͐͘̕͜͝͝ ̷̟̙͎̲̞͙͉̪̣̼̞͓̼̱̲͋̌M̵͎͊̇̐̇͘

 It wasn’t until they were halfway to the school that it dawned on them why it had been so insistent. They carefully pulled out their Monopad from their handy storage compartment, and began to scan through the rule section. There had to be something in there, they were sure. It just didn’t feel right. 

 

   Rule #2: Once a murder takes place, all surviving students must participate in a class trial.

Rule #13: Students who violate these rules will be immediately exterminated by the Exisals.

 

Monokuma had made a distinction between students, and people. According to his implication, they still counted as a student despite being a robot. But, there was one person who didn’t. Logically, that could only mean the Mastermind, couldn’t it? But if the students were the only ones punished for breaking the rules… 

… That meant there was an imposter in the trial.  

 

In an instant, they took off towards the room. Once more, their mind flashed with a new image, the Exisal crawling through the third floor, just waiting for the moment to pounce as they ran towards the school. They were going to get there before it did no matter what it took. As they finally got through the doors, they heard their inner voice chime in once more. 

 

Check the women's restroom.

 

They were just about to protest the very idea when they remembered what Kokichi had told them earlier. The map… If Tsumugi was the Mastermind, the only way that she could’ve killed Rantaro would’ve been through a secret entrance. And although they felt a bit uncomfortable with the idea of intruding there… They knew they had to if they wanted to prove it for sure. 

 

It only took a few moments for them to get there. They put their hands over their eyes like shutters, as they nervously looked around the room. There was one door that stood out from the rest, and that was where they decided to check. After a nervous few moments, they spent egging themself on, they finally pushed the door, and found a staircase. Just as Kokichi had assumed. 

They smiled a bit to themself knowing how proud he would’ve been to be proven right like this. Without another second of hesitation, they started down the staircase. As they reached halfway down it, they noticed something glowing down the dark staircase. So they called out, “Uhm…. Hello?” 

 

“K-Kiibo?”

Shuichi. That wasn’t Shuichi in the trial- that was… Tsumugi. They picked up their pace until they finally reached the edge and saw him sitting on one of the steps. Handcuffed to the handrail.

“Are you alright?”

“Well… I’m alive.” He sighed before his eyes widened, “Wait… Why are you here? Aren’t you supposed to be at the trial.”

“I was not allowed to participate. I think that is for good reason now, though. What happened?” 

 

“Kokichi… Er. Tsumugi attacked me.” He replied, “I should’ve seen it coming. I knew there were two of them, but I hadn’t put two and two together until it was too late… She was planning to replace one of us during the trial no matter what.”

“Can you stand?” 

“.. I think I'll be able to once this is off of me." Shuichi replied as he jingled the metallic viper around his wrist, "I've gone through worse. Though... A shot-put ball to the kneecaps is definitely up there. Could you help me out? I, um, didn't grab a key when I took these, and I don’t want to break my wrists. I’m a little worried this place plays by the same rules as the Neo World Program.” 

“What? How would this place be different than the rest of the world...???” 

“It’s a long story.” He sighed, “I’ll explain everything once we’re out of here, I promise.”


“Well… I do not know how to pick any locks…” They hummed before they looked at the handrail. As they looked closer, they could see that it was simply attached to the wall by a single bar, all the way up. Hypothetically, if the bar was out of the way, Shuichi would be able to slide right out. They knew what they needed to do. “Wait, one moment! I have an idea!” 

 

They took as many steps back as they could before they aimed and fired their arm at the handrail in front of them. The force took out a good chunk of the wall, and handrail, but thankfully kept the ceiling intact.

“A-Again?! How many times are you going to do that?!”

“I am sorry… It is fun!” They replied with a bit of a light laugh as they turned back to him, “It is growing on me.”

Shuichi could do little more than sigh as he gripped the rail and pushed against it to stand to his feet. With a pained expression, he limped up just enough to get the handcuff off. It was still stuck to his wrist like a silly bracelet, but he at the very least was freed. He gave a weak smile as he said, “Well… At least it worked. Good idea.”

Kiibo very quickly took to helping Shuichi walk, carefully leading him down the rest of the stairs. As soon as they both got to the foot of the staircase, he looked down and nudged the glowing tablet on the ground with his foot. He asked, “Uhm… Could you grab that for me?”

“Your Monopad?”

“Actually, it’s Tsumugi’s Monopad. Kokichi had grabbed it from her before, yknow…” He trailed off a bit as he saw their expression falter. They picked up the Monopad anyways and began to investigate it. 

 

It looked just like theirs, yet there was a lot more options on the screen. A map that had everything all drawn out with little dots where each Monopad was, camera feeds, controls for Monokuma and the Exisals, a chat function, and even something called ‘K1-B0 votes’... They were pretty sure they knew what the last one was for. It was nearly overwhelming seeing all the ways that she had control over this place. But it was also freeing in a way to have the key to everything right in their hands. As they scrolled through the screens, the two of them were able to hear something loudly thudding above. 

Right. The Exisal.


“Oh uhm… I think that we should probably head back to the trial room.” Kiibo suggested nervously, “Do you think that the controls would shut off the Exisal? I think it was sent to kill you, but I do not want to try to fight something four times my size… I do not think that I will win.”

“Oh… Right. That rule… Hm.” Shuichi tapped his finger to his chin, deep in contemplation. After a few seconds, he replied, “I think it’d work, but… Maybe we might be able to use it in a better way?” 

“What are you thinking?”

There was the slightest glint of mischief in Shuichi’s eyes as he said, “Well… Tsumugi wanted to turn this trial into a guessing game… So, why don’t we try to beat her at her own game?” 

Kiibo’s eyes widened in recognition, before they nodded. And just like that, one last unlikely team formed. Although they were weakened, exhausted and pained, there was nothing stopping the two of them from ripping the game to shreds, once and for all. 

~*~

All over the world, one more message took to the screens. 

 

Hello world! Since Iidabashi refused to play my game, I’m going to start by revealing some behind the scenes details that they don’t want you to see!  Feel free to share whatever you find out through Kiibo Votes to see how they’ll react!

 

 You’re welcome!~

Notes:

Look at the series!!! Coup Disgrace is the name, and from here on out, this series is the game! I'm going to post 1-2 oneshots next week in leu of a traditional chapter, (The very same behind the scenes details that Kokichi promised), to give myself some more time to edit the ending and make the final chapter as good as possible for yall! <3

Chapter 24: Give life to a world that's our own

Summary:

The final hour.

Just how far do these mysteries go? Will our heroes be able to finally be able to take down Team Danganronpa, and the Future Foundation? Will the cast of V3 escape the Foundation's impenetrable walls? And just what the heck is Kokichi doing now?!

All these answers and more will be answered.

Notes:

Wow... I can't believe we're finally here. I had thought I'd be done sooner, but eh, better late than never.

Buckle up, we're in for a ride.

The systems chimed with a loud announcement calling Kiibo back into the trial room. 

 

The elevator opened, and they stepped out from the doors with the backpack slung over their shoulder. With a new sense of confidence, presumably faked, they walked on over to their stand and dropped the backpack at their feet. They gave Shuichi a determined glare, before they simply smiled. It was a very small thing, something that shouldn't have seemed so strange, but coming from Kiibo it really only meant one thing. It was all about to come crashing down. 

 

"How did the discussion go?" They asked, looking to Himiko rather than Shuichi, "Did either of you figure out something new?" 

 

"I wish... Monokuma just made us repeat stuff we already knew over and over until you came back!" 

 

"That does not sound like fun." 

 

"It wasn't." Himiko frowned, "Are you feeling any better? 

 

"I am. I feel a lot more confident about the future now." They smiled nervously, before they reached their own stand. They reached back into their compartment, and pulled out their Monopad, "So... Should we start the vote?" 

 

Monokuma froze. He glanced around a bit nervously, before he sighed and hung his head, "We can't do it until all you kids are accounted for." 

 

"What do you mean? I thought that you wanted me to come back so that we could start the vote?" Kiibo protested, "I am here now. Why can we not vote?" 

 

"Can't you break your own rule?" Shuichi asked, a bit annoyed, "I mean, you've done it before." 

 

"I'd be able to if the person missing wasn't my boss." Monokuma muttered, "After this disaster of a season, I'm retiring! Going to take a long, long, vacation over in Jabberwock. No more dealing with pesky kids, and deadlines.... Ah.... That'll be the life!" 

 

"Robots can retire?" 

 

"They should! At least, I should. I've been doing this for 25 years at this point!" Monokuma explained, "Longer than any of you kids have been alive!" 

 

"Should you be telling us all of this...?" 

 

Monokuma simply shrugged at Shuichi's question, "Gotta keep the viewers entertained somehow! Might as well tease a future sequel!" 

 

At that point, it was clear that they were still at a standstill. If Monokuma wasn't going to let them vote just yet, there was almost no point in even being in the trial room. As they waited for something to happen, Shuichi began to go through the tote bag down off to his side. 

 

"What's in the bag?" 

 

"Just evidence." He replied to Himiko rather unhelpfully. He ignored the additional questions that his two allies began to ask him as his calm expression contorted into fear as time went on, "Wait... Where's my Monopad?" 

 

"Your Monopad?" 

 

"It was right in here!" He said as he poured out the contents of the bag onto the floor. Papers flew across the floor in a flurry, as he cursed. A pen rolled on the ground and smacked up against the stand. As he shook it out, only one tablet fell out of the bag. He picked it up, and turned it on, only to see that it wasn't the right one. Quietly, he said, "But all I have is... Kokichi's?" 

 

Kiibo began to walk over, seemingly to help him pick up all the scattered objects, wordlessly. Although, that seemed to scare Shuichi a little bit. They grabbed onto the paper and began to read through the words the best that they could. On the other hand, Himiko latched onto the thing that he had said, "How'd you end up with Kokichi's Monopad?" 

 

"I don't know! That asshole must've stolen mine and left me his!" 

 

"But when?" She pestered, growing more and more suspicious by the moment, “And why would he give you his? Aren’t they really important? I thought you died if they got broke…” 

 

"How should I know why he’d do anything ?" 

“Why do you need it right now?”


He put his head in his hands as Himiko spoke, clearly panicking. Although Himiko took a step back, and gave him a little space, that didn’t quite stop him from exploding, “Just. Shut. Up. Stop. Talking. Just give me a second to think!” 

 

There was one person who actually knew where that Monopad had ended up, but they kept busy with picking up the papers. As they scanned them, they made sure to input them into their memory banks. They were sure something like that would come in handy. 

 

But, they did stop at one specific page. One titled, Survivor's Contract. The strangest one out of all of them full of legal jargon that almost entirely flew over their head. It seemed to discuss a sort of "renewal" of earlier deals, the Danganronpa Clause, on the basis that they'd return to the next season. In return, they'd get all of the same benefits as they had been promised.... But what in the hell was the Clause? They skipped through the paper lightning fast, trying to find just what had been signed. 

 

"—>Danganronpa Clause: Upon agreeing to this contract, I take full responsibility for whatever may occur in the next season or seasons of Danganronpa; as well as whatever harm will come my way whether it be mentally, physically or emotionally. I will not disclose any information on aspects behind the scenes, or anything that may put the Future Foundation into a negative light. If I fail to carry out my duties on part of the Future Foundation, I understand that I may be punished to the fullest extent of the law, and that my previously discussed collateral will be taken."

 

Collateral. That was a motivation for them to stay in line, right? A... Motive. 

 

They thought back to the videos they were all given, all the way back. Those videos were more than enough to drive one of the most selfless people they had ever met to sacrifice all of their lives, to cause one of their friends to entirely give up on life, to… drive Kokichi to isolation. Although they never had the guts to watch their own, they were sure it couldn't have been good. Those were clearly threats. 

 

If this theory was true, that meant that there was no end to what the Future Foundation was willing to sacrifice for their goals. Entire cities, countries, families: whatever they could get their hands on could very well be uprooted or destroys for the whims of a few. Their hands shook as they held onto the papers. Their systems couldn't even comprehend that many lives. How could they do such a thing?! 

 

“What… Is this?” They asked, shakily, staring down at the wolf in Shuichi’s clothing . The monster simply looked back at them with a tilt of the head, as they felt their systems begin to overload. Their fans whirled on just like their thoughts, and the loud sounds of the voices in their head.


“Oh? Oh… Those are some papers I found in the Mastermind’s room.” He sighed sadly, “I… I’m sorry. I was trying to figure out a way to break it to you. I… Think it might prove that Kokichi really was the Mastermind. Who knows when that was signed…”


“No. We are not playing this game, Tsumugi.” They spat, shoving the papers towards him, “I do not care what those papers say, I know they do not depict the truth. We have proven that he is not the Mastermind beyond reasonable doubt. That is what one would call innocence. But you? … Let us just say that I will only ask nicely once for you to start explaining.” 

 

“T-Tsumugi? Kiibo… What… What’s going on with you?” He took a step back worriedly, “I… Don’t understand. You’re not making any sense.”


They put their arm up threatening, letting the cannon arise, pointing it directly at the doppelganger. Some would presume it was a bluff, or just a charade… But in all honesty, Kiibo wasn’t even sure themself if they had the guts to go through with it.


“K-Kiibo! Stop it! You’re scaring us!” Himiko yelled and tried to pull them back, but it was no use. 

 

“Go on. What actually is this ‘Danganronpa Clause’? Explain it.” 

 

The doppelganger turned pale. He looked over to the cameras around the room, to Monokuma, and then back towards them, looking for once… Genuinely unsure of what to do.


“I… I don’t know what you’re talking about Kiibo, please- I just found it, I don’t know anything about it.” He put his hands up fearfully, “Just… Calm down, please. Let’s talk about this.” 

 

“Oh? You would like me to prove it then?” They prompted, “Himiko, this the mastermind… I do not know how Tsumugi did it, but she is pretending to be Shuichi! It is just a cosplay!” 

“What? No! That’s…” She paused, and began to think about it for a few moments. Quietly she said, “That’s impossible… Isn’t it?” 

He laughed harshly as he remained practically at gunpoint. “... This is what we get for trusting a robot, isn’t it? You pretend to be our friend, and then go all Terminator on us the moment things start turning out for the better.” 

 

“Excuse me?” They felt their body begin to shake with anger. With a deep breath, they finally said, “You know what, I will prove it, if that reference was not enough.”

Before anyone could stop them, the bear that they had spend weeks- no, months fearing was gone in an instant. Monokuma was enveloped in a blinding cyan light before he simply evaporated; each and every part of his metallic being was turned to dust. Himiko let out a yelp of surprise as his chair was demolished, and flung into the wall behind it. 

“I am not going to play along with you any longer, Tsumugi.” They spoke, their voice uncharacteristically determined. Soon enough, they turned to face the stranger wearing Shuichi’s face, and said, “I’m giving you one chance to tell us the truth about all of this, and I mean ALL of this, or else.”

“W-What are you talking about?!” He could only sputter in disbelief, “You just… Monokuma is dead. And… So is the Motherkuma… That means-”

“What does it mean? Enlighten us.” 

“Kiibo, calm down! Please!” 

 

They did not. Their arm, still smoking and steaming, was aimed yet again towards the Mastermind. And just as that happened, one of the walls erupted, bursting open in a cacophony of metal and stone. As both Himiko and Not-Shuichi stared on, they slowly turned around to face the wreckage, making direct eye contact with the larger machine. 

“It means that.” He replied flatly, looking over at the lumbering Exisal, “You just broke a rule.” 

The Exisal was entirely out of control. It was reminiscent of just the night before, when… Oh. Right. That is exactly what was happening, was it not? This time, just without the title of an ‘execution’. It was going after them, and Shuichi was trying to stop it, but… It would not work. 

 

Just like Maki, they knew they really had no way to fight against that giant machine. At least, not without hurting the person inside. They were left with one final decision to make, and stayed still as they struggled to mull it over. Yet, the voices remained consistent on what they wanted to see. They wanted it all to end, for all of them to receive the justice they deserved, even if that meant they’d see bloodshed.

 

What were a ḟ̴̰̤̲̳̜̃̐͘͠ë̸̥͈̮̗̜́́͛̅̂w̸̭̠͉̦̘̐̽̇͐̏ ̴̮͇͖̗̼̔̀́̇̂ḑ̵̛͕̱̩͎͐̔͘̕ȩ̶̥̱͙̮̑̈́̈́̽͒a̶̖̦̳͗̽͋̑̎͜ͅt̴̞̙̠̞̣̑̀̂̏̌ḣ̴͍͕̯͎̻͆͂̒̕s̶̢̻̗̹̜̋̈́̉͊̋ ̷̛̞͉͖̲̊̐̿́ͅf̷̛̲̥͖̠̗̿͒̌̕o̵̺̝̰̠̠͑̕̕͝͝r̵̝̹̮̱͇̂̆̎͋̏ ̴̦͈̖̬̭͒̿̄̏̑t̷̢̛̺̙͉̠́̇͂̕h̸̯̺̳̲̙͑̐̒̏͠ē̷̻͖̦͔̒̈́̑͜͝ ̸̱̦̱̥̣̈́͆͑͌̑ṡ̴̹̬̪̤͎͛̒̈̓ã̵̢͈̫̘̞̍͊̔͠ḳ̶͓̭̩̈́̈́̀́͝ͅe̸̛̩̦͙͔̓̾̍͆ͅ ̷̗̳̥͉̪́̏̑͆̚ớ̶̢̘̙̻̼̉̑̉f̷̫͓̞͇̐̓̏̅̕ͅ ̵̦̱̝͔͓̃͒̉̐͝ĥ̴̢̠̺̼̙̐͐̿͠ǫ̷̛̩̜̬̣̅̽͘͝ṕ̶̨̢̼̪̺̃̅̈͘e̷̱̖̹̞͈̋̀̓͑͝?̴̹̳͎̲̬̅͗͊͊͋

Without any sense of fear, they continued on towards ‘Shuichi’, letting him be the one to slink away in terror. The Exisal followed behind them haphazardly, but they didn’t look back for a second. Keep moving forward, that was all they could do. Just… Keep moving forward. 

 

Once they could feel the ground from under them shake, they pounced. If this Exisal was really going after them, they knew a way that’d get it to stop. Or, at the very least would leave Shuichi and Himiko an easy way out, one without either of them getting hurt for it. The game needed two survivors. 

Their arms shot out towards his shoulders as he leaped over, letting momentum take a hold of the two of them. In an instant, they had him pinned to the ground, and he let out a loud yelp of pain as his head swung back and hit the concrete below. 

Their eyes widened, for a moment, they reconsidered. This was crazy, they’d admit. Himiko had bolted from her spot, trying desperately to change the upcoming situation, but was ultimately powerless. All four of them were. At least, that’s how it seemed.


Just as the Exisal loomed over the two of them, Not-Shuichi had wrestled out of Kiibo’s grip long enough to press a little button on the back of their neck. Their eyes widened in realization, before dimming slowly,  glazing over. As they began to fall back, he rolled out of the way, pushing them off of him, and fought to catch his breath. 

 

The cameras above seemed to take a hint, and stopped blinking once Kiibo did. Their red lights were replaced with an empty gray as the scene continued to play out in front of them. The Exisal was effected as well, losing all desire to squash the two laying sprawled out on the concrete any longer.


Himiko made her way over to the two on the ground, nervously. She offered a hand to who she at first thought was Shuichi… Only to see that it wasn’t who she thought it was. Although Tsumugi had her glasses off, she was still clearly recognizable. In her hands was the bloody scalp of Shuichi-?! 

 

“It’s a wig, not a head. Calm down.” She muttered, practically reading her mind. She gripped the back of her head with a wince, before she moved her hand away from it to assess the damage. Her hand dripped with blood, and with a far too nonchalant attitude considering the situation, she said, “Goddammit that robot packs a punch.”

“Are you okay?”

“Do I look it?” She grimaced, “After dealing with all of you for the past few months, I’m lucky I haven’t completely lost it. If you’re asking about the injury, it’s fine. The Mastermind isn’t programmed to die until the end of the 6th trial.”

“Wh… Huh? Programmed…?” 

She took Himiko’s hand, getting back up to her feet, although a bit wobbly. As soon as she rescinded her hand though, she very quickly let out a squeal of disgust, to which Tsumugi subtly smirked at. But that amused expression descended into pure annoyance the moment that she stared back up at the Exisal. With a cross of the arms, she frowned and said, “Can either of you chucklefucks tell me what the hell any of you are thinking?

“I… I’m just wondering what’s going on…”

“I was talking to him, you’re fine in my books. I know you’re not a part of this fiasco.” She replied to Himiko, glaring up at the killing machine, “Shuichi. You were supposed to stay and wait for the Exisal to kill you, not get into it! You had one job, and you’ve failed it beyond belief. I hope you’re happy with yourself.” 

 

“Did you think I was just going to take it?! Are you really that inhuman that you think that I’d just… Die? Because you told me to?” The Exisal yelped, “You’re…. Worse than Kokichi was.”

“Thanks, I try.” She replied sarcastically, “But yes, as your director, that’s exactly what I was hoping for.” 

“What did you do to Kiibo?” 

“Seriously? That’s what you’re wondering?” She scoffed, “I turned them off for their own safety. Since the Motherkuma is gone, the only thing keeping this shitshow broadcasted live to the world outside is their AI, and not to mention, they’ve got to sort through the thoughts of fans of the series who are even more sadistic than I am. That’s a little too much for one tiny bot. Especially one that’s having some sort of… Mental breakdown.”

 

She glanced down at the robot on the floor and sighed, “Now… I hate to admit that I need help, but right now, with how things are going… We’re all going to end up suffering far more than we have in here. If you don’t want to lose everything you care about, or make an enemy for life with the organization that literally runs the world… I’d follow my orders right now.” 

 

~*~

 

Kaito and Tenko were prepared to run towards the guards without an ounce of hesitation, but Maki was a bit suspicious. She held the two of them back, standing in front of them in an effort to block the path.

This time, it wasn’t just because she didn’t trust Kokichi, it was a little more deeper than that. She was sure at this point that he could be trusted a tiny bit if he had planned all of this for their sake. But this stranger that was guiding them? There was something off about them. The very fact that they knew how many people to ask for, and seemed to know what was going to happen ahead of time… It just left a sour taste in her mouth. The only reason she was tagging along at this point was to make sure that Kaito wasn't going to get himself killed a second time, with his dumb self-sacrificial nature.

“Why did you have us split up?” She asked, suspiciously, “This wasn’t the plan you suggested originally.” 

 

“Those things can change- especially when you have three gigantic maniacs with tasers coming right at you.” They argued, “Let’s not waste time talking about this, or you’re going to get your ass kicked.” 

 

“Maki-roll, c’mon, let’s go! They’re getting closer!” 

 

“Yeah, what are we doing?!” Tenko agreed, “We’ve got to fight them!” 

 

A familiar feeling washed over her. She felt trapped, powerless, like every move ahead of her was already planned by someone else. Puppeteered. Controlled. It was a sickening feeling. But… It wasn’t the truth of the situation. She had a choice. 

 

…Maybe they’d really be able to escape if she did this. As much as she hated putting her faith in a plan from that purple menace, she’d take a page from Kaito’s book this time. She owed that to them, didn’t she? 

 

“No. You two, go and follow the others.” She refused, “I’ll fight them off myself.” 

 

“What?! That’s crazy!”


It was, she’d admit. They had weapons, and she didn’t. None of the guards had to deal with their muscles and stamina being heavily weakened, but she did. The odds weren’t stacked in her favor. And… She was sure their guide knew that when they suggested the plan. But that’s why she had to do it alone. It was better to risk one person than three.

“Do you want to die?” She spat, “Because it sounds to me, the two of you have a death wish.” 

 

“No. I’m not going to let anyone go on their own. It’s safer together!” 

 

Almost as soon as those words left his mouth, the collar of his shirt was in Maki’s grip. She tugged until the two were at eye level, and glared at him for a moment, before she twisted and put him into a tight headlock. In an instant, the boy tried to wrestle his way out of her grip, but he was stuck in place. 

 

“If I was one of those guards, you’d be dead.” Her voice was quiet but deadly,  “Still think I’m incapable of handling it on my own?” 

 

Kaito’s face heated up just a little. As he tried one final time to get out of her grip, he sighed, and tapped her arm three times. She let go, and he slowly stood up straight, looked down at her and nodded. Then, turned to Tenko and said, “Alrighty, you heard her. It’s no use arguing with Maki-Roll, she’s got this handled!” 

 

“Are you really willing to give up over a simple headlock? I can do that too!” 

“Do you want me to prove it to you too?” She turned to her with crossed arms. The guards were only moments away from them at this point. If they kept arguing, they’d be screwed. 

 

“You’re really set on this.” She replied, a bit shocked. With only a moment more of deliberation, she finally sighed and said, “Okay, fine, someone’s got to look out for that little girl down there! But… now that I know you can do martial arts, we’re going to spar one of these days!” 

 

Maki didn’t respond as the two took to the door off to the side. Adohira still stood still despite all of this, texting someone on their phone. Yeah, they couldn’t be trusted. She decided to ignore them for the time being before running up to the three guards.

As soon as they saw who was standing there, they seemed to tense up just a bit. One of them was already an easy target, with a big fresh injury all over their face. A burn.  She’d take care of them last. Might as well make things easier for herself.

She first moved to her left, targeting the largest guard out of the three. It was a taser gun. She just needed to make him shoot it, and dodge, and he’d be disarmed for a moment. So, she did just that. As the guard went to trigger the taser, she remained still, not backing off until the last moment. As soon as the barbs were out, she dodged, and ducked under the man. 

 

As the momentum carried her, she elbowed him in the groin, and went into a tuck, rolling behind him. The man let out a pained grunt and the taser was thrown up into the air. Although the other two guards were just about to attack her, she decided to still focus on the man in front of her. As he was already leaning forward in pain, she simply let gravity help her do her job as she kicked him in the back. 

 

She saw the guards out of the corner of her eye, and practically rode the falling man like a surfboard, as she ran on top of him to grab the taser. This time, he let out a scream as something… Cracked. The two still standing looked a bit more terrified now.  Perfect. 

She grabbed the taser, which was still powered on, and ran towards the two still standing. As soon as she got close enough, she swung the gun like it was a bat, letting the hooks scratch the faces of the attackers. It wasn’t enough to fully stop them from attacking, but it was good enough.

As she went to elbow one of the guards in the jaw, she noticed Adohira casually walking past the fight.

"What is it now?!" Iidabashi yelled down the hallway as the fight continued. Despite his obvious anger… He remained as far away as he could, while still being heard, "This whole fiasco has already shaved years off of my life! How are you three so bad at something you are paid to do? And YOU! Endo! Why aren’t you apprehending her?!” 

 

They said once they were far enough away from the fight-zone. “Oh, I think your age is catching up to you, if your memory is this bad- because last time I checked, that wasn’t in my job description.” 

 

"Don't get so cocky, Endo." He glared, "Explain all of this, right now.”

“I think it explains itself, doesn’t it?” They replied, looking back at the scene. Only one guard was left standing now. It was clear who was winning… Although Maki was looking a bit rough at this point. They looked back and said, “Your guards are getting their ass kicked right now.”

“ Endo. I think you are wiser to know not to toy with me .”

The malice in his voice was earth shattering. They gulped, and looked away, “DICE planned another  infiltration. This is one of the escapees.”

“Just one of them?” Iidabashi asked, getting closer to them, “Where are the rest of them, Endo? And why did you bring just this one? You’re not protecting them, are you?” 

 

"That's the extent of information I know. What more do you want?" They crossed their arms, "What about this? They're planning a retreat by boat to allies in Novoselic. If you doubt me, check the south docks. Mazu's ship is right there.” 

 

“You didn’t answer my question.”

“I don’t know, okay? And no, I’m not protecting them. I don’t care about any of those stupid little shits.” 

 

"If that's true... Then why are you still wearing this?” He said as he reached towards their face, and took off the mask. They let out a soft gasp, which they very quickly replaced with a stern expression. Almost as if to just get a reaction out of them, he dropped the mask to the ground, and hovered his foot over it. It took every ounce of their energy not to react. And then, just like that, it was crushed into a hundred tiny shards. He continued, after taking stock of their reaction, “And where is your badge?” 

 

"I left it in my office." They replied stoically, "Now, are you going to continue to interrogate me, or are you going to let me do my job? I don't know if you noticed, but Tsumugi has gone entirely off her planned script; Kokichi is still screwing with the systems, and based on the dozens of texts I've been getting, all the other departments are falling apart too. So, are you going to do your job and be a big strong leader, or continue freaking out over what one group of clowns- no , a single clown, is doing?" 

 

He took a breath and looked over at the scene. All of the guards were on the ground, and Maki was propped up against the wall in pure exhaustion. He thought for a second before he simply said, "Fine, go on then. But if I find out that you're lying to me on this one... You know what'll happen. I’m not afraid of getting rid of every single member of DICE, reformed, or not.” 

 

He began to walk away, but before he fully left, he said, “Deal with the escapee for me, will you? I have more pressing matters to attend to.” 

 

Once Iidabashi was gone… They picked up the pieces of the mask that had been crushed by the man, and hid them in their jacket pocket. Walking past the fallen guards, and Maki, they didn’t bother to help any of them. It wouldn’t make much of a difference either way. 

 

After today, this wouldn’t be their job anymore. 

 

~*~

Despite what they were thinking that staircase wasn't simply a shortcut to the floor below... No. It was four flights of stairs, adorned with silly streamers and origami cranes strung together with red string. Every few floors or so, there'd be a childish drawing or two slapped to the wall with duct tape. The room had gathered a lot of dust over the years, though. The handrails were caked with it, and some of the cranes had begun to fall from their stringed nests, making their new homes on the floor. It was a strange sight compared to the sterile scenery that had been their homes over the past few months. 

 

 By the time the quartet reached the door, they were all exhausted. Exercise like this hadn't been something that any of them were really prepared for, after spending months of it with their muscles atrophying. As Gonta reached for the door handle, Rantaro was able to notice a flash of yellow on the palm of his hand. He couldn't get a good enough look at it before he closed his fist around the handle and opened the door. He couldn't help but ask, "Uh... Gonta, what's on your hand?" 

 

"Ah... Gonta should not spoil the surprise. It made Benko very happy!" 

 

"I don't trust surprises coming from you anymore, full offense." Miu scoffed, crossing her arms. The following silence was potent, and quietly interrupted by a soft apology from Gonta, that was ignored. With a bit of a self-satisfied laugh she said, "Guessing Benko is another murder weapon, huh?" 

 

"No. She's one of the DICE members who came to help with the escape." Kaede explained, trying her best to ease the tension. "She's just a kid though, so play nice, okay?"

 

"Who'd'ya think I am? I'm the best with kids!"

 

“I’m not sure if I believe that…” She replied, “You’re not exactly what I’d call, family friendly?”

“Family friendly?! Who the fuck cares about something like that?! My kid’s going to be raised with the freedom to say whatever shit they want, no matter what y’all think.” 

“And… That’s exactly my point.”

The storage room that they found themselves in was a bit strange, to say the least. It was littered with everything from toys to technology, art supplies, and even housed the remnants of a few fireworks. Under one of the tables seemed to be an old fort, made out of blankets and chairs. Inside was a collection of drawings, and markers still open and scattered about, and a few stuffed animals all happily gathered. 

 

The four of them made their way out of the strange room, and into the deserted floor, and looked around. The lights were all off, and the doors were all closed, one of which seemed to be completely blown off its hinges.  From a sign they were able to gather that they were in a technology department, but much like everything else they passed by, it didn't seem to have been used in a long while. 

 

They could hear the soft voices of their friends and followed it. Over in a corner was the rest of the group, all huddled together over what looked like a map. Standing proudly next to it, pointing down at all the little details with a twig was a child. One that barely was as tall as the majority of them crouching. 

 

Like the previous stranger who had seemingly helped them, this kid was wearing a clown mask as well. It didn't seem to quite fit her entirely, though, as it wobbled and ruffled the messy sunset orange hair that peeked out from her pilot hat as she happily talked to the teens. However, the two had been clearly wearing different outfits. Firstly, this kid had a bright aquamarine scarf around her neck that stood out from miles away and wore the silliest checkerboard suspenders that stuck out from her all-black outfit like a sore thumb.

 

With closer inspection though, it was clear that it was some kind of uniform. On the buttons the suspenders were attached to were the DICE logos, imperfectly hand printed on there.  It bared some similarities to Kokichi's outfit but lacked the same... intensity, so to speak. There was nothing about it that screamed "straitjacket', more so just 'clown at a metal concert'. 

 

"So, this is where the party is, huh?" Rantaro said with a bit of a nervous chuckle, "What's going on?" 

 

The child instantly jumped when she heard his voice, and wildly looked off to the sides to find him. However, that didn't work out quite so well considering the mask was barely hanging on her skull to begin with, so with a flip of her head it had already flown right off and smacked into the wall. She blinked at it, and very quickly laughed it off, and tried to cover it up with a cheerful set of jazz hands, "...Tada! I, um... Meant to do that!" 

 

That nervousness lasted for a few brief moments, though. In a flash, she scooped up the mask, dusted it off- and before anyone could so much as blink- she was a few steps away from the newly gathered group. She greeted them with an incredibly cheerful, "Raimu! Miu! You're okay! I’m so glad, I missed you guys so much!” 

 

Her bright yellow eyes shone almost as brightly as her smile as those words escaped through a thick and hard-to-place accent. Out of habit, she bounced towards Rantaro, and threw out her arms for a hug... But awkwardly froze in place as soon as she saw his confused hesitation. She stared up at him for a few moments patiently, before she tugged on the earflap of her hat and asked, "Do... You still remember me?" 

 

Those words were enough to shake him to his core. 

 

All this time he had wondered just how many of his memories had been lost. No matter how much he tried to remember the faces, or names of his stepsiblings, they'd wriggle from his grasp, and he'd end up with a migraine. Years of his life were taken in a flash, and all that he really had to go off of was vague recollections, and the words of others. It was terrifying. 

 

He wasn't sure if he really ever did have any relation with this kid, but he knew by the nickname, that he probably did.  And, chances were, since he was apparently close to Kokichi in his past life, he would've been close to most of DICE, too. He'd never be able to live with himself if he had just let one of his siblings go through any of this alone, so he knew what he had to do. 

 

"O-Of course I do, Benko." He lied, and her eyes lit up in response. All at once, his muscles worked like clockwork, going back into muscle memory he hadn't relied on in what felt like years. Kneeling down to her level he held out his arms, and asked, "Still want that hug?" 

 

The little girl gasped, nodded, and very quickly ran over and jumped into his arms. She clung onto him like a lifeline, and he held her close, making sure she knew he wouldn't let her go. His mind flooded with memories of flowery fields, hide and seek games, and old paper airplane races, and although it gave him a migraine- he fought as hard as he could to keep those memories flowing. 

 

"I wasn't sure I'd ever see you again." She mumbled into his shoulder, which was about to be soaked with tears in any minute, before she continued, "Most of DICE is gone now... And- And I've been trying so hard to follow what we were supposed to, but it’s so much scarier than I thought! It's only me, Bird and Lasker left!” 

 

"Shhh, it's okay. I'm here now, alright? You aren't alone." He softly pat the back of her head as he held her close. Everything she was saying was concerning, but he'd leave the questions for later, once they were out of this place, and safe, "It's all going to be okay now… And I’m so proud of you for getting this far.” 

 

He calmly reassured the crying child, as the others in the room continued to go over the plan. He only managed to catch onto bits and pieces of it, but it was more than enough for him to feel confident in it. The badge they had been given was for an elevator nearby, and all they needed to do was  sneak their way down. From there, they had a clean shot to the boat waiting for them. After a minute or two, Benko had finally calmed down. With a smile she quietly thanked him and let go.

 

Confused, Rantaro asked, "For what?" 

 

"Pretending." She sniffled and wiped away the rest of her tears on her scarf, "I know you don't really remember much...  It's an effect-side of the game. But I feel less scared now, knowing that you're still the same old Raimu as before." 

Those words crushed him. But just as if none of that had even happened, her demeanor flipped, "That just means I get to introduce myself to the two of you a second time!" 

 

With more enthusiasm than what should've been capable in that small of a body, the child put the oversized mask right back on her face and reached into her pockets- beginning to giggle quietly to herself. After a few moments of awkward fiddling, she stuck both her hands out to shake at the same time, and said, "Well... It's nice to re-meet you both! I'm not allowed to say my real name in this building, but my code name is Benko! Welcome to the team!"

 

"Yeah... Nice to meet you- ...What the?" Miu muttered as she felt something stick to her hand. In an instant, she turned her palm to face her, only to see the same bright yellow circle as Gonta had.  And by the looks of it...

Her eyes scanned the room, only to see that everyone gathered around had a smiley face sticker somewhere on their hand, arm, or face, all thanks to Benko- who looked absolutely delighted by that fact. 

 

"Hahaha! I got you guys!" She beamed brightly, "Everyone always falls for the sticker in the hand trick!"

 

"They do, huh? Well, I think we're in the right hands, then." He replied with a smile, and ruffled Benko's hair the best he could with the hat, "Now, let's get focused up. We only have one chance to get this right, after all.”

 

~*~

“First order of business, Shuichi, get the hell out of the Exisal!” Tsumugi ordered, glaring up at the death machine. 

 

"Excuse me?”

 

“You heard me. Get out of the Exisal.” 

 

"I don't know if you remember, but it's been a little hard to walk lately on account of the fact that... I don't know. You broke my leg? " He spat, “And I’m not going to give control of a killing machine to someone who tried to kill me not even an hour ago.” 

 

"Listen to me, I'm not the one who scouted out Ultimate's, the one who interviewed you, or the one who signed your paperwork. I'm just the person who got roped into keeping this shit show on track, which right now, has been growing wings and is currently flying right into the sun.” She sneered before continuing, "I'm not going to kill any of you with the Exisal. That'd be a terrible ending, and nobody wants to see a repeated execution. All I'm going to do is what you were trying to accomplish. We'll swap places, and we can just continue on like none of this happened, without the overcomplicated 'who's who' bullshit, okay? We’ve done that way too much lately. It’s getting exhausting.” 

“I’m still not convinced working with you is a good idea.”

"Ever heard the law of equivalent exchange? If you want to obtain or create something, you’ll have to lose or destroy something equally valuable. In this case, if you want me to lose, you’re going to have to suck it up and work with me here.” She said, crossing her arms at the machine. Rather cockily, she added, "Yeah, surprise, dingus. The Mastermind isn't supposed to win! This whole game is built to support the idea of hope triumphing over despair! But that won’t happen if I don’t understand what’s going on.” 

“You… You actually want to help us?” Himiko asked a bit surprised, “And… You’re going to lose?”


“Yeah. That’s the whole point of these games.” She replied, “To show the world how wonderful the world can be even in the darkest situations, or yadda yadda.” 

 

 

“Wait, hold on Himiko.” He said as he opened the hatch of the Exisal up to look at the two of them face to face, “Aren’t you just helping yourself? You just want us to help you do your job for you.” 

 

“Uh, duh? I thought I said that already.” She pinched the bridge off her nose as she muttered to herself, “ God, how are you a Kirigiri …” 

 

She continued once more, “But by helping me, you’re doing yourself a favor. Want to know what made this little bot snap? This contract, the same exact thing that all of you have signed. And let me reiterate, if you break it, not even plot armor, or a conveniently placed Deus Ex Machina can save you.” 

 

“I’m not afraid of them… With everything I’ve been through in this game?” He let out a harsh laugh, “I doubt they could put me through a worse hell.” 

 

“Maybe not you, but they could torture the people you care about the most. Like your Uncle, for example.” Tsumugi’s voice felt far more threatening,, “I know you never saw your motive video, but I think you should know… The Future Foundation has his whole routine down. They know his favorite spots to eat, where he gets his coffee from every morning, and exactly which apartment the two of you live in. 783A, correct?”

Shuichi paled. 

“And Himiko, you care about your mom, don’t you? And the man who taught you all your magic tricks?” She asked, now turning to the smaller girl, “The Future Foundation would be more than willing to kill both of them. It’s easy to fake an accident onstage, after all. All you need to do is switch out a prop for the real thing.” 

 

Himiko froze. “Y-You wouldn’t…”

“Oh, no, I wouldn’t. But, they do have a whole department dedicated to… Taking care of loose ends, so to speak.”

 

And just like that, they were putty in her hands. And how could they not be? They had no choice but to take Tsumugi at her word. 

 

Shuichi lowered the Exisal to the floor, and began to crawl out of it. It was a rough landing, to say the least, but Himiko helped him back to his stand.  As soon as all was said and done, she spoke up one last time. 

“Now, tell me what your plan is, and we can wake up the robot… And then finally, we’ll be done with this shitshow of an experience.” 

 

 ~*~

 

Iidabashi sped down the hallway as he got closer to the right office. On the Future Foundation’s very top floor, there was an office that belonged to a very prominent member of the Foundation. It overlooked the entirety of Nozomi, looming over it protectively and guarding it, just as one would hope. The woman who owned the office was Ayumi Towa, the leader of the Second Branch. A woman Iidabashi knew far too well, and absolutely despised. 

 

 This woman- this living incarnation of despair and all of society’s ills-  still happily held her place of leadership in the Foundation, and in KASO Industries, formally named the Towa Group. It was truly telling that the woman would change the name of a company so revered to something so negative, simply because her child had suggested it. 

 

She was far too cocky for her own good, which was clearly a quality her son inherited. Always questioning the Foundation’s true goals, questioning his orders, and always with that disgraceful smile on her face. And here she was doing nothing, absolutely nothing, as everything they worked for had begun to crumble at their feet. 

He didn’t even bother to knock, just swinging open the door and marching inside.

“Oh, Iidabashi.” She replied without looking up,  “ To what do I owe the pleasure?”

“Do not act so casually, you know this is not the time for small talk! Why haven’t you been answering your phone?!” He seethed and she simply shook her head like it was a trivial matter. That only made his anger bubble more.  “You have so much explaining to do. I… I cannot help but question your loyalty to the Future Foundation if this is how you are reacting to an attack like… THIS! The participants are escaping, our information is being leaked to the public, and I have heard rumors that his code will likely destroy our programs entirely!” 

“It’s just a childish rebellion. It’s nothing to worry about.” 

“A childish rebellion? A childish rebellion- This is treason! Terrorism! Conspiracy!” He shouted, “We have worked far too hard to restore the world’s confidence and trust in the Future Foundation for it to fall to something like this!” 

“Are you actually afraid of him?” She asked with a bit of a knowing smirk. That expression he absolutely loathed. “That’s almost comical. If we truly are an organization for the people, then nothing he reveals or does will backfire on us. If it does, then we just need to change our tactics. Either way, it helps us and the world more in the long run.” 

 

Those words… Infuriated him. It was almost like the energy in the room shifted entirely, the air turning to knives directed straight towards her throat. He carried forward, but she didn’t do so much as flinch. Just… Stared him down. Challenging him. Neither were going to back down. She put her jacket on, and crossed her arms across her chest.

“And is it so ridiculous to be afraid of a terrorist?” He asked, his words pointed like a spear, “Your son… Is far more dangerous than Junko Enoshima ever was. I can only fear the damage this so called ‘childish rebellion’ has caused. Now, I need you to do your job, and help me fix this disaster before it ends everything.”

“Actually, I handle day to day matters- not whatever this is. YOU’RE the head of the Future Foundation, aren’t you? Go and fix it yourself.”

She tried to walk past him, but he grabbed her shoulder, tight. He wasn’t going to let her think she won. His voice was grave, “If you leave right now, I hope you know the history books will write your name in the same line as your sons’. We may be friends, but if you are even considering assisting that despair in any way, even by simply remaining docile, I will not hesitate to wipe everyone carrying your name off this planet in the name of a better tomorrow.”


“Don’t you dare touch me.” She turned around viciously, grabbing his wrist tightly, shoving him away from her as hard as she could. He smacked into the desk behind him, staring up at her with wide eyes, “I’m sorry to inform you, but your fear tactics don’t work on me. I’ve known you long enough to see just how deep  your cowardice runs, and you should know by now that I don’t back down so easily. You know that you’re nothing without me.” 

She turned, and walked to the door. Once she was at it, she stopped, turned and said, “ ….And for the record?  I am doing something about this situation. Feel free to join the adults at the press conference regarding my sons actions, once you’re done throwing your temper tantrum.” 

She left without another word, and Iidabashi saw red. 

 

Oh, she’d pay. For crossing him, for crossing the Future Foundation, and the world. As soon as the simulation ended… They’d all pay.

In the meantime, though, he had no desire to spend time with that monster in a press conference. No. Instead, he’d combat it right at the source. He’d change everyone’s minds in the game itself. 

~*~

 

Although not everyone had decided to tag along for the sake of freedom; a good majority had tagged along either out of curiosity, or to help assist the few who wanted to leave. It was only to be expected after they had spent so long together. Only one still remained in the communal living space, Ryoma, yet he still assisted all he could from afar; despite believing that this was all for nothing. 

Kaito and Tenko had caught up just in the nick of time, though Kaito wasn’t planning on fully escaping. Once everyone else was out, he’d go back for Maki, and for the others. Someone had to protect them, after all. He wasn’t going to leave until everyone could, and that was a sacrifice he was willing to make.

As they used the keycard on the elevator, and gathered inside, it was a bit crowded. The elevator was fast enough not for it to be too much of an issue, though. By the time that they were halfway down, the communicator in Rantaro’s hands had crackled to life once more. 

“Checking, checking, one two three! Can you hear me?”

“Ko!”

“Pip?” His voice dropped with of all things, concern. It was a strange tone to hear painting his words, but it quickly turned into something much more familiar. Panic. Thinly veiled, and palpable, as he said, “No … No no no no. You were supposed to stay back on this mission. And why isn’t this communicator with Iidabashi?”

“Oops… Sorry. Ahaha. I think that was my fault. I… Accidentally kept it.”

“Rai… ntaro.” He corrected himself hesitantly, sounding almost… professional, as he said it. Yet again, it almost seemed like they were dealing with an entirely different Kokichi, entirely. At the very least, a different side to the villainous clown they had gotten to know. It was enough to change the defensive expression on some of their faces,  “It’s fine. I said what I needed to… Lasker? Bird? Pirc? Are any of them around?” 

 

“Um… Just me!” She replied with a bit of a squeak, “Bird is upstairs with a few of the others from the game, taking care of the problem with uhhh… The weird old guy! And Lasker is outside!”

“Oh god.” His words came out shaky, and Benko could do little more than wither at the reaction. He took a deep breath, steadying himself, before he said once more, “What about the others? Pip, where are they?”

She didn’t answer. The group looked around at one another. Miu put a hand on the kid’s shoulder, reassuringly. Though, not without giving a glare to everyone who looked surprised by that empathetic response. After a few moments of thinking, Kokichi finally spoke once more. His voice was far colder as he said, “Abort the mission.”

“Why?”

“Don’t ask why, don’t argue, just… Leave it alone, okay?” He sounded pained, and changed the subject fast, “All of you can try and escape if you want, but it’s likely a bit dangerous. Without extra support from DICE, you’d need a miracle to actually get somewhere where you wouldn’t be recognized, or taken back by a Future Foundation member.” 

“But… We’re so close! We’re almost out of here! We just go on the boat for a little, and then all it’ll take is one plane trip and everyone’s safe!”

“I don’t care how close you are, the consequences aren’t worth it. What if you get captured too, huh? Do you really want to spend the rest of your life as a lab rat for a sadistic empire?! To never be able to live a normal life again?! To never see anyone you love ever again just because of a miscalculation of mine  you bet on?!” His voice raised with grief and fear, filling the entire elevator with his yelling. He seemed to realize just how heated he was getting, and took a shaky breath to calm himself down. Again, he continued, “...No. You don’t, Pip. And even if you think you do… You don’t. Just… Go home. This is a direct order from your leader… And your brother. Go home.” 

 

“But I got in here all by myself! I snuck in without even Bird’s help! I can keep them safe! Why… Why don’t you trust me?!”

“Oh my god, we’re not having this argument right now, Pip. It’s not that I don’t trust you it’s-”

 

“What is it then?! You never let me come on missions!”

“Because you’re a KID, okay?! You shouldn’t have to take these risks!” 

 

The two began to spiral into an argument, Benko even going as far as grabbing the receiver from Rantaro’s hands and yelling into it; as if it’d make a difference. The whole elevator was torn on what the best course of action was. At this point, anyone near the elevators could hear the fight. But just remembering how hard it was to get Kokichi to stop during the games, and having an actual child on top of it all… It was a headache and a half. 

 

Luckily, Rantaro knew a thing or two about headaches.

 

“Hey, hey, hey! I think both of you need to take a step back for a second, and take some deep breaths.” He eased, putting a hand on Benko’s shoulder. This situation felt familiar, and he was lucky that he had an idea on how to deal with it. It was an issue of communication, so they just needed a little help. He continued, “We’ve known just how slim the chance is going into this. But… I think I can speak for everyone, and say that we’re not going to let it fail. We’ll make sure she’s safe, and get out of here.” 

 

“I think that we have adequate personnel to make sure this plan is successful, as well.” Kirumi spoke up, “Perhaps our skills aren’t as well equipped to a situation like this as we’d like, but, I believe if we work together we can manage it.” 

 

“Yeah! This will just be our final test!” Kaede agreed looking around at the others, “And this time, we won’t have to deal with random bombs, or trap doors… Or, whatever that thing was… We won’t let it get us down!”

 

“And Gonta will not let anything happen to the little Benko!” 

 

“If it helps, you can think of us as your temporary DICE!” Kaito said with a friendly tone that Kokichi had never thought would be directed towards him ever again, “With all of our talents combined, there’s no way we won’t make it out of here!” 

 

“Temporary… DICE.” His voice was slow as he said those words, like he had never heard either of them in his life. This whole moment seemed far more like a dream than anything that could constitute reality. Part of him worried it was just a painful trick, a gag, a lie… But he wanted to believe it was true. As he finally processed his statement, he said in a hushed tone, “You’re… All… Willing to… help? Y-You actually… Trust? Me? … Why..?” 

“You are a lesser of two evils.” Korekiyo replied easily, “Anyone with half a cell in their brain would take an opportunity like this. It’s human nature.”

 

“And… I don’t really think it’s fair anyways to judge your character entirely on how you acted during the game.” Rantaro added, “We all made our fair share of mistakes. And, although most of us are going to be dealing with some painful trauma for the rest of our lives… That wasn’t the real you. I mean, we all saw enough of your ‘effigy talks’ to know that.” 

 

“W-What?” He barely squeaked out, “T… No, haha, that’s… I have noooooo idea what you’re talking about! What’s an effigy? Who’s Rantaro?” 

“Hey, you’re not getting out of this one that easily!” Miu chimed in with a bit of a grin. All of them could practically imagine the look on Kokichi’s face right about now as he rambled, stuttered, lied and raved to find a way out of this situation. She let out a little laugh and said, “Nobody in this elevator even said who it was of.” 

 

“Shut up!” He sputtered once more before he finally accepted that he had lost the battle. There were some situations where the truth was impossible to combat with lies, no matter how much you wanted to hide it. Mumbling, he said, “I… Please don’t say you guys saw everything I said to it…”

“Oh, I did!” Miu laughed evilly and spoke in a tone only sadistic masterminds could, “Yknow, people have made compilations of all the times you talked to that thing. It was a really popular part in the show, actually. … And, as soon as I found out about them? Oh, I made everybody watch them.” 

 

“W-What?!” He yelped, “That’s- That’s unfair!” 

 

“Unfair? No. Not at all!” She shook her head, “Karma’s a bitch, but I’m so much worse! You kill me, I kill your reputation! We know everything about you now.”

“Oh god, this is my legacy.” He whispered, “Oh wow, look at the time! Hah….Ha… Ha. Anywho! If you’re all so dead set on this, I can’t stop you. I think I can cause a good enough distraction if I can just get the original Forced Shutdown Sequence right. I haven’t been able to find it, but that should change things up.”

“You mean like the one in the Neo World Program?” Miu asked, “What’s that got to do with anything?” 

 

“It’s what this whole plan hinges on at this point. It breaks the whole pattern Team Danganronpa set out, and will hopefully remind some people watching that there’s real people behind these games. Getting rid of the whole memory overriding process… I think it should snap some sense into people!” 

 

“The… What?”

“It’s too much to explain right now, but I promise it won’t hurt anyone. In fact… It’s probably a bit better in the long run. Less therapy needed.” 

 

“If you’re sure its safe, then just use the script I made to kill you. Isn’t that still in there?”


“You think that’d work…?”


“Yeah, dingaling, it’s just Neo World Program’s shutdown string given to a different object; with edited properties.” She explained, “If you just apply it to something else in the simulation, it’ll probably do the same exact thing. I used it as a baseline.”

“Huh… That might just work.” He hummed, “I’ll give it a shot… And, I’ll leave you all be. Just… Please, keep Pip safe. I can’t lose anyone else to this Foundation… I’d never forgive myself. And… Thank you for trusting me. You… Really have no idea how much this means to me to know I… Didn’t ruin everything for once. I won’t let any of you down.”

Kokichi’s voice sounded a bit distant as he said his final words, “And Pip? Stay safe, and good luck!” 

 

The receiver crackled a little before it was finally powered down. Benko hugged the receiver tightly, as the elevator finally reached it’s destination. The basement. 

~*~

 

When they awoke, the room was in chaos. Yelling. An argument, if they’d have to guess. The patterned floor was all they could see in front of themself. Slowly they looked off to their side, and noticed Himiko was knelt beside them. And Shuichi… Was back at his stand, sitting on the ledge of it. Trying their best, they pushed up against the floor to stand, fighting against gravity. It was a battle to even process their situation. 

They always felt sluggish and weaker after someone used their… Wait. 

 

They felt their every servo motor freeze. That was no accident. Electricity and fear shocked their wires to life, and they shot up without another moments notice. Clumsily, they got up their feet, and took a couple fearful steps away from Himiko.

“How did you know about that?” They sputtered, looking around the room for anyone who could answer their questions, “I-I only told Kokichi about that button?” 

They reached a shaky hand to the back of their neck, as their eyes darted around the room. It was then when they noticed the Exisal. It was no longer in attack mode, thankfully, that wasn’t the part they were the most focused on. 

Had Kokichi told them about it? When would that have happened? After they had spilled their heart to him… Or, no, Kaede had known about that too, maybe it was her? What if Iidabashi had told them all going into the game?


No, no, no, no, it was not the time to think about him. That was impossible, and illogical. Iidabashi wasn’t there, he couldn’t hurt them, he couldn’t hurt them, he couldn’t hurt them-

 

Yet. 

“I-I’m sorry, I had to. I just… I couldn’t let us both die.” Shuichi (?) tried to explain. Now he had something on his leg, a splint, made from Kaito’s jacket. But that made no sense, the Shuichi in the Exisal was the one that had that on his leg. They helped make it for him! Their mind flurried with the grating voices of the audience. 

(What’s going on? Wait… Are they going to reveal that Shuichi had a twin all along?-Kill him again! He’s the game’s Junko!- Mastermind!- Shuichi should die!- I wish they’d bring Kokichi back!- I can’t wait for the next season!- Where’s the execution? This is boring!- Kill Shuichi! )

 

They couldn’t make the voices stop. Apparently the others around them were talking, but they couldn’t care less. It took everything out of them to keep themself still. Yet…They felt the order ebb in their mind. A horrible, sickening feeling washed over them. It… Wasn’t going to end well. The audience wasn’t going to let it go, were they?


At least, that’s what they thought. As they forced themself down to their knees, stalling the inevitable as much as they could, it all went silent. A different voice, this time much calmer, spoke. 

 

(“It’s going to be alright, Kiiboy, I promise. Just listen to the sound of my voice. Can you do that for me?” )

 

It was Kokichi. Oh god, they were going insane. They had proven something incredibly divisive in the scientific community today, albeit accidentally, that yes, an AI could be driven to insanity. 

 

(“Don’t be dramatic, Kiiboy! I just hijacked the communicator. It’s a good thing I got here in time, huh? I was just going to tell you about the new shutdown, but jeez, buddy. Need to talk through it real quick? I’m all ears.“ )

 

They weren’t sure which was more terrifying now. If they truly had lost all sense of reality, or that Kokichi was somehow out there, listening to their thoughts, and talking back to them. 

(“ Hey, that’s mean! You know, maybe I’ll just go if don’t want me bouncing around in your head!” )

 

“No, no, please stay!” They replied quickly. The others looked at them as if they were crazy, and they did not blame them a single bit. Nothing about this situation was normal. They were still questioning whether or not they were just glitching at this point. 

 

(“Pfft! That’s what I thought! You like me too much to get rid of me!~” The voice teased, “And, you’re too fun to bother for me to leave that easily. Now… You ready for your mandatory pep talk?” )

 

(“You better listen cuz you’re only getting this once! I’ve got to keep my image, after all.” The voice giggled, “Kiiboy, you’ve got this in the bag! All you need to do is believe in yourself… as cheesy as that sounds. And you should know me well enough by now to know I wouldn’t say that to anyone! Shuichi? He’d be fucked. Himiko? She can’t argue her way out of a paper bag. But you? You’re the only person here with enough guts, metallic or not, to face the truth head on, and to take risks. …You’re a leader Kiiboy, and right now, everyone there needs one.” )

That… Actually helped. They could feel their systems begin to slow down a bit, no longer were they overclocking, as their focus finally returned on the situation ahead. They could see the look of fear on both Himiko’s and Shuichi’s face; and Tsumugi peering out from the head of the Exisal. They seemed to be debating something…

 

(“There you go. I’ll stay here, just in case… There’s not much left for me to do, anyways.” )

 

He was… Staying. They wouldn’t have to worry about the audience anymore. It was… Comforting. Now, they finally caught onto the conversation. 

 

“Well, it was either that, or getting smooshed.” Tsumugi said, “How was I supposed to know it’d scare them?”

So, they weren’t misunderstanding the situation. They had simply swapped places while they were turned off… It made sense now. Although they couldn’t understand why the others would do something like that, especially without telling them, they were sure there had to be a reason for it. 

 

“I am sorry if I scared any of you, that was not my intention.” They apologized, standing to their feet, slowly. Everyone turned to them, as they began to walk back to their trial stand, “I am alright now, I simply needed a few moments to calm down. Now that we have everyone I think we can continue with the trial, correct…?” 

“Are you sure you’re okay?” Himiko asked, still seeming a bit scared of them, “I’m sorry if I spooked you… I was just trying to wake you up!”

“It… Is alright. I think that it was for the best that it was used.” They said, “I was acting irrationally. Just please, warn me ahead of time if it ever has to be used again.”

They reached their trial stand, and Tsumugi began to speak.

“Now… Since Monokuma’s dead, we’ll have to play this game a little differently. On your Monopads you’ll get a voting screen. This time, you get to vote on who gets executed. The two with the least amount of votes will survive, while the two with the most will… Actually, I think you get the point.” 

The two others already began to take out their Monopads, but… Something didn’t feel right to Kiibo. There were far too many lose ends at this point. None of them knew what was awaiting them outside… And, from what they were able to tell, the world itself didn’t know the extent that the Future Foundation had done.  “Actually, first, can we talk through all of this first?” 

“Seriously? First you want to vote, then you want to talk? Make up your mind!” 

“I mean, there is still so much that does not line up, and so many more questions that have been left unanswered.” They explained, “ We know that this game is a part of the Neo World Program, so does that make us despairs? And the game itself… All we know is that it is a show called Danganronpa. We do not know why we are in it. Is it really a good idea to head back without figuring out all of that first?”

“That’s true…” Shuichi gave a nod, “I would rather understand what we’ll be facing before we have to leave…”

“You’re all getting on my last nerves.” She muttered, “Okay, fine, then. Go ahead and discuss, I can’t stop you. Just make it quick.” 

 

“Let’s just start out with what we know… We know that it’s a  simulation based off of the Neo World Program using something called the KASO systems.” Shuichi began, looking over to Kiibo, “And, I think we can confidently assume that the Future Foundation were the ones who were behind it.”

“And uh, Kiibo’s dad is the main person in charge, right? The one we talked to!”

“Talked to?” Tsumugi’s voice twinged with fear, “Haha… Yeah, I don’t think that’s important.  Why don’t we go back to talking about the Future Foundation?” 

“No, she is right. He at the very least has some connection to this game, as much as I hate to admit.” They said with a frown, “It would have been difficult to put me into the game otherwise. And considering how many features that I have that were either created for this game, or used by Monokuma, it is impossible to say that he is not at least complicit. And considering our conversation, I know he is much more than that.” 

“And he was scary… He’d totally make a killing game!” 

“Okay, seriously, let’s talk about something else.” Tsumugi said through gritted teeth. Seeing the way that she began to panic almost guaranteed that they were on the right track. So they began to push further on that part. 

 

“Either way, the Future Foundation is the one responsible for making these games. I think that leaves us with only two possibilities, then.” He tapped his chin, “Either this whole game is some kind of messed up therapy program for despairs, like what the Neo Program ended up being… Or, this is just a game that tortures people for the sake of entertainment for the outside world. Either way, it’s a show that the world is watching, to get some kind of enjoyment out of it.” 

 

“Uh, voting time! Why don’t we just vote? Let’s just get out of here! Don’t you all want to see your friends?” 

 

“...Then it’s gotta be the second one, right?” Himiko looked over to Shuichi to take over from there, but he seemed a bit surprised by how fast she had come up with that answer. After a few beats of silence, she continued, “Cuz… Jabberwock is a place for despairs, and traitors, isn’t it? So why’d they try and rehabilitate them and then throw them out?”

“You’re right!” Shuichi’s eyes lit up, “That’s what the textbook said… And, it was written by the Future Foundation… And, uh, what’s his name… Iidabashi? He confirmed it too, didn’t he?”

“And, the contracts.” Kiibo spoke up, “All of us signed them, and made deals with the Future Foundation to join the game, which proves that we were not despairs or anything of the sort …But why would we do that? I still have not been able to figure out that part.” 

“I think they provided money, or something… At least, that’s what I can remember.” Shuichi admitted, “Either way, as long as they were given a good enough reason, I’m sure just about anyone would join. And… If this whole thing is a show made by the Future Foundation, I’m sure it’s popular.” 

“Yeah! That’s just it- It’s a very popular show! And why wouldn’t someone want to join with a cash prize like that, and the Special Danganronpa Lifetime Guarantee that sets up a participant for life! Actually, all of this is totally worth it! You’re all very lucky for this opportunity, really!”

“...Why do you look so scared?”

“S-Scared?! I’m the Mastermind. I don’t feel fear, I invent it!” She forced a laugh, “Aha…ha… Okay, I think you’ve gotten to the bottom of it all! Congratulations! Now, let’s start the vote, shall we?”

“No.” Kiibo’s voice practically boomed as they slammed their hands on their own stand, “We may know that much, but we don’t know why the game actually exists, or why we in particular  joined it.”

“Because you all wanted it! Do you want me to show you the interview videos, because I… Can’t. Great. I don’t have my Monopad, fuck.” She muttered, “Whatever. The games exist because the world loves them. You all joined because you wanted to. It’s simple.” 

“Then why did Kokichi join?” They asked without another thought, “DICE… It was against killing. And, I am almost entirely sure based on the role he has played in the game, that his purpose in the game was meant to paint him in a negative light. So, I am sure that he and DICE been a threat to the Future Foundation in some kind of way. And… Knowing him, was either forced into this game, or he made a deal for the safety of his group. Either way, I cannot believe that he would do anything like this willingly, knowing how much he has fought to stop it.” 

 

“Yeah… That’s what one of the files on Tsumugi’s computer said.” Shuichi nodded, “I mean, not the deal part, but… It definitely was intentional. He was supposed to be kept from working with people.  And… Wait, right! He attacked the systems… He is a threat to the Future Foundation.” 

 

“Have either of you heard of something called PRIVACY!?” She snapped, “Wait… He what?!”

“I don’t know the details, but, apparently there’s a virus in the simulation of some kind. He’s still messing with the systems.”

“Oh my god.” She muttered and her face contorted with worry, “Hahaha…  It’s not a threat in the slightest! That’s just, uh, fabricated information from a fabricated document! The Future Foundation would never allow a game to continue under conditions like this, rest assured.”

“No, I’m pretty sure it was real. I talked about it with a Future Foundation employee.” Shuichi blinked, “Ado? I think that was the screen name.”

“Never heard of them!” She yelped, “Okay, let’s vote! Time to vote! Voting time! Voting… Voting… Oh god. Okay, which one of you MOTHERFUCKERS HAS MY MONOPAD?! It was cute at first, but this is getting way out of hand! You guys have absolutely no idea what you’re getting into-”

She cut herself off, staring out into the distance, terror in her eyes. The others slowly traced her gaze to the monitor above them, which showed a man who none of them were prepared to face again. In an incredibly false friendly tone which hid daggers in every syllable, he spoke, “Oh, relax, Shirogane. If they would like answers from the Future Foundation, then we should give it to them. That’s our job after all, isn’t it?”

 

“Shit.” 

 

~* ~

Once they reached the basement, it was meant to be a simple trip. Ahead of them was a secret path that led to the docks, and all they needed to do was sneak onto one of the boats and wait. As they began to walk out into the hallway, and the elevator closed behind them, they were finally able to notice someone up ahead. A man, wearing a Future Foundation uniform, staring them down.


“Eep!” Benko hid behind Miu, who very quickly stood protectively in the way. In an instant, Rantaro smacked the button to summon the elevator. The others began to get into position, ready to do what they could to handle this situation. 

“W-Wait! I’m on your side!” He yelped, “Please let me explain!” 

“Matcha, press it again, goddammit!”

“I’m trying!”

“Here, here, just tell me what I need to do to prove you can trust me, and I’ll do it.” He put his hands up calmly, “A-Actually…”

He reached into his pocket, which made everyone around get ready to attack. The man flinched, and flung his keycard onto the ground, putting his hands back up in a surrender. “There. If you really want to go back up there, you can use my keycard. You’re not going to get back into that thing without one.” 

 

“But… How would you get back up?” Benko asked. 

“Oh.” He looked back at it and laughed nervously, “Uh… Good question. If that happens, hm… I think we’re both screwed.” 

“ Soshun Murasame: Future Foundation 3rd Branch Leader ?”

As Kirumi read the name on the card, Benko slowly but surely peeked at the man standing in front of them. She hadn’t actually gotten a good look of him, but now she knew for sure who that was! He wasn’t supposed to be a part of the plan, but she was sure it’d be fine. He was one of the few people in the Future Foundation that Kokichi actually trusted. 

 

“We can trust him!” Benko bounced excitedly, pulling on Miu’s arm, “That’s a good guy! It’s Kokichi’s dad!” 

“WHAT?!” 

The hallway erupted in a cacophony of confusion and shock. That… Was Kokichi’s dad? His father actually worked for the Future Foundation? Just how the hell was that possible?

At first glance, the two looked nothing alike, but with a careful eye it became obvious. The two shared the same big wide eyes, despite his father’s lacking the same spark so to speak, and color. But his presence… It was reminiscent of Kokichi at his best. He carried himself with confidence, and clear intent, focused on the situation at hand entirely. Even with his uniform, he almost seemed like someone they could trust. 

“Is it really that much of a surprise? I guess he does take after his mother a bit more…” He mumbled to himself, before shortly turning his attention back to the group gathered, “But, yes. I’m guessing you’re his Benko, huh?” 

She slowly nodded. He smiled, and pulled something out of his pocket. A tattered scarf with snippets of about every color in the rainbow. He knelt down to her level, and carefully held it out to her, “Then I know I can trust you with this. Will you keep this safe for me? I know when the two of you meet again, he’s going to want it back.


She nodded once more, determinedly, and took the scarf, holding it carefully like it could be destroyed in any moment. He stood back up, and faced the group, “Now… I’m sure you all have many questions, but I’ll answer them on the way, if that’s alright. I don’t want to ruin your chance at escape, after all.”


Somehow, the group agreed to trust the hesitant man. He led them through the basement skillfully, and even helped them get away from various security guards with the simple excuse of, “I’m escorting these escapes.” All the while the man told them silly stories of when Kokichi was younger, and all his previous rebellious little escapades in the Future Foundation. Once they were close enough, he hid with them in a supply room that connected to the outside. Carefully, he looked out the cracked door, making sure that the coast was clear before he let the kids go. 

 

“Why are you doing this, anyway? Isn’t this illegal, or something?” 

“Although I don’t the Future Foundation should be destroyed like my son does… I’ll admit that it’s been built on shaky foundation , if you get what I mean. Although we all want to be the hope the world so desperately needs, I think in a lot of ways, we’ve failed. It took me losing him for me to realize that…” He sighed sadly, “Regardless, I can’t let my sons friends get hurt for something as innocent as wanting freedom. That’s why I’m here.” 

 

“Are you going to lose your job over this?” 

 

“Oh, that’s not something I’m worried about. My wife and I have some plans of our own.” He replied with a cryptic smile, “Ah, it looks like it’s clear. Guess that little bird gave the wrong information after all.”


He opened the door, and held it open for the group. For the first time in who knows how long… They could feel the fresh air on their skin. As they walked out into the summer night, they felt a sense of hope rush through them. Finally, they were free.

The few who decided to stay back were led into a more secure area by Soshun, while the others accompanied Benko onto the boat. Although it was a goodbye, it was one with the pretense that they’d see one another again. 

~*~

 

Kiibo felt every fiber of their being slow to a halt as they saw Iidabashi’s face light up the screen. Everyone in the room seemed to share their sentiment in a way. Just what were they supposed to do? Was… It possible for him to hurt any of them in here?

(“You’re safe. He isn’t that stupid. He can’t hurt you in here, or out there.” )

“I-Iidabashi! What a pleasant surprise! What are you… What are you doing… Here?”


“Well, I thought it’d be fitting considering all of the fourth wall breaks this season.” He said with a bit of an edge, “And, I wouldn’t miss any opportunity to see my little Dandelion grow. So, tell me, do any of you have any questions?  Out there, or otherwise?”

Kiibo knew what he was implying. The audience. He wanted the audience to ask him questions- probably so he’d be able to ease their worries. They… Had done actual damage on the Future Foundation’s reputation. They knew their father- no- Iidabashi, was a good liar. But… What if their questions could force the truth out somehow?

 

(“If you think you can bluff, do it, Kiiboy! I believe in you! Lie until your pants are on fire!” )

 

They held onto the stand, and readied themself. What… Did they look like when the audience had control over them? It wasn’t probably much of a difference. They just needed to look uncomfortable. And that was easy. They looked up to face him with all the bravery they had left and… Wait. What should they ask? There were far too many options. And, if they asked the wrong one… 

 

(“Ask him what happened to Makoto Naegi. That’s something that the fans have a lot of  ‘theories’ about, but it should set him off.” )

They nodded. They trusted Kokichi, and although they were terrified about how angry he’d get… They were safe in here. And, they weren’t alone. Carefully, they started, saying, “Uhm… I guess I have one?” 

 

“What is it, Dandelion?”

“What happened to uh… Makoto Naegi?” They asked. Just as Kokichi theorized, his face dropped. Playing dumb, they nervously added, “Did… Did I say that right? Makoto Naegi?”

“What does he have to do with anything?” Tsumugi furrowed her brows, “How’d you even know about him?”

“Oh! He’s the guy from the book!” Himiko chimed in, “The one from the first game!” 

 

Shuichi looked up at the screen with an intense stare, “And the last person to stand against the Future Foundation, before DICE, right?”

Iidabashi said nothing. The trial room felt almost suffocating under his gaze. It was far too still, until he suddenly clapped his hands together and let out a laugh, “Ah, Makoto. Haven’t heard that name in a long time. I thought everyone knew what happened to that man. He was the one of the only survivors of the first killing game at Hopes Peak Academy. Is that what you were asking?” 

“So… He was just like us…”

“I’m more curious about after that.” Shuichi spoke up, seeing how Kiibo had begun to freeze up, “The textbook said that he and his friends made the sacrifice to join the residents of Jabberwock, for, the good of the world, or whatever reason… But, Ado… They said something different.”

“Oh? Well, I wouldn’t trust a word out of her mouth. She’s a former member of DICE, after all.” 

“Why are you dodging the question? You said you’d answer them.” He pressed, “What happened to Makoto?”

“You answered your own question. He and the rest of his allies sacrificed themself so that Jabberwock could benefit humanity, rather than hurt it.” He replied easily, “Now, can we move on? By all means, we can continue discussing how your father left you, and all the reasons why that came to be, or we can talk about things that are actually important.” 

Shuichi’s eyes widened. “W-What?”

“Oh, nothing. You know, Shirogane, I truly do have to applaud you. Your ability to fix up that little plot hole for the sake of the show was very commendable.”

 

He turned his attention to the girl, who just minutes earlier, had looked as confident as a god: and now hid away in the Exisal, with nothing more than the tops of her eyes visible. Like the hand of a sock puppet, forcing a lesser being to play their part in life’s show. He continued, just as viciously, “In a way, they really were both actors far more than they were parents. It’s a disappointment that you likely are going to be following in their footsteps, in that way. I see a bright future ahead of you in the writing field, Shirogane.” 

 

“Th-Thank you.” 

 

(“He still didn’t answer the question!~ Go and get em’ You almost have him cornered!!!”)

 

“You did not answer the question… I have a bit of trouble of believing that it was a willing sacrifice.” 

 

“He was the world’s hope, of course he was willing to make it.” He rolled his eyes, “Dandelion, I would not try to argue about a decision you were not a part of.” 

 

“A decision?” They latched onto the slipup, “What decision?” 

“The very same that we have been talking about!” 

 

(“Hmm… He’s not cracking. Try something else!” )

 

“Oh, okay…” They hummed, before trying to come up with a better line of questioning. That wasn’t working, clearly. It wasn’t good to be direct with him. So maybe… If they were more underhanded in their technique. Fighting fire with fire, so to speak. And, they were pretty sure they had exactly the idea on how to do it. “Uh… Why does the Future Foundation make killing games, though? Is that not what caused the world to turn to despair? It seems a bit strange.”

“Well… It is what gives the world hope. Seeing that people, even in the worst situations imaginable can climb out of the pits of despair, and create a better life for themselves is inspiring.” 

“But again, this is exactly what he had fought against! These games  cause so much pain and despair for others. I just, I cannot understand how that is a good thing.”

“I will not try and argue with you on this one, as you are free to believe what you may, but that does not change the facts. It is a good thing for the world.” He said with grave intensity, “It may be reminiscent of what he fought against, but the two are not the same.” 

“No… I agree with them on that one. Isn’t keeping these games running just perpetuating a never ending cycle of hope and despair? That’s a little pointless.” Shuichi said, “Inspiration can come from anything. Torturing real people just for the sake of giving the world something to believe in… I don’t think any true good can come from something like that.”

“Real people?” Iidabashi let out a cackle, “I would not go that far. Nothing about this place is real, including all of you. Your memories, thoughts, feelings- all of it is predetermined. It is code just like everything surrounding you. It does not exist in the real world.” 

 

“That’s… No, that can’t be true!” Shuichi argued, “Just because it’s not happening in the real world, that doesn’t make it any less real!” 

 

“I think by definition, it does. If it is not based in reality, then nothing about it is real.”


They were getting nowhere. This man was impossible to argue with, and they didn’t have enough evidence to truly pin him. Nor did any of them have the power to. And the only person who seemed to have the ability to stand against him was currently cowering in an Exisal from him. It was hopeless. 

 

(“I forgot how hard it is to argue with this bastard… You’re right, we don’t have enough resources to do damage. I have an idea, but you’re not going to like it. We might need to get the audiences in on this.” )

The audience… The very idea sent shivers down their metallic spine. Every time they heard the voices begin to spiral, it was as if they lost every sense of their identity in that moment. They were nothing more than a machine, and they hated feeling like that. And knowing just how sadistic they have been, they didn’t feel safe allowing that to happen. But, if there really was no other way, they had to take it. 

 

(“I’ll still be right here, don’t worry. But first… In case anything goes wrong, or if you want to back out, I’ll tell you how to end the game. All you need to do is press Monokuma’s button… Are you sure you’re okay with this?” )

They nodded. 

(“Alright, if you’re sure. Good luck Kiiboy! I’m rooting for you!” )

 

And just like that… He was gone. They felt a twinge of sadness tug at their wires, but they couldn’t focus on that for very long, as immediately, they were hit with the backlog of audience responses. They closed their eyes tightly, doing everything they could to keep that from overwhelming them. And, they simply allowed themself to listen to what they were saying.

(They aren’t listening to suggestions.- Why’s Iidabashi being so suspicious over Makoto?- Am I the only one still wondering about those riddles and the key?- I want to see Kiibo ask him about the bomb!-  I wonder if they’ll talk about the Ultimate Hunt!- Is it really bad to watch these games?- Ooooh I wonder if we can ask about that behind the scenes thing made by Kokichi!-)

There were too many options, but they decided to just go with the easiest one they could think of.  The Ultimate Hunt didn’t seem too out there, so they started there. They looked over to Shuichi and Himiko, before they started with, “Uhm… Why don’t we try to figure out what out of our memories are real? Like the Ultimate Hunt?”

“I think that was real.” Shuichi put a finger to his chin, “I read something about the Hunt Decree being what determined who played the game… But I’m not sure what that means about the Gopher Project.” 

“Well, those two things aren’t exactly real either.” Tsumugi finally spoke up but still kept her eyes on the monitor housing Iidabashi’s face, “They’re just…”

“They’re inspired by them!” Himko answered for her, her eyes lighting up with recognition, “All the memories we have are based on real things, if the books are right! So… What were they?”

“Both of them are just ways that the participants of these games are scouted.” Iidabashi explained, “The Hunt Decree is just that anyone established as an Ultimate is given as many resources as one would need by the Future Foundation to accomplish their goals, and to provide their own hope to the world- as long as they are willing to lend assistance to us when the time comes. The Gopher Project was the nickname for the collection of your batch of Ultimates for this game.” 

 

“So you’re saying… We didn’t sign up willingly.” He looked up suddenly, “You… You kidnapped us.”

“It was agreed the moment you all became Ultimates, so I think that counts as willing.  And kidnapping… That’s such a harsh term. I prefer gathering.” 

 

“But isn’t that what it is?” Himiko tried her best to argue, “If we didn’t wanna do this, that’s gotta be kidnapping!” 

 

It was in that moment that they heard the voices opinion begin to shift. Perhaps it was just how he had phrased those words, or maybe it was a combination of how he was treating them all that got them to rally against that man. Whatever he was planning, it wasn’t working out in his favor.  He had become the games antagonist, far more than the actual Mastermind herself. 

 

(I always thought there was something a little sketchy about that law!- So wait, does that mean that DICE was given resources by the Future Foundation??? Or is Kokichi’s Ultimate something else? I’m confused!- Explains that the bitch who’d install a self destruct sequence  in his kid would see kidnapping as moral too.- Iidabashi is a good actor! He really seems like a slimeball right now!- I wonder if Kiibo agreed to it? They aren’t really the Ultimate Robot…  So how’d they end up in the game?)

 

The last comment was something that stood out to them more than the rest. They… Weren’t the Ultimate Robot? What was that supposed to mean? Of course they were. But, they did admit that posed a good question. They just weren’t sure if they were brave enough to ask it. After fighting themself on it for a few moments, they finally mustered up the courage to confront him, “If that is true, then why am I in the game? Why… Did you put me in it?”

“For the same reason as the rest. You were an Ultimate as well, so clearly, you would eventually assist the Foundation in these kinds of matters as well.” 

Were… An Ultimate? 

If they weren’t so focused on the rest of his words, they would’ve asked for clarification. But just the tone, the way that he said those words so matter-of-factly when he was talking about putting them into the game. It tore them into shreds. This was their father . Their parent . Their guardian. And he was entirely happy with the fact that they had been put through hell… For no reason but for the hope of the audience. And they weren’t even given the feature to cry, despite their whole body screaming out for it to occur. 

“H-How could you do that to me?!” They gripped onto the stand in front of them as tight as they could, as if it were a shield that could protect them from that monster in the screen. Looking up desperately, they cried but no tears came, “I was your child! I… I know that I may be an Ultimate, but how you allow something like that?! Are you just so detached from any sense of morality that you cannot understand how… How horrible it feels to be in here?!” 

“Dandelion, I understand that you are emotional at the moment, but I can tell you that I did it for your own good. You have learned a lot from this game, haven’t you?” 

 

“Oh, I am emotional? How very astute of you! I would have thought that you had no idea what those are!” They laughed harshly, their voice beginning to glitch and shake, “A-A-A-And the only thing I learned that I had not already known was that you are a fucking monster.”

“I guess that a mature conversation is impossible now….”He sighed, “Pity.”

“I… I am done trying to talk to you. If you all would like to ask questions, you can… But I will not continue to entertain his incessant arguing.” They moved from their stand towards the Monokuma’s button, “Kokichi inputted a new ending to the game, one where none of us have to die… If you are all done as well, we just need to press the button, and we are done with this place.” 

They could feel that the audience was happy about this turn of events, especially as Iidabashi’s expression turned to a scowl.

“He did what?! That absolute creatin! That breaks the whole pattern…” 

They decided to ignore the man from here on out. Turning to the others, they asked, “Should we try it out?”


“There’s… Been another shutdown sequence this whole time?” Tsumugi blinked, “And you didn’t say anything while I was panicking over the Monopad?” 

 

“Well… I had only found out about it a few minutes ago.” They admitted. 

 

“Is it safe?” 

“I think so. I mean… Kokichi made it. I am sure it would not hurt us in the slightest.” 

The three four looked at one another warily, before they all seemed to agree on it. Even Tsumugi, strangely enough. Actually… She moved the Exisal towards the ground, and climbed out of the machine tiredly, before she walked on over to Monokuma’s button, and looked back to the other three. 

“Actually, I’m getting tired of this too. I’ve been working my ass off these past few days, and I’m done cleaning up all these messes. I’m sorry, but I’m plainly done! Consider it my resignation.” 

“Your… Resignation. You cannot be serious.”

“You were right, I’ve got a bright future ahead of me in writing. Don’t need to work with you bozos to be successful from here on out.”

Iidabashi opened his mouth to yell out a response, but it was futile. She hit the button, and just like that, she was gone. Disappeared, into thin air. Like she had never been there in the first place.  At first, that seemed concerning, but it was far more promising than whatever else any of them could imagine. There were no screams of torment, or the horrific sounds of Monokuma’s laugh, she was just gone. 

 

Himiko was the next to try the button. She nervously stepped to the button, and put her hand on it as well. “I guess this was a lot easier than we thought… Is it really okay for us to just leave?”

“Well… Even though I’d love to get answers, I think Kiibo might be on the right track.” Shuichi sighed, “I don’t think we can change his mind on anything.”

“I can hear what you’re saying, you know!”

“Okay… If it’s really gonna be alright…” She looked back at the button, before she smiled and said, “I’ll see you guys on the other side!” 

She pressed it, and poof! She was gone as well.


Shuichi and Kiibo were the last ones. Iidabashi kept ranting, and yelling to get their attention, desperately. But, they weren’t going to give it to him. He’d just have to watch as all of his supposed ‘participants’ completely, and absolutely, ignored him.


Shuichi was the next to press the button, but right before he did, he looked over to Kokichi and said, “I really hope this works.”


And then… All that was left was Kiibo and Iidabashi. They turned to face their father, letting their anger turn to confidence. This was it. 

 

All that came from Iidabashi’s mouth was a very threatening phrase. “You’re going to regret this.” 

 

And to that, they only had one reply. They smiled at their creator, and said, “No. I do not think that I will.” 

 

And the button was pressed. 

 

~*~

 

And just like that, they were there once again. A strange inky black void that had no true up, or down; left or right. It simply existed as it was. This was their second time in this strange area at this point. 

The first time it had just been for a moment, a blink of time, when they had allowed Kokichi to ‘kill’ them to dismantle the time limit. At the time they had thought they were in some sort of mechanical purgatory, but now they were able to figure that it was likely a lot less complex than that. It was just a place within the simulation.


They mindlessly made their way over to the strange door ahead, the only thing that they could see. A door labeled, DICE BACKDOOR.

Wait. Didn’t that have another word in front of it, before? Run? Run DICE Backdoor. They hadn’t had the courage to find see what was actually beyond that door up until this point, figuring that it was a good of a time as ever to give it a shot. They weren’t sure how long they had in this place, after all, or if any of it was simply just a c

 

They reached for the door and looked into the abyss. Although there was no true distinction between one area and the other, they still walked through the doorway. 

 

From there they were met with a gorgeous scene. A sakura tree on a hill, overlooking an entire park built by the Future Foundation, where the original Hope’s Peak Academy once stood. The Foundation Park. It had been one of their favorite places to visit when they were a child.

 

 During the Hope Festival, there’d always be beautiful firework shows, a brief period of time where they were just able to run away from their father’s influence, and blend in with the rest of the world. Kokichi would always convince the two of them to make masks, similar to all of the thousands of Monokuma-faced strangers; and just like that… The two were free.

Wait… Where did that come from? How did they know all of that?

Their memories had begun to become much more vivid, since they had seen that Flashback light. It was strange, but… They felt as if it was real, somehow. This was the truth. 

They could feel the soft sun on their skin as they walked the path to the hill, and smell the faint scent of grass and cherry blossoms. The petals littered the air and ground like snow, dancing like thousands of ballerinas. 

As they finally reached the hill, they saw him. 

 

Kokichi Ouma.

He lacked his signature clothing, no longer was his outfit a pillar of white… He looked much more normal. Like a genuine teenager. They were taken aback by this fact, in all honesty. His curly hair floated in the wind, looking far more tousled than it had just an hour earlier; yet he looked far more at peace. He stared up at the sky with a soft smile. 

Instead of his checkerboard scarf, he proudly wore a striped quilted scarf that contained just about every color and shade they could think of. Although, he still had his whole checkerboard motif. 

 

As they stared in surprise, Kokichi met their gaze with an amused smirk. Although they couldn’t know for sure, they could only guess by his expression that he had known that they were there for a while. He said teasingly, “At least say something if you’re going to stare!” 

 

“A-Ah! Sorry! I just… Was surprised to see you here.” 

 

“Pfft… I am too. You weren’t supposed to be able to get in this place.” He replied cryptically, “Want to sit down for a while? I’ll work on booting you out of the program safely in the meantime.” 

 

“You seem to be familiar with this place… Is this a part of the simulation? Is this… Where you’ve been this whole time?” 

“Duh! Well… Kind of. It’s a recreation of one of my memories, recreated in the simulation.” He explained before adding very casually, “I wanted to be somewhere I felt safe before I disappeared forever, yknow?”


“W-What?”

He didn’t elaborate, much to their worry. After watching Kokichi excitedly pat the place next to him. It seemed like he didn’t want to be alone, and in all honesty… They didn’t want to either. As they walked up the hill, they were able to see masks littered around the tree. Although none were within Kokichi’s sight, they made a protective circle around him.


As they sat down beside him, he swiped at the air, and they saw it replaced by a mass of code. Green and black filled the air,  and they could only stare in awe. As he very quickly began to mess around with it, scrolling through lines and lines of nearly identical code, he casually asked, “You’re the real Kiiboy, right?” 

 

“I… That is a very existential question. But, I believe that I am. 

He laughed at their response. 

 

“Ah. Must’ve been a mistake somewhere… Maybe because you technically died in the game too, but weren’t booted out? Unless…  Hmm…” He narrowed his eyes at them a bit in a mixture of nervous fear, and determination. Whatever he had been thinking, he didn’t quite vocalize it. 

 

 It was hard to focus on wondering just what he was thinking about, though. Because… There was another strange change about this Kokichi. There was a nasty scar on the right side of his face. Jagged and worn, stretching like a road from his eyebrow, across his pale purple eye, and down the rest of his face. They tried their best not to stare, but Kokichi didn’t seem too bothered. 

“Are… You okay?”


“Hm? Oh, just thinking…” He replied and looked away guiltily, “I’m… Really sorry. I don’t know what I did wrong… And now… No.” He stopped himself, “I can just change the emergency ejection sequence, so it’ll get you out instead of me.” 

 

“Why not have it get both of us out of here…?” They asked, not quite sure what he meant by that. Though his tone worried him a bit… Especially paired with his earlier remark. Was he… Not planning on leaving the game? Was that even possible? “I thought that we all left the game once it ends, regardless?” 

 

“You will, I promise. But… This is where my story ends.” He said with a sad smile, “That escape route, it relies on the old Neo Program Code, not KASO’s. That means that anyone who’s died, and is yknow, human, will end up in a coma. And since nobody knows where Izuru went, there’s really no way to solve the whole crisis. As soon as this game shuts off, I go out with it… And, I created an additional code that will delete EVERYTHING! Since I’m the only one who knows it inside and out… They have no choice now but to stop the games forever.”

They felt their mechanical gut sink. What kind of thinking was that? It feared them. The thought of losing him again… Not after they had just found one another again. Not after they finally remembered again.

“That is… No. You cannot think like that! Please, do not think about throwing away your life like that!”

“There’s nothing for me out there, Kiiboy.” He mumbled, avoiding their gaze, “DICE… I’ve only managed to get all of them hurt. As long as I’m still kicking, they’re in danger. But once I’m gone, my contract is null and void, and they’ll be able to move on. I’ve thought this through every angle, and this is the only one that ends with everyone safe.”

“But you will not be.”

“Who cares?”

“I do.” They quietly replied,  “And I have reason to believe there are many people out there who would care as well.” 

 

He stared at them in disbelief, before he huffed and glared off into the distance. It was clear that he didn’t want to have this conversation, but they wouldn’t let it go. 

“And do not say such a thing! I know that I have not known you, the real you , for very long within this game. And… I cannot remember entirely what kind of role you played in my life before it. Despite that, I have been able to gather enough data within this short period of time that you are more than worth the risk that you pose.” 

 

It was strange to admit, but they believed that to be true. This strange, purple haired gremlin, had changed their life so drastically in just one day. He was an annoyance, sure, but a well meaning one. Despite his every attempt to appear and act heartless, he had proven himself to them to be far more empathetic and caring to them than just about anyone they could really think of. 

 

…They would not have had the bravery to stand against their father, had it not been for him. In fact, they were sure they would have spent more years believing that to be just. Yet, he saw through that; and despite all the robophobic jokes… He saw through them . In a moment where they had truly thought that hope was a simply benign human concept, that directly contrasted with logic… He gave them it. The courage and hope to start anew.

“I cannot agree with everything you have done, but… I can understand it. You were doing all you could to keep everyone safe, and keep yourself safe the only way you knew how. And, all this time, despite your insistence that it has all been but a selfish ploy to win, and beat the Mastermind… All this time, you were not as worried about protecting yourself, as you were protecting others. Every single one of your plans involve you sacrificing something important to you, after all.” 

 

As they looked over at the boy, they were able to see that he had the mask on his face again. At first, they found this a bit strange, until they noticed that he was… Shaking. Silently shaking. 

“Stop it, just- shut up!” He yelped before they could think for a second more. He punched the ground under him in protest, before his legs curled up to his chest, defensively. “How are you this naive?! Everything I’ve done… The amount of people I’ve hurt… If you even think for a second that I’m anything more than a monster, then there’s something seriously wrong with you! I… I don’t deserve… this.”

Oh… That one stung. 

 

But… This was a pattern, was it not? Kokichi Ouma was a strange human, but one that they had come to understand just a bit. He was very defensive, and truly seemed to believe himself to be the villain of this game. Though… life was far more complicated than what most humans seemed to make it out to be. There was no black, or white… Just gray. 

 

 They knew better than to take things like these personally, and knew now just how hard emotions could be to control at times. So, they simply waited silently as the boy beside them as he fought back tears, glaring up at the sakura blossoms like his life depended on it.

“I am under the firm belief that everyone deserves to be treated with kindness.” They replied, once he had calmed down a little, “And, I do not think that you are seeing yourself clearly right now. Guilt does that, from what I have noticed. Besides, I care about you. That should matter on it’s own.”

“But… Why? I… I don’t understand you. I’m the reason you’re here. That… All of this has happened. ” 

 

“There is no why about it. I just do. Is that not how it works?” They replied, as if it were obvious, “Besides, that is not true. You are lying to yourself just to justify your negative self image. You were not the one who implemented these games, or the one who has fought to keep them going. And even if you did help this situation come into fruition… it still is not your fault.” 

 

“...But it’s my responsibility to fix it.” 

 

“Then live on, and we can do it together.” They said, “You are not the type to give up like this. You are quite literally, the most stubborn person I have ever met- and likely will ever meet. It is almost a superpower. I do not think a person could force you to do something if they tried.” 

 

“Okay, okay, I get it…”

“What I am trying to say is… By allowing this to be the end, you are denying the very real possibility of the situation at hand getting better. The world is difficult, and that is not something that I will deny. I myself am absolutely terrified of facing Iidabashi again after what he said to me during the trial… But, I will not let that get me down, and want to know why?” 

 

They looked over to him, and he hesitantly nodded. They smiled. “Well… Last night, I had simply thought that you were an annoying manipulative liar who was bent on destroying every last bit of life our planet had, and torturing us all. Looking back at it now… It is ridiculous. The others were a bit too fearful to take the same risk as I did, and they missed out on getting to know you. Now, I am talking to this goofball who I had thought was the lying reincarnation of Junko a mere day ago, as a friend. If that is not evidence that the world is a far more than what I fear it to be, and that goodness lies in even the strangest of places… I do not know what is. And besides… Was it not you who said that ‘hopelessness was a choice’? Why not fight to believe in a world of good?” 

 

They could practically see the gears turning in Kokichi’s brain, trying desperately to combat their claim. But, it was no use. They stood to their feet, and held out their hand to him. He stared at it nervously.

If he took it… There was no telling how any of this would end. For all he knew, the two of them could die to a horrible death in a matter of minutes once they stepped through these virtual walls. He’d be a danger once more to DICE, and just about anyone who came into contact with him. But there was a chance, a very very slim one- that maybe, he wouldn’t screw up this time. Kiibo seemed to believe it, for some reason.

And…

He did want to see the look on Iidabshi’s face the moment he sees his whole Foundation crumble to the ground. 

 

Although it was terrifying to trust in a hope that couldn’t be guaranteed, he took their hand and let them help him to his feet. He felt a rush of hope as he stared up at his robotic companion, and couldn’t help but smile. They were right on one thing: the very fact that he had become friends with someone as amazing as them was proof that life could be unpredictable for the better.


He hadn’t thought about it until it was already done, but he had used that momentum to pull them into a hug. They squeaked a bit out of surprise, but clearly didn’t mind it. They simply relaxed in his arms and held him close in tandem, resting their head on his shoulder. Neither of them were sure how long they remained like that, simply taking in on another's presence, but time wasn’t a worry of theirs at that point.


As he pulled away from the hug, he said with a cheeky smile, “You’re an idiot, you know that, right?”

“Says the person who did not know the difference between Frankenstien, and the monster.” They teased, “Not to mention, I am very keen on holding you to your end of your bargain. You did tell me that once the game was over, you would teach me how to play Yu-Gi-Oh, and… It is over.” 

He gasped in mock offense, “Kiiboy! You’re using MY words against ME?! How dare you! That’s so manipulative!” 

 

“Is it manipulative to hold someone to their end of a deal? I do not think that is how it works.” 

“Yeah yeah, talk to the hand, Microwave.” He grumbled childishly as he swiped at the air once more. Yet again, code replaced what was once the tree.

It was fascinating to see how fast he had worked, almost as if it was something he had been training to do ever since he was young. He worked on that for a little bit, not quite talking, before he finally finished it. Ahead of him, two buttons showed up, in checker print. 

 

🄴🅂🄲🄰🄿🄴?

▀▄▀▄▀▄🅈🄴🅂▀▄▀▄▀▄                                                                                     ▀▄▀▄▀▄🄽🄾▀▄▀▄▀▄

 

He looked back and took a step back warily.  “We’ve gotten this far together… Want to press it at the same time, my ever so polygraphical robot buddy?” 

“Are you scared?” They asked in a lighthearted tone, “I do not think that it will hurt you.” 

“Pssh! I’m not scared! I just… I think it’d be fun! A challenge!”

They chuckled, deciding not to challenge him on that one. Instead, they softly put their hand on his own, which was scarred from time. Holding it softly, they finally looked towards the button ahead. 

“Ready? We will press it in three… Two…” 

 

He took a deep breath, and finished the countdown. “One.”

Still holding one another's hand, they pressed the button together.  In a world so full of despair, they had found hope in one another, time and time again. Although neither could say what the next day would bring, what tragedy may strike next, nor what villains were on the horison. Just for a moment though, they didn’t worry about those parts. 

 

The two smiled at one another as the world began to fade away.  Like kids, they simply thought about what they’d do once this was all over. The places they’d go, the people they’d meet, the games they’d play. Once the world was safe to return to, they’d do it all. 

 

Together. 

 

And just as Kokichi had thought… The plan had been perfect. 

Notes:

Click on the little "next in the series" button if you wanna read the sequel! I've got huge plans for this series, and I promise you won't be disappointed if you stick around. I'm even planning on making a visual novel for FTE's since the next fanfiction is a "rewrite" of Danganronpa S!

If you want to see:

-Kokichi get Therapy
-Everyone else getting Therapy
-A Killing Game with the surviving casts of SDR2, THH, DICE, and other killing games, fanmade or otherwise
-Healthy "pre-relationship" Kiibouma Fluff (I'm sorry, they're just so gay, I know it'll happen eventually.)
-Iidabashi get his ass kicked
-Kiibo getting a good father figure
-Teeth-Rotting Fluff mixed with heart breakin' angst!

...You'll love the next fic. In addition, I'll try and start posting the prequel oneshots for the series as well, not sure when, but that's what this thing is for:

 

Here's the official Tumblr/Askblog for the AU! Feel free to bug me anytime or ask questions. I post some art there sometimes for the AU too.

 

Phew, that was long. Anywho, thank you for joining me on this adventure. These past two years have been insane, but I'd never change them for the world. Thank you for reading.

Chapter 25: Update/Potential Reboot?

Summary:

Surprise! (Not a chapter. Gauging interest for a possible reboot.)

Hello!

It's been a while since I posted, huh? At least, anything Danganronpa related. I've written and directed a full Ace Attorney stage play, a plethora of unfinished projects, and yes, attempts at the promised sequel all while going about college. I honestly forgot about this series after a while though; I'll admit. Mostly because I've been busy, but also because, like.

 

This past year has been insane, to say the least. LIKE LITERALLY I AM NOT IMMUNE TO THE AO3 AUTHOR CLICHE. I THINK WE AS AUTHORS ARE DOOMED TO FACE HORRIBLE TRIALS BECAUSE OF WHAT WE PUT OUR CHARACTERS THROUGH. I COULDN'T EVEN WEAVE EVERYTHING THAT'S HAPPENED IN THE PAST TWO MONTHS INTO A COHESIVE NARRATIVE IF I TRIED!!! IT SINGLEHANDEDLY PUSHED ME BACK INTO THIS FANDOM, AND THIS AU FROM THE DEPTHS OF MY MIND BECAUSE SERIOUSLY. HUH????

 

Ahem. Back to this series.

 

I know a lot of people love this fanfic, so I won't ever take it down. I'm leaving it as it is, typo's and all, just as a memento. But I don't think that I can continue the story as it is- the sequel, I mean. I've changed and developed too much as a person and a writer to tell the story I had been meaning to tell. When I wrote this fic, in a lot of ways, I was learning the same lessons as Kokichi was. Although he didn't get therapy in anything other than our hearts, I did, and man. That really changed my perspective on everything-especially my fic. I'll still probably post the concepts I cooked up/my plans for the sequel in case anyone wants closure- or if they'd want to steal an idea for their own work. It'd take me a while to type up, it's finals week, but if y'all are interested, let me know.

 

BUT THE BIGGEST THING, HOLD ON, DON'T STOP READING NOW!!! THE BIGGEST THING EVER IS THIS.

 

I'm considering rebooting this au. I won't do the same crap as most studios nowadays reanimating the shambling corpse of a loved piece of media and making it dance- no. Instead, I want to try and tell you the story of Danganronpa that I've imagined for ages, now that I finally have the confidence to tell it. There were so many ideas that I had that I had to cut, simply because they didn't work with a Chapter 5 rewrite- but I'm thinking about going further than that.

What would you guys think of a fanfiction with (mostly) the same lore and worldbuilding, but this time, taking place right at the start of DRV3? This time, instead of Kokichi needing therapy by the end of it, him actually healing as the narrative goes on? An AU where Kokichi is the only person (except, well, you know who) who remembers EVERYTHING? One where the DICE BACKDOOR comes in much earlier, and everything is derailed? That, and so much more... Hehehehhehe...

Is there anything specific that you'd want to see in a reboot? Any constructive criticism you guys got? Anything that you wouldn't want to see?

Please let me know!

I hope you guys have had an amazing year. Thank you so much for all your support. I look forward to hearing your thoughts!!!

-Phoenix (Typo)

Notes:

Oh no... What's he planning now.

Series this work belongs to:

• Part 1 of Coup Disgrâce